Breaking the Circle (21 page)

‘Yes, to my mother.’

‘We will arrange that,’ Sonja said. ‘We will arrange everything now you work for us.’

The broad-shouldered, leering bouncer placed a hand on Maya’s arm as he accompanied them to the car, then he pushed her onto the back seat and slammed the door. When she heard the doors
lock, Maya felt desperate.

The driver accelerated round corners, veering and roaring along back streets as though he were in a police chase and Maya felt queasy by the time they stopped at a pair of wide iron gates.
Reaching out of the window, the driver punched at an intercom on the gatepost, somebody answered and the gates opened automatically as they drove through.

‘Here we are,’ Sonja said, opening the car door. Maya slid across the seat and got out. They were in front of an old brick mansion, which was surrounded by high walls topped with
razor wire. The gardens were neglected, weeds sprouting from every bit of soil and crevice. Climbing plants twisted around drainpipes and shadowed grimy windows.

Sonja held Maya’s arm as they walked to the front door. When Sonja tapped in a code, the heavy door swung open. Propelled forward, Maya found herself in a wide entrance hall. Remnants of
elegance could be seen in fancy plasterwork and a huge crystal chandelier, but paint was peeling from the walls and there was a smell of damp.

‘I’ll get Zena to show you to your room,’ Sonja said. ‘Zena will look after you.’ She went over to a panel on the wall, pressed a button and spoke on an intercom.
Almost immediately, a door opened at one side of the staircase and a woman came hurrying in. She was dressed in jeans and a red T-shirt. Her hair was long and dark, she was strikingly beautiful,
but had an angry red scar running down one side of her face. Maya couldn’t help gulping when she saw it. What kind of injury had ripped her face apart?

Zena led Maya up the stairs onto a wide landing and opened the door to a large room. At first glance it appeared stylish, with cream walls, a large double bed and mirrored wardrobes, but when
Maya stepped inside, she quickly saw damp patches on the walls, the carpet was worn and stained and one particularly unwelcome feature was that the windows were covered by steel bars.

‘This will be your room. It’s the best room. Sonja must have high hopes for you,’ Zena said. ‘You’ll be treated well if you behave yourself. But don’t do
anything to upset Sonja.’ She gave Maya a warning look. ‘Give me your handbag.’

‘No!’ Maya protested and just in time managed to put on a fake smile. ‘There are some precious things inside.’

‘I’ll take care of it,’ Zena said. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll put it in a safe place.’

She held out her hand. Maya knew that Zena would take the bag no matter what; she stalled for time.

‘Could I have a glass of water?’ She sat on the bed and hung her head. ‘I feel sick, the driver drove fast and I have not eaten today.’

‘Of course. I’ll be back in a moment.’

As soon as she’d gone, Maya looked around for a hiding place. Slipping the bank card out of her purse, she stuck it under a bedside lamp, then stuffed her mobile under the pillow and lay
back on the bed.

Zena returned with a glass of water and some biscuits.

‘Dinner will be at five o’ clock – we eat early to give the girls plenty of time to get ready. This should help till then.’ She looked down at Maya. ‘I have to take
your mobile. We don’t allow personal phones.’ She carried on staring at Maya as if she could see through the pillow she was lying on. ‘All rooms are thoroughly searched on a
regular basis.’

Reluctantly, Maya thrust her hand under the pillow, pulled out her mobile and handed it over.

Zena nodded. ‘I’ll leave you until dinner. Have a bath, if you like, in fact, I recommend it. Stefan will be over later. He likes to instruct all our new girls.’

She must have seen the look of panic on Maya’s face, because her voice softened. ‘You can do very well here,’ she said. ‘You are safe. You are cared for. Be nice to
Stefan and he’ll be nice to you.’

When Zena left, Maya heard a key turn, she waited a moment then went over and tried the door – of course, it was securely locked.

She wandered into the en suite bathroom, which was high-ceilinged and splendidly tiled, although some tiles were missing and there was a green stain on the bath. Behind some white gauzy drapes,
the high sash window was covered by a blind. When she lifted the blind she saw more bars – there was no way out.

Feeling thoroughly miserable, she sat on the bed. Once again she was a prisoner and all she could do was sit and wait – wait for Stefan, who Zena had said ominously ‘liked to
instruct the new girls’. The thought of that filled her with dread.

Time went slowly. There was an hour to go before dinner time. Maya was on the move, pacing from bed to bathroom to wardrobe. She opened the wardrobe door and found sparkly tops
and dresses – clubbing outfits – and a couple of elegant long dresses. She looked through barred windows onto the back garden and saw flower beds overgrown with grass and weeds. Tall
trees and bushes enclosed the boundaries, so that it was impossible to see what lay behind the house.

Several times she tiptoed over to the door and heard distant voices. One time she heard somebody crying. She wondered if it was Annika or Tanya. It was horrible that they were imprisoned, even
if Kay didn’t seem to want her help, she had to try and set the other girls free. But there was nothing she could do until she managed to escape or found a way of getting in touch with
Simon.

And she was aware that she had caused another major incident. The minder would be expecting to follow her home from school and she wouldn’t be there. Registers would be checked and
questions asked. She hoped Leona and Evie wouldn’t be in trouble, and then she felt a big stab of guilt about Helen.

She’d promised Gran not to get into any more trouble and she’d meant it. She’d only gone to the Omega office to gather information; she hadn’t imagined ending up a
prisoner.

Have I been stupid, Mum? Should I have given up? How do I get out of this one?

Although she concentrated hard at conjuring up her mum’s face, the look in her eyes, the words she might say, the mind message didn’t work. No answer came back – no
communication.

And that’s because I’m out of order, Maya thought. The thread has been broken because I’ve broken promises to Mum and Gran.

Then her thoughts turned to Simon. She couldn’t imagine how furious he’d be. She had really messed up.

When she heard a knock on the door, her mood was grim and she just wanted to be left alone. At the sound of a key in the lock she frowned, drew up her knees and wedged herself back against the
pillows on the bed.

‘It’s me, Zena. You have to get ready. Stefan is arriving soon.’

Maya didn’t move.

The door opened and Zena entered the room. ‘You have to make yourself beautiful. This is good for you. Stefan has only the best women. If you are his woman, you are favoured. No other man
will touch you.’

Big deal, Maya fumed. I don’t want anybody to touch me, certainly not Stefan.

Going over to the wardrobe, Zena opened the door and pulled out a dress of shimmering gold.

‘This one I think is beautiful.’

Reluctantly, Maya eased herself off the bed and stood up. She had to play the game until somehow she managed to get away.

‘Did you have a bath?’

‘No.’

Zena looked angry. ‘I told you to have bath, you are a stupid girl.’

She pushed Maya towards the bathroom, but at that moment there was an ear-splitting scream that froze their movements.

Zena recovered quickly. ‘It is nothing,’ she said, putting a firm hand on Maya’s arm.

But another scream followed and, all senses alert, Maya elbowed Zena aside and ran to the door. The screams grew louder. A door at the other end of the landing was half open and Maya shot
towards it. Behind her, Zena shouted for her to come back, a hand wrenched at her arm, but she pulled away. Pushing back the door, she stepped into a bedroom.

Annika was standing by the window. She was holding onto her sister’s legs and screaming. Above her, Tanya was hanging from a curtain pole, her neck at a preposterous angle.

Maya dashed forward and righted the chair Tanya had kicked away.

‘Get me a knife!’ she shouted, then, climbing up, she took the weight of Tanya’s body in her arms.

It took Zena only a few moments to come running back into the room with scissors and Maya cut the scarf tied to the pole. Together, they supported Tanya’s body and laid her on the floor.
Maya knelt down, tilted Tanya’s head back, opened her mouth and breathed into her. She tried and tried, but knew it was hopeless; Tanya’s spinal cord had snapped and she wouldn’t
respond, she couldn’t breathe. In vain, Maya felt for a pulse, watched for the slightest rise or fall of her chest. With tears in her eyes, Maya kept on trying until she was exhausted and
Zena gently moved her away.

Immediately, Annika threw herself on Tanya’s body, shaking and hugging her sister, shouting and crooning in her own language, then she stood up.

‘You know why she did this?’ she shouted at Zena. ‘She was ashamed.’

Zena held up her hands. ‘Be quiet!’ she ordered. ‘We have to think what to do.’

‘Who cares?’ Annika screamed.

Zena slapped her face. ‘Shut up – he will kill you if you make trouble.’

Annika’s arms dropped helplessly to her sides. ‘I do not care. I have nothing to live for. My sister is dead.’ And she started to wail.

‘We should get an ambulance,’ Maya said.

Zena gave her a hard stare. ‘Sonja will take care of things. Take Annika to your room. Keep her quiet.’

‘I will not leave my sister,’ Annika protested, pulling back towards Tanya’s body.

Maya understood the dangerous position they were in. Any suggestion of trauma had to disappear before Stefan arrived or he’d act swiftly to quash any trouble. A death was not an event to
mourn, but a body to be disposed of, and if Annika was a nuisance she’d be got rid of too.

‘Come, you come with me, Annika,’ Maya said, putting her arms round Annika’s shoulders. ‘You must be safe.’ She hugged Annika, holding her tightly. ‘Only you
know the truth. You must go back to your family, tell what happened to Tanya or they will never know.’

Zena pushed Maya in the back. ‘Take her!’ she ordered. ‘Go to your room and keep your mouth shut.’

All the fight seemed to go out of Annika and she allowed herself to be led across the landing into Maya’s room. Once inside, she collapsed on the bed and sobbed her heart out. Maya sat and
stroked her hair, wondering what she could do to get her away from Omega’s clutches before Annika, too, wanted to die.

When Annika had cried herself out and fallen asleep, Maya got up from the bed. She was hot and uncomfortable, her head itched under the wig and the silk dress was creased and tear-stained. She
went over to the window and looked out, wondering what would happen next, wondering what to do. She had no answers. The house was like a prison.

Below the window, amongst the long grass, a few late roses were still in bloom, birds darted in the bushes. Her thoughts went back to the summer and one early morning when she’d stood in
Gran’s garden, dew glittering like diamonds on the lawn, the distant hills hazy in early morning sunshine, Pam stretching before they went for a run together, her blonde hair shining in the
sunlight. Maya remembered how she’d grown so much taller than Pam and on their run she’d outpaced her. The next scene she banished. No way would she ever allow herself to think about
the kidnap, the moment when the terrorists struck, the terror of the gunshots, the horrible sight of poor Danny, the agent who was shot dead. They were memories she wanted to blot out forever.

But then a clear image of Pam formed – it was during the rescue attempt, the moment after the blast when the world had stood still, Pam’s soft grey eyes reassuring, her mouth saying
words Maya couldn’t hear. The message was coming through, Pam was telling her to have courage, to stay calm, to think carefully and logically.

There’s always hope, never give up
.

She heard Pam’s words clearly and when she raised her eyes, she noticed a pale silver moon hanging over the tall trees – a summer moon. The sun had not yet gone down but the moon had
risen and her mind became calm.

Right, I have to change this dress for a similar one. I have to wake Annika, comfort her and get her to give me as much information as she can – where she came from, how she got here. I
have to pretend to like Stefan, I have to find out about Omega’s operations and I have to find a way of relaying this to Simon. I have to escape and I have to take the girls with me.

Putting her fingers to her lips, she blew a kiss to the moon.

‘I know you’re with me, Mum,’ she whispered. ‘Come home soon and help me, please.’

Going over to the wardrobe, she thumbed through the racks of dresses and found an almost identical gold one. The straps were a bit thinner and it was shorter than the other dress, but when she
slipped it on it fitted well and looked good. In the distance she heard voices, a woman shouting. She opened the door a crack and peeped out onto the landing just as Sonja came out of Tanya’s
room. Seeing Maya, Sonja came over to her.