Breaking the Circle (7 page)

As Kay spoke, Maya thought she’d never seen anyone look so wretched – her battered face looked tortured. Reaching out a hand, she tried to touch Kay’s arm, but Kay shrugged her
away and started to cry.

‘I am stupid. I cannot escape, I cannot even walk properly. Gerard, he will find me.’ She touched her swollen lip, wiped her hand across her nose and sniffed. ‘If he think I
cheat him he will kill me.’ Then her head dropped, she leaned back against the door and crossed her arms, hugging herself. ‘I will never escape, it was a stupid dream,’ she
muttered.

‘Don’t give up,’ Maya said gently. ‘Trust me, I’ll help you. I have a plan. Give me the drugs and I’ll take them to him.’

‘No!’ Kay’s head reared up and for a moment, Maya thought she was going to hit her.

Maya backed away. ‘Please, just listen. If I take the drugs to Gerard, he’s happy. You go back to him, he’s got what he wants.’

‘And me?’ Kay snapped. ‘My life is the same.’

‘Yes, but only for a few days – enough time for me to tell the cops about him. They’ll trap him, lock him up and you’re free. And when my mum is back, she’ll help
you.’

Kay looked at Maya with a pitying stare. ‘You are stupid. You think Gerard work alone? Who do you think give him drugs? He is part of a big operation – many countries. You think like
an idiot. If the police arrest Gerard, somebody will take his place.’

The news hit Maya like a slap in the face. She bit her lip and stared gloomily at the peeling paint on the door.

Kay carried on. ‘It is dangerous to fight Gerard. This is a big business, not just drugs, many things. It is a big circle.’

How naive she’d been, Maya thought, she should have realised Gerard was just one link in a chain. What an idiot! But then there was a twinge of excitement – this was big, she was on
to something. No way could she tackle a group of international criminals alone, but she could play a major role in helping track them down.

Her mind raced, trying to plot a course of action. First she’d contact Simon, her mum’s deputy. He’d know the right people to set up surveillance on Gerard. Plain clothes
detectives might act as customers, wait for Gerard to take delivery, note his contacts then arrest all the gang. It was important Gerard suspected nothing. Kay had to go back to him, pretend things
were normal, only for a few days, just until enough evidence was gathered. More immediately, the drugs had to be delivered to him.

While Maya’s brain was in fast mode, Kay had been leaning against the door, dabbing at her lip with a tissue. She looked exhausted, and, when Maya put her hand on her arm, this time she
didn’t move away.

‘Gerard might be part of a big ring of dealers. But I can’t let him turn my friends into druggies,’ Maya said softly. ‘I can see what he’s doing, grooming them,
giving them stuff so they get hooked. And I see what he’s done to you.’

Kay looked at her with glistening eyes. ‘Why do you care about me?’

‘I don’t know.’ Maya smiled. ‘Maybe I’m crazy, but I think it’s because, well . . . because I’ve been lucky. If Pam hadn’t rescued me and adopted
me I could be in the same situation as you.’

Kay gave a dismissive sniff and started to walk away.

Maya’s hopes fell. ‘Please, help me!’ she flung at Kay’s back.

Kay’s head went down. Then she wheeled round. ‘Why should I help you? Why should I care if Gerard kill you?’ Her eyes were wild, her face full of scorn but she didn’t
continue walking away – instead she stood still in silence, staring.

Maya didn’t move or speak. She knew her fate hung in the balance. She watched conflicting emotions flash across Kay’s face. Then Kay’s shoulders drooped and she sighed.

Holding the bag out towards Maya, she said, ‘All right. I will help you. I know I will never escape, anyway. It was a stupid dream. Maybe I will be sorry, but yes, you take this to Gerard.
Then you help me.’

Maya took the bag and put it over her shoulder. ‘I won’t let you down. I promise.’

It was raining lightly when Maya jumped off the bus. A few pigeons were pecking at the pavements, a group of girls were up ahead, giggling and dawdling their way towards the
ice rink, but apart from that, the street was empty. She didn’t see the two men in big anoraks and beanies sheltering in the doorway of the library until she was almost level with them, but
they’d clocked her and moved fast to block her path. She side-stepped, they changed direction and formed a big solid wall in front of her.

‘You Maya?’

She looked down, willing herself not to make eye contact. A hand grabbed her shoulder and another gripped her chin forcing her head back. ‘You ignorin’ us?’

Her instinct was to knock the clamping fingers away, but two of them, as big and solid as rocks? It was better to try to ride this one out. She closed her eyes, but it was difficult to stay calm
with the guy’s sour breath on her face, his gurgling laugh next to her ear. The other man grabbed her cardigan, ran his fingers down her arm and over her breast.

Her resolve snapped. ‘Get off me!’ she yelled, and grabbed the guy’s wrist, trying to pull his groping fingers away. Her arm was seized and twisted up her back. Shrieking
curses, she kicked out. Her foot connected with a shin. Her hair was grabbed and twisted, her head pushed down.

‘Give her a smack,’ one of the men said.

His mate laughed. ‘She ain’t worth it.’

With a strong push, she was sent reeling across the pavement. Clutching fiercely at the shoulder bag containing the drugs, she just managed to avoid falling into the gutter.

When she righted herself, her two attackers were walking away. Over his shoulder, one of them shouted, ‘Gerard’s expectin’ ya.’

* * *

The ice rink was a place Maya usually felt at home. She’d been going there since she was a little girl; the skid of skates, the echoing voices, the cold air and faint
smell of sweaty feet were so familiar to her. But today was different. Gerard’s mates would have alerted him that she was on her way – somewhere in the crowd of people he was watching
out for her, and in Kay’s bag slung over her shoulder, she had a package worth thousands of pounds.

The clock showed two-twenty and she spotted him right away, talking with two of his gang, who stood either side of him like bodyguards. He dismissed them as Maya walked up.

‘You’re late. I don’t like bein’ kept waitin’.’ Lounging back against the wall, he stuck his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and looked at her
through half closed eyelids.

‘Sorry. Bus was ages in coming,’ Maya said.

He made an exaggerated tutting noise. ‘Too bad.’ Then, moving away from the wall, he stepped towards her. ‘You brought me candy, baby?’

The words span from his lips like poisoned silk, whilst his eyes bored into her, brutal, merciless. She remembered the flick knife he’d threatened her with at the party and had no doubts
he would use it – not here, not now, but sometime he’d stalk her and find her alone.

Edging slightly away from him, she lifted the flap of the bag and showed him the top of the package. ‘It’s all here. I haven’t touched it. I don’t want anything to do
with it.’

He moved in front of her; they were the same height and as he spoke he leaned close, his mouth almost on hers. ‘So Kay wasn’t foolin’ me, you did take it. What were you gonna
do with it? Sell it? ‘And it to the cops?’

‘No. I was going to throw it away, destroy it,’ she said, trying to hold her voice steady. ‘Drugs mess with your mind and I don’t want you dealing to my
friends.’

His hand shot out, gripping the strap of the bag. ‘You’d be very stupid to destroy my stash.’ He lifted the strap slightly off her shoulder, twisting it until it was tight.
‘You see my mates on your way ‘ere?’

‘I saw two idiots, if that’s who you mean.’

He pulled the bag from her shoulder. ‘Remember, I got spies everywhere.’ Keeping a grip on her wrist, he opened the flap of the bag and looked inside. Then he nodded. ‘Seems to
be OK, but . . .’ he pointed a finger at her face, ‘. . .you cross me and you’re dead, understand?’

Maya nodded.

‘You say nothin’. No snitchin’ to Serena or your mates and definitely no blabbin’ to your mum or
‘er
mates or . . . you’re dead meat.’

Maya looked at him, keeping her eyes level. ‘I won’t say anything.’

‘If you want to live, you won’t.’

Stepping back, she glared at him. ‘I’m always true to my word. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over with, finished.’

She was breathing rapidly, aware of his eyes on her back as she walked away. She hoped he couldn’t see how much she was trembling.

It was a relief to see Leona and Evie, skates in hand, waving at her.

’Been on the ice yet?’ Leona asked.

‘No, I only just arrived.’

‘Come on, then, get yourself sorted.’

It took longer than usual to undo her trainers – her fingers wouldn’t cooperate, they were like frozen sausages pulling at the laces, while Gerard’s threats echoed in her head.
If she was sensible, she’d walk away – forget Gerard, the drugs and Kay. She was more shaken by Gerard than she liked to admit. That look of absolute menace in his eyes, the cold glint
of cruel hatred – he was somebody you definitely shouldn’t mess with. But she knew she’d have to deal with him sooner or later. He was selling to her friends, he was controlling
Kay – he was an evil presence in her backyard.

Only when she got on the ice did she feel more like her normal self. It was a relief to glide across the surface, and when Leona and Evie skated up to her, she felt their old familiarity return
as they linked arms. Practised skaters, they prescribed wide circles, keeping close to the barriers, then moving to the middle and swirling to a halt in a flurry of ice chips. They were busy
laughing at some nerdy kid who’d got himself into the middle and couldn’t stand up, when Maya spotted Zac.

‘Back in a minute,’ she told her friends and skated over to him.

‘Hi, fancy seeing you here.’

‘No accident. Evie called me, told me you’d be here.’

‘How did she know?’ she asked and then she realised – Gerard. He’d been sure she’d turn up, then.

Zac was grinning. ‘Come on, I’ll race you!’

They buzzed around the ice, weaving in and out of people. Maya out-paced him and turned triumphantly to wave, but as she did so, a man crashed into her and sent her spinning to the side. Zac
caught up with her as she was peeling herself off the barrier.

‘You all right?’

‘Yeah,’ Maya answered brushing down her cardigan.

‘Come on, let’s go and get a drink.’

He held out his hand and they skated to the exit. Over by the window she saw Gerard talking to two little kids, and then Leona and Evie joined them. She put her hand on Zac’s arm.

‘What’s Gerard up to now?’ she muttered.

The way Gerard was holding court made her want to throw up. He was laughing and joking, all smiles and charm and it was sickening to see how her friends were taken in by him.

‘How can they like him? He’s scum,’ she spluttered, her fingers clenched tightly round Zac’s forearm.

‘Do you reckon he’s the one who spiked your drink?’

‘Yeah, probably. I want to know what he’s saying.’

She and Zac took off their skates and went over.

‘Well, if it isn’t Miss Maya – darin’ and dangerous to know.’ Gerard turned to her with a dazzling smile. ‘Just doin’ a little business with your
friends, but sadly I gotta go, meetin’ Serena.’ He clapped Leona on the back and clasped her hand. ‘Pay me anytime, no worries.’

Leona and Evie exchanged glances and giggled.

‘He’s cool, isn’t he?’ Evie said. ‘Serena’s well in.’

‘Yeah,’ Maya agreed, ‘he’s cool.’ Zac shot her a questioning glance, but she continued singing Gerard’s praises. ‘Nice for Serena to have somebody who
really appreciates her. He’s cute.’

‘You’ve changed your mind about him,’ Evie laughed.

‘He’s not my type but all right, I agree, he’s got charm.’

Now Zac looked really puzzled. ‘I thought you. . .’ he began to say, but Maya jumped in before he could finish.

‘Let’s get a drink.’

In the café area, she waited until Zac went off to the toilet before she asked her friends the question that was burning in her brain.

‘What did you get from Gerard?’ she said, trying to sound casual.

‘Oh, just some stuff to give to Serena,’ Leona said.

‘But Gerard said he’s going to meet her.’

‘Oh, yeah, I forgot.’ Leona giggled, then she leaned forward, putting her hands flat on the table. ‘Look, Maya, it’s not that we’re taking stuff all the time
– we’re not stupid. It’s just a bit of experimenting. How do you know if you don’t try, eh? You not gonna be arsy about it, are you?’

Maya smiled. ‘No, course not. Might try some myself. They say it’s bad for you, but they’re probably just trying to put us off.’

‘Yeah, right,’ Evie said. ‘I felt so good last night, I was flyin’.’

Leona jumped up suddenly. ‘We gotta go now.’

‘Shall I come with you?’ Maya asked.

‘No, you stay and keep Zac company. He likes you.’

Maya watched her friends walk off arm in arm, wondering if she should follow them, wondering what they were actually up to. They’d always shared their secrets, there’d always been
three of them – now, it seemed, there were only two.