Broke (13 page)

‘Who said I was going to hurt
her
?’ Yates snatched the money and slotted it into his back pocket. Then, smirking, he drew his head back and butted Mark.

‘
Stop it!
’ Amy screamed when a horrible cracking sound rang out and blood spurted from Mark’s nose. ‘Leave him alone!’

Mark’s knees buckled and he sank to the floor with his face in his hands. Amy struggled like a wildcat to get to him, but Keith was too strong and she could only watch as Yates set about Mark. Tears already streaming down her face, she cried out when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

‘Cassie, don’t come in! Go back to your room!’

It was too late – Cassie had already opened the door. And when she saw her father on the floor with blood all over his face she started screaming.

Yates immediately stopped what he was doing and, thin chest heaving, smiled down at the little girl. ‘It’s all right, sweetheart, no need to be frightened. Daddy’s been a naughty boy so I’m just telling him off, that’s all.’

‘Don’t you dare talk to her,’ Amy hissed, wriggling free and rushing to Cassie. She shoved her back out into the hall, and glared at Yates. ‘She’s only five, you sick bastard!’

Yates chuckled softly, and squatted down beside Mark. He grabbed him by the hair and turned his head around. ‘I’m going. But I’ll be back tomorrow, so make sure you’ve got my money.’

‘He’s just given you your money,’ Amy reminded him angrily. ‘Now get out, and don’t come back.’

Yates straightened up and patted his pocket. ‘This is interest for making me come for it, darlin’. And if you don’t want me coming back every day, I suggest you make sure he’s got the rest when I get here tomorrow.’

When he and the other man walked out, Amy pulled Cassie into her arms and hugged her. ‘Please stop crying, baby. The nasty men have gone, and they won’t be coming back. Just go back to your room and make sure Bobby’s all right while I see to Daddy. Okay?’

Calmed by her mum’s soothing tone, Cassie gulped back her tears and ran up the stairs. Shaking all over, Amy bolted the front door and rushed to Mark.

‘Are you all right? Let me see your face.’

‘Don’t touch it,’ Mark cried, still cradling his nose. ‘I think it’s broke.’

‘I’ll call an ambulance.’ Amy reached for the phone but, when she heard no dial tone, remembered that the wire had been ripped out and looked for her mobile instead.

‘Leave it,’ Mark croaked, using the couch to pull himself up. ‘They’ll only fetch the police.’

‘Good!’ Amy tossed cushions aside as she searched for her phone. ‘He’s an animal, and he can’t be allowed to get away with what he’s just done.’

‘I said
leave
it,’ Mark yelled, his face contorting with pain. ‘He’ll only come back and do worse if we grass him up.’

‘He’s coming back
anyway
,’ said Amy. ‘And what’s to stop him having another go at you?’

‘He won’t,’ Mark insisted. ‘I’ll give him his money, and he’ll be cool.’

‘We haven’t
got
any money till the child benefit goes in on Wednesday,’ Amy reminded him. ‘And while we’re on the subject, I thought we were skint, so where did you get the money you just gave him?’

‘Not now,’ Mark moaned, clutching at his ribs as he hobbled into the kitchen. ‘I feel bad enough without you quizzing me like I’m some kind of fucking criminal.’

‘I’ve got a right to know what’s going on in my own house,’ Amy argued as she followed. ‘You’ve already lied about borrowing the money in the first place, so now I want to know what else you’ve been hiding.’

‘Nothing.’

Mark turned on the tap, and Amy watched as he gingerly washed the blood off his face. Lumps and bruises were springing up all over, and she could tell from the hunched way he was standing that he was hurting. But she was too angry to care. He’d brought danger into their home, threatening the safety of their children.

‘I know you’re hiding something, and I want the truth. Where did you get the money you just gave to that thug?’

‘Off Steve.’

‘So you borrowed money off that animal, and now you’ve borrowed off Steve to pay it back? How stupid are you?’

‘Stop fucking blaming me.’ Mark turned on her angrily. ‘This is all
your
fault, so if you want to call anyone stupid you’d best take a look in the mirror!’

‘I beg your pardon?’ Amy’s mouth dropped open in shock. ‘How dare you try and blame me for this! I didn’t even
know
about the money.’

‘Didn’t mind spending it, though, did you?’ Mark said accusingly. ‘And I wouldn’t have even needed it if you hadn’t fucked off and left me with no food or electric.’

‘And
why
didn’t we have food and electric?’ Amy shot back furiously. ‘Because
you
’re a loser who can’t keep a job for more than five minutes –
that
’s why!’

Mark snatched a cup off the draining board.

‘Go on, I dare you!’ Amy challenged, guessing from the look on his face that he wanted to throw it at her. ‘But if you do, it’ll be the last thing you
ever
do.’

‘Oh, ’cos you’re so hard, you’re gonna do
what
?’ spat Mark.

‘Get out,’ Amy hissed, a cold calmness settling over her. ‘I mean it, Mark, just get the fuck out! I’ve given you chance after chance, and you always say you’re gonna change. But you won’t, ’cos you’re a born liar.’

‘And you’re perfect,’ Mark retorted nastily. ‘Little Miss fucking Perfect, always looking down her fucking nose at everyone. Well, you want to take a good look at yourself, ’cos you’re no better than that skank of a mate of yours.’ He jerked his thumb towards the wall that separated their house from Marnie’s. ‘Only difference is, you’ve got a mug of a husband to sponge off, while she just shags every random bloke she meets and bleeds the fuckers dry.’

‘Get
out
,’ Amy said again, her teeth gritted, her eyes flashing with fury.

‘You know what, I think I will,’ Mark agreed, adrenalin making him temporarily forget the pain. ‘At least then I won’t have to look at your ugly fucking face.’

He hurled the cup at the wall and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

‘Mummy?’ Cassie’s scared little voice floated down the stairs. ‘
Mummy?
’

Amy inhaled deeply through her nose to calm the storm that was raging inside, and said, ‘It’s all right, baby, I’m here. I’m just going to clean up this broken cup and then I’ll put dinner on. You can come down and watch telly, if you want.’

‘Bobby’s wet his bed,’ Cassie told her.

‘Bring him down,’ said Amy, sighing as she reached for the dustpan and brush.

This was all Mark’s fault, and it was typical of him to walk out and leave her to deal with his traumatised children. Well, fine, she’d do what she had to do. But if he thought he was going to stroll back in when he felt like it and everything was going to be all right, he was in for a shock, because he wasn’t setting one foot in here until he’d sorted things out with that horrible man.

Mark was halfway to Steve’s before he remembered that his friend had said he was staying at his girlfriend’s house. Doing an abrupt about-turn, he went to his mum’s instead. After he’d knocked several times and shouted through the letter box, she finally answered. She was wearing a dressing gown and looked a little flustered, but Mark was too interested in his own woes to notice.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked. ‘You should have rung first.’

‘I didn’t have time,’ he said, edging past her when she seemed in no hurry to move out of his way. ‘I need somewhere to kip for a few nights.’

‘Oh, my God!’ Jane exclaimed when he stepped under the hall light and she saw the state of his face. ‘What the hell happened? Have you had an accident? Are Amy and the children okay?’

‘They’re fine,’ Mark grunted, shrugging her off when she pulled him round to get a better look. ‘I just need to sit down and have a cup of tea. And a fag, if you’ve got any going spare.’

‘You can’t go in there,’ Jane yelped when he headed for the living room. ‘I’ve got company.’

Mark had already opened the door.

A fat, bald, very naked man was lying on the rug in front of the fire.

‘What the
fuck
. . .?’ Mark turned and gaped at his mum.

‘It’s not what it looks like,’ Jane spluttered, blushing guiltily. ‘Alan – Mr Dobbs – is from the am-dram, and we’re rehearsing for a play we’re thinking of putting on.’

‘What,
Emmanuelle
?’ Mark snorted. ‘Do me a favour, Mam, I wasn’t born yesterday.’

Jane recovered her composure and raised her chin. ‘Yes, well, neither was I,’ she replied defiantly. ‘I’m old enough and ugly enough to do what I want, and if you don’t like it, go home.’

‘And leave you and Free Willy to do God only knows what?’ Mark sneered, tossing the man a contemptuous look. ‘Oi, fatso, shift it.’

‘Don’t you move!’ Jane ordered when Alan Dobbs started to get up.

He stayed put, his hands covering his genitals, a look of mortification on his face.

Jane turned back to Mark. ‘How dare you come in here and push my friends around. And why
are
you here, anyway? I don’t see hide nor hair of you for months on end, and you only ever call me when you want something. So what is it this time? Hmmm?’

‘I just told you, I need somewhere to stay,’ Mark reminded her, angry that she was talking to him like this in front of a stranger. ‘Me and Amy have had a row.’

‘Oh, don’t tell me,’ Jane said knowingly. ‘She’s caught you messing around with another girl, hasn’t she? Well, like I told you last time, you make your bed, you bloody well lie in it.’

Mark flicked the man on the floor a hooded glance and, lowering his voice, said, ‘It’s got nothing to do with birds. I owe a bloke some money, and he’s just been round to the house.’

‘And did that to you?’ Jane eyed his battered face. ‘In your house, in front of Amy? And then she kicked you out?’

Mark nodded and looked sorrowfully down at his feet, waiting for his mother to say that his wife was a bitch, and of course he could stay. But Jane just shook her head, and pursed her lips disapprovingly.

‘You never learn, do you? Ever since you were a kid you’ve been bringing shit to my door and blaming everyone but yourself for it. God knows I’ve never been Amy’s biggest fan, and I always said you were asking for trouble getting wed so young. But I don’t blame her for kicking you out. How do you think she must have felt, having some nasty piece of work beat you up in front of her? She must have been bloody terrified. And where were the kids while all this was happening?’

‘In their room.’

‘Well, at least that’s one good thing,’ said Jane, folding her arms. ‘But you’re not stopping here.’

‘Why not?’ Mark frowned. ‘’Cos of
him
?’ He gave a scornful jerk of his head in Dobbs’s direction.

‘It’s got nothing to do with Alan,’ Jane said sharply. ‘I’m just not having you hiding out here, eating me out of house and home and scrounging all me fags when you should be back home looking after your wife and kids.’

Mark locked stares with her for several long moments, then sneered. ‘Fine, I know where I’m not wanted. I’ll leave you and Viagra Man to it.’

‘Don’t be so bloody rude,’ Jane scolded, following him as he stomped out into the hall. ‘It’s about time you grew up and realised that the world doesn’t revolve around you, Mark Taylor. I might feel different if you hadn’t brought it on yourself, but you have, so now you’ll have to deal with it.’

‘Yeah, whatever.’ Mark cast one last bitter look back at her, then walked out.

Everything was aching by now, and his head was banging. All he wanted was a bed for the night, and a bit of tea and sympathy, but no one gave a fuck. His wife had kicked him out straight after watching him get his head kicked in, and his mother had chosen her pet Shrek over him. And Steve was more interested in getting his end away than in helping out his best mate.

Feeling increasingly sorry for himself, Mark walked to Jenny’s flat. The rest of them might not care if he lived or died, but she would never turn him away.

Jenny was overjoyed when she answered the door and saw Mark on the step. But the joy quickly turned to horror, and her hands flew to her mouth. ‘Oh, my God! Did Lenny do this?’

Mark nodded and gave her a pitiful look. ‘Sorry about earlier, I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ Jenny reached for his hand and pulled him inside. ‘Come and sit down. You look terrible.’

The fire was on in the living room. Mark flopped down on the couch in front of it and sighed as the heat immediately started to seep into his body. He was exhausted, and wished that he could just curl up and sleep for a week.

‘Let’s get you comfortable, then I’ll make you a cup of tea,’ said Jenny, arranging the cushions behind him.

Mark gave her a weak smile. ‘I’d rather have Scotch, if there’s any left?’

‘Yeah, course.’ Jenny rushed into the kitchen, grabbed two glasses and poured two shots: a small one for her, a very large one for him.

Mark took a sip and flopped his head back.

‘Did he do this because you were late with his money?’ Jenny asked, perching on the other couch. ‘Is it my fault for keeping you talking earlier?’

‘Nah.’ Mark shook his head. ‘I was already going to be late – it’s my own fault.’

‘Are you sure?’ Her voice was loaded with guilt.

‘Positive.’

It was a lie – Mark
did
partially blame her. But he wasn’t about to admit that and risk having her kick him out as well.

‘You haven’t got any painkillers, have you?’ he asked. ‘My head’s splitting.’

‘I think I’ve still got some of my mum’s strong ones. Won’t be a sec.’ Jenny jumped up and rushed back out to the kitchen. ‘Do you want a bath?’ she asked when she came back and handed a couple of small capsules to him.

‘That’d be nice,’ Mark said gratefully. ‘You’re an angel.’

Jenny smiled a shy little smile and went to run the bath. Alone, Mark swallowed the capsules and looked around. With the warmth of the fire, the TV in the corner, and the lamp casting a mellow glow, the room was really cosy. Add to that a willing woman running round after him like he was some kind of wounded hero, and no wife nagging or kids making a mess and demanding attention, and it was just about heaven.