Gangsters Wives (23 page)

Within an hour Poppy was bandaged and, although she stumbled as she got off the bed, she managed to walk back down the stairs with only Sadie's assistance. They left the doctor counting the Euros with a smile on his face. The first they'd seen since they arrived.

Once inside the truck, Kate drove again, and said. ‘What do we do now?'

‘Find somewhere safe to lie low, let Poppy get some rest, and we need to get rid of this truck and get another motor.'

‘If Niki was here she'd steal one,' said Kate.

‘But she's not,' said Poppy, her voice faltering.

‘I'm so sorry, Poppy,' said Kate, gently.

‘We'll hire one,' said Sadie. ‘I got myself a new driving licence too, just in case.'

‘You're a genius,' said Kate.

‘I like to think so. And then we've got to get this money sorted. We can't carry it around for the rest of our lives.'

‘What are we going to do with it?' said Kate. ‘Christ, I never thought of that.'

‘I did,' said Sadie. ‘I opened a bank account in my new name.'

‘You thought of everything,' said Kate.

‘I had a good teacher in Eddie. Now just drive Kate. Let's get out of London and find a car-hire firm. Stanstead should do. Then we'll head north and dump this bloody truck somewhere.'

And that's exactly what happened.

* * *

Three weeks later three women boarded an early morning Eurostar to Paris. Two travelled together. An attractive dark-haired white woman in her mid-thirties with a fashionably short haircut, and a smaller, coffee coloured girl who walked with the aid of a stick, travelled first class. Down in second was another dark-haired girl in her twenties who was in the early stages of pregnancy. All paid for their tickets in cash, were expensively dressed, and carried only hand luggage. Once in Paris they took two taxis to the Eiffel Tower where they greeted each other like old friends, before taking another cab to the Charles De Gaulle airport where they purchased three first-class one-way tickets to New York, also with cash, and when they arrived they hired a limo and vanished into the metropolis.

At no time during their journey did anyone pay them any more attention than would normally be given to three beautiful women.

The beaches are wide and white in Ipanema, where the tall and tanned girl went walking; lined with hotels for tourists and longer staying visitors. Poppy, Sadie and Kate lay on sun loungers under brightly coloured umbrellas sipping pre-lunch drinks and watched the world go by. Poppy and Sadie on cocktails, Kate on straight orange juice. Poppy wore a black, one-piece bathing suit to hide the scars from Connie's bullet, Sadie wore a tiny bikini, and Kate wore a bikini too. But a slightly larger one, and over it a sarong to protect her swelling belly.

‘Look at the arse on that,' said Sadie as a waiter in white shorts and T-shirt took drinks to a neighbouring table. ‘I could eat my breakfast off it.'

‘Don't you ever think of anything else?' said Kate lifting her sunglasses off her eyes and checking out his behind.

‘You'd be surprised,' said Sadie. ‘What I think about.'

‘No I wouldn't,' said Kate. ‘Do you think they're still looking? The men I mean.'

‘Count on it. We fucked them up, killed a couple of them and nicked their dough. Left them to rot. Course they're still looking.'

‘Do you think we killed the wrong ones?' asked Kate.

‘Who knows? Maybe we should've killed them all, let God sort them out.'

‘No. I liked the way we left Ali and Robbo together. Bastards.'

‘Good result though,' said Sadie with a smile. ‘I looked on the net. All hell broke loose at home.'

‘Not a good result for Niki,' said Poppy.

‘Sorry, darling,' said Sadie. ‘You know I didn't mean it to sound like that.'

‘I know,' said Poppy. ‘Only I miss her so much.'

‘We all do,' said Kate. ‘We were family.'

‘Still are,' said Sadie.

‘Forever,' said Kate. ‘And when baby comes, it's Nicholas if it's a boy, Nikita, if it's a girl.'

Under her shades, a tear rolled down from Poppy's eye.

‘Don't cry girl,' said Sadie, touching her hand. ‘We're here for you. Always.'

Poppy nodded, but the tears kept coming.

‘You lot still carrying?' asked Kate, changing the subject.

‘Not many,' Sadie lifted the handbag by her side and hefted it in her hand. ‘Nine mill. You? Apart from junior, I mean.'

‘I sleep with a 45 under my pillow.'

‘Handy. Me, I find it's a bit of a passion-killer when a man finds a gun in bed.'

‘Is that a pistol in your knickers or are you pleased to see me…'

Sadie laughed. ‘You got that right. What about you, Poppy?'

‘I've had enough of guns,' she replied, sadly.

‘Course you have.'

‘What would you do if Eddie or Robbo, or Ali came down those steps there?' Kate pointed at the flight leading to the bar of the hotel. ‘Right this minute.'

‘Shoot the fucker, leave everything and head for the airport. I've got my passport, or at least Susie Armstrong's, whoever she is, in my bag, cash, traveller's cheques and a packet of three. What else does a girl need?'

‘Not much I've discovered. Poppy and I would be right behind you.'

‘That's my girls. But they're not going to. Or at least I hope not. I'm looking forward to lunch and a siesta with the cabana boy.'

‘I don't believe you,' said Kate.

‘Nor did Eddie. But he believes me now. Another one of these, girls?' She tapped her glass with a long fingernail.

‘Why not?'

‘Yeah, why not?'

First published in 2007 by No Exit Press

an imprint of Oldcastle Books

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Harpenden, AL5 1XJ

www.noexit.co.uk

This ebook edition published in 2012

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© Lee Martin 2007

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