He stopped and Emmie turned her head towards him.
‘Tell me you love Daddy.’
Emmie hesitated a moment before speaking, wishing she was back at home with Alfie and Janine. She felt the man shake her, wanting her to answer him.
‘I love you.’
‘Daddy, say Daddy.’
‘I love you … Daddy.’
‘That’s right, that’s a good girl.’
The man’s fat hands left Emmie’s body and she turned her head quickly away as he started to groan and pleasure himself.
‘What the fuck are you telling me?’
Vaughn sat next to Casey in the Jennings’s huge conservatory, feeling very uncomfortable as he watched Janine have a meltdown in front of him. He’d known she wasn’t going to take the news about Emmie and Oscar or Emmie and Casey lightly, but he hadn’t dreamt he’d have to sit watching her roller-coasting from one emotional dip to another. The range of emotions Janine was displaying shocked him; she was switching between crouching down and wailing loudly, her hands covering her face, to pacing up and down effing and blinding at the top of her voice. He wasn’t great at dealing with women’s emotions at the best of times, let alone when they were in crisis; it was taking all his self-control not to run for the door.
‘Tell me it ain’t true, Vaughn. Tell me none of it is true.’
All he could do was nod his head as she knelt by his side clinging onto him, tears streaming down her face.
‘Maybe we should get you a doctor.’
Casey spoke up for the first time and as Janine turned to look at her with her narrow eyes, she regretted it straight away.
‘A quack? You think I need a bleedin’ quack, lady? What I need is my girl back.
My
girl, not yours – she’s mine and always will be.’
‘I know, and I’m not trying to take her from you – I just want to help you get her back.’
‘Well don’t even try it. You had your chance all them years ago but you gave up your rights. And let me tell you another thing; if you think you mean anything special to Vaughnie, think again! You’re just one in a line and believe me, it’s one big fucking line.’
Vaughn glanced at Casey and smiled at her apologetically; Janine had always had a big mouth, especially when she was scared or upset, but it suddenly dawned on him how ignorant she actually sounded and how much her bluster would hurt Casey.
‘Turn it in, Jan, will you? For your info, Casey isn’t just another one; she means something to me.’
‘Yeah, like toilet paper to an arse.’
‘Button it, Jan. It’s not Casey you need to be worrying about, she’s going out of her mind as well; we all are.’
‘And that’s meant to make me feel better? You’re having a fucking giggle.’
‘I’m sorry, Casey, don’t mind Jan.’
The apology from Vaughn sent Janine into an apoplectic rage.
‘Why are you apologising to fucking Miss Prissy here? It’s me who you should be apologising to for bringing her here.’
‘Listen Jan, I know you’re upset about Em, we all are – but I won’t have you being rude to Casey; she doesn’t deserve it, she’s done nothing wrong.’
Casey touched Vaughn lightly on his knee and spoke.
‘It’s fine, just leave it.’
Janine stood in front of them with her hands on her hips, her face turning red as her voice came out as a screech.
‘Oh, I bleeding get it now! Porking the mother of the year here is more important than anything else now is it? As long as you’re getting your leg over that’s all that matters hey?’
Sitting there with Casey by his side, Vaughn actually felt embarrassed she was his friend. She was an East End girl through and through, and though he admired that she’d defend her family like an alley cat with a rocket up its arse, she needed to learn when was the right time to fly the flag.
‘When you calm down, Jan, I’ll come back and we’ll talk some more, but I can’t speak to you when you’re like this. I need Casey and Josh to help me, but more importantly Emmie does. We can’t fall apart now. When we get her back we can calmly sit down and talk but until then, I don’t really give a fuck whose daughter she is or isn’t, or who I am or am not fucking. All I want is to get Emmie back home.’
As Vaughn and Casey stood up to go, Janine started to pace up and down again, wiping her frustrated tears away.
‘You’re going to go just like that and leave me here all on me Todd. What am I supposed to do now?’
‘Calm down, that’s what, Jan. I’ll call you later.’
Vaughn walked to the door to leave but Janine blocked his way.
‘Calm down? How the fuck do you expect me to calm down? For all we know she could be dead by now, and you don’t give a shit.’
Vaughn raised his voice to a thunderous level.
‘Of course I give a shit, woman; if I didn’t do you think I’d put up with this crap from you eh? I’m not doing this because I have to, Jan: no-one’s put a gun to my fucking head. It’s because I want to and I love Emmie, like you do, like Casey does – I’m not going to let some cunt do anything to her. But don’t think for a second I
have
to do anything.’
Janine Jennings had always fought fire with fire and she screamed back at Vaughn with the same raised decibels in her voice.
‘Yes you do, Vaughn.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart; I don’t, so please don’t push it any more than you already have, Jan.’
‘But you see you do; because I haven’t got anybody else to help me and I’ve never been so terrified in my life.’
Vaughn sat next to Casey in the dingy wine bar in Lamb’s Conduit Street, listening to Adele playing on the jukebox in the corner.
It was getting late and the bar was making him feel worse, but he couldn’t find it in him to get up and go. He’d left the Jennings’s house shouldering the responsibility of bringing Emmie home safely, but for the first time in his life he felt scared.
On the way back he hadn’t spoken to Casey, and to her credit she’d said nothing as he drove like a maniac along the M25, pointlessly swearing at the top of his voice to the other drivers.
He’d parked in a disabled bay, daring Casey to say something to give him an excuse to argue with her. He wouldn’t be surprised by the time they went back if it’d been towed away, but he didn’t care. In fact, he didn’t care about anything right now apart from getting pissed.
Casey watched Vaughn finishing off his sixth straight whisky. She still felt in shock; she hadn’t even been able to process Emmie was her daughter and her search had finally come to an end before all this had happened. And then she’d had to face Janine.
She’d watched Janine’s face as she blurted out her anger and far from being angry she’d felt sorry for her. Janine had broken down and lain on the floor crying and Casey had nodded to Vaughn to leave them alone, which he happily did, almost running as he fled from the emotional car crash. She’d bent down to hold Janine and had met with angry resistance.
‘Get off me you cow.’
‘I’m not your enemy, Janine. I haven’t come here to hurt you.’
‘Then why did you come?’
‘Because I love her like you do and not a moment went by without me thinking of her, but that doesn’t mean I want to take her away; I don’t. I can see you love her and that’s all I needed to know; that she was loved and she had someone to tuck her into bed at night.’
Janine had sniffed loudly before wiping her nose on her sleeve, then her eyes had softened as she’d talked to Casey.
‘Me and my big bleedin’ mouth; Alfie always said my gob was as big as an elephant’s arse. I’m sorry, Casey, I didn’t mean the things I said – it’s just a shock, it all is. And when I get frightened it’s like somebody’s pressed the gobshite button in me head.’
‘There’s no need to apologise, I understand.’
Janine had stared at her and Casey had thought she was going to have another go at her but instead, she’d taken hold of her hand and spoken gently.
‘My bark’s worse than my bite you know. Emmie will tell you that.’
With the mention of Emmie, Janine had broken down into tears again and Casey had held her huge figure as Janine’s body was racked with sobs.
‘I think maybe it’d be a good idea if we started again. Friends?’
‘Friends,’ agreed Janine. ‘She looks like you, you know. I’ll show you a picture of her; you’d be very proud.’
They’d been at the bar for over an hour now and Vaughn finally talked to Casey, slurring his words as he spoke.
‘I feel I’m in over my head.’
‘Josh is coming down; hopefully he’ll be able to help, I’m sure he will; but it seems so hopeless. I have this terrible feeling.’
Vaughn could feel himself looking for a fight and even though he knew it was wrong, he couldn’t stop himself.
‘Well that’s helpful; thank you for your input, Cassandra.’
‘Don’t call me that.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because you’re pissed and I don’t like it.’
‘Oh that’s rich coming from you, the lush of the year.’
Casey was hurt and she fought back the tears, but she stopped herself getting angry because she knew Vaughn was hurting as well and this was his way of showing it.
‘I know you’re angry but please don’t take it out on me, Vaughn.’
He stared at her unsteadily in the gloom of the bar and smiled ruefully, suddenly looking deflated. His hair flopped over his forehead and his face was flushed from the effects of the alcohol.
‘I’m sorry; I shouldn’t be taking it out on you. Are you ready?’
Vaughn grabbed his jacket off the bar and walked out, not waiting for an answer.
Outside, the cold hit him and he put his hands in his pockets. Feeling his phone, he pulled it out and noticed a message. He spoke to Casey as he pressed the voicemail button, waiting for the message to play.
‘I’m really hoping when Josh comes down we can start looking properly …’
Before Vaughn finished his sentence he stopped and raised his hand as he listened to his message.
‘Vaughn; it’s Oscar. I’m surprised you haven’t got your phone on. Never mind, I thought I’d send you a photo, hopefully it’ll remind you to keep your mouth closed. And once I’ve decided what I want, I’ll be in touch again.’
Vaughn clicked off the message and started scrolling into the inbox of his mobile.
‘Who was it?’
‘Oscar. He said he was going to send me a photo.’
Casey watched as Vaughn’s face filled with revulsion as he stared at his iPhone.
‘Take a look.’
He passed it hurriedly to Casey and she stood with her mouth wide open in horror as she stared at the photo. It was a photo of Emmie gagged and bound to a bed, a smiling Oscar standing by her side.
The visiting room was packed with scantily-dressed women all trying to give their other halves an eyeful at Her Majesty’s pleasure. Oscar picked the burger he’d had earlier out of his teeth and looked round, contemplating going over to the kiosk to buy a cup of coffee. It’d been a long night and he was feeling exhausted, but he hadn’t been going to let lack of sleep stop him from visiting Alfie.
The party at the mansion had gone better than he’d expected and there’d only been one slight hiccup in the night’s proceedings. None of the women had put up a fight and made it difficult for the clients to enjoy themselves – though Oscar guessed this was more down to fear than obedience.
Throughout the night, he’d been able to observe the girls and their punters through the peepholes which were discreetly positioned on the inner walls of the bedrooms. It’d been mainly to check the women were cooperating. He’d found no sexual gratification in what he’d seen, as most of the acts they were inflicting on the women were darkly perverse, even by his standards.
The one person he’d been fascinated to watch was Emmie. He’d wanted to see how she’d cope, but he’d been slightly disappointed to watch the man she was with go easy on her. He’d played being Daddy with her and then tied her up and performed all the usual bondage games, but it’d been tame in comparison to the others.
Around four o’clock in the morning, there’d been a problem with one of the girls. He and the master of ceremonies had been sitting in the kitchen when one of the men had rushed in, still masked, his hands covered in blood.
‘Can you come?’
They’d followed him to the far wing of the house to a lavish bedroom decorated in gold and red. At first in the dim light he’d thought the bed cover was meant to be red, but it soon dawned on him it was soaked with blood; Kaltrina’s blood.
‘She’s in the bathroom.’
Oscar had walked into the bathroom and his head had immediately started pounding as he saw Kaltrina lying on the floor. She was naked and had a ball gag in her mouth. Her eyes were wide open and her body displayed bite marks and open wounds from the sadistic whipping she’d received from the clients. Around her mouth, Oscar could see vomit.
‘She was face down, so we didn’t realise she was choking. Sorry.’
Oscar looked at the tiny man in the grey mask. He could see his eyes looking fearfully through the slits of the mask and Oscar had wanted to laugh at his apology. It was as if he’d been caught spilling milk rather than standing in the bathroom of a 17th-century house with a dead Albanian woman lying on the floor.
He hadn’t been perturbed at the loss of Kaltrina, only grateful it hadn’t been more than one; it was only a dead whore after all, and the money for the party had more than covered her. Besides, Zahir had already delivered the other women to the warehouse he owned in Wapping Docks, so he had plenty to spare.
He’d sent Billy to the bathroom, leaving him to do what he was paid to do; the cleaning.
When he’d got Emmie from the room, he’d been amused that she’d almost been relieved to see him, even though she hadn’t spoken a word. Oscar noticed how panic-stricken she’d looked as they’d made their way through the woods and back to the van. They had been halfway to London when Emmie had started having a fit after noticing Kaltrina wasn’t amongst them.
‘Where is she? Where’s she gone?’
The other women had put their heads down, trying to ignore her crying. Emmie had started banging the sides of the van and Oscar eventually had had to lean over and hit her hard in the face, knocking her unconscious with his fist.