up the crumbs that Jayleen left on her plate when there were so many gorgeous men out there for the eating.
Leaving her to her thoughts, Joe carried the bags out and dumped them in the communal wheelie bin. Just as he was heading back inside, the four girls he’d seen on his first morning appeared. Holding the door for them, he wasn’t surprised when the first three scuttled through without looking at him. But the last one glanced up at him as she passed and their eyes met for the briefest of moments, leaving him with a strange feeling in his stomach.
‘What’s up?’ Cheryl asked when he came back into the flat with a thoughtful frown on his face.
Reaching for his brew, Joe said, ‘Nothing, really. I just saw some girls and they got me thinking.’
‘Four of them? Dressed like tarts?’
‘Mmm. I saw them when I was moving in, and they just seem a bit – I don’t know . . . odd .’
‘They’re not odd, they’re ignorant,’ Cheryl corrected him with a sneer. ‘You can be standing right in front of them and they’ll make out like they can’t even see you. And you know they’re prostitutes, don’t you?’
‘Really?’
‘Well, obviously I don’t know for sure , but that’s what everyone round here thinks. Why else would they come in at this time every morning and only ever go out late at night? And normal girls don’t dress like that, do they?’
‘I guess not.’
‘I think it’s disgusting,’ Cheryl went on, lighting a cigarette and pursing her lips prudishly. ‘But Chrissie’s obviously not bothered what they do for a living so long as they pay their rent.’
‘Chrissie?’ Joe repeated.
‘Oh, sorry, I forgot you don’t really know anyone yet.’ Sitting down, Cheryl pulled the ashtray across the table. ‘She’s Eddie’s girlfriend. She’s got the flat next to his, but she lives with him.’ Pausing, she gave Joe a guarded look. ‘You’d best not repeat any of this ’cos I don’t think anyone’s supposed to know.’
‘Course I won’t. But you don’t have to tell me if you’re worried.’
Feeling guilty, because he obviously thought she didn’t trust him, Cheryl said, ‘It’s Molly I’m thinking about, not me. She lives a few doors down, and she let slip that she’d seen him letting the girls in and out of Chrissie’s place. Only she begged me not to say anything in case he found out and had a go at her.’
Joe couldn’t help but smile. ‘Very James Bond,’ he teased. ‘What’s the big deal about someone renting a flat?’
‘The DSS,’ Cheryl told him, as if he really shouldn’t have needed to ask. ‘Molly reckons Chrissie’s still signing on from there, and she’ll get in trouble if anyone finds out she’s really living at Eddie’s.’
‘But if those girls rent her place,’ Joe said, trying to put it together in his head, ‘surely they’d have their own keys?’
‘We figure she’s trying to make it look like they’re just visiting,’ Cheryl explained. ‘Mind you, I don’t know why they’re being so careful, ’cos no one would dare grass her up. Eddie would kill them.’
‘Well, I certainly won’t be saying anything,’ Joe assured her. ‘I’m getting the impression that it’s not too smart to get on the wrong side of Eddie.’
‘It isn’t,’ Cheryl said flatly, taking a last drag on her cigarette and stubbing it out. Glancing out of the window now and seeing how light it was, she said, ‘God, look at me keeping you up with all this gossip. I can finish the rest off. You go home and get some sleep.’
Joe couldn’t deny that he was tired, and there didn’t seem to be an awful lot left to do, so he said goodnight and straggled home to his bed.
6
As Joe fell asleep on the floor below, Chrissie Scott was being dragged out of her dreams by insistent knocking on the front door. Knowing that it would be Eddie’s bitches, she threw her arm over to his side to tell him to go and deal with them. Furious when she found that he
Leaving her to her thoughts, Joe carried the bags out and dumped them in the communal wheelie bin. Just as he was heading back inside, the four girls he’d seen on his first morning appeared. Holding the door for them, he wasn’t surprised when the first three scuttled through without looking at him. But the last one glanced up at him as she passed and their eyes met for the briefest of moments, leaving him with a strange feeling in his stomach.
‘What’s up?’ Cheryl asked when he came back into the flat with a thoughtful frown on his face.
Reaching for his brew, Joe said, ‘Nothing, really. I just saw some girls and they got me thinking.’
‘Four of them? Dressed like tarts?’
‘Mmm. I saw them when I was moving in, and they just seem a bit – I don’t know . . . odd .’
‘They’re not odd, they’re ignorant,’ Cheryl corrected him with a sneer. ‘You can be standing right in front of them and they’ll make out like they can’t even see you. And you know they’re prostitutes, don’t you?’
‘Really?’
‘Well, obviously I don’t know for sure , but that’s what everyone round here thinks. Why else would they come in at this time every morning and only ever go out late at night? And normal girls don’t dress like that, do they?’
‘I guess not.’
‘I think it’s disgusting,’ Cheryl went on, lighting a cigarette and pursing her lips prudishly. ‘But Chrissie’s obviously not bothered what they do for a living so long as they pay their rent.’
‘Chrissie?’ Joe repeated.
‘Oh, sorry, I forgot you don’t really know anyone yet.’ Sitting down, Cheryl pulled the ashtray across the table. ‘She’s Eddie’s girlfriend. She’s got the flat next to his, but she lives with him.’ Pausing, she gave Joe a guarded look. ‘You’d best not repeat any of this ’cos I don’t think anyone’s supposed to know.’
‘Course I won’t. But you don’t have to tell me if you’re worried.’
Feeling guilty, because he obviously thought she didn’t trust him, Cheryl said, ‘It’s Molly I’m thinking about, not me. She lives a few doors down, and she let slip that she’d seen him letting the girls in and out of Chrissie’s place. Only she begged me not to say anything in case he found out and had a go at her.’
Joe couldn’t help but smile. ‘Very James Bond,’ he teased. ‘What’s the big deal about someone renting a flat?’
‘The DSS,’ Cheryl told him, as if he really shouldn’t have needed to ask. ‘Molly reckons Chrissie’s still signing on from there, and she’ll get in trouble if anyone finds out she’s really living at Eddie’s.’
‘But if those girls rent her place,’ Joe said, trying to put it together in his head, ‘surely they’d have their own keys?’
‘We figure she’s trying to make it look like they’re just visiting,’ Cheryl explained. ‘Mind you, I don’t know why they’re being so careful, ’cos no one would dare grass her up. Eddie would kill them.’
‘Well, I certainly won’t be saying anything,’ Joe assured her. ‘I’m getting the impression that it’s not too smart to get on the wrong side of Eddie.’
‘It isn’t,’ Cheryl said flatly, taking a last drag on her cigarette and stubbing it out. Glancing out of the window now and seeing how light it was, she said, ‘God, look at me keeping you up with all this gossip. I can finish the rest off. You go home and get some sleep.’
Joe couldn’t deny that he was tired, and there didn’t seem to be an awful lot left to do, so he said goodnight and straggled home to his bed.
6
As Joe fell asleep on the floor below, Chrissie Scott was being dragged out of her dreams by insistent knocking on the front door. Knowing that it would be Eddie’s bitches, she threw her arm over to his side to tell him to go and deal with them. Furious when she found that he
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