Taken by Jacqui Rose Page A

to say no.’
    Oscar grinned at Alfie then leered at the smallest and youngest looking woman, who quickly put her head down.
    ‘Want to test the goods, Alf? We need to start breaking them in, so you might as well start now.’
    Alfie shook his head, feeling strangely uncomfortable. At the back of his mind he realised this discomfort was probably the reason he hadn’t confided in his long-term friend. Over the years he and Vaughn had owned brothels, but the brasses had come and gone as they pleased. This was different; this was trafficking, and even people like him had a conscience.
    ‘What’s up, Alfie, getting cold feet? Are you going soft on me in your old age?’
    One thing Alfie Jennings prized highly was his reputation. He hated anybody thinking that he was weak, and looking at Oscar with that mocking glint in his eye pissed him off. What was he thinking? Business was business; there was no room for sentiment. Storming out, Alfie put the haunted faces of the girls in the back of his mind.
    ‘So are we going to keep them there?’
    ‘It’s not ideal. We could maybe move a couple above your club tomorrow morning.’
    ‘How many have we got?’
    ‘Ten; well nine now.’ Alfie raised his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.
    ‘It’s a long story, I’ll tell you on the way back.’
    With all the temporary road traffic lights on the blink, the drive through Shoreditch and through the Angel into Soho would have usually frustrated Alfie but instead he sat listening to Oscar recount his tale of the previous night in stunned silence.
    When they arrived back at his club, Alfie was still lost for words and it was Oscar who turned to look at him.
    ‘So you know everything now; my darkest little secret. There’s no backing out now.’ Oscar chuckled, rubbing his pulsating temples. ‘You’re well and truly in now, Alfie.’
    As Oscar stepped out of the car, Alfie realised he’d let himself in for a whole lot more than he’d bargained on. There was no backing out now; Oscar had shared his secret with him and Alfie knew that in Oscar’s mind they were now both implicated. If he tried to walk away from the deal, Oscar would think he couldn’t be trusted and would bring him down. One thing Alfie was certain of was when Oscar got jumpy he was a dangerous person, and the last thing he needed right now was any more shit, especially when it came to Oscar Harding.
    Oh yes, Alfie Jennings knew he was over a barrel, and a very large fucking barrel at that.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Casey Edwards didn’t know if it was the thumping of her head which had woken her up or the loud scratching noise in the far corner of the room. After she’d discovered her emergency supply of vodka was empty, she’d taken herself out to a late night bar, but she had no recollection of getting home. As she opened her eyes, the noise got louder – she supposed in her intoxicated state she must have picked up yet another stranger with hygiene issues. Raising her head with a slight amount of difficulty, Casey stared in horror as she saw a large rat – of the four-legged kind rather than two – scratching away.
    Her loud high-pitched scream didn’t do her head any favours as she ran into the lounge, barricading her body against the door. She felt the bile rise as she rushed to the toilet, forgetting for a moment about the filth awaiting her in the windowless bathroom as she violently emptied the contents from her stomach.
    A black coffee and a half a Kit Kat later, Casey was on the phone to the landlord, frustrated at the lack of alarm Mr Goldman was showing.
    ‘What do you want me to do, love? Start charging him rent?’
    ‘I want you to do something about it. Come and take a look.’
    ‘It needs poison, not an audience. This is London love; weren’t you ever told the story of Dick Whittington? What you need is a cat.’
    ‘I thought pets weren’t allowed.’
    ‘They’re not.’
    He laughed and carried on joking. This infuriated Casey, causing her