have
these men ar-rested and this place closed down."
Frankie burst into laughter. "Not bloody likely, mate. Teddy Ko pays the rozzers more money than he pays us."
"You can repeat that to the magistrate, Mr. Betts," Freddie said angrily. "I want that name ...Ko, was it?"
"Frankie..." Sid said through gritted teeth. His patience was wearing thin.
"Righto, guv." Frankie walked over to Lytton, grabbed him by the back
of his mackintosh, and marched him out of the room. Sid heard curses
and scuffles, a few thumps, and then a door banging back on its hinges.
"What are you doing to him? Leave him alone!" the doctor shrilled.
Sid smiled at her regretfully. "It's time to go, luv," he said.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't let's have a scene now, miss," Sid said.
"It's Doctor, not luv. Not miss. Dr. India Selwyn Jones."
"India, dear, be quiet for once and listen," the dark-haired woman
said. "Do you have any idea who that is? It's Sid Malone. Surely you've
heard the name. Even you. Be the clever girl I know you are and walk out
of here now while you still can."
India leveled her chin at Sid. "I'm not afraid of you," she said.
"Nor should you be, Miss--Doctor Jones. I would never lay a hand on a
woman. Frankie and Tommy neither. Men... well, they're a different
matter. There's no telling what my lads will get up to with Mr. Lytton.
They don't call Frankie Mad Frank for nothing. He's a bit
unpredictable."
The doctor's eyes grew round. She bent down for her bag and jacket,
then said to the woman she'd called Maud, "You're destroying yourself."
"Oh, for God's sake, India, stop being such a bore. You never have any fun and you don't want anyone else to, either."
"Is addiction fun, Maud? Is syphilis?" She turned to Sid. "Not only
are you enslaving addicts, you're exploiting young women for financial
gain."
"We don't take prisoners here, Dr. Jones. If a girl's at Ko's, it's because she wants to be."
"Wants to be? You're telling me that she wants to be degraded? That she wants to expose herself to disease?"
"No, I'm telling you she wants to earn her rent money. It's warmer in Ko's than it is on the streets. And a damn sight safer."
The doctor shook her head. She looked as if she wanted to say
some-thing more, but she didn't. She put her jacket on and left. Sid
cast a last glance around the room; Ko was nowhere to be seen. He
followed the doc-tor down the stairs, simmering with anger.
She and her silly society were not a threat, but Lytton was. He
compli-cated things. When he got outside, he saw that Lytton and the
doctor were already halfway down the street. The rain had stopped.
"You know where he's going, don't you? And it won't be the local boys
he fetches this time. It'll be some big noise from the Yard," Frankie
said.
Sid nodded. He couldn't have that. Not yet. Teddy would need time to set the place to rights first.
"Oi! You two!" Sid shouted after them. Lytton turned around. Sid nodded to his carriage. "Get in."
Freddie took the doctor's arm and kept walking.
"Persuade them, lads," Sid said.
Frankie and Tom took off after them. There were words, another
scuffle, then Lytton and the doctor were walking back toward Sid. Lytton
helped the doctor into the carriage, then Tom climbed in and sat down
next to them. Frankie and Sid took facing seats.
"Whatever you're planning, Malone, you won't get away with it,"
Freddie said. "Dr. Jones comes from an important family and so do I.
There will be people looking for us."
"What the hell are you on about?" Frankie asked.
"The bollocks thinks we're kidnapping him," Sid said, rubbing his temples. "Where do you live, Dr. Jones?"
"Don't say a word, India. You don't want this man knowing your address," Freddie warned.
Sid took a deep breath and blew it out again. His head had started to
ache. "Either give me an address, in West London, or I'll drop you both
on the Ratcliff Highway." He didn't know if
these men ar-rested and this place closed down."
Frankie burst into laughter. "Not bloody likely, mate. Teddy Ko pays the rozzers more money than he pays us."
"You can repeat that to the magistrate, Mr. Betts," Freddie said angrily. "I want that name ...Ko, was it?"
"Frankie..." Sid said through gritted teeth. His patience was wearing thin.
"Righto, guv." Frankie walked over to Lytton, grabbed him by the back
of his mackintosh, and marched him out of the room. Sid heard curses
and scuffles, a few thumps, and then a door banging back on its hinges.
"What are you doing to him? Leave him alone!" the doctor shrilled.
Sid smiled at her regretfully. "It's time to go, luv," he said.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't let's have a scene now, miss," Sid said.
"It's Doctor, not luv. Not miss. Dr. India Selwyn Jones."
"India, dear, be quiet for once and listen," the dark-haired woman
said. "Do you have any idea who that is? It's Sid Malone. Surely you've
heard the name. Even you. Be the clever girl I know you are and walk out
of here now while you still can."
India leveled her chin at Sid. "I'm not afraid of you," she said.
"Nor should you be, Miss--Doctor Jones. I would never lay a hand on a
woman. Frankie and Tommy neither. Men... well, they're a different
matter. There's no telling what my lads will get up to with Mr. Lytton.
They don't call Frankie Mad Frank for nothing. He's a bit
unpredictable."
The doctor's eyes grew round. She bent down for her bag and jacket,
then said to the woman she'd called Maud, "You're destroying yourself."
"Oh, for God's sake, India, stop being such a bore. You never have any fun and you don't want anyone else to, either."
"Is addiction fun, Maud? Is syphilis?" She turned to Sid. "Not only
are you enslaving addicts, you're exploiting young women for financial
gain."
"We don't take prisoners here, Dr. Jones. If a girl's at Ko's, it's because she wants to be."
"Wants to be? You're telling me that she wants to be degraded? That she wants to expose herself to disease?"
"No, I'm telling you she wants to earn her rent money. It's warmer in Ko's than it is on the streets. And a damn sight safer."
The doctor shook her head. She looked as if she wanted to say
some-thing more, but she didn't. She put her jacket on and left. Sid
cast a last glance around the room; Ko was nowhere to be seen. He
followed the doc-tor down the stairs, simmering with anger.
She and her silly society were not a threat, but Lytton was. He
compli-cated things. When he got outside, he saw that Lytton and the
doctor were already halfway down the street. The rain had stopped.
"You know where he's going, don't you? And it won't be the local boys
he fetches this time. It'll be some big noise from the Yard," Frankie
said.
Sid nodded. He couldn't have that. Not yet. Teddy would need time to set the place to rights first.
"Oi! You two!" Sid shouted after them. Lytton turned around. Sid nodded to his carriage. "Get in."
Freddie took the doctor's arm and kept walking.
"Persuade them, lads," Sid said.
Frankie and Tom took off after them. There were words, another
scuffle, then Lytton and the doctor were walking back toward Sid. Lytton
helped the doctor into the carriage, then Tom climbed in and sat down
next to them. Frankie and Sid took facing seats.
"Whatever you're planning, Malone, you won't get away with it,"
Freddie said. "Dr. Jones comes from an important family and so do I.
There will be people looking for us."
"What the hell are you on about?" Frankie asked.
"The bollocks thinks we're kidnapping him," Sid said, rubbing his temples. "Where do you live, Dr. Jones?"
"Don't say a word, India. You don't want this man knowing your address," Freddie warned.
Sid took a deep breath and blew it out again. His head had started to
ache. "Either give me an address, in West London, or I'll drop you both
on the Ratcliff Highway." He didn't know if
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