Songbird

Through tears of shame, Maddy watched him go, and for a moment she felt nothing, no hatred or desire for revenge; all the love she once felt for him was as though it had never been.

After a while, she levered herself up and felt her way along the wall, managing to stumble a short distance. Just when she was beginning to believe she might make it to safety, the wall caved into a doorway; she fell inside, and for a moment she feared as though she might never be able to get up. Faintly, she could hear the sound of a Latin beat coming through the wall, as the club carried on with its usual Saturday-night party mood. But for Madeleine Delaney, the party was well and truly over.

When she made an effort to stand, her legs crumpled beneath her. ‘Alice!’ Twice she sobbed out her friend’s name, before her senses began to fade.

Yet somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind, she drew strength from the knowledge that Alice was never far away.

CHAPTER SIX

THOUGH IT WAS only minutes, it seemed an age before she opened her eyes. She must have passed out, she thought. The cold was numbing; and even when she drew the fragments of her dress about her, she could not stop trembling.

With determination, she took stock of the damage Steve had done to her. She had taken a hard beating, yet she was relieved to find she could move her arms and legs, and thankfully, she still had her wits about her.

She slid the tips of her fingers over her face; it was bruised, and the cuts from yesterday had reopened, but as far as she could tell, nothing was broken.

Her fears were for the child inside her. Was it harmed in any way? Had he hurt the baby when he had kicked her in the groin? How could she tell? She needed help … she had to get away from here.

Thankfully, her legs took the weight when she uprighted herself. It was then that she heard a flurry of girlish giggling, and a voice asking, ‘Why are we out here? It’s so much cosier in your office, Stevie.’

Steve Drayton’s low, thick voice was unmistakable. ‘Too many interruptions,’ he said huskily, ‘but you needn’t worry about the cold.’ There was a sexy chuckle. ‘I’ll keep you warm enough, I can promise you that.’

There was a moment of silence, then another burst of giggling and the man’s voice urging her to, ‘Keep quiet, eh? We don’t want them coming out to see what’s going on, do we?’

‘Was it true, what you said earlier?’

‘You’d best remind me.’ His voice was soft and persuasive, and then there was the wet, smacking sound of a long kiss. ‘What was it I said?’

‘That you’d never seen anyone as beautiful as me, and that you would always look after me – even when I’m older and not so pretty.’

‘Hmh!’ His laughter echoed through the alley. ‘You really are a little worrier, aren’t you? Well, you can stop worrying, because I meant every word.’ Steve Drayton had enough experience to know that a little flattery and a few cleverly placed lies would melt any young fool like her.

‘And what about …’ the girl hesitated, ‘the singer before me – the one they called Songbird.’ She paused again. ‘Did you say all these things to her?’

‘Never!’ Maddy heard him light a cigarette, the soft glow from the lighter flickering through the darkness. ‘Why would I say those things to her? She meant nothing to me.’

‘I was told she was a wonderful singer.’

‘Were you now?’

‘Was she? A good singer, I mean?’

‘She may have had a passable voice, but she could never hold a candle to you. Besides, she was a slut – a cheap tramp who would go with anybody.’ Disgust trembled in his voice.

‘I’ve made you angry now, haven’t I?’

He laughed – an angry sound, and then his voice thickened as he said, ‘You’d best make it up to me then, hadn’t you?’ Tossing his cigarette butt to the cobbles, he ground it out with the toe of his shoe.

A long silence followed, during which Maddy eventually managed to manoeuvre herself into a position from where she could see them. And what she saw only deepened her shame, because hadn’t she been equally besotted with this vicious man, who had turned his back on her when she needed him most? She thanked her lucky stars that at long last, she could see the badness in him.

Out there, in the darker shadows of the alleyway, Steve Drayton had the girl pressed against the wall, his trousers round his ankles as he pushed into her. The girl was wrapped round him, her skirt above her waist and her shrill voice emitting little gasps of pleasure.

Maddy wanted to look away, yet somehow, finally seeing him for what he was, the sight of his fornicating had a mesmerising effect on her. She needed to keep the moment, so never again would she be deceived by him, or any other man. She stood, hurt and bleeding, agonising with herself as to whether she ought to tell the girl what she was letting herself in for, or whether to stay quiet, out of sight, and make a hasty retreat once they were gone.

In that moment, after a final surge, Drayton thrust the girl from him. ‘Get back inside before they miss you.’ He hastily pulled up his trousers. ‘If they ask where you’ve been, tell them you had to get out for a breath of air.’

‘I’d rather stay out here with you.’ Hopelessly infatuated, she clung to him. ‘I’ve never loved anyone like I love you.’

Impatient, though clever enough to keep her sweet, he replied teasingly, ‘You don’t know me enough to love me.’

While they dressed, they talked, she offering herself again and he trying to worm himself out of a difficult situation; though mindful of the fact that if he intended using her, he’d have to play it smart.

Maddy was sickened at how easily he manipulated the girl, and was torn two ways. She wanted to warn the girl as to the monster Steve Drayton really was. On the other hand, if she took another beating, it could well be her baby who paid the price this time.

So, she waited for her chance to escape, hoping that even now, the girl might see the wrong side of him; though from the way she continued to throw herself at him, it did not seem likely.

While Steve Drayton had been satisfying his lust outside in the alley, something more sinister was unfurling inside the club.

The four men were eager to find him. Having barged in through the front door, ignoring the ticket desk and cloakroom counter, they made straight for the bar, where Raymond was dumping a crate of bottles. ‘You! Drayton – where is he?’ Smartly dressed in an expensive dark suit and overcoat, the leader had an air of authority.

Raymond placed the crate on the bar and glanced around, searching for someone else who might deal with the situation. However, the older barman was pulling a pint at the far end of the bar, and there was no sign of Jack.

‘Look, sunshine,’ prodding his finger into Raymond’s chest, the man leaned forward. ‘You deaf or what? I’ll ask you again. Where can I find that thieving bastard Drayton?’ He had the look and manner of a man who always got what he wanted.

‘I’ve n-no idea where he is,’ Raymond answered nervously. ‘M-matter of fact, I don’t think he’s been about this p-past hour or m-more.’

‘Think again.’ This time, the man took Raymond by the throat and drew him close until their faces were almost touching. Raymond was more than capable of teaching this nasty piece of work a lesson, but he doubted he could take on the other three as well. Fearing he might be blamed if the club was trashed, Raymond thought twice.

‘Give me a minute,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’ll find out where he is. What name is it, please?’

With one of the men keeping a wary eye on him, he repeated the gang boss’s name, to make sure he’d got it correctly. ‘Den Carter. Right you are, mister.’ And he went away to the office, to find Steve.

Unaware of what was happening upstairs, Jack was down in the cellar, changing barrels.

He was surprised and pleased to see Alice. ‘Raymond said you were looking for me earlier,’ she told him.

‘That’s right.’ Straightening from his task, he conveyed his concern over Maddy. ‘What’s been going on?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Aw, come on, Alice. Don’t shut me out. If Maddy’s in trouble, I need to know.’

‘What makes you think she’s in trouble?’ Her calm expression gave nothing away.

Jack was incredulous. ‘You mean you don’t know?’

Alice tried to put his mind at rest. ‘If you’re talking about what happened last night, there was no real harm done.’

‘How can you be so sure? Raymond found broken glass, and things scattered everywhere … there was blood on the walls and over the floor.’ Coming to stand before her, he pleaded, ‘For God’s sake, Alice, what went down? Was it Maddy – did they have a row?’ His face darkened with rage. ‘If that twisted bastard has hurt her, I swear I’ll cut his hands off.’ Jack had been bullied by his stepfather as a child, and could not tolerate it. ‘Where is she now? I need to know she’s safe.’ Jack was beside himself. ‘Does she know he’s taken on a new singer?’