‘I thought you might know where she is, that’s all,’ Kelly muttered, sticking her hands deep into her pockets.
‘Yeah, well, I don’t,’ Leanne informed her dismissively. ‘And if you don’t mind, I’m
trying
to have a good time here, so piss off.’
‘I’m only saying,’ Kelly retorted sulkily. ‘Only they were making out like I’ve done something to her, and I haven’t.’
‘Maybe you should have,’ Leanne flipped back disloyally. ‘I’d give her a slap myself if I could, but I’m not
allowed
.’
‘They know I was at yours,’ Kelly blurted out as Leanne turned her attention back to the boys. ‘The policewoman recognised me.’
‘
And
?’ Leanne sounded positively bored now.
Shrugging, Kelly said, ‘I’m just saying.’
‘Right, well, thanks for letting me know. Bye.’
Confused by Leanne’s coldness, but unable to stand there any longer with all the lads laughing at her, Kelly slunk away. She hadn’t meant to upset Leanne, but she’d obviously pissed her off by asking about Nicky when everyone knew how much she hated her. But if Leanne fell out with her over it and stopped her going round for the karaoke parties, Nicky was dead – however long it took the shit-arsed little bitch to show her face again.
‘What was all that about?’ one of the lads asked when Kelly had gone.
‘Oh, nothing,’ Leanne tutted. ‘Just that fire last night. One of the brats has gone missing, and the pigs are trying to find her.’
‘Wasn’t she supposed to have started it and done a runner?’
Jumping at the sound of Zak’s voice, Leanne’s stomach did an involuntary flip when she peered up at him. He was just as fit as she remembered – if not
more
so, since he’d had his hair cut short. And the flashy diamond stud in his ear looked really sexy. But those lovely blue eyes that had used to melt her heart held no affection as they gazed back at her now.
‘Her, or her
dad
,’ he said pointedly.
‘Don’t talk shit,’ she muttered. ‘Terry was with me all night.’
‘Only saying what I heard,’ Zak said quietly, taking a slow drink from his bottle.
‘Yeah, well, whoever you heard it from, you can tell them they’re wrong,’ Leanne retorted, anger giving the strength back to her voice. ‘And don’t be saying it to anyone else, or you’ll start a war.’
‘Like I care,’ Zak said scornfully. ‘The cunt deserves everything he gets.’
‘Why’s that?’ Leanne demanded. ‘And don’t bother coming out with any of that shit about him being a
whatever
, ’cos I’m nearly eighteen, in case you’ve forgotten.’
‘I think the word you’re looking for is pervert,’ he replied coldly. ‘And, yeah, that is what I was about to say, ’cos you weren’t that old when you started fucking him, were you?’
‘Get lost!’
‘Whoa, chill, guys,’ Lance interjected, grinning to ease the tension that was sparking between them. ‘This is supposed to be a party.’
‘Tell
her
, not me,’ Zak said.
‘You’re lucky Terry’s not here listening to the shit you’re saying about him,’ Leanne snarled, shooting daggers at him. ‘He’d kill you if he was.’
‘And I’m supposed to be scared by that, am I?’ Zak sneered, flinging his arms out and looking around as if expecting Terry to walk in. ‘Well, where is he, then? I’m waiting.’
Coming in just then lugging the crate of beer she’d just been out to buy, Goldie took in Zak’s aggressive stance and the tears glistening in Leanne’s eyes, and said, ‘I hope you’re not being a knob, Zak, ’cos you can fuck off if you think you’re ruining my party.’
‘It ain’t me,’ he retorted. ‘It’s your friend there, defendin’ the child molester.’
‘Aw, not all that shit again,’ Goldie groaned, handing the crate to one of the lads to take into the kitchen. ‘How many times have you got to be told? She wasn’t with
you
when she got with
him
, so get over it.’
Sucking his teeth to let her know exactly what he thought of that, Zak said, ‘You don’t think I’m bothered about
that
, do you? She wasn’t worth worryin’ about then, and she sure as hell ain’t worth it now.’
Coming to Zak’s defence when Goldie started threatening to kick him out, Lance said, ‘Yo, he’s only saying what everyone else is already saying.’
‘What, so Terry falls in love with me, and that makes him a pervert?’ Leanne gasped, giving him an incredulous look. ‘Well, thanks for that, Lance. I thought you were supposed to be my mate.’
‘Yeah, well, now you know better, don’t you?’ Zak informed her nastily. ‘You lie with dogs, you get fleas, an’ then
no
one wants to know you.’
‘Shut up!’ she snapped. ‘You don’t know anything about me and Terry, so keep your fucking big nose out!’
‘I don’t know what you’re defending him for,’ Zak retorted. ‘You can’t think that much of him, flashing your tits at everyone like that.’
‘Like I’d flash anything at a dickhead like
you
when I’ve got a real man at home,’ Leanne spat.
‘Coming here dressed like that?’ Zak said, looking her up and down. ‘I’ve seen less flesh on show in a fucking lap-dancing club!’
Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks as the music suddenly stopped and everybody turned to watch the argument, Leanne said, ‘Sounds about right for you, that. Always knew you’d turn out to be the kind of sad twat who’d have to
pay
for it!’
‘As if!’
‘Yeah, well, I’m dressed exactly the same as all the rest of the girls here. So what makes me so different?’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Zak drawled. ‘Maybe the fact that everyone in here with a dick has already had you.’
‘Oh, like you’re such a virgin,’ she shot back. ‘You’ve probably shagged every bitch in here,
and
their mams.’
‘I haven’t had her,’ Zak said coolly, gesturing at a girl who was standing behind her. ‘Or her . . . or her . . .’
Tears of humiliation pouring down her cheeks now as the onlookers began to snigger, Leanne snatched up her bag and her jacket and shoved her way out of the room.
‘See what you’ve done now?’ Goldie hissed, punching Zak on the arm before running out after Leanne.
‘Leave me alone,’ Leanne sobbed, struggling to get free when Goldie caught up with her halfway down the road and grabbed her. ‘I’m going home.’
‘Not like this,’ Goldie said concernedly. ‘I know you’re upset, but you shouldn’t let him get to you. Anyway, it’s not like you haven’t heard it all before – about Terry, I mean. And all that other shit was just Zak mouthing off ’cos you hurt him. You know he doesn’t mean it.’
‘Yes, he does,’ Leanne cried, swiping at the tears with the back of her hand. ‘It’s been horrible for the past couple of days, and I just wanted to chill with my mates, but he’s ruined everything.’
‘Come back in and stop being so soft,’ Goldie urged. ‘It’ll have blown over by now, you watch. And Zak will be crawling up your arse trying to make it up to you.’
Shaking her head, Leanne said, ‘No, I’m going home.’
‘Well, at least wait till I’ve got my coat so I can walk you,’ Goldie said. ‘Please, Lee, you’re my mate and I don’t want to leave you on your own like this. I know how hard it’s been for you lately, and you know
I
haven’t got a problem with Terry. Well, not till he starts moaning, anyhow. But I can see why you fancy him, ’cos
I
wouldn’t say no. And neither would any of the other girls – which is probably what’s got Zak’s back up.’
‘Stupid bastard,’ Leanne muttered, sniffing softly. Then, half-smiling through the tears, she said, ‘And I’d best not catch you trying it on with Terry behind my back now I know you fancy him.’
‘As if,’ Goldie snorted. Then, more seriously, ‘You gonna come back in, or what?’
Shaking her head, Leanne said, ‘No, I need to be by myself for a bit; get all that shit Zak was saying out of my head.’ Gazing at Goldie sincerely now, she said, ‘I wasn’t doing anything wrong, you know. I was just happy ’cos I haven’t seen them for so long. It’s their business if they thought I was flirting, but nothing was ever going to happen, ’cos I love Terry too much to cheat on him.’
‘I know,’ Goldie said softly. ‘But you know what blokes are like. They get the wrong end of the stick, then beat you round the head with it when you knock ’em back. Anyhow, here,’ she said now, sliding a tiny flick knife out of her back pocket. ‘Take this. But if you have to use it, make sure you wipe it, ’cos I don’t want it coming back to me.’
Laughing softly, Leanne said, ‘You’re such a drama queen.’
‘Better safe than sorry,’ Goldie insisted, pushing the little switchblade firmly into her grasp.
Thanking her, Leanne slipped the knife into her pocket and set off for home, rerunning the argument she’d had with Zak in her head as she walked. She wished she’d whacked him one, because he deserved it for what he’d said about Terry – and even more so for what he’d said about her, making her out to be the local bike like that. But, pissed off as she was about that, it was something
she
’d said that was niggling at her just now. Something that was lodged at the back of her mind . . .
Terry! she realised with a start. She’d told Zak that Terry had been with her for the whole of Friday night, so couldn’t have been involved in the fire. But he
hadn’t
been there the whole time. He’d come home from work later than usual, for a start. And then he’d gone out for ages, and refused to tell her where he’d been when he got back. And that was
before
they’d heard about the fire, so could it be possible that—
‘No way!’ Leanne muttered, shaking her head to prevent the thought from taking hold. Terry would never start a fire knowing that his kids were in the house.
Unless it had happened by accident?
He could have had an argument with Sue, and things could have got out of hand – which would explain why
she
still hadn’t turned up, because he’d
killed
her and hidden her body somewhere; giving himself enough time to get home before anyone found out he’d even been there.
Yeah, right! And if it was anyone but Terry she was thinking about, she might have believed it. But she knew him inside out and upside down, and he just wasn’t capable of doing something like that.
Just as he wasn’t capable of beating a woman up, like Sue had accused him of doing to her last year. And Leanne ought to know, because they’d had some terrible rows and she’d said some horrible things, but he’d never so much as raised his hand to her.
But the police didn’t know that. All they knew was that he’d been in prison for fighting in the past, and had more recently been accused of battering his wife. And if they decided to ask the wrong person the right question . . .
Like Kelly Greene, who was already upset with Leanne for dissing her in front of the crew back at Goldie’s just now. What if she decided to get her revenge by grassing Terry up?
Thoughts racing now, Leanne headed into the subway, oblivious to how dark it had suddenly become. But when she heard footsteps behind her a few seconds later, her fingers instinctively closed around the knife. Yanking it out of her pocket, she released the blade and spun around to face whoever it was.
‘Whoa!’ Zak said, catching the flash of metal and stopping in his tracks. ‘It’s only me. I’m not going to do anything.’
‘What the
fuck
are you sneaking up on me like that for?’ she gasped, shaking furiously.
‘Goldie told me to come after you and make sure you got home all right. But I guess I should have known you’d have it covered, though, eh?’ Grinning now, Zak pushed her hand aside so that the knife was no longer pointing at him. ‘Since when did you start carrying a blade?’
‘Since I heard there were idiots like you running round,’ Leanne retorted angrily. ‘What do you want, Zak?’
‘To walk you home,’ he told her again. ‘And to say I’m sorry for kicking off like that. Peace offering?’ he said then, taking a spliff out of his pocket.
Shaking her head, Leanne set off walking again.
Easily catching up, Zak said, ‘So, you accepting my apology, or what?’
Folding her arms as he strolled along beside her, Leanne didn’t answer. He was one of the best-looking lads she’d ever been out with, and under different circumstances she’d be flattered that she could still get him running round after her like this. Despite being one of the only white guys in the crew, Zak was just as cool as the rest of the lads and all the girls fancied him – which was saying something, because the black lads had cool down to a fine art. But she just didn’t trust him. Not now he’d made it so clear that he was still thinking stupid things about her and Terry.
‘I’m making an effort here,’ Zak went on. ‘And I don’t have to, you know. Not after what you did to me back in the day.’
‘What
I
did to
you
?’ Leanne snorted. ‘You’re the one who couldn’t keep your dick in your pants.’
‘All right, so I cheated,’ he conceded. ‘But at least the girls I slept with were the same age as me. And I reckon you’re only touchy about what I said about
him
’cos you know I’m right.’
‘No, you’re
wrong
,’ Leanne insisted – genuinely meaning it, because tonight’s run-in with Zak had reminded her that Terry was the only man she’d ever met who didn’t make her feel threatened, stupid, or cheap. And that was because he
was
a man, whereas Zak and the crew were still just boys; children who thought that their new muscles and bad-ass attitudes earned them automatic respect.
Looking into Leanne’s eyes, Zak detected a dullness that hadn’t been there before. Saddened that she’d allowed herself to be dragged down like that, he said, ‘You’ve changed.’
‘Course I have,’ Leanne snapped. ‘That’s what happens when you grow up. But you wouldn’t know that, because you and the crew are still stuck in the old days.’
‘You’re wrong,’ he said earnestly. ‘You might think you’ve passed us by, but we’ve all moved on, too. You just can’t see it.’