‘I’m telling you, Ruby, this has got to stop. That big bugger already put the shits up Ria the other day, and now I’ve had that nasty little bastard to contend with. I’m not having any client getting their rocks off by fuckin’ slapping me, no matter what your arrangements are with them.’
Ruby knew Rose was talking about the visit by one of Kyle’s men a couple of days ago and now this latest incident involving Kyle himself. It didn’t surprise her; it sounded like it would be just his style.
‘OK, leave it with me, Rose,’ she said. ‘I’ll have a word with him and tell him he’s out of order.’
‘Out of order? And you think that’ll do the trick do you? Well, if you think I’m taking on that nasty little bastard again, you’re wrong! And I don’t think you should be sending him to any of the other girls either. Y’know, Ria was really shaken up after that big bastard came to see her. You can’t have these people manhandling the girls, Ruby. It’s not on!’
‘Alright, Rose!’ Ruby snapped, the stress of the situation getting to her. ‘I’ll let him know it’s not on. Trust me, I’ll put a stop to it.’
‘That’s just it, Ruby. I don’t fuckin’ trust you! Why are you putting up with this shit from them? Why don’t you just fuckin’ ban them from the premises?’
Ruby noticed the way Tiffany stared open-mouthed at Rose, shocked that she should challenge her in this way. Nobody challenged Ruby if they knew what was good for them and, as Ruby felt the pressure of expectation, she yelled back at her.
‘Don’t tell me how to run my fuckin’ business!’
But Rose wasn’t finished. ‘If you ran it properly I wouldn’t fuckin’ have to!’
Ruby was livid that she was questioning her authority even though Rose was right. But there was nothing Ruby could do; she had no defence. For seconds they stared venomously at each other and, even though Ruby was in the wrong, Rose was the first to back down, softening her tone as she asked, ‘What’s going on, Ruby? Who are these men?’
But Ruby was still fired up, the hopelessness of the situation getting to her as she snapped, ‘You don’t need to know!’
‘Right,’ said Rose. Ruby’s harsh words had reignited her fury, but she fought to stay in control of her temper. ‘If you won’t tell me then I’ll have to make my own mind up. I’ve already got a good idea who they are and there’s no way I’m staying in a place that’s being controlled by a bunch of fuckin’ gangsters.’
‘Shush!’ urged Ruby, leaving Rose in no doubt that she had guessed right.
‘I’m sorry for you, Ruby. I really am. But there’s no way I can stay here. And that means Ria will be leaving too. She’s a good friend and I’m not leaving her at risk if what I said is true. And I think it is.’
‘Suit yourself,’ said Ruby, trying to save face.
Rose looked at her and shook her head before walking away. Ruby turned to see that Tiffany’s eyes were on her. ‘Don’t say anything, Tiff, please,’ she said, swallowing back an overwhelming surge of emotion. ‘I don’t think I can take any more tonight.’
But the night became worse and by the end of it they had lost Rose, Ria and another girl called Bianca.
‘Shit, Ruby. What are we gonna do?’ asked Tiffany.
‘There’s nothing we can do, girl,’ said Ruby in despair. ‘We just have to hope we can get replacements and that none of the other girls leave. And, as for Kyle, I’ll have a word but I don’t think he’ll take much notice.’
‘Kyle? Who’s Kyle?’
Ruby felt her heart lurch. She’d slipped up. ‘He… he’s the gang leader,’ she said.
‘And?’ asked Tiffany, sensing her panic.
Ruby sighed. Maybe it was time to open up to Tiffany. She didn’t want to worry her but, at the same time, she hated keeping her in the dark. She was her partner after all, and they’d always shared everything.
‘I know him,’ said Ruby. ‘Remember when I told you what happened when I was a kid?’ she asked, subconsciously fingering her scar.
‘Aah! I knew that name rang a bell. It’s him, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ said Ruby, who then looked down at the countertop, afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide her feelings.
Then she felt Tiffany’s arm around her shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, Rubes. You’re not alone. We’re in this together.’
It was good to have Tiffany’s support and Ruby wished she could draw comfort from it. But she felt that, despite Tiffany’s brave words, even the two of them were useless against a ruthless man like Kyle. And as she wallowed in her own despair, she realised the hopelessness of her situation.
52
July 2011
Ruby admired the way Tiffany slept soundly no matter what was going on in their world. Perhaps it was because Ruby was the stronger one in the relationship. Maybe Tiffany had this unerring faith in her to come up with a solution no matter what predicament they were dealing with. But that night, as Ruby lay awake going over everything in her head, she was just adding to her worries rather than coming up with a concrete way out of them.
She’d given up on trying to sleep; it was a waste of time. Anxious thoughts were spinning around inside her mind making her head ache and her muscles tense. She was concerned about her future and the future of the club. What if the girls continued to become intimidated and more of them left the club? Word would soon get around and she might end up with no girls at all.
She could try having a word with Kyle but she knew he’d only laugh at her concerns. What if she ended up having to sell the club? What would she and Tiffany do then? She dreaded the thought of having to
