Ruby felt a chill of terror as he glared at her before summoning his men and leaving her and Tiffany, battered and devastated, amongst the wreckage of their massage parlour.
As soon as they were gone Ruby looked over to where Tiffany lay whimpering. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked.
‘Think so,’ cried Tiffany. ‘But it fuckin’ hurts.’
‘Me too.’
Ruby got up off the floor, her body tender and throbbing in places. She went over to her girlfriend.
‘Fuck! You’re bleeding,’ said Tiffany.
‘It’s OK. It’s nothing,’ Ruby responded, subconsciously placing her fingers on the bridge of her nose then quickly pulling them away when she felt the sting of a bruise beginning to form.
Ruby was trying to play it down even though she could already feel the blood congealing in her throat. She stuck out her hand and helped Tiffany off the floor then checked her over. Although there was no sign of blood, her face was flushed and already beginning to swell.
‘Bastard’s hit you in the face,’ she murmured, her terror already being replaced by anger. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’
Tiffany managed a faint smile. ‘Yeah. What about you?’
‘Sore,’ said Ruby, stroking her tender back. ‘But I don’t think I’ve broken anything.’
‘Me neither. But it fuckin’ hurts.’
‘That Kyle’s a crafty bastard,’ Ruby said. ‘He knew just how much pain to inflict without doing any permanent damage. He wants us fit for work so he can carry on earning his fuckin’ protection money.’
She dared to examine the waiting area. It was a mess. Her sofas had been split in several places, the foam bursting out of them. The pictures, which she had so carefully selected, had been dragged from the walls. Some of them were broken into pieces, and the coffee machine and planters had been knocked over, their contents leaving a muddy mess on the sumptuous pink carpet. Even the walls had angry gashes down them where the gang had hacked away with their machetes.
As she stared around at the devastation, Ruby could feel tears forming in her eyes. Even though she tried to fight her overwhelming emotion, she couldn’t help but cry. Not only had she and Tiffany been left bloody and bruised, but the club had been ravaged too. Unlike the last attack, this one was intended to inflict maximum damage and Ruby knew she’d have to shut up shop for at least a few days while she carried out repairs. It would probably cost a fortune to put right too.
Tiffany walked painfully towards Ruby and gently wrapped her arms around her. For a few tearful minutes they remained wrapped in each other’s arms trying to comfort each other as they took in the extent of the damage.
‘I can’t believe what they’ve done,’ sobbed Tiffany.
‘Bastards!’ cursed Ruby.
‘I heard what he said,’ whispered Tiffany as though she was afraid to say the words out loud.
‘What about?’
‘About you meeting him. And then me.’
Now the immediate danger had passed, Ruby’s terror was turning into fury. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let it get that fuckin’ far!’
‘What are you gonna do?’ asked Tiffany.
‘I don’t know yet. Shit! I can’t believe how far Josh and Calvin went. I never thought they’d do something like that. What a pair of fuckin’ idiots! And now we’ve got to pick up the pieces. I could have fuckin’ told them Kyle would never stand for them killing one of his men.’
Tiffany went to speak, but her words were drowned out as Ruby continued with her rant.
‘Just how the fuck did he know they’re my cousins, and that you’re my girlfriend?’ Tiffany shrugged while Ruby carried on speaking. ‘I need to ring Josh again. I want to know just what the fuck happened tonight.’
She grabbed her phone and dialled the numbers of both her cousins but there was still no reply. Frustrated, she slung the phone inside her handbag knowing she would have to wait until the following day to find her answers.
*
Still feeling hyped up, Kyle jumped into the passenger seat of the BMW while one of his gang took to the wheel. He looked back at the other gang members and exchanged high fives.
‘Good job, lads,’ he said, grinning. ‘That should fuckin’ show ’em what’s what!’
His gang members shared his enthusiasm and for several minutes they offered their input, jeering and laughing about the damage they had inflicted. Their high spirits eventually lulled to an excited murmur and Kyle turned back round to face the road ahead as he became occupied with his own thoughts.
They’d certainly put Ruby in her place for now but he was still furious at the death of Ash. And he knew that, in terms of revenge, this was only the start. By the time he had finished, Ruby and her cousins would wish they’d never fucked with him.
A smile played across his lips as he thought about his forthcoming meeting with Ruby and what he was going to do to her. It would be the ultimate humiliation. He knew her feelings about men; he’d been sure to do his homework. So, what better way to get revenge than to force her to spend a few hours acting out all his depraved desires?
And, after that, he’d move onto her girlfriend. It gave him a sick buzz knowing that the time he spent with Tiffany would hurt Ruby even more than the time he spent with her, especially as Ruby would have already had her turn so she’d know exactly what he had lined up for her girlfriend.
Even then he wouldn’t be finished because he still had the cousins to deal with. After what they had done, he knew he wouldn’t stop until they were ruined. But that could wait for now. His first target was Ruby and he was looking forward to seeing just how much he could make her squirm.
57
July 2011
‘Thank Christ I’ve got hold of you!’ Ruby said into her mobile phone. ‘I was trying all yesterday. Why the hell didn’t you tell me
