slide them into the ignition. He parked in the driveway, keeping the motor running. Jake emerged from the house, leading Ginger by the arm. He’d put away the crowbar and the knife glinted in his hand, the point of its blade touching Ginger’s side. They got into the backseat. “Which way?” asked Jake. Ginger said nothing. He pushed the blade a little harder against her and, with an intake of breath, she pointed wordlessly.
Julian followed her finger across town, heading south. Ginger leant forward and spoke in his ear. “You can still stop this before it’s too late,” she said, echoing his thoughts.
“No one’s stopping anything,” hissed Jake.
“This guy, Mr X, he’s not someone you want to mess with.”
“Neither am I.”
Ginger shot Jake a mocking glance. “Oh I know all about you, Jake Bradshaw. Thug, petty thief, loser.”
“At least I’m not a whore.”
“Unlike your sister.”
With a lurking light of violence in his wet, black wolf’s eyes, Jake yanked Ginger backward. “Do you fuckin’ want me to stick this blade in you, or what?”
“Go on then, do it.” There was a sneering undertone of laughter in Ginger’s voice.
“I will if you don’t shut your fuckin’ gob.”
“You haven’t got the balls. I know your type. I’ve known you all my life. You’re a nothing. A lost little boy trying to cover up how shit-scared he is with a lot of big talk.”
Jake’s lips drew back from his teeth in a snarl. “Fuck you! Fucking whore-bitch! Fucking slut!”
As Jake spat the stream of obscenities at Ginger, an image rose into Julian’s mind of his Grandma Alice’s possessed face — the bulging, hate-filled eyes, the flaring nostrils, the sneering grin. Chest constricting as if in a vice, he pulled over and jerked around to glare at Ginger and Jake. “Fucking enough! Both of you,” he managed to squeeze out.
Ginger gave Julian a weighing-up look. “Now you, you’re no born loser. You come from money, don’t you? I can tell. I should be able to. I’ve fucked enough of your kind in my time. What I can’t work out is who you are and what you’re doing here.”
“I’m a friend of Mia’s.”
“So how come I’ve never seen you with her?”
“I’ve only known her a few weeks.”
“Then you’re not her friend. Kids like her don’t make friends easy. Especially not with people like you.” She narrowed her eyes. “No, you’re something else. You look like a nice boy, but there’s something about you — your voice, or your eyes, or something…”
Julian’s fingers dug into the headrest, his eyes jumping around in a quick, jittery way. “There it is again,” said Ginger. “It’s in the eyes. Can’t you see it, Jake?”
“I dunno what you’re on about,” muttered Jake. He frowned at Julian. “Do you know what she’s on about?”
Julian shook his head. He couldn’t speak. The car seemed airless. “Course he knows,” said Ginger. “That fucker’s got shifty eyes. Like he’s got something to hide.”
Her voice was like fingernails on a blackboard, scratching at Julian’s nerves. All he could think about was shutting her up. His eyes landed on the knife in Jake’s hand. “You’d like to use that on me, wouldn’t you?” said Ginger, taunting, but with a quiver of nervousness in her voice. “Bet you’d like to fuck me while you’re using it n’all. That what you did to Mia, is it, hmm?”
That was more than Julian could take. He jumped out the car, sucking for air to shout, “Sick! You’re sick!” It wasn’t clear if the words were directed at Ginger or himself.
Jake got out too. He pointed the knife at Julian, suspicion rife in his eyes. “Why would she say that?”
“She’s trying to turn you against me, distract us from what we’re here to do.”
Jake looked hard at Julian for a moment. “I guess you’re right.” He didn’t sound entirely convinced, but he lowered the knife and ducked back into the car. “Come on, let’s get this fuckin’ over with.”
Taking a steadying breath, Julian got back behind the wheel. “Fifteen,” he said, looking at Ginger in the rear- view mirror. “Mia and Joanne were only fifteen. How do you live with yourself?”
Ginger pushed her face close to his again, nostrils flaring indignantly. “I was the same age when I started turning tricks.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
“Fuck you. Don’t you sit there with your silver spoon up your arse judging me. You don’t know shit.”
Jake grabbed Ginger’s shoulders and yanked her back. “Another word, bitch, and I’ll gag you. Just keep your mouth shut and point.”
After glaring at Jake a few seconds, Ginger raised her bound hands and pointed. Julian resumed driving, heading through the wealthy southern suburbs, nearing the turn off for the street he lived on. He found himself wondering uneasily if Mr X was anyone his parents knew. Perhaps he was a family man with a wife and children to support. Perhaps they were all tucked up in bed, blissfully ignorant that the man they looked up to and depended on was about to be exposed as a deviant and maybe worse. A small kernel of relief opened in Julian’s chest as they passed the end of his street and left behind the outskirts of the town. The forest rose up on either side of the road like a dark green wall.
“How much further?” asked Julian.
“Not much further now.” Ginger pointed again, and Julian turned onto a road that led towards the heart of the forest. At first they passed a few houses tucked back into the trees. Then there were only trees and more trees.
“You sure this is the right way?” asked Julian. He knew — or, at least, thought he knew — the forest well enough to know that there were no houses for the next ten or so miles.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“You better not be shitting us,” warned Jake.
“I’m not, but you might wish I was before this is over.”
Jake made a scoffing noise. “Why? Who is this Mr X? Some kind of big-time criminal or something?”
“He’s your worst nightmare.”
A shudder ran through Julian. Jake burst into a sneering laugh. “Yeah, well I’m looking forward to meeting him.” He ran his finger along his knife. “Me and him’s gonna have a nice little chat.”
Ginger shook her head, sighing. “Turn in there.” She pointed to a gravel road so narrow and overgrown that you could easily drive by without noticing it. There was no sign to suggest it led anywhere in particular. Julian winced as branches scraped along the car.
“You ever been to this part of the forest before?” Julian asked Jake.
“No. You?”
“I don’t think so.” Much of the forest looked the same, making it difficult to know exactly where you were a lot of the time. After about half-a-mile, the road forked. At Ginger’s direction, they took the left fork, which descended into a heavily wooded valley. As the trees crowded more thickly, Julian had a familiar sense that he was entering a hidden world — a world he was usually more comfortable in than anywhere else, but which at that moment seemed sinister and menacing.
“Ah, this is bollo-” Jake started to say, but broke off as, after climbing a steep incline, they rounded a curve and came to a tall iron gate topped with spikes. A razor-wire fence stretched to either side of it. Beyond it, the road continued to curve to the right, out of sight behind trees that swayed darkly in the night breeze with a wailing murmur like a creature in pain.
“Back up,” hissed Jake, pointing at a security camera on the gatepost. Julian reversed around the corner. Jake opened his door. “You stay here and watch her while I check this place out.”
“Wait,” said Ginger. “Please, please don’t do this. This is crazy.” And the way she said it gave Julian a shrivelling feeling, as though he was teetering right on the edge of a cliff within himself.
“She’s right,” said Julian. “This is crazy. We should call the police, let them deal with this guy.”
“Jake, listen to him, he’s talking sense.”
Scowling, Jake hawked and spat. “Fuck the police and fuck both of you.” He got out of the car and, hunkering into a low run, quickly melted into the darkness.
Julian glanced at the clock. It was just after two am. He took out his mobile-phone. “You won’t get a signal
