Aaron had already been to The Rose and Crown once but there was no sign of the person he was after. So he’d tried phoning and then turning up at their home, but he’d had no luck there either. By the time he walked into The Rose and Crown for the second time that day it was evening and he was feeling agitated. He passed the table where the street girls normally sat but they weren’t at that table today. A group of strangers had taken their place, obviously unaware what kind of pub it was.
As Aaron walked to the bar many of the men standing there greeted him effusively. Amongst them was Nick, Aaron’s drug dealer, a contrast to the others with his smart designer gear. He flashed his usual dashing smile and broke off from chatting to an attractive blonde while he high-fived Aaron and looked at him expectantly, but Aaron wasn’t thinking about getting his supply at the moment. Nor did he want to stand at the bar having a pint and a chat. He was here specifically to see one person and he had just spotted her.
Crystal was sitting at a corner table, deep in conversation with some of the other girls: Ruby, Amber and Angie. One of them made a comment, which caused Crystal and the others to burst into laughter. He looked at her, sitting with her friends, having a drink before work, as though she didn’t have a care in the world, and in that moment he despised her, knowing what she had done.
Aaron strode over, his steps fast and furious. ‘Crystal, I wanna word!’ he ordered.
All of the girls fell silent, picking up on his mood and lowering their heads, except for Ruby, who glared at him. ‘Looks like someone’s not happy,’ she muttered before turning her back to him and carrying on chatting.
Aaron stormed out of the pub, with Crystal following dutifully behind. He passed through the pub’s doors, round the corner and down the side street, then turned into a back alleyway.
‘Hang on a minute!’ shouted Crystal. ‘I can’t fuckin’ keep up.’
He watched as she tottered into the alleyway on her high heels. ‘What the fuck have you come down here for?’ she asked, her eyes wide with fear despite her brave words.
As soon as she was close enough he pounced on her, pinning her up against a brick wall. ‘You fuckin’ bitch!’ he yelled. ‘It was you, wasn’t it? Damaging Maddy’s car and putting that fuckin’ graffiti on her door.’
As he held his fist over her he heard her breath judder in her throat. Her lips drew back and her eyebrows turned in at the corners. It was a look of fear but also a plea for leniency.
‘Please, don’t hit me,’ she begged. Then her body seemed to close in on itself as she prepared for an attack.
Aaron dropped his fist and grabbed her by the shoulders instead, shaking her violently while he shouted. ‘Just what the fuck did you think you were playing at? She’s fuckin’ scared shitless because of you. You stupid bitch!’ Then he stopped shaking her but kept a tight grip on her shoulders as he waited for answers.
‘All right, let me speak,’ said Crystal, growing bolder now the threat of an attack seemed to have abated. ‘It was the only way I could get back at you when I found out what you were up to.’
‘How long have you known?’ he asked. When Crystal didn’t answer straight away, he shook her again. ‘I said how long have you fuckin’ known?’
‘Ages. Right from when you first started following her. And then I saw you meeting her, dressed all nice like you are now with your hair all clean and shiny.’
Then Crystal laughed ironically. ‘I didn’t even fuckin’ know your hair was blond till you met her. I thought it was always that manky brown colour. Been to see her again, have you? How the fuck do you think that makes me feel, Gilly? You never dressed like that for me.’
‘I’m not fuckin’ Gilly, I’m Aaron!’ he yelled, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. ‘You think I’m just your fuckin’ pimp. But I’m not. I could have been someone. I still could. But I’m not having a fuckin’ stupid bitch like you spoiling it for me!’
‘And how long do you think it will be before she finds out who you really are and how you make your money?’ she said, pulling herself free from his grip and stepping away from him. ‘And how long before you put her on the game as well? How will it feel having to share your precious Maddy?’
‘She’ll never fuckin’ find out! And I won’t be putting her on the game either. She’s not just some cheap tart who will shag anyone. She’s worth a thousand of you!’
‘Oh, you really think she won’t find out, do you?’ she asked, threateningly. ‘If you think I’m gonna carry on taking a back seat while you play Lord Almighty with that fuckin’ journalist then you’re wrong. You’re my man, Gilly, and I’m sick of having to fuckin’ share you.’
‘No, I’m fuckin’ not!’ he bawled, slapping her hard across the face. ‘I’m Aaron Gill. I don’t belong with scum like you and I’m not having you fuckin’ spoiling it for me.’
‘You wanna bet,’ she sneered.
Gilly hadn’t expected Crystal to retaliate like this; she was usually so submissive. But, seeing the look of contempt on her face, it was as though someone had flicked a switch, turning him from annoyed to livid. His anger was now so extreme that all he could think about was the need to destroy this thing that stood between him and the bright future he had dreamt about.
He launched a torrent of punches around her head and body, each blow more savage than the last. Her nose broke, the blood splattering onto her face and his fists, and urging him on. He wanted to annihilate this piece of shit!
Crystal screeched in pain but her screams were drowned by the stream of abuse that accompanied his punches. ‘Fuckin’ bitch! Slag! No good fuckin’ whore! Twat! I’ll fuckin’ teach you! Bitch!’
On and on he went until Crystal dropped to the floor. The only thing that stopped him was the sharp pain of his fist hitting the brick wall as Crystal slumped to the ground.
‘Aaaah! Fuckin’ bitch!’ he yelled, pressing his damaged knuckles up to his mouth.
Then he kicked her viciously. Crystal’s body shifted with the impact of his kick but, other than that, she remained still. Suddenly Gilly realised he had gone too far. He bent over to look at her. ‘Crystal, Crystal, are you all right?’ he asked, praying she was still alive. But there was no response.
Then panic set in and Gilly fled.
*
Ruby didn’t like Gilly. She didn’t like most men. They were just a means to an end as far as she was concerned. She’d been thinking of parting company with Gilly for a while. After all, she was as strong as many men and was capable of sorting out most of her troublesome clients. But she’d seen Gilly in action when he was angry and didn’t want to risk him turning on her. She wasn’t stupid enough to bring problems on herself.
The way Gilly treated Crystal made Ruby like him even less. He was supposed to be Crystal’s fella, yet he spoke to her like she was shit and slapped her around whenever he felt like it. She couldn’t understand why Crystal put up with it and had told her so many times.
But Crystal was in love with him, so she said, whatever that meant. To Ruby it was a strange kind of love that meant a man could treat you as badly as he wanted, and you’d keep going back for more.
She supposed he was an attractive man, especially lately since he’d been looking after himself and had ditched the tatty cap and hoody most days, replacing them with smart designer gear. But looks weren’t everything. She would never let a man treat her the way Gilly treated Crystal, no matter how good-looking he was.
They had been having a good time until Gilly walked into the pub. Ruby could tell he was in a mood straight away. It looked as if Crystal had noticed too as she couldn’t get out of the pub quickly enough when he called her over, frightened of disobeying him.
Ruby hissed as they walked away. ‘Fuckin’ knobhead,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why she puts up with him.’
None of the other girls said anything. They knew Ruby’s hackles were up and they were afraid of crossing her. But, despite Ruby’s aggressive manner, she cared about her friend Crystal. In fact, it was because she cared that she got so annoyed at the way Gilly treated her.
The mood changed between the girls and for several minutes the conversation felt forced as they sat there downing their drinks. After ten minutes Ruby looked at her watch. Aware that Crystal still wasn’t back, she grew concerned and decided to go and see what had happened to her. Even Ruby was a bit wary of Gilly but if he was giving her friend a good going over then she wasn’t going to stay here and do nothing.
‘She’s still not back,’ she said to Amber. ‘I think we should go and see what’s going on.’
‘I’m not going,’ said Amber. ‘I don’t want Gilly turning on me.’
Ruby could see the fear in Amber’s eyes but she didn’t know whether that was fear of crossing her or fear of confronting Gilly. Angie just sat and said nothing. ‘Right, fuck the pair of you!’ said Ruby. ‘I’ll go on my fuckin’ own.’
When Ruby got outside The Rose and Crown she looked around her but couldn’t spot either Gilly or Crystal on the main road. She turned down the side road but couldn’t see them there either. Ruby hoped that meant they’d sorted out their differences and that Crystal had gone on to work. She couldn’t fathom why Gilly hadn’t returned to the pub though. Still, she had to get to work herself so she carried on along the side road in the direction of Piccadilly.
As she passed an alleyway she spotted the vague outline of a person slumped against an industrial-sized bin. Jesus! Manchester is getting worse, she thought. The fuckin’ alcys are everywhere. Although Ruby liked a drink and wasn’t averse to taking a bit of coke now and then, she didn’t have much time for those who abused drugs and alcohol. She’d seen enough of them shouting abuse to passers-by and trying to scare them into giving them cash.
Ruby turned back to face the road ahead but as she turned she saw some spots of blood on the pavement. They snaked a trail that thinned out ahead of her. She looked back and saw that the blood spots grew thicker towards the back alley. Shit, she thought. Maybe this person is in real trouble. That thought had scarcely left her head when another thought occurred to her. What if it’s Crystal?
Her glance into the alleyway had been so cursory that she hadn’t even noticed whether it was a man or woman lying slumped against the bin, or what they were wearing. She turned back and approached the alleyway cautiously until she got to the opening.
Ruby could see the outline of a fake leather bomber jacket, short skirt and skinny white legs. The woman’s head was slumped forwards so most of it was hidden behind her body, but Ruby could just about pick out the top of her hair. There was no mistaking that colour.
‘Crystal!’ Ruby shouted as she ran towards her friend.
Leaning over her, Ruby gently pulled her head back but Crystal didn’t move. ‘Jesus Christ!’ Ruby shrieked, noticing the mass of blood that covered her features. ‘Shittin’ hell.’
She felt overcome with emotion as she bent further forward and took hold of her friend’s wrist. Panic seized her as she struggled to find a pulse. But her own heart was beating so erratically, and her hands were shaking so much, that it was hard to tell. ‘Oh, my God!’ she cried, thinking that her friend might be dead.
Ruby took a few deep breaths and tried to concentrate. Yes, it was there! She could feel Crystal’s pulse, just about. But it was weak and Ruby felt a surge of despair accompanied by anger as she realised her friend was in a bad way.
She took her mobile phone out and rang the emergency services, quickly giving them details. ‘Just get here as soon as you can. She’s in a fuckin’ bad way!’ she yelled, trying to bypass the barrage of questions from the operator.
As Ruby took in her friend’s injuries while she waited for the ambulance to arrive, her anger intensified. Crystal’s face was covered in blood. The flesh surrounding each of her eyes was cut and swollen so much that her eyes were like little slits. Her nose was also swollen and looked as though it was broken.
Ruby sat down beside her friend and rested Crystal’s head on her lap. She turned away, finding it difficult to look at Crystal in this state. Her injuries spoke of a level of brutality that shocked even someone as tough as Ruby. So, instead of looking at Crystal, she kept her eyes fixed on the top of the alleyway, willing the emergency services to get there fast.
She knew who had done this. It was that bastard Gilly! Ruby had no doubt that he was capable of it. She also knew that Crystal would stay loyal to him and not tell anyone what he had done. She never told them anything he got up to. That was the kind of hold he had over her. But Ruby was determined to tell the police. There was no way she was letting him get away with this. Fuck the consequences!