Chloe finally found the courage to come in off the balcony. This was after several minutes of crying and shivering in the cold.
Wesley had closed the door behind him, but to her relief he hadn’t locked it. She stepped inside and cast her eyes uneasily around the living room.
There was no sign of Wesley, but as she shut the door behind her she heard what sounded like a voice coming from the kitchen.
Chloe drew in a deep, shuddering breath and fought to hold down the panic. Wesley’s angry words were still ringing in her ears. He blamed her for what had happened to Ryan.
My best mate is dead because he took pity on a copper’s daughter.
She had told him that it wasn’t her fault, but in a way it was and she felt bad about that.
But what to do? That was the question she faced as she stood in the living room and stared through the doorway into the hall.
The kitchen was just to the left. She had a choice. Let herself out of the flat – if she could – and go back out onto the streets to fend for herself. Or try to talk to Wesley. Let him know how sorry she was over Ryan and plead with him to help her.
She was in no condition physically and mentally to go it alone. She was gasping for a drink and desperately needed to pee. She was also freezing cold as well as in pain.
Without coming to a decision, she started taking tentative steps towards the doorway. When she reached it, she poked her head out into the hall and looked towards the kitchen.
She saw Wesley straight away and realised that he wasn’t talking to anyone. He was sitting at the table sobbing loudly into his hands.
But he must have sensed her watching him because his head shot up and their eyes met.
‘You don’t have to be afraid, kid,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to harm you. I promise. Ryan would never forgive me if I did.’
She ventured nervously into the hall, and as she approached the kitchen, Wesley wiped his eyes with a sleeve and stood up.
‘The front door is unlocked if you want to let yourself out,’ he said. ‘I won’t try to stop you. But if you do the sensible thing and stay I’ll make you a cup of tea.’
‘Will you help me to get in touch with my mum?’ she asked him.
He nodded. ‘It might not happen for a while. I’ve been trying to get through to the emergency services, but it just keeps ringing. I want the fire brigade to go to the gift shop before Ryan is nothing more than a pile of ash.’
Chloe entered the kitchen while Wesley crossed the room and started to fill the kettle.
‘You might as well take your coat off,’ he said. ‘The heating’s on so you’ll soon get warm. And by the way I know it’s not your fault that your mum’s a copper. We don’t get to choose our parents. My old lady was a prossy before she OD’d on H.’
Chloe didn’t understand what he meant, but she didn’t see the point in saying so.
She removed her coat, placed it over one of the chairs, and said, ‘I need to go to the toilet.’
‘Back down the hall,’ he said. ‘Last door on the right.’
Chloe felt better after she had emptied her bladder and rinsed the taste of smoke out of her mouth. But the sight of herself in the mirror sent her heartbeat rocketing again.
Dried blood covered a nasty gash on her chin and there was a bruised lump in the middle of her forehead. The rest of her face was smeared with dark red blotches. The skin around her eyes was swollen and her blonde hair had streaks of black running through it.
She would have had to undress to check what damage had been done to her elbows and knees so she didn’t bother.
Instead, she gulped down a sob and told herself that she had to be brave. She looked a mess and she was scared out of her wits. But at least she was alive.
There was a mug of tea on the table when she returned to the kitchen.
‘I put milk and sugar in it,’ Wesley said. ‘Is that OK?’
She nodded and sat down. The tea was hot and sweet and the best thing she had ever tasted.
Wesley watched her drink it as he sipped from a bottle of beer.
Even though they were high up and all the doors and windows were closed, they could still hear the sirens outside.
After about a minute Wesley spoke, his voice wavering with emotion.
‘The truth is I’m to blame for what happened to Ryan,’ he said. ‘I persuaded him to hit the streets again today. He wasn’t keen after we nearly got collared yesterday by the filth.’
Chloe said nothing. She could tell he wanted to get it off his chest.
‘I reckon you’re too young to know why this is happening,’ he went on. ‘You probably think we’re all a bunch of nutters high on drugs. But it’s not that simple. People like me have had enough of taking shit. The police pick on us because we’re black. They treat us like scum and they think they can get away with shooting innocent women. Well we’re showing them now that they can’t. Not any more.’
‘My mum’s not like that,’ Chloe said. ‘She’s nice, and she’s kind. And her boyfriend is black.’
‘Is that right? Well what kind of copper is she?’
‘A detective.’
‘So what happened to your dad?’
‘He was murdered.’
Wesley raised his brow and shook his head. ‘Fuck me, you’re full of surprises for a twelve-year-old. Is that why your name changed? You said it used to be Alice.’
‘No, Alice is what my dad changed it to after he abducted me ten years ago and took me to Spain.’
Wesley jolted upright and his eyes went wide. It was as though a light had been switched on inside his head.
‘Holy shit, you’re that girl who’s been all over the news and in the papers,’ he said. ‘Everyone’s been talking about what happened to you.’
‘That’s why I know that my mum is a good person,’ Chloe said. ‘She never stopped looking for me all that time. And I don’t want her to lose me again.’ Chloe dissolved into tears.
‘Jesus, kid, you’re as pathetic as I am,’ Wesley said, and the next thing Chloe knew he was patting her back in an effort to comfort her.
But it made her cry even more.