The next morning Alfie, who hadn’t bothered going to bed because he knew he’d just be up all night worrying about the auction and Taylor, smiled at Franny as she walked into the breakfast room. He studied her face. She looked slightly better than she had yesterday, though maybe that was the sleeping tablet she’d taken. However, he was sure that when he told her about the deal he’d made with Huang, she probably wasn’t going to look so calm.
Deciding to make herself a drink to stop feeling nauseous, Franny switched on the coffee machine. The smell of fresh beans wafted into the air. She spoke quickly, an array of thoughts rushing through her mind. ‘How did you get on yesterday? Is everything set for today? I thought maybe I’d go and see Charlie again, ask him about Mia.’
‘I thought you said he didn’t know anything.’
Franny shrugged. ‘That is what he said, but in light of everything, I’d like to speak to him again, see if there’s anything – even the smallest of things that might help try to find her. Sorry. You didn’t say how you got on …’
‘I sorted it. Hopefully we’ll have enough, more than enough, but you never know with this kind of thing. With any luck, because Barry’s a small fish, the auction will only attract the scum with no money, rather than the scum with money, because that’s when it becomes a problem. Once I’m outbid, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve asked myself a thousand times if I should get the police involved, but I know it will only make it worse for Taylor.’
‘And Mia.’
Alfie lit a cigarette, drawing on it deeply. ‘Exactly. Barry will dispose of Taylor the minute the police go sniffing around, so it’s just too risky. And the tragic thing is, nobody would miss Taylor. Barry could dig a grave in Epping Forest and nobody would ever know.’
Franny shivered, becoming tense. ‘Jesus, Alf, what’s wrong with you?’
‘It’s the truth.’
She stared at him as images of Bree came into her mind; as if she could hear the noise of Bree’s limbs breaking and the sound of her body being dragged through the forest. ‘You still don’t need to say it though. We both know what will happen if we don’t deal with this properly … So, go on then, how much did you manage to get? Who lent it you?’
Alfie exhaled before he said, ‘Half a million. I got it from Mr Huang.’
Franny could almost feel herself paling. She raised her voice, furious and frustrated. ‘Are you fucking stupid? You went to the Triads to get money, and not even some money, but half a million pounds. You have lost your mind, Alfie. You need to give it back. You hear me? You need to give it back.’ Franny slammed her fist on the table, sending her cup of coffee onto the floor.
Raging, Alfie stood up, flipping the table over in anger, sending it crashing across the room. ‘It won’t make a difference, will it? Even if I took the money back now, I’ll still have to pay the interest. You know that as well as I do. The minute I walked out of that place with it, then bang, I owe them.’
Franny spat her words. ‘Then why did you do it?’
‘Because I had no other choice! I had no fucking choice. It’s not as if I could go to the auction with a frigging IOU, is it?’
Franny flew at Alfie, slapping him hard across the face. He grabbed her arms as she screamed at him, ‘And how are you going to pay it back? Go on, tell me – oh, and whilst you’re at it, tell me what kind of interest they charge.’
‘Three hundred per cent.’
As Alfie let go of Franny’s arms, she stared at him in horror. ‘Three hundred?’
Frustrated, Alfie kicked the kitchen cabinet. ‘That’s what I said, didn’t I?’
‘So, you have to pay back one and a half million pounds to the Triads.’
Alfie’s face curled up in a snarl as he leant in nose to nose with Franny. ‘Yeah, yeah, I do. And if I don’t, I know what happens, but you know something, Fran, I’m willing to take that consequence. I’m willing to do that for Taylor, because I won’t have a life anyway if I can’t save him.’
Franny spoke slowly. ‘But they must’ve asked you about collateral.’
‘They did … and I told them … I told them that it would be on the house.’
‘This house? As in my house?’
‘Well what other house am I talking about? I’m hardly talking about Hansel and fucking Gretel’s house, am I?’
‘You want me to re-mortgage this house that my dad gave me?’
Still furious, Alfie glared. ‘It’s bricks and fucking mortar, Fran. What we’re dealing with is worth more than that, so what’s the problem? And fuck me, let’s face it, it’s my life we’re talking about here. If I don’t pay them, well I’m a dead man.’
Franny stayed quiet as she thought about what Alfie was saying. The problem was, or rather the problem Alfie had, was that she’d already spoken to the bank about re-mortgaging the place. She hadn’t signed on the dotted line, but the bank had been only too willing to lend her some money against it – not that she had any intention of paying it back. They could repossess the house for all she cared, because like Alfie had said, it was only bricks and mortar.
But what it meant was when she left with Mia, she would also be leaving with a couple of million pounds, which ultimately meant she and Mia could lie low. And if she was careful with the money, she’d be set up for several years.
Nobody could find her; she could just fade into obscurity. She could even become someone else, assume a new identity. No more Franny Doyle.
But even if she did all that, she knew Alfie would still come looking for her, wanting to know why she’d gone, wanting to know why she’d just disappeared without a goodbye.
And of course, very soon the police would be starting to ask questions about the fire in the club, and certainly by that time she needed to be gone.
Perhaps she would even leave the area before she found Mia. She could still search for her. She didn’t need to be here in Soho – and in reality, the sooner she got away the better. She’d already messed up by letting her feelings get in the way. And yes, yes she’d miss Alfie, and if she let it, it would break her, tear her apart, because God she loved him, but that love would cause her to make the wrong choices. She’d already seen love destroy her father, and she certainly wasn’t going to let that happen to her.
So the more she thought about it, well, the more she realised that maybe Alfie borrowing the money from Mr Huang wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe, it would play to her advantage. That was of course if she stayed focused on Mia and she didn’t let her feelings ever get in the way again. And as much as she wouldn’t have chosen this for Alfie herself, him not being able to pay back Mr Huang could save her a lot of grief in the long run. It certainly would bring finality.
‘I know it’s only a house, but the problem is … the problem is …’ She stopped for a moment and worked out what she was going to say, wanting her story to sound as credible as possible. ‘My dad put this house in a trust for me. One of the conditions of it is I can’t sell it, or even re-mortgage it.’
Alfie’s face turned ashen. ‘What … what are you talking about?’
‘This house is in a trust, Alf. Dad obviously knew the game we’re in is precarious; money laundering, drugs, clubs, illegal betting, it’s so easy to lose everything overnight. He wanted to make sure that I’d always have a roof over my head, for the rest of my life. Putting the house in a trust was his way of doing it … I’m so sorry, Alf.’
Suddenly looking unwell, Alfie sat down hard in his chair. His voice quiet. ‘Why didn’t I know this before?’
‘It just never came up and, to tell you the truth, I haven’t even thought about it until just now.’
‘What am I going to do, Fran?’
As Franny refused to let herself feel anything – no love, no care – her eyes were cold and calculating, but it went unnoticed by Alfie who rested his head in his hands.
As she watched him sit in silence, she knew that one day her decision might pain her, but some things were worth the sacrifice. And Mr Huang disposing of Alfie, mainly because of his own recklessness for taking such a huge loan out with such a notorious gang, was a sacrifice she was willing to make, and a sacrifice Alfie had no option but to make, especially as it meant she wouldn’t have to look over her shoulder forever. And besides, it wasn’t all bad – this way Alfie could still save Taylor with the money he had because ultimately, that’s what it was all about. Saving the ones you loved at whatever cost. Whatever it took.
She touched his back gently and kissed his cheek, closing her eyes as well as trying her hardest to close off her heart to him. ‘What’s done is done. You’ll think of something, Alf, because if you don’t pay him back, you’re a dead man walking.’