Chapter 2

“Get out.”

Robert blinked, not expecting such a swift change of heart. Gloria’s eyes shone with such malevolence, he half expected little pinpricks of red in their depths.

“I ain’t making promises I can’t fool you into believing. I like my life just fine.” Gloria reached for another cigarette, while Rob tried to keep a straight face. No one could enjoy living like this. She lit the thin white roll that quivered in her nicotine-stained fingers. She took a drag and then blew out the smoke. “And we both know if I offer you a fuck, that’s a dead end, so I guess I got nothing to trade.” Her gaze turned shrewd. “Except my boy’s safety.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?” He didn’t know whether Gloria could hear the hint of warning in his tone, but his voice went quiet with no deliberate attempt on his part. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Gloria hurt James, but he’d do something.

“Kid’s clean, but that can change. Give me the five hundred I asked for, and I’ll make you a deal not to stick him in his sleep.”

Meaning she’d stick James with a syringe? This time Rob took an even deeper breath. “No,” he said, not at all astonished when Gloria jolted in her seat. She’d thought she had him on that one. He doubted she’d do it, but they could play that game if she wished. “I’ll give you the five hundred.” Rob paced closer, removing his wallet. He’d gone to the bank in case of this eventuality.

“In fact, I’ll give you a thousand.” He removed the notes, glancing up in time to catch Gloria’s beady eyes widening. “I’ll give you a thousand if you promise me to spend some of it on James. Buy him something he needs. I don’t know what. Food, clothes. Hell, a train ticket out of here.” He couldn’t make her do so, but he hoped.

“That all you want?” Gloria sounded suspicious. Rob sighed.

“If, as you say, your son’s clean, then all I want is your promise you won’t try to lead him down the same shitty path.”

Michael’s mother had been a negligent parent and a miserable drunk, so Michael had recognised the signs of the slippery slope Gloria walked early in their relationship. He’d tried to remove himself entirely, but life was seldom so simple and Michael had felt responsible for Gloria, especially when the woman misled him into believing the child she carried was his. Turned out she wasn’t sure who the father was—or so she claimed—but either way, it surely hadn’t been Michael.

Her gaze held steadfast, anger flashing again in the depths of her eyes, but at least she didn’t deny what he said.

“You had choices, Gloria. You had options. You had chances to change your life even when you’d gone wrong. If James gets a chance, do nothing to stand in his way.”

He held out the cash, notes folded. Gloria reached out, hand unsteady and hesitant, as if she believed the money might burn her fingers. She took hold and tried to pull the notes away, but Rob held on. Startled, she met his gaze. Rob sunk to her level so she wouldn’t have to struggle to see his face. He spoke in a low, soft tone.

“I want nothing else from you. In fact, I never want to see or hear from you again. Don’t think you can use James as a ploy more than this once, because if you do what you threatened and deliberately harm your son and I find out, then you’ll be sorry. You’ll be the one who doesn’t want to hear from me.”

He didn’t know what he would do if that happened, so it felt like an empty threat, but he had to say something. Fortunately, as vacant as his retaliation might prove to be, he sounded menacing enough. When he let go of the money, Gloria snatched it, cradling the notes to her chest. Rob studied her face until she looked away. He stood, feeling fairly certain James was safe—from Gloria injecting him with illegal substances, anyway. She was an addict; she wouldn’t use her dope on anyone else.

Without another word, Rob turned away. He tried not to see much of the flat other than the pathway to the front door. At the threshold he paused, a sound drawing his gaze down the hall. The door at the far end revealed a glimpse of a pale face atop a lanky teenager’s body. Rob stared at one bright eye before the door slammed shut. Left with no other option, Rob left.1

“There’s one more for you to see.”

“There is?” Rob looked at his business partner’s P.A. in surprise. Weren’t there only five candidates for the job? He didn’t recall a sixth.