Amber by Heather Burnside (great novels of all time .TXT) 📗

Cora had joined them. ‘Give her a fuckin’ good hiding, Jack! That’ll teach her not to run off.’

Without pausing Jack continued to bash Amber’s body repeatedly against the wall. At first all she felt was light-headedness, the solidness of the stone and her intense fear. But as Jack carried on, and Amber regained her balance, the agony took hold. She pushed her head forward, trying to avoid the wall, but was rewarded with a sharp slap across her face. For a moment she didn’t know where it had come from. Then she spotted the smug grin on Cora’s face and saw her hand snap back for a repeat.

The beating seemed to last forever and yet it was quick. Blasts of hard knuckles and fleshy hands bruised and ruptured the soft skin of Amber’s face and body, and soon she sensed the metallic taste of blood on her lips.

Unable to break free, she begged, ‘Please, no!’ and sobbed.

But it wasn’t over yet. The blows were so rapid that it was difficult to tell who was doing what. She felt the force of sharp kicks to her shins and thighs along with rapid slaps to her face and upper body till she could take no more and her legs collapsed, sending her sliding down the wall while the attack persisted.

For a few moments longer she was on the ground, crouched forward now, and willing it to be over. The sight of her like this must have unnerved Cora who yelled an order at Jack.

‘OK, that’s enough!’

Amber could sense someone leaning over her then she felt her hair being tugged violently until her head was raised from the ground. Her eyes flickered open and she stared into the evil face of Cora whose own eyes burned with hatred.

‘That’ll teach you not to get cocky with me!’ she hissed. Then she yelled instructions at Jack again. ‘Get her up off the ground so we can search her.’

Amber felt herself being lifted and Jack’s big, rough hands searching around her body until he found her wad of cash. He smirked at Cora who grinned back. Then they let go of her and walked away, jubilant.

*

October 2015

‘Oh my God! What the hell happened to you?’ asked Sapphire when Amber walked into the Rose and Crown a few days later and went straight across to the table where Sapphire was sitting.

Her shocked expression drew the attention of other customers who stared at Amber’s bruised and swollen face.

‘Shush!’ said Amber, fearful of repercussions.

She waited until the customers had got over the initial shock and were no longer focused on her before she confided in Sapphire about the attack. Her friend’s alarm was evident as her eyes grew wide and her jaw slackened.

‘Oh my God!’ Sapphire repeated. ‘I knew she was a bit of a bitch, but I never thought she’d go that far. Are you OK?’

‘Better than I was.’

‘Your face looks really sore.’

‘It’s my fuckin’ head that’s the worst. That bastard who was with her kept slamming it against the wall. There’s a big lump on the back of it. I thought I was gonna pass out the first time he did it. My legs are full of bruises too. They kept kicking them even when I was on the ground.’

‘Shit! They’ve beat you up summat wicked, haven’t they? Did they get what they wanted?’

‘Oh yeah, the pair of twats took all my earnings for the night and I’ve missed out for the last few days too ’cos I felt too shitty to work. But I’ve had to come back. I’ve run out of gear.’

‘Aw, mate. I can help you out with that.’

‘Aw, can you?’ asked Amber, desperately.

‘Sure, let’s nip to the loos,’ Sapphire whispered.

Once she’d had her fix they went back into the bar, Amber eager to top it up with a few drinks before she spent her first night back at work. She couldn’t help but feel worried considering what had happened the last time, and Sapphire seemed to pick up on her glum mood.

‘You OK?’ she asked.

‘Yeah but… y’know.’

Sapphire nodded. ‘I know; it can’t be easy. I was just thinking about what it used to be like before and what Crystal would have thought about what’s happened to you. I miss her, y’know.’

‘Me too. She was always good to talk to when you had problems. It doesn’t feel the same without her still around and a lot of the old girls. Even Ruby was alright if you stayed on the right side of her. And she wouldn’t stand any fuckin’ nonsense. I bet Cora wouldn’t have tried it on with her around.’

‘No way!’

‘I still remember when Crystal first recruited me for Gilly and got me to change my name to Amber. We all had to have the names of jewels ’cos she said Gilly liked his girls to sound exotic.’

Sapphire laughed. ‘Me too. Funny how we’ve kept the names even though he’s long gone, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah, but it’s what the clients get used to, isn’t it? I never saw any point in changing it.’

‘Me neither. I tell you what, I wasn’t that keen on Gilly and the way he used to take a big wedge of our money, but he wouldn’t have stood for all this shit from Cora either.’

‘Yeah,’ said Amber. ‘I definitely felt a sight fuckin’ safer when he was around. At least he didn’t just take the money; he did try to protect us as well.

‘Anyway, it is what it is, and we’re stuck with it. But I’d change your patch if I were you and watch your back. It wouldn’t surprise me if that bitch Cora puts him onto you next.’

‘Thanks for the tip,’ said Sapphire before they continued the conversation, reminiscing about the old days.

Amber knew she was stalling for time. The truth was that, despite the coke and alcohol she had consumed, she didn’t want to leave the relative safety of the pub and go back on the streets again. She was terrified. But then the conversation gradually