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

hostile expression changed to one that was almost welcoming. Amber couldn’t help but notice how he looked even better when he wasn’t scowling.

‘That’s OK,’ he said. ‘I’ll swing by later.’

Then he got back inside his car and set off, revving the engine noisily before he sped up the road.

*

October 2015

Later that night Kev Pike found Cora who was also plying her trade on the mean streets of Manchester. She was exactly at the spot where he thought she would be, and he pulled up the car. He didn’t have to beckon her over; Cora was at the window as soon as he’d stopped, and she had her hand outstretched.

‘Have you got my share?’ she asked.

‘No.’

Cora scowled. ‘Why not? Jack’s already had his.’

‘’Cos you’re not fuckin’ getting any, that’s why not.’

Cora’s hands shot to her hips, the scowl still on her face. ‘What the fuck d’you mean? I sorted her as well and it was me that fuckin’ put you onto the bitch in the first place.’

Kev got out of the car. He didn’t like the way Cora could sometimes be cocky and peevish. Taking in her attitude, he almost felt sorry for Amber, knowing that Cora and Jack had given her a good going-over. He didn’t really like to see women being set about; he remembered only too well the hidings his mum had suffered at the hands of his dad. But, in this business, it was all about easy money and, as long as someone else was dishing out the beatings, he tended to turn a blind eye.

He went over to Cora, his height giving him a psychological advantage, as he wanted to unsettle her. It worked. Cora’s head and shoulders drew back as he stepped up close to her.

‘Don’t get smart with me! You weren’t supposed to fuckin’ sort her,’ he yelled. ‘That was Jack’s job. Your job was to put me onto her. And you don’t get fuckin’ paid for that. The only reason you’re not paying me is ’cos you gave me her in your place. And I still want you to give me another girl by the end of the week so get onto it. In the meantime, unless you want me to start charging you, fuck off out of my face.’

He looked at Cora’s startled expression and, satisfied that his message had got through, he walked back towards the driver’s door. But then he remembered the message that he had come to deliver, and he turned back.

‘By the way. It’s all been sorted. She’s paid up so leave off her from now on, eh? Jack’s already been told.’

Cora didn’t reply. She just nodded slightly and narrowed her lips.

Kev got back into the car. He was feeling angry. Cora sometimes had that effect on him. But she had her uses too and could really pile on the charm when it suited her. She was an attractive girl and knew how to keep the punters happy, especially those who preferred a curvier girl. He quickly drove off before he really lost it with her. He’d always made it a rule of his never to hit a woman but sometimes he was sorely tempted.

22

April 1999

As the weeks dragged by things were getting worse with Loretta, and Amy was becoming concerned. Her drinking had increased, and she now drank most nights rather than just at the weekends when she was going out.

There were more men coming round the house too and, as well as Loretta bringing them back after a night out, they would come round to the house when she was in. It was usually late when they did so, but they rarely hung around for long the following day. Amy was disappointed with that. She would have welcomed the chance to get to know them; perhaps then she would find someone else to spoil her like Dale had done.

Amy wished she could confide in someone about her mother’s drinking as she didn’t like the way she behaved when she drank. But they rarely saw any relatives nowadays. They’d drifted away from her father’s family over the years and her mother had forbidden her to visit her maternal grandparents a while ago as she had fallen out with them. She wouldn’t tell her why they had fallen out, but Amy overheard her telling someone on the phone that Grandma ‘ought to learn to mind her own bloody business’.

Miss Smedley at school was a nice teacher and Amy had been tempted a few times to tell her about her worries. But she daren’t. Loretta had often warned her that what happened in the home was their private business and not to be spoken about outside. Amy therefore knew that she would get in trouble if her mother found out that she had been speaking to her teacher about her problems.

It was now mid-week and they were all sat watching TV. Loretta had an open bottle of wine in front of her, which was now almost empty, as was the glass that she held in her hand. Next to the wine was a pill packet with the blister pack still sticking out from when Loretta had taken a tablet earlier then plonked it back down on the coffee table.

Amy was perturbed to witness her mother’s character transformation as she worked her way through the bottle. She was now running a commentary about the action on screen, the characters and their personality traits.

‘Look at that bloody wimp! He doesn’t deserve to be on TV,’ she said, and Amy noticed that not only were her comments becoming louder and more belligerent, but she was also slurring her words.

Loretta suddenly got up and went to the window, pulling one of the curtains back and peeping outside. Amy wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she had lost interest. She just wished they could watch TV in peace without her mother’s drunken interruptions. While Loretta wasn’t watching, Nathan quickly grabbed the remote control and switched the volume up.

Loretta sat