The Women

In memory of Jackie Lee Rainbow.May you rest in eternal peace. Contents COVER TITLE PAGE DEDICATION CONTENTS BEFORE PART ONE LAST NIGHT 1: TODAY 2: VISITING TIME 3: AMY 4: NESS 5: MINA 6. 7: LYNETTE 8: TESS 9: STEPH 10: JACK 11: MINA 12: OLLIE 13: THE GOVERNOR 14: IRIS 15. 16: D WING 17: AMY 18: TESS 19: THE GOVERNOR 20: JACK 21: EXERCISE YARD 22: MINA 23: STEPH 24: LYNETTE 25: EVIE 26: STEPH 27: OLLIE 28: EXERCISE YARD 29: NESS 30: MAUREEN 31: MINA 32: EARLE 33: STEPH 34: AMY 35: MINA 36: AMY 37: IRIS 38: THE GOVERNOR 39: EVIE PART TWO: FOUR WEEKS LATER 40: AMY 41: VISITING TIME 42: MAUREEN 43: AMY 44: IRIS 45: THE GOVERNOR 46: STEPH 47: AMY 48: MINA 49: AMY 50: MINA 51: THE GOVERNOR 52: AMY 53: MINA 54: JACK 55: NESS 56: STEPH 57: AMY 58: OLLIE 59: STEPH 60: AMY 61: STEPH PART THREE: THREE WEEKS LATER 62: STEPH 63: MINA 64: AMY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR BY THE SAME AUTHOR COPYRIGHT BEFORE She could hear the sound of her own running footsteps on the wet earth, but she could also hear his. He was getting closer now. Nearer. She could almost feel him. She knew if he caught her this time, he’d want to keep her. She also knew what he’d do to her, but if she could just get to the road, then maybe, maybe someone would see her. Help her . . . Save her. How many others had there been? She knew there’d been a lot – he’d told her, and she heard them screaming. What she didn’t know was if any of the others had got away . . . Panting now, she glanced around. She didn’t know the woods like he did: at night the whole place looked the same: creeping and twisting shadows moving in between the dark tunnel of trees. She needed to go faster but she was tired. Though she daren’t stop, maybe she could hide? Yes, over there by the tree. She could hide there . . . She hurried across, a creeping terror following her as the wind and the rain got up, muffling the sound of his footsteps. She crouched and, shaking, she tried to quieten her breathing. Quiet, she just had to be quiet . . . A noise made her turn her head. A branch breaking behind her. She tried to make herself smaller, pushing herself further against the base of the tree. She listened again . . . The silence told her he was there. Still, she had to be still . . . Her eyes darted around in the darkness, and she watched. Just waiting . . . Nothing now, only the sound of the rain hitting the leaves and the branches above her . . . Had he gone? Was it safe to move? . . . But then she screamed as she felt her shoulder being grabbed. A hand slammed over her mouth. She turned her head and stared into his eyes . . . It was over now; she knew that it was over . . . PART ONE LAST NIGHT The burn. He always thought that was the best part of it. That first hit. That moment the coke hit the back of his nostrils. That bitter cutting taste at his throat: it was what he’d been waiting for all week . . . Oh God, yeah, this was good shit. Sniffing deeply, he held his nose closed, making sure none of the specks of coke dropped out and went to waste. ‘You want me to do it how you always like it, hun?’ Her voice ground into his thoughts, putting an irritating edge to his high. And as he sat on the edge of the bed, legs wide apart, he looked down at her, inwardly disgusted at her dirty fingernails around the shaft of his erect penis. ‘What is it about you, Holly, you can never just stop talking,’ he snapped. Pouting, Holly stared up at him with doe eyes, then licked her lips suggestively. ‘Just want to please you, baby.’ He bent down to her, his penis starting to droop, and grabbed hold of her thin blonde hair, his gaze darting all over her face. ‘If you want to please me,’ he hissed, ‘then you’ll shut that mouth of yours.’ She was spoiling his buzz and he didn’t want to start to come down already, especially after the week he’d had. ‘Baby, I just—’ ‘What did I say?’ Glaring at her, he gripped her hair tighter and forced her mouth over his penis, ignoring the sound of her gagging. Stupid little bitch; he wanted to relax, not have her chewing his ear off . . . Fuck. This was pointless. Now, it felt like she was chafing his foreskin with her teeth. Jesus! Furious, he pushed her off and stood up, using his foot to barge her out of the way. ‘What did you go and do that for?’ Back against the wall, she rubbed her head, her naked body marked with self-harm scars. ‘That frigging hurt, you bastard.’ Lowering his voice to a menacing growl, he took a step towards her. ‘I’ve had a really hard week and the last thing I need, Holly, is you giving me backchat – any chat, for that matter. So, if you’ve got any sense in that empty head of yours, take that as a warning and keep it zipped.’ She snuffled loudly, tears welling in her eyes. Ignoring her tears and needing another hit, he walked naked across the room. He leaned over the chopped lines of cocaine, snorting vigorously, chasing the high which had now been ruined. Moving his neck from side to side to relieve some of the tension, he looked around the shabby, overheated room. A stale odour hung in the air and dirty clothes and shoes were piled up in the