Nick had taken the girl into the living room by the time Irena went back downstairs after locking the other girls into Evan’s old room. The door was closed, but she could hear the slaps, threats, and screams as clearly as if she were in there with them. It was a harsh introduction to a life she had neither asked for nor expected, but the girl would quickly learn that these men tolerated nothing less than absolute obedience.

Cold air circled Irena’s ankles when the back door suddenly opened, and she looked round as Karel walked in. Hesitating when he heard the girl scream, he said, ‘What’s going on?’

‘One of the girls was argue with Nick, so he take her in there,’ Irena told him.

Karel stalked past her and burst into the living room. The girl was on her back on the floor, her bottom lip was split, and both eyes were swollen. Standing over her, Nick raised his fist to deliver another blow, but Karel grabbed him before he had the chance to land it, and threw him across the room where he landed heavily on the sofa.

‘What the fuck?’ Nick squawked, leaping up to his feet.

‘Who said you could touch her?’ Karel roared, slamming him up against the wall.

‘She was gobbing off, so I was teaching her a lesson,’ Nick spluttered, his face flushed and sweaty. ‘What was I supposed to do? Let her make a prick of me?’

‘Look at the state of her . . .’ Karel said angrily. ‘How the fuck am I meant to send her out like that?’

‘It ain’t my fault,’ Nick argued. ‘She should’ve done as she was told.’

‘I would have dealt with her.’

‘You weren’t here.’

As the men continued to argue, the injured girl hauled herself up onto her knees, and Irena could see the pain on her face when she clutched at her ribs. It reminded Irena of the beating Nick had given her before dropping her off at the end of the lane that night. He’d told her that it would make her cover story more realistic, but she had quickly realized that the violence was turning him on, and she remembered fearing that he was going to rape her. She had been saved by the intervention of one of the other gang members that night, just as this girl had been saved by Karel today. But others hadn’t been so lucky – and there would be more of those in the future, she was sure.

Karel’s mobile beeped, and he released Nick and pulled the phone out of his pocket. There was silence while he read the message on the screen, then he jerked his chin up at Irena, saying, ‘Go and clean her up. I need to make a call.’