The stench of her defecation immediately filled the cell.

‘Phwoar!!’

The gang all put their hands over their faces with expressions of disgust.

‘That’s revolting!’

‘Have you got no self-control?’

Leanne sunk to the floor, a sobbing wreck, the warm brown goo oozing through her tracksuit trousers.

Scar-face looked down at her with contempt and shook her head. She put the shank away and turned to Toni. ‘I think she gets the point.’

Chapter 55

Bailey breathed a sigh of relief as she left the cell with the rest of the gang. That had been a close call. Her heart had dropped when she’d realised what they expected her to do. She’d stalled as long as possible, frantically trying to think of some way to avoid having to physically harm the inmate. Thank god the poor creature had soiled herself. Fortunately, that appeared to have been enough to sate the sadistic urges of the gang. She just prayed that she wasn’t put on the spot like that again.

Toni moved alongside her so they were walking abreast along the landing.

‘Impressive. You made her shit herself. Not bad… for an accountant.’

Once again Toni was scrutinising her closely and Bailey couldn’t quite work out if she was completely convinced by her cover story.

‘Mental scars can be just as effective.’

‘Fear means power, and that’s all up here.’ Toni tapped her head. ‘And you seem to understand that.’

She placed a hand on Bailey’s upper arm.

‘Here, hold back a minute.’

They both waited for the rest of the gang to walk off along the landing.

Toni pressed something into Bailey’s palm. ‘This is for you.’

Bailey looked down. It was a roll of cash. It looked like several hundred pounds.

‘What’s this?’

‘Earnings.’ Toni flashed a gold-toothed smile at her. ‘I told you you’d soon be reaping the rewards.’

Drug money. It figured. That’s why they were doing it after all.

It technically counted as a criminal payment, which Bailey wasn’t allowed to spend. But she could hardly refuse it. That would just look downright suspicious.

She looked at the cash in her palm, unsure of what to do with it. Toni seemed to read her mind.

‘Use it in here to buy stuff, the kind of things you can’t get in the prison shop. Or, if you’d rather, we can get our contact in here to pass it to trusted associates on the outside who’ll invest it for you, if you know what I mean.’ She winked at Bailey, no doubt referring to some money-laundering scheme. ‘A little nest egg for you for when you get out of here. We can chat personal finance in more detail at some point if you want. All you need to remember is that there’s plenty more where that came from. Talking of which…’ She glanced around furtively. ‘We’ve got another delivery coming in next Saturday. Same arrangement as last time. Can I count on you?’