He winked at her and walked off, casually slapping the pair of black leather gloves into the palm of his hand.

What a nice pair of gloves, thought Amber. Perhaps she should buy herself a pair.

Chapter 58

From the second Bailey woke up on Saturday morning, her insides had been twisted in apprehension at the prospect of what today would bring.

She kept her ears open, subtly monitoring the murmurings within the cliques hanging about on the landings, and it wasn’t long before she became aware of the news she’d been hoping to hear. Terry had been arrested as he’d arrived at work that morning. No one seemed to know the reason why, and she felt an almost smug sense of superiority that, not only did she know, she was the very person who’d engineered it.

Things were moving fast now. A turning point had been reached in the operation, and now it was almost at its end. She felt simultaneously elated and also extremely jittery. If things went to plan she’d be out of here very soon indeed.

At lunchtime, she went down to the canteen. The ABC were all sitting at their customary corner table – Toni, Keisha, Rong, Muscles and Poppy.

She could instantly tell that they were preoccupied with Terry’s arrest. They seemed unusually subdued, picking disinterestedly at their food, muttering in low tones amongst themselves.

They acknowledged her arrival with only the slightest of nods. She sat down opposite Toni, who fixed her with a long, piercing stare. Bailey forced herself to remain calm, modulating her breathing. Act normal, she thought. Carry on as usual.

‘Today’s pick-up is not going to happen,’ said Toni in a quiet voice. ‘Our contact has been arrested.’

‘Terry was our contact?’ said Bailey, trying her best to sound surprised.

Toni nodded slowly. ‘This really fucks things up.’

She glanced around the canteen murderously, then turned to address the gang.

‘Let’s tone it down for the next few days. No dealing. Let’s keep a low profile until we know exactly what’s going on.’

They all nodded and murmured their approval.

Bailey watched Toni as she ate her lunch, noting the way she kept glancing over her shoulder as if someone was going to get her. She seemed to have a hunted look about her, her animal instincts telling her that the net was closing in. The tables were now turned. The predator had become the prey. It was only a matter of time before Terry gave them all up and Alice would be avenged.

But Bailey tempered her sense of jubilation with the knowledge that a cornered animal could be the most dangerous. Right now was the time that she needed to be more vigilant than ever. She prayed for this limbo state not to last for too much longer.

Chapter 59

The cell was dark and silent, moonlight casting a shadow of the bars across one wall. Lights had gone out two hours earlier, but Bailey was still wide awake. She lay on her bunk unable to sleep, unable to stop herself brooding over all the possible turns that events might take from now on.