Franny poked Alfie in the chest. All that was on her mind was Mia. Anger and resentment ran through her. She hissed. ‘You owe me, Alfie Jennings, you hear me?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I’m talking about Bree.’

‘What?’

‘You think just because I didn’t say anything much when you and Bree got together, that it didn’t hurt me? Then you’re wrong, because it did. I hated you for what you did, you hear me? Hated you.’

Shocked, Alfie gazed into Franny’s eyes, her face only a few inches away. ‘I didn’t know.’

Franny screamed at the top of her voice, ‘Then you’re a fool, Alfie, a fucking fool. How could you think it didn’t hurt? I loved you. Loved you so much, and that was hard for me to do. You always knew how hard it was for me to feel anything, but I did, with you, yet you still got together with Bree.’

Pressed against the wall, Alfie gawped in amazement. ‘What are you talking about? You left, remember? You took two million quid from me and Vaughn without so much as an explanation, so what did you expect me to do?’

The screech that came from Franny was heard outside. ‘Not that! Anything but that … So now, like I say, you owe me, because now, I feel something else for someone else … I feel for Mia.’

Alfie looked at Franny strangely. ‘You don’t even know her.’

Holding back the truth, Franny snapped as tears rolled down her face. ‘I know that she’s a baby, Alf, and if you don’t want Barry doing the things he did to you to Mia, then you’ll do this.’

Ashamed at how frightened he felt, ashamed at the tears that ran down his face as well, Alfie whispered, ‘I can’t. I just can’t. Have you any idea what you’re asking me? I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for him.’

Suddenly, Franny slapped Alfie hard across the cheek. Her face was red and angry but she spoke quietly. ‘Then I’ll ask Charlie, and after that, we keep on looking until we find Barry, and when we find him, I’ll make sure he tells me where Mia is, and then, Alf, for all the things he did to you as a kid, I’ll kill him … I’ll kill him just for you.’

29

Having been woken up several times by nightmares and only getting a fretful sleep, Franny, tired and stony-faced, sat in the car next to Alfie, who was in the passenger seat.

‘You promised me that you’d leave him alone, and now you’re telling me that you blew his kneecaps off? Have you lost all sense? Didn’t I tell you that I didn’t want any more trouble?’ She glared at Alfie.