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to fall asleep. Once his breathing was deep and slow I sneaked out of the room and tiptoed down the stairs and out into the space behind the flats. On tiptoes, I checked the flickering lights in Mrs. Conway’s ground floor flat bedroom window. She’d gone to bed and was watching TV. Her fence is easy to climb and as usual, the scraps are on her bird table, just waiting for me.
     
    Ryan was still asleep when I came back so I hid the scraps in my school bag for the next morning, I slipped into bed beside him, snuggling behind him for the heat we’d both need. It was still dark when I was awakened by her return home. This time, she wasn’t alone. I held my breath as I listened… a woman’s voice?
     
    I peeked through the crack in the door, seeing Veronica, mum’s drinking buddy dabbing mum’s face in the bathroom. “You know she’s an Armstrong, Sarah, so why did you try it?”
     
    Mum slurred her response, “I dunn giva fuck… bitch wass tryin it awn wif Charlie.”
     
    Veronica, swayed as she stood. She was drunk but not in the stupor my mum was in, she rinsed the cloth and kept dabbing at my mum’s eyebrow. “Yeah, I know. But he’s left you, he’s not yours anymore…” she eyed my mother cautiously, kneeling beside my mum who was slumped on the side of the bath. “They’re together, or at least from what I’ve heard.”
     
    The one and only image of my mother’s tears burned into my soul. Mum’s face crumpled as her shoulders bobbed and sobs wracked through her. “But I sstill luv-im.”
    …
     
    The rest of the week at work was, thankfully, entirely uneventful… except for one phone call from Denver. His professional voice oozing over the phone. “I’m calling to confirm the file I requested.” I swallowed the bile that pooled in my mouth and listened. “So, my colleague, Barry will be meeting with you in Flanagan’s. I’ll confirm time in due process.” With that, he hung up.
     
    Ok, ok, it’s one file. One piece of paperwork… it’s not that big of a deal. Big companies like this loose more paperwork than that. I assured myself that it was a once off, that I would apply for other jobs, any jobs, to get out of here. He won’t blackmail me again.
     
    I didn’t know why Louise is so uptight about this guy. He was greasy, yes, imagined himself as a big-shot, yes, but what hold could he have over me once I left this place? Worst case was he’d share a video that wasn’t me and by the time he’d do that, I’d be gone from here anyway so that couldn’t hurt my job. He overstepped when he got physical in the kitchen that day, but my guard will not be down again - he won’t get that chance to sneak up again. I didn’t believe he had the balls to actually attack me now. The pocket knife I had tucked into the side of my bra was my insurance… and I prayed to God I didn’t need it.
     

Chapter 10
     
    Bella
     
    Mildred, my manager, arrived into work shortly after I did, which was a surprise since she was supposed to be on holiday leave for another few days.
     
    “I was about to go to sleep last night and I remembered that the Windsor case needed signing off by the end of the month.” She smiled. It was nice to see her looking so relaxed, in the short time I’d been here, it seemed that she worked at warp speed the whole time and the dark bags under her eyes were somewhat faded today. “I need a favour, though,” she peered at me over her reading glasses, “Can you pop round to their office, they’ve some paperwork waiting for us to process.”
     
    On the way back, I passed a deli and decided to grab a sandwich for lunchtime. Sandwich in one hand, large file in the other; I almost dropped both when I caught a glimpse of Jake as I left the deli. He’s walking straight towards me, fuck! A flash of electricity zipped through me in excitement, and I instantly scolded myself - girl-code, even if Louise denies there’s anything going on… but damn, that chiselled jaw, the