Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Collection: The Schemer, The Trap, Payback. Kimberley Chambers

towards him. ‘What’s up? What you thinking about?’

      Not wanting to slag off her relationship with her missing fiancé, Steph shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’m just thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed myself tonight. Do you have nights like this with your girlfriend, Barry? What’s Jolene like? Tell me more about her.’

      ‘Jolene’s only a baby and she wouldn’t be interested in the music we listen to or the subjects we talk about. She’s a lovely girl, but I wouldn’t say I have as much in common with her as I do with you.’

      ‘So, why are you with her then? Why don’t you go out with someone older who you have more in common with, like me?’

      Treating Stephanie to his killer, intense stare, Barry smiled. ‘Do you want the truth?’

      Steph could feel her heart beating at double its usual speed. ‘Yeah I do.’

      ‘The reason I don’t go out with someone older who I have more in common with, like you, is because there is only one you, Steph.’

      About to ask Barry exactly what he meant, Stephanie stopped herself from doing so. Barry’s penetrating gaze told her all she needed to know. Over the course of the evening, Stephanie had drunk an enormous amount of alcohol so whether it was that, or the thought of spending the rest of her life alone that was affecting her judgement, she really didn’t know. What she did know was that, as she locked lips with Barry for the first time in years, it not only felt good, it also felt so bloody right.

      CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

      Stephanie felt mortified when she woke up the following morning. Her last memory of the previous night was of her asking Barry to go to bed with her, and then bursting into tears when he said no. Gingerly sitting up, Stephanie put her aching head in her hands. She was fully clothed, thank God, but she could recall the heavy petting session with Barry getting rather heated at one point. Stephanie stared at the photo of her and Wayne on the bedside cabinet. It had been taken on her twenty-first birthday at the party Wayne had organized for her as a surprise. Feeling incredibly guilty and absolutely disgusted with herself, Steph felt the watery bile reach the back of her throat. She dashed to the toilet, and moments later was violently sick.

      Barry Franklin was inside Dagenham East Police Station. He had received a phone call from his mother at seven a.m. this morning to inform him that she and Marge were getting charged with being drunk and disorderly and affray. With it being a Sunday, Barry had told his mother to use the duty solicitor, and then he had driven straight to the nick. Steph had still been in bed when all this had happened, so Barry had left her a note telling her he would call her later this afternoon. Last night was a bit of a blur for Barry as well. They had sat up boozing until four a.m., and even though Barry had been tempted to go to bed with Stephanie and shag her brains out, he knew he’d done the right thing by saying no. Taking advantage of Stephanie while she was drunk wasn’t part of his plan. He needed to reel her in more first, and it was a tad too early for him to make his move just yet. As his mother and Marge walked towards him looking rather bedraggled, Barry stood up. ‘Was the solicitor OK? What did he say?’

      ‘He just advised us to say no comment. He reckons we’ll get a hefty fine, but that’s all. No thanks to you running off and leaving us in the lurch, may I add,’ Marlene said, obnoxiously.

      Barry led them around the corner to where he had parked the car. ‘Look, don’t be worrying about your fines, ’cause I’ll pay ’em for both of you. As for me leaving the restaurant, I can’t afford to be getting meself nicked over ’ere. Say it had turned really nasty and I’d got nicked for GBH or something? I can’t be having my passport taken away from me. I need to get back home to Spain soon.’

      ‘I can’t understand why you’re still hanging around in England? I thought you’d have gone back to Spain like a shot to get your grubby little maulers on my bloody bar. It’s that slag, Stephanie, that’s keeping you ’ere, ain’t it? You poking her, or what?’ Marlene asked crudely.

      ‘No, Mother. I’m not “poking her”, as you so daintily put it. I’m still over here because I have a few loose ends to tie up. Once that’s done, I’ll be heading back to Spain immediately.’

      ‘What loose ends you got to tie up, then?’

      ‘Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about. Now, do you want me to drop you back at Marge’s gaff or somewhere else? You didn’t lose that dosh I gave you last night, did ya?’

      ‘The money’s still in my bag, I checked, and yeah, take us to Marge’s. I was saying to Marge while we were stuck in those pissy-smelling cells last night, that me and her could really do with a nice holiday abroad somewhere. Really cheer us up, that would.’

      ‘Don’t you dare blackmail him,’ Marge hissed in her friend’s ear. She had been appalled last night when Marlene had said she was going to. In Marge’s eyes, blackmailing your own flesh and blood was as below the belt as anything.

      Barry sighed. He knew his mother was on his earhole for more money, and because he still felt guilty about nearly strangling her years ago, decided to be generous once again. ‘I’ll tell you what I’ll do for you. Meet me in Romford outside the Royal Bank of Scotland at midday tomorrow, and I’ll take you to a travel agent and book you an all-inclusive somewhere nice. I’ll pay for you and Marge and I’ll give you a bit of spending money. But, only on one condition.’

      ‘What?’ Marlene asked, sulkily.

      ‘If I treat you to this holiday, then I want you to stop banging on about me murdering Jake and Jacko. It’s bollocks, Mum, you know it is, and it’s embarrassing when people keep coming up to me saying you’ve said these things.’

      ‘Say yes,’ Marge urged, nudging Marlene’s arm. She hadn’t had a decent holiday for years and couldn’t wait to get stuck into all the free drink and food on an all-inclusive. Some people might not get their money’s worth on those types of trips, but she bloody well would.

      ‘OK, I won’t say it no more.’

      ‘Ain’t you got anything else to add to that?’ Barry asked, taking a sharp right turn.

      ‘Like what?’ Marlene asked, stroppily.

      ‘Like I’m sorry for saying it in the first place, and thank you son for paying for me and my friend to go on holiday,’ Barry replied. His mother was such an ungrateful cow at times. Always had been, always bloody would be.

      Marlene felt her lip curl into a snarl. She had just spent the whole night stuck in a cell because her son had run off and allowed her to be arrested, yet she was now meant to grovel and thank him. ‘If it weren’t for me you’d never have been born, boy, so if I were you I’d just shut your trap and fucking drive.’

      Barry smirked. That was exactly the kind of reply he had been expecting.

      Pamela Crouch knew her daughter like the back of her hand. After trying to call Stephanie for the past few hours, as soon as she finally got through to her, she knew by the tone of Steph’s voice that something was dreadfully wrong. ‘Whatever’s the matter, love? Have you heard some news about Wayne?’

      The mention of her missing fiancé immediately sent Stephanie into a blubbing mess. The guilt she felt was immense. Poor Wayne could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere, for all she knew. Too embarrassed to admit to her mother what had happened with Barry, Steph blamed the argument with Tammy for her upset.

      ‘Why don’t you come over ’ere and stay with me tonight, love? Aidan’s gone to Ireland with his dad and grandparents, so you can stop in your old bedroom. Lin’s coming for dinner and I know she’d love to see you. I ain’t at work tomorrow, either, so we can go out for lunch or something before you go home, if you want?’

      Stephanie had read Barry’s note twice, then screwed it up and threw it in the bin. If Barry was going to ring this afternoon, she knew full well that if he didn’t get any answer he would turn up at her door, and she couldn’t