T HE M ANCHESTER T RILOGY Born Bad Blood Ties Vendetta T HE R IVERHILL T RILOGY Slur A Gangster’s Grip Danger by Association T HE W ORKING G IRLS S ERIES The Mark Ruby Crystal RUBY Heather Burnside AN IMPRINT OF HEAD OF ZEUS www.ariafiction.com First published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus Ltd Copyright © Heather Burnside, 2019 The moral right of Heather Burnside to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. 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ISBN 9781789542080 Cover Design © Heike Schüssler Aria c/o Head of Zeus First Floor East 5–8 Hardwick Street London EC1R 4RG www.ariafiction.com Contents Welcome Page Copyright Dedication Prologue: July 2011 Chapter 1: August 1991 Chapter 2: August 1991 Chapter 3: August 1991 Chapter 4: September 1991 Chapter 5: February 2005 Chapter 6: February 2005 Chapter 7: October 1991 Chapter 8: December 1991 Chapter 9: December 1991 Chapter 10: October 2006 Chapter 11: November 2006 Chapter 12: December 1991 Chapter 13: February 1992 Chapter 14: February 1992 Chapter 15: April 1992 Chapter 16: November 2006 Chapter 17: May 2007 Chapter 18: May 2007 Chapter 19: September 1993 Chapter 20: August 1994 Chapter 21: August 1996 Chapter 22: June 2007 Chapter 23: June 2007 Chapter 24: December 1996 Chapter 25: September 1997 Chapter 26: April 1998 Chapter 27: April 1998 Chapter 28: April–May 1998 Chapter 29: July 2007 Chapter 30: September 2007 Chapter 31: September 2007 Chapter 32: May 1998 Chapter 33: May 1998 Chapter 34: June 1998 Chapter 35: June 1998 Chapter 36: July 1998 Chapter 37: November 2007 Chapter 38: March 2008 Chapter 39: August 2008 Chapter 40: August 1998 Chapter 41: August 1998 Chapter 42: October 1998 Chapter 43: December 1998 Chapter 44: January 2009 Chapter 45: April 2011 Chapter 46: April 2011 Chapter 47: April 2011 Chapter 48: June 2011 Chapter 49: June 2011 Chapter 50: June 2011 Chapter 51: July 2011 Chapter 52: July 2011 Chapter 53: July 2011 Chapter 54: July 2011 Chapter 55: July 2011 Chapter 56: July 2011 Chapter 57: July 2011 Chapter 58: August 2011 Chapter 59: August 2011 Chapter 60: August 2011 Chapter 61: August 2011 Acknowledgements About Heather Burnside Become an Aria Addict For Dave Prologue July 2011 Kyle was soon standing at the reception desk ready for his pre-arranged meeting with Ruby. As she looked at him, she felt a tug of repulsion. There was no way she could go through with this, and the meeting with her cousins had given her the courage to put him off even though she was still fearful of his reaction. ‘I’m not doing it,’ said Ruby. ‘You what?’ he asked, glaring at her. ‘I can’t. I thought I could, but I can’t.’ ‘What the fuck’s wrong with you? You’re not some innocent fuckin’ virgin, y’know. I know for a fact you’ve had plenty of customers in the past; I’ve been asking around. And now, just cos you’re the fuckin’ madam, you think you’re too good for the customers.’ Ruby could feel her heart racing and her hands were sweating as she saw the look of fury on his face, but she tried to keep her voice even. ‘It’s up to me whether I take customers or not, so if I say I don’t want to do it then I won’t do it.’ Kyle swiped angrily at her, catching the attention of two of her girls and a customer who were in the waiting area, but she dodged away quickly. He then leaned over the reception counter, his head poking forward. ‘If it wasn’t for the fact that that lot might call the cops, I’d drag you into one of those fuckin’ rooms now!’ he threatened. ‘I’m having no fuckin’ tart thinking she’s too good for me. You’re lucky to get a decent looking bloke after some of the fuckin’ weirdos you’re used to shaggin’ so you’d better have a rethink and fuckin’ quick if you know what’s good for you. I’ll be in touch.’ Then he was gone and Ruby felt her shoulders slump in relief. She saw one of the girls in the waiting area look across at her but she quickly raised her hand palm outwards to stop her coming over. ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘Just a troublesome customer, nothing to worry about.’ Ruby looked down at her computer screen, refusing to maintain eye contact with the girl. She’d tried her best to play it down, but was worried that if her staff saw the fearful expression on her face they would realise the threat that Kyle really posed. 1 August 1991 Nine-year-old Trina was helping her mother, Daisy, with the housework. As they worked, they both sang along to Tracy Chapman while two of Trina’s younger brothers were playing noisily, drowning out the sound of the stereo. ‘Shut up your noise!’ shouted Daisy, her Jamaican accent still pronounced after more than twenty years in the UK. ‘I can’t hear meself think.’ The two boys stopped their play-fighting, looked at each other and giggled. ‘Get up the stairs,’ said Daisy, clicking her tongue in annoyance. ‘No, we want to play out,’ said Ellis, the older of the two boys. ‘Go on, and take Tyler with you,’ said Daisy. Trina looked across at her youngest brother, Tyler, quietly playing with his battered toy cars in a corner of the room. He was so different from the other two, Ellis and Jarell, who could be such a handful. ‘Go on, hurry up,’ said Daisy. ‘Let me get me work done.’ Trina put down the duster she was using and walked over to Tyler, ready to take him by the hand. ‘No! Not you, Trina,’ said her mother. ‘I need your help.’ ‘But who’s gonna look after him?’ asked Trina. ‘Them two can,’ said Daisy. Catching the expression on her mother’s face, Trina knew she wasn’t in the mood for arguments. She picked her duster back up and carried on with what she was doing, despite her qualms about the ability of Ellis and Jarell
