The Cunning

25

"Has Benny gone out?" Janine asked, rolling onto her front on the bed and tilting her head at Sam. He nodded, closing her door quietly behind him and puffing out a sigh. "What's the matter? You look more tense than usual." Sam grunted, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You want to talk about it?" she asked, sitting up.

She hated when he was stressed, it meant what little time they had together was suffocated by external problems. This wouldn't usually be a problem, under different circumstances, but Sam was Janine's only source of affection in the house. It was the only thing that kept her going.

"It's Madison," he huffed. Janine's brows furrowed.

"What has she done? Is Jase still not making her work?" Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes,

"Not just that. She tried to get out last night." Janine attempted to conceal the fact it impressed her with a shocked expression. She knew she'd overheard something in the hallway, a loose floorboard, and shortly after a loud smash.

Sam nodded as he continued, "Yep, and you know what Jase did?" She shook her head, holding her breath and dreading to think. Knowing Jase, he probably let Adam go to town on her. He was no shit-taker, getting rid of a body was nothing but a workout for him. "Stopped Benny from cutting her," he finished.

"What?" The word tumbled out before she could stop it. "That's very... unlike Jase." She tread carefully. Not so dissimilar to Madison, she got things easier in the house as well, the difference was, Janine had earned her place and done her time.

None of the other girls had Jase swooping to their rescue. An ugly wave of irritation crashed over her. She'd watched countless girls come and go over the years, not once had Jase made any move to prevent them from being harmed. Sam looked over his shoulder at her.

"That's what everyone else is saying. It's only a matter of time before people start thinking he's gone soft."

"Jase? Soft? You've got a better chance of getting a lap dance from a nun. Let's not forget this is the same guy that killed every girl in this house, other than me, all because drugs went missing. And that was only because you spoke up. Then, when he eventually found out who did take all the product, he blowtorched their lips off. What was it he said?" Sam frowned at the memory. The smell of burning flesh tinged his nostrils as he recalled the gruesome scene.

"If he wasn't going to take the opportunity to talk when he was asked, he wouldn't have the privilege ever again." The sensory overload that accompanied his words left a bad taste in his mouth. It had been one of the more horrific forms of torture Jase had carried out over the years followed by a slow and painful death.

The guy had stolen £20,000 worth of cocaine from them. He'd paid with his life.

Janine took the cigarettes from her nightstand, sliding two out and handing him one.

"There's more to it than this; there has to be. Jase isn't the kind of guy that just lets people off the hook. And he's not on level with Benny, they've always been agreeable with one another," she theorised. Sam didn't have much of a reply. Instead, he shrugged, sucking his cigarette and staring at the floor.

She was right. Jase was the last person to let go of things. He was not forgiving in the slightest, yet with Madison, it seemed she could do nothing bad enough to warrant being taught a lesson. The question had been ping-ponging around in his mind's eye's peripherals, but he had been trying not to confront it. He could pretend it wasn't there but not now Janine had started connecting dots. Why was Jase so determined to get Madison to surrender peacefully?

He'd already told Janine too much. The business felt fragile enough without adding tensions and doubts. Whatever Jase was playing at, Sam insisted to himself that there was a good reason.