Betrayed by Anna Smith Read Free Book Online

I can’t go to the cops.’ She paused. ‘Look. I need to go to work. I’ll call you tomorrow.’
    The line went dead.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Rosie had been waiting nearly half an hour and still no Liz. She ordered another mug of tea and sat tapping at her mobile, resisting the urge to phone or text to see what the hell was keeping her. Last night Liz had called her again, halfway through her shift at the bar, and told her not to use the mobile number she’d given her. The longer she waited, the less faith Rosie was beginning to have in her. She’d been quick to rattle off the information about the UVF drugs and Rangers fans, but she’d managed to leave out the personal details that Don had touched on. She had painted a picture of Wendy’s troubled life, but it wasn’t the full picture, and it crossed Rosie’s mind that she was playing games. But despite her reservations, the call last night about the rape was enough to bring her stampeding – she still would have, even if Liz had claimed she’d once scored a hat-trick for Rangers.
    Rosie looked out of the window, her mind buzzing withthe possibilities of chasing the drugs story. She’d already had a chat with Matt in the Post canteen, and he was bristling with excitement at the prospect. But they both knew how much of a long shot it would be without an inside track on what buses went where. Eddie McGregor was the key, if Liz was to be believed. He was the money man. And he wouldn’t be the kind of guy who’d be careless.
    Just as Rosie was beginning to feel deflated, the door of the cafe opened. Liz briefly scanned the room, then raised her eyebrows when she saw Rosie at a table in the very back. She came trotting up, her high heels clicking on the tiled floor.
    ‘Sorry I’m late, Rosie.’ She sat down heavily, her face flushed.
    ‘No problem,’ Rosie said, relieved to see her.
    ‘I’m totally fucking wound up today.’ Liz rummaged in her handbag and brought out a packet of cigarettes.
    Rosie noticed her hands were trembling a little. She wondered if she needed a drink, and hoped not. She waved the waitress over, and Liz ordered tea.
    ‘I need something to eat,’ she said quickly to Rosie. ‘I’m starving.’ She turned to the waitress. ‘A bacon roll, please.’
    Rosie watched as Liz lit up a cigarette and sat back swallowing the smoke as though her life depended on it.
    ‘You look shattered, Liz. What’s the matter? Late night? Work too hard?’ Perhaps she had a drug habit. She was certainly jumpy enough today.
    Liz shook her head, biting the inside of her jaw, deep in thought. Her bust was squeezed into a skintight black blouse and she pulled at it, attempting to make it long enough to cover her bare midriff poking over the top of jeans that were a size too small. She leaned forward so she was closer to Rosie across the table.
    ‘Listen.’ Her voice was a whisper. ‘I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going with all of this. But I’ve been thinking and I’ve made a decision.’ She took a breath. ‘I need to know that I can completely trust you. I need to know that no matter what, you never tell anyone that I’m talking to you.’
    ‘Of course,’ Rosie frowned. ‘I told you that when we met. Look, I’ve been doing this job a long time. I’ve never betrayed a contact in my life. I never would. It doesn’t matter what you tell me. Whatever I do with your information, if it leads to me being able to run down a big investigation, the one thing that nobody will ever know is that any of the information came from you. Nobody will ever drag that out of me.’ She reached across and touched her wrist. ‘You need to trust me on that. That’s all I can say. It’s up to you.’
    Liz nodded.
    ‘Right. okay, Rosie. I do trust you.’
    The waitress came and put down a mug of tea and a roll. Liz tore off a piece and stuffed it into her mouth, washing it down with a mouthful of tea. Rosie waited as she