Hi, so here is another chapter and we are only three more chapters away from finishing. I hope you like this chapter and I will do my best to bring you the next one sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine.

And some TRIGGER WARNINGS for the kidnapping plot in this chapter.

Please Read and Review.

Glory Days

Chapter 14-We Don't Hurt People

As Isla plots her escape, Alexandra Yizzel arrives at Kelsall Street prepared to confess and walks into what might be the end times. Some Trigger Warnings for This Chapter.

Stan was asleep. Her mother was out. The baby was mercifully asleep too.

Actually come to think of it, it was almost easy. The stench of booze had helped. Stan was drunk. Her mother had fled. Isla could understand why when she thought of the bruises but the fact that her mother had left Oscar and her here to deal with the aftermath was perhaps even worse.

She did toy for a second about taking Oscar with her. He was her half-brother. He was a baby and she was sure that he was in danger from…something.

But if she was being honest she didn't think she could carry him from London to Liverpool.

"Oscar" she said bending down to the baby in the crib. "I have to go but…but I hope you know I don't blame you. I think you'd be a really nice little brother. I just…I want you to know that I don't hate you. And if you want to come find me one day…that's fine too"

The baby gurgled in his sleep but said nothing. Isla hoped despite it all that actually he did understand what she was trying to say to him.

Instead she wiped her eyes and crept towards the door.

On the way she flipped through Stan's wallet. There was enough cash to get on a train and go…anywhere Isla supposed. Once the money was gone though she was dependant on her own natural talent and wherever that would take her.

She did not know what was going to happen next but she knew that by taking the cash she was making sure that she could never come back here.

Isla paused.

She didn't want to.

She didn't want her mum. She wanted her Dad.

Come to think of it—Isla was not sure that there had ever really been a moment when she had wanted her mum.

She got out.

It was not that hard to get out of the room but the hard part was getting out of the hotel. She had to get out of the lift and then down into the lobby. They had staff on at night and a security guard and she had to wait hidden behind a table ducking down and wishing she was less hungry and less dirty.

She realised with a stab of annoyance and a sliver of hatred that she was dirty and hungry. She had never been allowed to wash or even to eat.

Isla thought in that moment watching behind a table that she would never be able to forgive Roxy for that. She carefully did not think of her Dad. She did not want to think of him because if she did she was sure that she would start crying and give the game away.

Eventually though the coast was clear and Isla ducked out from behind the table and walked out of the hotel. It was still light but soon it would be dark but it was still light enough for Roxy to see her if Roxy was about. So she kept to the shadows ducking down the main street and then another and then another until she was sure she was lost and very, very sure she was far away from the hotel.

It was both a relief and an utterly paralysing moment because she was six and Isla knew what happened to six year old girls in London at night especially when they were not from London.

She leaned against a brick wall breathing in through her nose the way she had seen her Nan do whenever Grandad Freddie had driven her so mad she had been unable to speak. It seemed to calm her down and Isla was pleased to see that it worked with her. Her breathing evened out and she slid downwards sitting on the cold floor. Her uniform was shot to hell anyway if she was going to get dirty she may as well do it thoughally.

She crossed her knees and pulled them up staring at the wall.

The best thing to do was to head to the station. Once she was back in Liverpool she could get a taxi to—

To where—to Kelsall Street? She wasn't sure what she'd be facing if she walked back there but where else was there. She didn't know where Freddie lived, and Lexie was the obvious choice but she didn't know where she lived either and she was not going to walk down the street asking for Yizzel's place because…well…Isla was six not stupid. In Liverpool asking for Yizzel was likely to get yourself thrown off the bridge (especially if you asked someone who didn't like him which was you know…not out of the realm of possibility).

There was…well…she supposed there was Martina.

The second she thought of that she could feel her muscles relaxing. Martina would understand. She would listen and she would understand that this was not of Isla's choice. It would be easy to explain to her what had happened and Martina would listen and then tell her what to do. Martina told people what do for a living and…and Isla trusted her. she trusted her to listen to her and hear her out and understand that she had wanted to trust Roxy but it didn't change the fact that she was heart and soul Joey Boswell's little girl. Amid all the noise at Kelsall Street, Martina would be able to assess in that wonderful way she had weather or not she would be able to go home or if her family were done with her as her mother had said they would be.

And if they were…

Well…Lexie…well…Lexie could put her up for a couple of nights and there was Grandad Freddie and Lilo Lil…she supposed also…well…didn't Julie say that the streets of London were paved with hope?

Personally Isla thought they were paved with dirt but even the pigeons in St James Park seemed to shit in neat little boxes and nowhere near the Queen's palace. And…didn't Princess Diana have a thing about rescuing poor orphaned children? And surely the DHSS must have something on the books for displaced idiots who trusted their mothers even when they knew deep down they should not have?

Isla. Pull yourself together.

Damn Martina. She was even in Isla's head sounding like she was about to deal with her next customer.

Ok. Breathe.

Isla opened her eyes and stood up. Her legs felt shaky and she was cold. But she had plan and she was not so afraid anymore. She could ask for directions to the train station. She had enough money to get back to Liverpool. This was the easy bit.

The hard part was what she was going to do when she got home.

And with that thought in her mind she ducked her had patted the cash she had hidden in her school bag and ducked into the crowd.

She was lost from sight within seconds.

Getting to Kelsall Street was a lot harder than Alexandra had anticipated because of two things. One her father had taken to shadowing her like a creep out of an episode of Crimestoppers and two—Kelsall Street was riddled with filth and press.

Her father had always told her coppers were the filth but seeing the vultures in their cars she thought perhaps nothing was worse than tabloid scum desperately feeding off human sorrow and sadness—she made a mental note to use that in English lesson when Isla was back—bet that would see her get some points for dramatic descriptions.

However she had made it.

It was not hard to see where Isla's house was. There was a gossip of neighbours around but Alexandra saw that they looked unusually grave. A couple of woman were crying, actually crying and not just dabbing their eyes with cloth. There was a tightness around the neighbours and Alexandra suddenly felt very, very scared.

"Excuse me" she said marching up to one woman. "Can I ask what's going on?"

"You might well ask love. Who are you?"

"Alexandra…I…I know Isla from school"

The woman's face softened.

"Ah sweetheart. It's not good news"

Alexandra suddenly felt sick.

"What?"

"Go home girl. You don't need to hear this"

She opened her mouth but the door next door opened and a man came out. An old man with a stick. This had to be Isla's grandfather.

"Piss off the lot of you. They don't need you here when they come back and you—" he pointed the stick at Alexandra.

"I suppose Mum and Dad wanted the latest updates?"

"I know Isla from school. My Mum and Dad don't know I'm here"

It came out in a rush but the man lowered his stick and stared at her.

"Well…you better ring em. Get in"

He jerked his head and Alexandra didn't need to be told twice. She went into the house and he slammed the door shut in the avid neighbours face.

"Bloody bastards. Peering through lace curtains. In…in…"

She went into the sitting room and sat down. It was a rather clean sitting room and she sat on a chair.

Grandad sat down next to her.

"Well…who are you then?"

"Alexandra…Yizzel"

"Oh. Your old man's a…well…I don't know what he does but I do know it involves our Joey."

"Yeah"

"So why you hear?"

"I might…look…where is everyone?"

The look on Grandad's face suddenly became very sad. It was as if he had gotten older and Alexandra looking at him was suddenly filled with fear.

"The police want to speak to our Joey. There might be a body you see. They don't know if it's our—" he stopped suddenly and became very interested in the wallpaper and Alexandra groaned leaning forwards and pulling her hair into her hands.

"None of that" he said and his voice was suddenly stern.

"None of that love. Jack's next door keeping them all afloat. That DHSS lady went with Joey…I came back here. I don't have time to deal with another hysterical female"

Alexandra took a breath.

"I'm not hysterical"

"Good. Make yourself useful and go put the kettle on and then call your parents tell em where you are. Todays not a day for parents to not know where their children are. Today's not a time for parents to not know where their children are."

Such was his tone and such was his words that she did as she was told.

Well…she put the kettle on anyway.

"I need to speak to Joey Boswell when I get back" she said finally. "I need to it's urgent"

"Oh. Know where she is do you?"

"I…"

He had meant to say it sarcastically she knew because his gaze sharpened on her.

"Oh so you do"

"I don't but…I've got an idea. And…and I should have come sooner but…she made me promise"

"Promise? The government makes us promises! Russia makes us promises! The Royals make us promises! All of it tends to go tits up within the first five minutes. If you know something you break your promise! Ring that father of yours now and get him here"

Alexandra did.

It rang once.

"Hello"

"Dad"

"Alexandra Marie you had better have a good reason for the phone call I got that says you are not in school"

"I am at the Boswell's house. Well…Grandad's"

"Why?"

"Because…because…" and suddenly she was crying. Ugly tears that felt as if they were being forced out of her.

"Because I fucked it all up Dad and I really need your help"

It was a mark of how concerned her father was that he didn't pick her up on her language.

Joey got out of the car feeling dead.

Martina next to him was looking as if she was one step away from collapsing. If that was what Martina looked like then he didn't know what he must resemble.

Jack opened the door and took one look at them both and nearly fell over. He caught himself on Adrian who went white around the mouth. Grandad's door opened and the man came out and Joey felt older than he was. Even older than he looked.

"It wasn't her" Martina said. It was a good thing because Joey didn't think he could form words. He didn't think he could ever form words again because there was a girl dead and it wasn't his girl and he was so…so fucking relieved and that was…beyond words.

It wasn't his girl.

It wasn't Isla.

"Jesus, Mary—DHSS woman get him in my chair before he keels over"

Martina shoved his shoulder and Joey fell into the wooden chair. Jack forced something into his hand and he could smell the stench of whiskey.

"Drink it Joey. Adrian's gone to tell Mam but you need to drink it because she'll take one look at you and start"

He nodded taking the bottle with numb fingers. The burn scaled the back of his throat and into his stomach but he had not ate in days so it fell empty with nothing to soak it up.

"Right" Jack said soothingly as if he was a little boy. "Good man Joey. Martina take it and—hang on a minute woman that's single malt!"

"Piss off Jack"

There was a screeching of tires and a black car came speeding down the drive.

"Shit" said a young voice to his left. "That's Dad"

He turned to see a girl standing there. She wasn't much older than Isla. Actually they were the same age. Her dark hair was loose and she looked terrified. She was eyeing Joey as if he was an animal in the zoo.

"It's not her then Mr Boswell…she's…fine?"

Fine. Fine?

Before he could do something like explode his Grandad's hand was on his arm and he said in an unusually gentle voice.

"She's young Joey"

She was young. She was six.

Isla was six.

She might never see seven.

Oh God. Just let him die. He couldn't do this every day he was dying already just take him and give Isla back and…he didn't care just give Isla back and take him…Please.

"Boswell"

He knew that voice. And he raised his head from his hands to see Yizzel looking at him with an expression that was unnervingly gentle. Yizzel's hands were on his daughters shoulders and…oh….

He had never thought of Yizzel as a father. But of course he was.

Just like Joey. Both of them doing their best for their kids.

"Listen mate…I have the boys doing the rounds you know—"

"Won't make a difference"

That was the kid and everyone turned to stare at her.

"Alexandra—"

"Dad—I think I know what happened. I think—I fucked it up. Because Isla asked me not to say anything until she was sure but I don't think she'd have gone without letting me know. Isla and I—it's not like friendship it is friendship and—"

"Whoa kid slow down"

Alexandra looked between the two of them.

"I think I know where she is"

Jack snarled. Martina shot him a look but it was his Grandad who spoke.

"Go on then girl. Enlighten us."

Alexandra looked down at her shoes and then looked straight up at Joey.

"Mr Boswell, Isla's with her mum. She's been back for about a month now and she's been convincing Isla to keep quiet. I don't know what happened but I do know the last time I saw Isla she was getting into her mother's car"

There was a stunned silence. From Joey to Martina to Jack to his grandfather to Yizzel.

And then.

A new emotion.

Fury. Cold blooded fury and desire not to fight but to kill.

Roxy.

"What?!"

Roxy.

And there you are! I hope you like it and stay tuned for the next chapter.

Next Chapter-Joey, Martina and the family learn the truth. Yizzel and Joey spark a deal. Martina gets the shock of her life.