"No," said Siobhain disagreeably, looking at Maureen as if she were stupid. "He can't hurt me because I have friends now, because I have you and Leslie to look after me."

"Well, yes," nodded Maureen, "yes. There's that too."

Siobhain went back to her reading.

"Hoi, Mauri," called Leslie from the hall. "Let's get tae fuck out of here or we'll miss the police changing shifts."

"Yeah." Maureen stood up. "We're away, then."

Siobhain said good-bye without looking up.

Out on the street Leslie handed Maureen a helmet. "Did you get water?" she said.

"Yeah, it's in the tub," said Maureen, tapping the plastic pot of paste in the open luggage box. Next to it were the posters.

"That's shit paper," said Leslie. "It'll melt like toilet paper if it rains."

"Yeah, but it cost next to nothing and it doesn't need to last forever."

"Far be it from me to say this," said Leslie, slipping on her helmet, "but Siobhain's a prick."

Maureen scratched her head miserably. "Leslie," she said, "you're right." She did up the helmet strap under her chin.

"To be honest," said Leslie, "I liked her better when she was scared shitless and couldn't talk."

"She thinks we're her big mates now. She said she knew she'd be safe because she's got us to look after her."

"Oh, fuck," said Leslie, and bit her lip.

Maureen sighed. "I wanted to make a single heroic gesture. I didn't want to be her mum."

Leslie laughed and swung her leg over the seat, knocked the stand away with her heel and kick-started the bike, revving the engine. "Annie taught me an effective technique for dealing with needy people like that."

"Yeah?" said Maureen, pleasantly surprised by Leslie's tolerant attitude. "What's that?" She slipped onto the back of the bike and wrapped her arms around Leslie's waist.

"Tell them to fuck off," said Leslie, and pulled into the stream of traffic in Duke Street.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

With thanks to the Media and Information Service of the Strathclyde Police Department, Glasgow Women's Aid Collective and Ian Mitchell and Jon Redshaw of the Durham Constabulary for their invaluable help in researching this book. Further thanks are due to Rachel Calder, Marina Cianfanelli and Katrina Whone for their encouragement and guidance, without which I would have given up. Most of all to Stephen Evans for his grace, patience and good humor during months of early-morning typing feet away from the bed in which he was trying to sleep.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Denise Mina is the author of the Garnethill trilogy-Garnethill, Exile, and Resolution-as well as the acclaimed novels Deception, Field of Blood, The Dead Hour, and Slip of the Knife. She lives in Glasgow with her family.