Chapter 20: Victoria

It took Jack several attempts to raise Daisy from his mobile. When he did get through the conversation was stilted. He was conscious that his phone might be being monitored and he was sure that the authorities would be on high alert after the Excel centre debacle.

“Hi,” he said. “I wondered if you could do me a favour. I was hoping we could get together but I’m not sure about being out on the streets alone.”

Jack’s uncharacteristic coyness gave Daisy a clue that something was wrong. “Oh, poor baby,” she responded, teasingly, “of course I’ll come and get you.”

“I’m with a friend. We’re by the Costco in Chingford.”

“I’ll be there baby, be good.”

It took her an hour. Jack and Norm found a place to hole up behind an advertising hoarding. They saw her climb out of a cab, hunched up in her puffer jacket against the cool morning and looking around to see if she could spot them. Jack and Norm stepped out from behind the hoarding and Jack called across to her.

“You two are looking pretty dishevelled,” she said. “I guess you could use a coffee. There’s a place over there. I brought some camouflage.” She opened the bag she had slung over her shoulder and took out two collars and a pair of leashes. “Put these on and come along like good boys.”

“You seem to be enjoying this more than seems proper for someone concerned with men’s rights,” Jack smiled as he fastened his collar on, relieved to be finding a way out of their predicament.

“Let’s just say it’s nice to be asked to help out, which is more than Gerry did when it came to the Excel thing.”

“You heard about that?”

“It’s all over the news. If he wanted publicity, he got it. Probably not the coverage he’d have liked though.” Daisy led the way across the car park towards a coffee stand. “Lots of headlines like ‘Three Arrested in Failed Escape Bid at Detention Centre’. Plenty of comments along the lines of ‘useless men can’t even break IN to a prison’.”

They got their coffees. Norm and Jack were both was grateful to get the hot drinks and for the feeling that with Daisy around they were far less likely to attract the attention of the MCF.

“Come on,” Daisy said as they finished their drinks. “Let’s get back to Victoria.” She got out her phone and called a cab.

“Blimey,” the cab driver said as she drew up at the coffee stand. “You haven’t got two of them to worry about have you? One would be more effort than I could manage.”

“Oh, you know how it is.” She turned to Jack and Norm. “In you get boys, let’s go home.”

The two men sat quietly for the ride back across town. Norm couldn’t help noticing that Daisy was groping Jack’s thigh suggestively.

The taxi driver kept up a running commentary on the news from Docklands for most of the drive. “Can you believe it? ... They tried to bust some of those deviants out of the Excel ... Must have been blokes that organised it – sounds like a right cock up ... One of them dissident groups ... There was a vote and they lost, I don’t understand why they can’t just accept it ... Word is the MCF were waiting for them...”