by Sofia Grey
Maybe twenty minutes later, Aiden called Jordan back. “It’s live all right, and transmitting from the Holborn district of London.”
****
Karl held Adele tight in his arms. She was falling apart, and without him, she couldn’t even stand.
“What are we going to do?” she cried. “We can’t leave Lara there with him. He’s an animal.”
“We have to call the police.” Karl was firm.
“We can’t. What if he finds out?”
Karl thought a moment. “I’ll call Aiden. I’m sure he’s some kind of spook, and he’s got links to the police. He might be able to help.”
“I need to sit down.” Adele’s knees were shaking. Karl guided her to a chair, and she sank into it. Jason’s voice prowled through her head. She’d accepted he was alive, but it never occurred to her that she’d speak to him again.
Meanwhile, Karl was talking to Aiden on the phone. He tapped her arm, and she looked up. “Do you know where Lara lives?” he asked. “It’s Holborn, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I stayed with them, the other week. Does Aiden think we should go there?” It came out as a horrified whisper.
“No. He says to stay away. He’s contacting the police. He suggests we head over to Jordan’s and wait for news there. We should tell Nick, though.” He put the phone on speaker and dialled a number. It rang out, and then went dead. That was odd.
Adele’s teeth were chattering so hard, she could hardly speak. “He said he was going to shoot her. Do you think he has a gun?”
Karl’s phone rang again. The display said Unknown Caller. Karl answered, with a wary hello.
“Karl, I’m getting bored with waiting.” It was Jason. “And why hasn’t Adele got her phone on? Tell her to switch it on now. I want to talk to her.”
No. No. Hell no.
They looked at each other. Karl spoke. “No. Adele stays out of this. If you want to talk, you can talk to me.”
There was a pause, and then Jason chuckled. It sent shivers down her spine. Adele bent her head and pressed her hands to her ears. Anything to block him out.
“Tell her I’ll give her half an hour,” said Jason, a sneer in his voice. “And after that, I use Lara for target practice.”
****
It took Nick a couple of minutes to walk back to the house. This time, he saw lights on in the master bedroom, although the downstairs was still in darkness. The front door was locked, so he headed for the kitchen door. To his surprise, it was not only unlocked, but ajar.
“Lara?” Nick called softly as he walked in and slipped out of his damp coat. He didn’t want to frighten her. There was no sign of her downstairs. He stood in the kitchen and considered his next move, but then heard a noise upstairs.
“Why are you doing this, Jason?” That was Lara.
Nick froze. What the fuck was Jason doing here?
Lara’s voice was overly loud. “Do you have to point that gun at me? You’ve already tied me up. What do you think I’ll do? You must have seen Nick leaving, and you know he won’t be coming back tonight. So why are you still pointing a gun at me? Why are you doing this, Jason? Eh, Jason? What have I done to you?”
Lara was giving Nick a warning. What the fuck was he supposed to do? Call the police?
What if Jason hurt her? Nick couldn’t waste any time.
He needed a weapon. On the kitchen counter, ready for grabbing, was the wooden rolling pin. It was big and heavy. Nick could hit with it or throw it. He tiptoed up the stairs, while Lara hurled abuse at Jason. She was so brave. He wouldn’t let her down.
Nick avoided the creaky floorboard on the landing, and was almost into the bedroom, when his phone trilled. Fuck. He tried to grab it, to shut it off, but it was too late.
Jason Farnley stood in the doorway, a gun pointed at Nick’s chest, and all Nick had was a rolling pin. He felt stupid.
For one moment, he thought his heart actually stopped. Then he realised it was banging against his ribs so hard that it hurt. “Where’s Lara?” He managed to keep his voice semi-normal.
“She’s in here. Join us.” Jason made it sound like an invitation. “And drop the rolling pin, Nick. I could shoot you before you raised your arm.”
Nick had no experience with guns, other than the rifle arcade at the funfair. Was this real or a replica? He’d no way of knowing. He dumped the rolling pin, angry with himself and feeling helpless.
Jason gestured for Nick to walk past him, and there was Lara, sitting on the bedroom floor by the window. She gazed at Nick in horror, her face pale.
Nick stumbled to her and pulled her into his arms. Everything else was forgotten for the moment.
“Nick.” She whimpered his name, and he held her tight.
“Are you okay? Has he hurt you?”
“I’m fine, but I’m scared.”
“Be quiet, the pair of you. And lie face down, please. Now, Nick.”
He complied, and Jason fastened something thin and tight around his wrists, binding them behind him.
By the time Nick was upright again, Jason lolled in the chair beside the bedroom door, the gun resting across one knee.
“What do you want?” Nick tried to keep his voice calm.
“A good question, but there’s someone missing. We’re waiting for Adele to join us.”
“Why do you want Adele here as well? And now I’m here, can’t you let Lara go?”
Lara gasped and huddled closer to Nick. Her hands were fastened behind her back too. The bastard. Nick gazed at him. Jason looked bored and different. Adele was right about him shaving off the facial hair.
Jason dialled a number on his phone, had a short conversation with Karl, and then held up the phone. Did he want them to speak?
In terrifying slow motion, Jason lifted the weapon with his other hand and fired.
****
Adele heard Lara’s voice down the phone line, and then Nick shouting. A loud bang made her jump. Her heart raced, and she had to fight for breath. She grabbed Karl’s hand. “He’s got a fucking gun. We have to do something.”
Jason spoke again, his voice cool. “If you want to know what happened, tell Adele to ring me. I’ll give her thirty seconds, and then I’m firing again.” The phone cut off.
Adele couldn’t put up with this. She scrabbled in her handbag and dug out her phone. Karl tried to stop her, but she ignored him. She dialled Jason’s number.
He answered immediately. “Hello, darling.”
“It’s Adele. What the fuck do you want from me?”
“I have Lara and Nick here,” said Jason. “They’re waiting for you to arrive. However, I’m guessing you’re not going to bother coming over. That’s such a shame.”
Adele gritted her teeth and forced herself to speak, as she followed Karl to the car park, to take the first pool car they could find. “Why are you so desperate to talk to me? What can I possibly tell you?”
“I know you’ve been looking for me, you little bitch.” His voice turned evil. “You’ve been showing my photo around, haven’t you? So you knew I was alive. You wouldn’t bother showing pictures of a dead man, would you?”
“What of it?” They ran along the car park, keys in hand, searching for a Saab.
“I had a nice little scam going, and a pay-out due to me, but you’ve fucked it up. People are asking questions, thanks to you. And then there’s the lovely Lara,” Jason sneered. “She’s been having fun with Jordan, hunting through all my invoices. That story about her sister being in the Met? She doesn’t have a fucking sister.”
Karl found the car. He threw the doors open, and they scrambled in. He fired up the engine, and they shot out, fishtailing when they hit the damp streets. It was foggy still, but he drove fast.
“So, my darling Adele, it’s payback time.”
Karl squeezed her knee. “Keep him talking,” he whispered. “While he’s talking, he’s not doing anything else.”
This was like a scene in a bad movie.
“Don�
�t even think about hanging up on me, Adele. Every time you don’t answer me, I’m going to hurt Nick, or Lara. Or maybe both. You know how long it’ll take them to bleed out? Not that long, but it’ll hurt like fuck. I’ll make sure of that.”
The sound of his voice made her want to vomit. She had to force herself to listen.
“You were the best fuck I’ve ever had. Seeing you crying in pain was the highlight of my year. Did you like the marks I gave you? When I saw you after, I remembered where I bit you.” He chuckled. “You struggled beautifully. You begged me, too. You don’t remember.”
She couldn’t do this. Nausea burned in her throat and she wanted to plug her ears. Would he know if she wasn’t listening? The sick bastard was enjoying this.
“You still there, darling?”
She grunted. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of speaking.
“That’s good. What colour bra are you wearing?”
“What?”
“You heard me. What colour is it? I like the La Perla lacy sets you have. There’s a pretty one in pale blue. Is it that one? I stole the matching panties while you were sleeping, by the way. Did you notice they were gone?”
The sick pervert had been touching her underwear. Christ. She’d never wear any of it again. She needed an incinerator. Burn the lot of it.
Karl drove like a maniac. All Adele could do was make little noises every so often, to show she was still on the phone.
Jason kept asking questions that he demanded she answer. What size shoes? How old was she when she lost her virginity? He said he wanted proof that she was still on the phone to him, that she hadn’t passed it across to Karl.
In the background was a noise like paper scrunching.
Adele existed in a strange half-world, where Karl was speeding through traffic and talking to her to reassure her, while Jason’s voice poured a torrent of filth and poison into her head.
****
Lara was unbelievably relieved to see Nick. He pressed his shoulder against hers, and she sagged. She was beyond terrified, but at least she wasn’t on her own now.
When Jason lifted his gun and pointed it at them, she imagined their last moment had come. She felt strangely calm.
“Ready?” Jason asked.
She refused to answer him. To show him how frightened she was.
With a smirk on his face, he pointed it at the bed, and fired.
Lara screamed. Her ears rang from the noise, and her head ached. Over the buzzing in her head, she realised Jason was talking on the phone again and heading out of the bedroom.
“Fuck.” Nick’s eyes were wide. “Lara?”
“Okay,” she tried to say. “You?” Her voice sounded distorted. “Didn’t you hear me? I was trying to warn you that he was armed.”
“Yes. I heard you. That was brilliant.”
Lara stared at Nick. “So? Why didn’t you pay attention? Pick up something useful?”
He hung his head for a moment. “I picked up the rolling pin.”
“The rolling pin?” she squeaked back. “What were you planning to do? Make some sodding pastry?”
“It was the first thing I saw.” His cheeks were bright red.
“Just as well you didn’t see the teabags. You could have offered him a drink.” Lara had to laugh, but it came out sounding hysterical.
“Yeah, well... I feel like a complete dickhead.”
She leaned towards him. “I’m very glad you came back. I didn’t think you were going to.”
Nick froze, and then lifted his head, “Did you hear that? What the fuck is it?”
It sounded like paper tearing and scrunching. What the hell was Jason doing now?
****
Sylvie was heading for Lara’s kitchen door, when Alex tugged her to a stop. “Wait,” he said. “Jordan just called me. “They’ve tracked Jason’s phone to somewhere in Holborn. He could be here. We should leave.”
She stared at him. “I’m not going anywhere until I’ve seen Lara.” Silly man, if he thought otherwise. “Put your phone on silent, in case he’s here.” She turned off the sound on her own phone. “We’ll walk around the outside, and check it out.”
That was the plan, until she heard a gunshot, and a scream that sounded like Lara.
They had no time to lose. Sylvie darted to the kitchen door, Alex following her. The door was open, but she hesitated. The kitchen floor was littered with scrunched up balls of paper and ripped cardboard. It looked like the bottom of a giant hamster’s cage.
“What the fuck?” Alex muttered behind her.
She tried to tiptoe into the hallway without treading on the paper. It was strewn across the whole downstairs, by the look of it, and partway up the stairs too.
“Holy shit.” Alex’s whisper sounded agonised.
Sylvie turned and saw a large metal can halfway up the stairs. It smelled of petrol. She felt sick.
Her dream had been of fire—of Alex trapped somewhere with her. Of people burning. The details swam through her head, and the world blacked out for a second. This was it. They were going to die.
“Sylvie, we need to get the police.” Alex’s words shook her awake, and she had a burst of inspiration. She grabbed the petrol can. It was heavy. The top wasn’t fastened properly and some slopped out onto the carpet. Fuck. It splashed on her jeans. She hauled it down the stairs, belatedly realising it was slopping out onto the paper.
Alex stared, appalled.
“Help me,” she cried, forgetting they were keeping quiet.
Next moment, a man appeared at the top of the stairs. He held a gun in his hand. This must be Jason.
He looked furious when he saw Sylvie dragging the can downstairs and Alex tugging it with her. The faster they tried to move, the more petrol splashed out. They were covered in it.
“And who the fuck are you?” Jason yelled and charged at her.
****
Jason disconnected the call, and Adele had to get out of the car at Nick’s house. God. Jason knew she was there. If her heart raced any faster it would burst out of her chest, and as for breathing? Her lungs gave up on that idea somewhere on the journey from the office. She wheezed with the effort of getting air. Her systems were closing down, one by one.
“Stay here,” said Karl, already unfastening his seatbelt. “Do you know if there’s a back way into the house? Rather than going through the front door.”
“Yes. There’s a kitchen door around the side.” She could have been superglued to the seat, for all that she could move. She couldn’t let Karl face a psycho by himself, though. “It’s me he wants,” she said, her words coming out stilted. She wanted to throw up. Anything but face Jason again. “I have to go in.”
“He has to go through me to get to you.” Karl lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. A cold determination burned in his eyes.
“Let’s do this.” Fuck. Did she really say that?
Karl gripped her hand as they made their way around the house. The side door hung open, and a voice sounded inside. A woman. “Help me,” she cried.
It didn’t sound like Lara. Someone else was here?
Adele led Karl into the kitchen. Her steps faltered. What the fuck happened in here? Why was there paper all over the floor?
She smelled petrol. Every instinct told her to flee. Run the fuck away from here, as fast as she could, but her feet didn’t get the message. They continued forwards through the doorway and into the hall.
Karl stopped first. “Shit.” He tugged her hand—a warning?—and then stepped in front of her.
She saw it anyway. Jason on the stairs, a gun in his hand, charging at a young woman, her back to Adele.
****
It was no good. Sylvie’s hands were sweating, and she couldn’t hold the can upright. Like a slow-motion action-replay, everything seemed to happen at half-speed. The can tumbled sideways. The top came off completely, and it doused Alex from head to foot.
Sylvie had dreamed of fire. Alex was cover
ed in petrol. This was not good. Add in a lunatic halfway down the stairs, brandishing a gun. Sylvie tried to remember if a gunshot would be enough to start a fire, like it did in the movies.
She didn’t have time to be scared. Adrenaline lent her speed, and she fell back on the moves Rico taught her all those months ago. He’d shown her how to spar with someone bigger than herself and how to fight dirty. She knew enough to disable Jason.
As he charged towards her, gun in front of him, she feinted to her right, pretending to fall down the stairs. Jason came closer.
Everything depended on split second timing.
She grabbed the banister with her right hand, shifted her weight onto her right knee and swung out with her left foot. It hit him square on the shin, enough to slow him and put him off balance. His momentum still pushed him forwards, and her left elbow slammed into his chin from underneath. Elbows had a lot of power when snapped out, and he wasn’t expecting it. As his head flew up and back, Sylvie hammered her left forearm onto his wrist, and he dropped the gun. It tumbled down the stairs, and Alex lunged at it.
It wasn’t over. Jason tried to fight back with his fists, but Rico taught her to use her small stature and speed to her advantage. She powered into Jason, head down, and crashed into his stomach. He bent over, gasping for breath, and she cupped her hand under his chin and tipped him back. She followed with a satisfying kick to take his legs out from beneath him.
In the space of seconds, he lay partway down the stairs, wheezing for breath, with Sylvie climbing onto his back.
Triumph surged, and she grinned at Alex. “Get something to tie his hands. I don’t want to risk him pulling out a lighter.”
As Alex turned around, Sylvie heard the welcome sound of sirens approaching, and then saw the guy from the underground station at the bottom of the stairs. That must be Karl. What the hell was he doing here?
****
Alex had once been on the receiving end of Sylvie’s awesome street fighting skills. She was fast and brutal. It was like watching a martial arts movie. With half a dozen flying moves, she brought Jason thudding face down into the treads. Jason bellowed like an angry bull, and ended up with Sylvie sitting across his shoulders, one of his arms bent weirdly behind his back. The tiniest movement from him, and she increased the pressure until he howled for her to stop.
