Journeyman

by Heather Atkinson

  All three men stood rigid before him, heads held high and chins tilted, prepared to take whatever punishment he doled out to them.

  With another roar Silas lowered his arm, massive chest puffing like a nightmare bellows. “As much as I’d love to smash the shit out of the lot of you,” he snarled. “One Eye is going to make his move tonight. So you’d better get your fucking acts together if you want to survive.”

  His hand shot out and grasped Henrik by the throat, pushing him back towards the edge of the cliff. Still Henrik didn’t react, remaining rigid, trying not to think about the crashing of the waves and the jagged rocks below.

  “I will fucking kill you if One Eye is still alive in the morning.” He looked to his other two men. “That applies to all of you. I want him dead. The she-wolf and the flame haired faens too. Do you fucking hear me? Dead.”

  This final word cracked like a gunshot across the water. They all nodded, Henrik breathing a sigh of relief when he was released. Although his neck ached from Silas’s grip he didn’t dare rub it in case it set him off again. He’d learnt long ago that the slightest thing could spark Silas Hagen off into a murderous rage.

  One Eye, Luke and Saskia congregated at the back door of the B&B dressed in black. They’d left all the lights on to maintain the illusion that they were in.

  “Do you both have your weapons?” said One Eye.

  “Yes,” replied Saskia, a quiver of arrows strapped to her back, her bow in one hand. “I have my pistols and knives and of course this,” she added, indicating the bow. “Here,” she said, handing One Eye a pistol.

  “Thank you,” he replied, pocketing it.

  “I have my gun and knives too,” said Luke, patting his jacket.

  “It’s such a pity we can’t use the explosives,” said One Eye. “But they would undoubtedly draw the attention of the locals. Now, we’re outnumbered two to one but we’ve faced much worse odds in the past. As long as we spring the trap at the right time all should be well. Remember, Silas must be in it at the time. Do not spring it too early or we’re all dead. Understood?”

  Two solemn pale faces nodded.

  “Good. Then let’s go,” said One Eye, opening the back door and slipping out into the night.

  CHAPTER 25

  “It’s good to be back on the road,” said Damon, sat in the front again. He and Aidan had swapped seats.

  “We’re nearly there,” said Raven. “Another fifteen minutes and we’ll be in Caillte.”

  “Thank God for that. There was a time when I thought we’d never get there.”

  “Just as long as the car holds up.”

  “It will,” said Aidan. “No worries there. Just keep going at a steady forty though.”

  “I’m waiting for it to burst into flames,” muttered Damon.

  “It can’t burst into flames,” said Aidan. “So you can stop banging on about that.”

  “Stop arguing and keep an eye out,” said Raven. “We could be attacked by Silas’s men again any minute.”

  “And I’ve got the weapons,” said Aidan, taking a Glock out of the weapons bag, which sat beside him on the seat. He cocked the weapon and smiled. “Fuck, I love Glocks.”

  “You love cocks?” said Damon, being wilfully deaf.

  “Glocks,” snarled Aidan.

  “Save the anger for Silas,” said Raven.

  “This time the fucker dies,” said Aidan darkly, stroking the barrel of the gun.

  Raven glanced at her husband through the rear-view mirror. The Gallagher mayhem was rising inside him again. Good. They were going to need it.

  “Ow,” said Luke.

  “Silence worm,” hissed Saskia.

  “Oh it’s worm again, is it?” whispered Luke. “And I thought we’d moved past that.”

  “Quiet, both of you,” whispered One Eye.

  Luke jabbed a finger at the tree root that had tripped him, his indignant look telling them he hadn’t made that noise on purpose.

  Saskia continued to lead the way, both men wondering how she could see in the dark so well. One Eye had decided to let her lead as she had an instinct for forest land, knowing which direction she should go without being shown the way and without a compass. One Eye was in the middle. Although his ankle had almost healed it wasn’t at full strength. Luke brought up the rear, continually looking back over his shoulder, every horror film he’d ever seen playing through his mind. It was always the berk at the back who was picked off first. There was no sign of Silas or his men, the forest was deathly still but it was the atmosphere that told them something was lurking. Even the night creatures were silent. Luke would have found it rather comforting to see a badger scuttle by or one of Frederick’s beloved bats fly overhead.

  Saskia halted, holding up her hand and screwing it into a fist, indicating she wanted them to stop. Luke wondered if she thought she was in an SAS platoon rather than leading a middle-aged man with a limp and someone who really didn’t want to be there. She looked back over her shoulder at them and nodded. The three of them removed their backpacks and began the job of setting their trap.

  Raven’s phone burst into life, the ringing echoing through the vehicle as it was connected to the car’s bluetooth.

  “Hello?” said Raven.

  “Raven,” breathed a female voice. “Thank God I’ve got you.”

  “Jules? It’s great to hear from you.”

  “You too babes but I wish I was calling under happier circumstances.”

  “But it’s your wedding day.”

  “It’s all fucked. We were attacked by Katia, the Slovakian slag and her crew. They shot up my fucking reception and blew up the venue.”

  “Jesus Christ, are you okay?”

  “I’m in hospital, I got shot in the chest but I’ll be okay. Mikey was shot too…he might not make it.”

  “Oh hell, I’m so sorry,” said Raven, her heart going out to her friend and fellow bounty hunter. Jules was the only female friend she had, one of the few people she trusted enough to work with. She was also a member of the most powerful criminal family in the north of England, the Maguire-Law clan. Her new husband Mikey was head of that family. He was also Jules’s first cousin but that hadn’t stopped them from falling deeply in love. Raven was shocked to hear the tears in her voice. Jules rarely cried but if any situation deserved it, this did.

  “We lost Battler too. He’s gone.”

  “Bloody hell,” she breathed. Raven had met Battler when she’d helped rescue Jules’s niece from kidnappers. She hadn’t known him well but she’d respected him. The man had been a titan and it was hard to believe he was dead. “What can I do?”

  “We need all the back-up we can get. Me, Mikey and Jez are all out of commission.”

  “Jez has been hurt too?”

  “Shot in the arm but he’ll be fine.”

  “Normally I’d be straight there but I’m on the Isle of Skye. One Eye’s gone missing.”

  “Oh bloody hell, I’m sorry babes.”

  Jules Maguire might have been an assassin of frightening efficiency but she was also a warm, feeling woman and Raven knew she was genuinely sorry. “We’re hoping to find him very soon but Silas Hagen is chasing him.”

  “That mental case? I thought he was dead?”

  “So did we. He’s already attacked us three times. We’re close to where we think One Eye is. As soon as we’ve got him back and dispatched Silas we’ll be straight down there, I swear.”

  “Thanks so much, I really appreciate that,” said Jules, relief in her voice. “And be careful facing off against Silas the psycho.”

  “I will.” She hesitated before adding, “Mikey will make it Jules. No way would he leave you now.”

  “Thanks,” said Jules, choking up. She cleared her throat and Raven could picture her forcing down all that emotion, maintaining the strong front. “Hopefully I’ll see you soon then.”

  “You will, no doubt about it.”

  “Thanks babes and good luck.”

  J
ules hung up. There was a moment of silence before Damon said, “Jesus. Someone really did a number on them.”

  “Yes they did,” replied Raven. “But they’ll fight back and win, they always do.”

  “I’ll come with you, I like Jules. She’s fucking fit.”

  “And she’s just got married, so hands off.”

  “From the sound of it she might not be married for much longer.”

  “That’s a disgusting thing to say.”

  “Hey, I’m a realist.”

  “And if her new husband does die do you think she’ll want to jump into the sack with you?”

  “I’m an optimist too,” he grinned.

  “I’ll come as well,” said Aidan. “I’d love to meet that family.” His eyes narrowed. “As well as the woman you’ve slept with so many times.”

  “Seriously,” spluttered Damon. “You and Jules?”

  Raven glared at her husband. “Big mouth.”

  “Christ, that is so fucking hot,” said Damon.

  Aidan turned in his seat to look at him. “Oy, you’re talking about my wife.”

  “Then you shouldn’t blurt out private stuff like that in front of other people, should you?”

  “You won’t mention it or even think of it again. Do you fucking hear me?”

  Damon’s lips curled into a smile. “I’m thinking about it right now and it’s soooo sexy. What are you going to do about it?”

  “Crack your skull and pull out the dead hamster on the wheel that is your brain.”

  “You fucking cock, I’ll rip your tongue out.”

  Raven rolled her eyes, letting them argue, her thoughts turning to her friend. What should have been the happiest day of her life had turned into a nightmare. She knew how much Jules had been looking forward to this day, she’d been marrying the love of her life and now he might die. It was too cruel. Jules had invited her to the wedding but she’d politely declined. She’d thought her presence might bring back unpleasant memories of the time Leah, daughter of Jules’s ultra hot brother Ryan and his wife Rachel, had been abducted. They’d gone in, rescued the girl and slaughtered the kidnappers but it was still bound to haunt them all, so she’d elected to stay away.

  “Here at last,” breathed Raven with relief as they passed the sign indicating they’d entered Caillte, interrupting the men’s bickering.

  “I felt sure something would happen to stop us getting here,” said Damon, looking out of the window suspiciously but all seemed quiet. It was completely dark now, the lights of Caillte twinkling before them.

  “Look at that,” said Aidan, indicating a large orange glow off to their left. “It’s a fire.”

  “Oh shit,” said Raven, putting the car into gear and speeding up.

  “Take it easy. Remember the fuel filter.”

  With a sigh of annoyance she eased off the accelerator.

  They rolled into the village proper, passing a row of cottages. There was a small car park outside what appeared to be a library that was all shuttered for the night.

  “Let’s leave the car here and continue on foot,” said Raven.

  “What about the weapons?” said Damon.

  “Leave them here for now. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”

  “I think that’s all the more reason to take weapons with us,” countered Aidan.

  “Alright, fine but only one handgun each. Make sure you put silencers on the end and for God’s sake keep them hidden. We don’t want to scare the crap out of a load of innocent villagers.”

  “Do you reckon they’re burning someone in a wicker man?” said Damon as they got out of the car.

  “Maybe One Eye did something to piss them off and they’re sacrificing him to a local god?”

  Raven glared at her grinning husband. “Not funny Aidan.”

  They walked through the centre of the village. The lights were on in the pub but when they tried the door they found it was locked. Peering through the windows they saw no one was inside.

  “They must all be up at the wicker man,” said Damon.

  “We don’t know that it is a wicker man,” snapped Raven. “Let’s take a look.”

  The source of the fire was at the top of a hill that overlooked the village. Cautiously they climbed, keeping low, blending into the shadows.

  At the top they found it was indeed a large bonfire, blazing away on the edge of what appeared to be a glamping site. About thirty people were gathered around it singing Kumbaya My Lord.

  They crouched down in the grass to assess the scene.

  “What are they?” whispered Damon. “Some weird cult?”

  Raven took out her binoculars to scan the group. “Looks like some sort of memorial. They’ve got photos of two people blown up.”

  “Urgh, the sick freaks have got pictures of people who’ve been blown up?”

  “The photos have been blown up, as in enlarged, not the people.”

  “Thank God for that. I thought we’d walked into a village full of loonies.”

  “Can you see One Eye?” said Aidan.

  “No,” said Raven. “Dammit.”

  “Let’s check out the rest of the village while it’s quiet.”

  Raven nodded and she and Damon followed Aidan back down the hill.

  One Eye, Saskia and Luke stood back to back in a tight circle in the depths of the forest, listening and waiting.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” whispered Luke.

  “Hush,” said Saskia.

  “What’s the point? We want them to find us.”

  “We don’t want them to know that.”

  One Eye’s head snapped round when he heard a twig snap. Saskia’s sharp ears detected it too.

  “What?” said Luke.

  They both grabbed his arms and pulled him down to a crouching position.

  “They’re here,” whispered One Eye. “Stay still and silent.”

  “If it is Silas he’s not being very subtle,” whispered Luke.

  “He’s not a subtle man.”

  “But even so…”

  One Eye thought he might have a point.

  “Move,” exclaimed Saskia as something came crashing towards them.

  They all leapt in different directions as the stag charged through their carefully laid circle.

  “What the fuck?” cried Luke, narrowly avoiding being trampled by executing a neat roll.

  “Stay down,” said One Eye, dragging him back to the ground when he attempted to stand. “This is Silas’s doing.”

  “You’re seriously saying he managed to get that stag to stampede us…shit,” he cried when something nicked his arm before the bark of the tree behind his head exploded.

  “They’re shooting at us,” said One Eye, hauling him behind the trunk of a massive tree. Saskia had already taken cover behind a neighbouring tree.

  “I think it’s safe to say the trap is ruined,” said Luke.

  “Can you fight?”

  “You bet I can. It’s only a nick.”

  One Eye patted his shoulder as he anxiously scanned the shadows. He could see nor hear nothing. He looked across at Saskia, who had her bow and arrow at the ready. She glanced at him and shook her head. Shit, if she couldn’t spot the enemy then they had no chance.

  He slipped on his sunglasses, took the flash device out of his pocket and nodded at the others to do the same.

  “Now,” he said.

  The three of them hurled the flash devices in different directions, lighting up the area around them while simultaneously dropping into a crouch. Four of the five figures closing in on them in a tight circle released a cry and fell to their knees, hands clamped over their eyes. But the fifth man kept on charging at them, yanking the sunglasses off his face.

  “Silas,” said One Eye, drawing his gun and taking aim.

  Before he could fire something slammed into him from behind, shoving him to the ground.

  “Stay down,” said a voice.

  “Saskia?”
he exclaimed. “What are you doing?”

  “He wants you to stand up. He has sniper.”

  “Shit,” he sighed at the sound of the dull thuds slamming into the ground around them as the sniper attempted to find their targets in the dark. They were getting close.

  One Eye dragged the smoke device out of his pocket, ignited it and tossed it before him. Instantly smoke filled the air, blocking out the sight of their pursuers.

  “We can still spring the trap,” he told his friends, grabbing their arms. “Follow me.”

  With One Eye leading the way the three of them belly-crawled along the ground, being careful to keep the smoke between them and the sniper.

  “Fucking find them,” they heard Silas roar.

  They crawled further, leaving behind the smoke and Silas’s yelling.

  “Stop,” said Saskia, grabbing Luke’s foot.

  He gasped when he realised he’d teetered on the brink of their own trap. With the dark and smoke and flashing lights he’d become disorientated.

  A huge figure charged at them, frantically firing. Judging by the rifle he was holding he was the sniper, the silenced shots hitting the ground around them, the fact that he was running causing the bullets to miss their mark. One Eye rolled and kicked the man’s legs out from under him. Saskia grabbed the man by the back of his jumper, dragged him forward and hurled him into the trap. The massive mantrap closed around his head, there was a grinding of metal, a crunch of bone and a scream. The man’s body jumped before going still, the trap wrapped around his face.

  “By God that’s a frightening contraption,” gasped Luke.

  “Yes,” said Saskia. “That why I only use on humans. Not animals.”

  Luke stared back at her in appalled but fascinated horror.

  “Move,” said One Eye, hauling himself to his feet. He was annoyed that Silas hadn’t fallen into the trap but at least they’d evened up the odds slightly.

  Raven, Aidan and Damon had made their way through the deserted village to the B&B where they reasoned One Eye would be but it too was deserted. They’d checked all the bedrooms, most of which were empty. However four of them were locked.