Takedown

by Heather Atkinson

  “I’d better go before I bend you over that desk,” he said, smiling when her cheeks bloomed with colour. “Unless you want me to?” he added, eyes twinkling.

  “Tempting,” she smiled back. “But we’d better not.”

  He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “We could keep it a secret between the two of us.”

  “We don’t need that complication,” she whispered back. “Right now it’s taking all of my concentration just to stay alive.”

  “And I don’t want to distract you,” he said, his lips brushing her ear, making her tingle. “But you distract me constantly.”

  “Please don’t say things like that,” she breathed.

  He smiled down at her and ran his thumb across her cheekbone. “Maybe in another life it could have worked between us?”

  “I think so.”

  He pecked her on the lips. “I’d better get back downstairs. I couldn’t take having my heart broken twice in one day.”

  She watched him leave, feeling both sad and relieved that she’d stopped it before it had gone too far. Vance was the man she loved, she lived and breathed for him, so how could she have such strong feelings for Matthew? Did she just like men she couldn’t really commit to? If she chose a future with either of them her life would become very difficult and she dreaded to think what Vance would do if he found out she’d kissed Matthew. When he was in prison he’d been able to deal with her sleeping with other men because they hadn’t been together but now they were a committed couple, even if no one else knew about it. She’d just betrayed him and she didn’t know how she was going to look him in the eye. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just a physical thing with Matthew but emotions were involved.

  She sank into the chair behind the desk with a sigh. How had everything got so fucked up so fast? Just a few days ago business had been running smoothly, they’d owned the town and she’d been in a devoted relationship with the man she loved. Now their business was in disarray, people were trying to kill them and she’d just cheated on Vance. She loved two men, there was no denying it anymore and she couldn’t have a future with either of them.

  “What a fucking mess you’ve made Faith,” she muttered to herself.

  On the bright side, Matthew’s attentions had helped her shake off the last of her lethargy.

  She headed back into the VIP room, spotting Matthew standing off to one side. When their gazes connected, she put her head down and made her way back to her table.

  Vance was still sat there. Lil and Caleb had gone. She was heartened by the love that swelled inside her at the sight of him.

  “Where did you go?” said Vance. “Caleb and Lil said you rushed off.”

  She was perfectly composed as she retook her seat and picked up the orange juice he’d got her. “Did she tell you about Mickey Gunning?”

  “Yes, she did.”

  “I went to ask Matthew why he was released.”

  “He’s still here, is he?” he sighed.

  “He’s helping keep an eye out for anyone who might try to kill us,” she snapped. “So why don’t you start showing some gratitude?”

  “All right. Sorry,” he said, looking a little hurt.

  “No, I’m sorry Vance. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just feeling so crap.”

  His face softened with understanding. “It’s okay. You do have a bit more colour than you did though.”

  “It was the news about Mickey that did it. It shocked me out of it,” she lied. A man had put the colour back into her cheeks but it certainly hadn’t been Mickey Gunning.

  “Don’t worry about that dickhead. We can handle him.”

  “He’s a nutcase and he wants revenge.” She sighed. “I’m so sick of all this.”

  “Maybe we should just leave, go somewhere no one knows us and start again?”

  “And leave the family to cope with this mess? That wouldn’t be fair.” Plus the thought of not seeing Matthew again was a painful one. Where the hell was all this sentiment suddenly coming from?

  “Maybe not but I hope that one day we can.”

  “I’m sure we will,” she said, wanting to drop this subject that continually seemed to come up. “But right now we need to figure out how to handle Mickey. He’s out on bail.”

  “Let’s not worry too much about that idiot. Actually, I’ve been thinking of something more worrying. It didn’t occur to me before with everything that went on and then ending up in hospital.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t think it was luck that let Ben and his friends cut off the power to the building when me and Caleb were in the lift. They knew exactly where we were.”

  She leaned forward with interest. “Bloody hell, you’re right. How could they have known?”

  “There’s only one possible way I can think of – one of us was carrying a tracking device.”

  “What? But how could they have managed that? Unless Ben somehow managed to plant it on one of us when he came to do the fire inspection. He was sat right next to you.”

  “He couldn’t have done it then, I would have noticed and he didn’t get close enough to you or Caleb. I think someone else did it, someone close to us. We have a traitor.”

  “But we’ve only been in the company of the family recently.”

  “It’s someone we won’t consider to be a traitor, someone very close.”

  Faith’s mind drifted to Matthew. Had his proclamations of love been a ruse to hide his true intentions? The thought was a painful one. She immediately crushed the idea. He wouldn’t do that to her plus he knew the Maguires would kill him if he betrayed them. “I can’t think who it could be, unless Jason and Kev have been shagging about again. Ben might have paid some cheap tart to slip a tracking device into their clothing.”

  “We need to ask them as soon as possible but that wouldn’t explain how they knew we were in the lift. It must be on either me or Caleb.”

  “We need to check our clothes, vehicles, homes, everything. A bug could have been planted in my flat and they might have heard you say you were going to your flat.”

  “Maybe but the timing would have been risky. Too soon or too late and we wouldn’t have been in the lift. Their timing was perfect.”

  “We need to get on that as soon as we’ve finished here. The club will be closing soon. Good thinking Vance.”

  “It does happen occasionally.”

  “I know,” she smiled, her love for him welling up inside her, making her even more ashamed of herself for kissing Matthew. Plus it didn’t bear thinking about what Vance would do if he found out. He considered them to be a full-blown couple now, as had she. Until she’d kissed a handsome policeman.

  CHAPTER 22

  Eclectic’s opening night was a trouble-free triumph, better than they could have expected. Any prospective troublemakers were dealt with quietly and efficiently by their door supervisors. Best of all, no fires were started. Faith was a little annoyed by the way Lil hung off Caleb’s arm all night. It broke her heart that he was delighted about having all her attention for a full night because she knew that Lil was only doing it because she loved being the centre of attention. She still intended to have that talk with her old friend but it would have to wait. She’d pissed off enough people recently.

  Faith and her brothers congregated in the office to lock the night’s takings in the safe and discuss how the evening had gone. Guilt crept up on her as here was the scene of her betrayal with Matthew.

  “What a great night,” grinned Jason. “I got seven phone numbers. How many did you get Kev?”

  “Three,” he sighed.

  “Oh dear,” Jason smirked.

  “That’s still a good amount,” he scowled. “And I’m sure one of the women you were chatting to was a bloke.”

  “She bloody wasn’t,” retorted Jason.

  “She had an Adam’s apple and massive feet.”

  Faith rolled her eyes. “If you’ve quite finished, we have business to discuss.” She pointed fr
om Kevin to Jason. “Have you two shagged any strange tarts lately?”

  They blinked at her with surprise.

  “Well,” Jason began slowly. “I did sleep with a woman who liked me to make dolphin noises.”

  “Dolphin noises?” exclaimed Kevin.

  “Yeah and she liked me to flap my arms, like fins.”

  “That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “I’ve got to admit, it wasn’t sexy.”

  “You won’t believe how relieved we are to hear you say that,” smiled Caleb.

  “I don’t mean strange weird,” said Faith. “I mean strange as in stranger, anyone unknown.”

  “Yeah, loads,” said Jason proudly. “But I don’t remember their names.”

  “Did you sleep with any of them in the last two days?”

  “No, there hasn’t been time for that.”

  “How about you Kev?”

  “No, me neither. Like Jason said, there hasn’t been time. Why are you asking?”

  Faith left it to Vance to explain.

  “We think someone planted a tracking device on one of us,” he said. “That’s how the firefighters knew we were back at Faith’s flat and when me and Caleb were in the lift.”

  “So why are you asking if me and Kev slept with anyone?” said Jason. “How could they have planted a tracking device on you?”

  “We need to make sure no strangers have been allowed access to our homes or vehicles. If they haven’t, that means it’s someone we know.”

  “And for all we know,” said Faith. “We’re still carrying them.”

  “Oh shit,” said Jason.

  “Indeed. We need you to get your new little gadget.”

  “It’s back at Mum’s.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  They drove to Rose’s house, all of them piling into the tiny front room. They waited for Jason to retrieve his new gadget from his bedroom. He returned downstairs with a small black handheld device.

  “So, who’s going first?” he said.

  “I will,” said Faith.

  He ran the scanner up and down her but found nothing. Next he checked Vance and then Kevin and still nothing. When he scanned Caleb however, it started to beep.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” said Caleb.

  “Take off your jacket,” Jason told him.

  He obeyed and tossed it aside. When he scanned him again, it didn’t beep.

  “I guess that means it’s in the jacket,” said Jason.

  “You don’t sound too sure,” said Vance. “And you regularly check the office at Pulse with that thing.”

  “Because this is the first time it’s ever found anything,” he replied, running the device over the coat. It was only when he checked the hem that it started beeping again. “I think something’s been sewn into it.”

  Vance fetched a knife from the kitchen and snatched up the coat.

  “I liked that coat too,” sighed Caleb, cringing when his brother started hacking at the lining.

  Vance pulled an object out of the hem no bigger than a sim card. “It had been sewn into the lining. Judging by the messy stitching, it was a rush job.” He snapped it in two before tossing it to the floor and stomping on it for good measure.

  “Who the hell had the chance to do that?” said Faith.

  “I’ve no idea,” said a stunned Caleb. “Even though it was a rush job it would still have taken some time.”

  “Have you left your coat anywhere lately?” said Faith.

  “I’ve worn it to the clubs and pub and around town but not long enough for someone to sew something into it.”

  “Someone could have done it at one of the clubs,” said Faith.

  “But I keep it locked in the office and no, I’ve not taken any women into the office. I wouldn’t do that.”

  Faith’s mind once again drifted to what she’d got up to with Matthew in the office at Eclectic and she shoved the distracting thought aside. “Whoever did this is working with Ben and the others and it’s someone we know. A stranger couldn’t have done it. If it had been slipped into a pocket it would be a different matter but this needed time and access.”

  “Oh shit,” said Caleb. “I wore that coat to the safehouse.”

  They all looked at each other in shock before rushing for the door, Jason and Kevin almost falling over each other in their haste.

  They sped back to the safehouse, ran up to the flat and burst inside.

  “Mum,” yelled Caleb, leaping over an excited Monty when he ran up to him. “Abi?”

  He burst into one of the bedrooms and came to a halt. “Oh God, I’m sorry,” he exclaimed before rushing out of the room and closing the door.

  “What’s wrong?” Faith asked him.

  “Michael and Abi are both, err, naked.”

  The bedroom door was yanked open by a furious Abi wrapped in a sheet. “Caleb, what the hell do you think you’re doing you pervert?”

  “I was making sure you were okay,” he retorted.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Someone put a tracking device in my coat.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake. Why didn’t you notice before?”

  “Because it was sewn into the lining. We only just found it.”

  “We need to move,” said Faith. “Right now.”

  Abi grunted with annoyance and rolled her eyes before stomping into the bedroom and slamming the door shut.

  “What on earth is going on?” demanded Rose, exiting her bedroom wrapped in her dressing gown, followed by Kevin and Vance, who had woken her up.

  “You need to pack Mum,” said Faith. “We have to move.”

  “’Why? Where to?”

  “This flat has been compromised. I’ve got another place we can stay.”

  “But…it’s the middle of the night.”

  “I know Mum,” she replied, attempting to keep her temper. “We’re all feeling it but we’ve no choice. Now please get packed quickly. We have to go.”

  They had everything packed within half an hour, Rose grumbling the entire time. Abi cast her twin black looks while she comforted an agitated Monty. They got into Jason and Kevin’s cars and Faith sat up front with Jason and directed him to a house in the south end of town.

  Wearily they all tramped inside the red brick detached house carrying their bags. The interior was coolly modern with polished floorboards and top of the range appliances.

  “Do you own this house too dear?” Rose asked Faith.

  “I do, under another name of course.”

  “Of course,” she said flatly.

  “There’s four bedrooms upstairs and a pull-out couch in this room here,” she said, pushing open a door that led off the hallway.

  “Me and Michael should have the master bedroom seeing how we’re the only couple,” said Abi.

  “Help yourselves,” Faith told them in a tired, flat voice.

  “Come on,” said Abi, taking her fiancé’s hand and practically dragging him upstairs, carrying a goggling Monty.

  “I’ll take the smallest room,” said Rose in her best martyr voice. “You all need more space than I do.”

  “Jason, Kev,” said Vance. “You two can share.”

  “I’m not sharing with him,” said Kevin. “I’ve just stopped sharing with him at home and I’m not doing it again.”

  “This isn’t up for debate.”

  Kevin decided his older brother was not in the mood for an argument. “Fine but if he snores I’m holding a pillow over his face.”

  “You’re the snorer you noisy git,” retorted Jason.

  “The room has two single beds,” said Faith.

  “Well, that’s something I suppose,” sniffed Kevin before swanning upstairs, followed by Jason.

  “You have the last bedroom Faith,” said Caleb.

  “No, you take it,” she replied. “I’m not sure I’ll sleep anyway.”

  “You need some proper rest. You came out of hospital today.”

  “So
did Vance.”

  “Yeah but he looks fine. You look exhausted and I won’t hear any argument. I’ll take the couch. Vance can have the pull-out.”

  Faith was so tired she couldn’t come up with an excuse that would keep her downstairs with Vance, so she cast him an apologetic look and headed upstairs to bed. She just managed to take off her clothes before she collapsed into bed, asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

  Faith was the last up the next morning. She showered and dressed before wandering downstairs to the kitchen.

  “Where did this lot come from?” she said, staring in astonishment at the veritable feast spread out on the kitchen table.

  “I sent Jason and Kevin to the supermarket just down the road,” said Rose, who was busy buttering a huge heap of toast. “You had absolutely nothing in Faith.”

  “Because I haven’t been here for six months,” she retorted. “There’s no point keeping fresh food in.”

  “You look better,” Vance commented before the two of them could get into a row.

  “I slept like a log,” she said, sinking into the chair beside him.

  “Me too. I feel fully recovered from the fire.”

  “Good,” she said with a gentle smile.

  Kissing Matthew yesterday seemed so long ago and her love for Vance was still so strong. All was right with the world. Well, nearly.

  “Abi dear,” said Rose. “Don’t feed Monty at the table.”

  “But my little pookie loves sausages, don’t you?” she smiled, holding the dog on her lap and hand feeding him.

  “Because he’s gay,” commented Jason.

  “Shut it,” she snapped at him.

  “Me and Abi have got an appointment this morning at the Boulevard Hotel to discuss the wedding reception,” said Michael. “Do you think it’ll be safe to go?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” said Faith. “With everything going on we have been neglecting that a bit.”

  “It’s okay, you’ve had a lot to deal with and it’s not until the spring.”

  “I think it’ll be fine. Jason and Kevin can go with you.”

  “What?” frowned Kevin. “We don’t want to talk about weddings.”