Christina blinked a few times as she watched Lord Butler walk around the desk and stop in front of her. He calmly walked up to her and slapped her across her face, splitting her lip. Her head snapped to her right, rolling with the blow. Lord Butler grabbed her face with his hand, pinching her cheek.
'You silly little bitch. What a low-class street urchin you’ve become, a real scavenger. Many of my men have been wounded at the expense of getting you to me in one piece. I'm sure that they will be more than happy to assist in your death. I would hand you over to them to have a little fun with, but I'm worried that I wouldn't get much of a woman back. But then again, do I care?'
She stared up at him and then spat blood at his feet.
'This is the last time I am nice to a Gibbs,' he said and took a step back. 'I promise you, here, and now, you will never have your son in your arms again.'
Christina felt the panic seep through her like ice water. Tears rolled down her face.
'Far too late for all of that, Christina,' he snapped.
She stared up into his evil eyes. 'Yes, Lord Butler. I am sorry.'
'And I’m going to take great joy in making sure that your husband suffers a gruesome death, along with the knowledge that I intend to raise Stuart as one of my own boys.'
'No,' she pleaded. 'Please leave him be.'
'Consider it already done, my dear,’ he said, taking a step back. ‘Now, gentlemen, take this woman and throw her in the pool house and make sure it is locked. I need to decide how best to dispose of her, so it satisfies all of us.'
'I can think of a way to get rid of her, sir,' the guard said, blood seeping down his face as he grabbed his crotch with a bloody hand.
'Yes, David. I am sure you can,' Lord Butler said. ‘Christina, I might just allow these men to visit you in the pool house while I decide.’
• • •
Lord Butler walked over to one of the bookcases and opened a secret compartment behind some of the older books. Three bottles of single malt and a glass were hidden there. Grabbing a bottle of Oban, he poured half a tumbler.
The darkness raged inside him, and he realised he had an erection. The last time he had been that excited, he’d had his best friend murdered and watched the dying light disappear from his eyes. He downed the tumbler and poured another measure. Slamming the compartment shut he walked back to his chair and sat down with a sigh. Wiping his sweating forehead he, sipped the Scotch. Soon the world will be crawling and begging at my feet.
'Francis?' a voice said from the doorway.
'What do you want, Alex, I am busy.'
'You cannot raise this boy as your own. You ordered that they remove his finger for God sakes.'
'Yes, telling her that I would do that, was a bit of impromptu genius, don’t you think? You should have seen the panic in her eyes when she realised I meant it,' he said, and burst out laughing.
‘Don’t do it, Francis.’
‘What has happened to you, Alex? You’ve become so weak. Consider yourself bloody lucky that I am letting you die here, in luxury. I could’ve just thrown you out on the street. Stop whining and go away, I want some peace.'
Chapter 29
Albert Lea Ranch, Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA- 2033
The sunlight was blinding as it streamed through the windows. Christina looked around from her position on a kitchen floor. Moving her hand to her left buttock, she felt the bruising from the needle. Her hands were also free, so she pushed herself up. She groaned as she got to her feet. Muscles all over her body were stiff and sore.
Men’s voices from outside made her gasp. She stood in the middle of the floor, her heartbeat thumping with the thought of Butler’s men walking in. The muffled voices started to fade. A man laughed followed by more laughter. She felt nauseous with relief as they seemed to be heading away from her.
Looking around the room, she saw there were several small oak door kitchen cabinets at head height, with a wood kitchen top with electric hob above and small oven below. She quickly went through all the cupboards and drawers, but there was nothing she could use to escape or defend herself with. A tall silver refrigerator stood next to all the cabinets, and she pulled it open. The light failed to come on, and the dank wet smell of sealed plastic drifted out.
Memories flooded back of her altercation with Butler. Her bottom lip started to quiver when she pictured Stuart living in a house surrounded by such dark evil. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed at the thought of never holding Stuart again, or Gibbs, for that matter. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the large double doors, with small window panes up the entire length. She was in the mansion's pool house and the outside world beckoned. The bright blue water rippled a little with the brief gust of wind. Two men walked along the perimeter wall, scanning its heights and looking back to the pool house. She ducked back to the side of the doorframe, her breath quickening.
You bastards won't get another chance to do that to me again. Grabbing the two brass door handles she yanked them a few times with all her strength. The doors rattled but failed to yield.
Walking back through the kitchen she could see there was a side door to her left, leading outside. There was a short corridor with two small rooms before it. The first one on her right had once been used as a bedroom. The bare mattress and base were still in the middle of the brown carpet, but it had green and white outdoor cushions piled on top of it. She opened the small wall cupboard. A pile of pool supplies was the only thing in it. Moving back across the passage into the next room, she found a small bathroom with a solitary toilet next to a large bath, a mould-covered shower curtain hanging on a metal rail.
A sound of keys rattling outside the door made her panic. She climbed into the tub and tried to peek outside through the narrow opaque window. Just a blurred figure of someone standing at the door was visible. As she pulled the shower curtain closed to conceal herself, the metal pole and plastic curtain came away from the wall. Snatching at the falling metal pole, she gasped as it slipped from her grasp and bounced on the side of the bath with a deafening clang. She squeezed her eyes closed, wishing the sound to disappear. The keys stopped rattling in the keyhole.
Sliding the curtain off the railing, she now had a long javelin type weapon. It was too long to swing inside the bathroom, so she placed her knee in the middle of it, trying to break it. All her muscles ached from the effort, with no result. Looking up quickly, she hoped to see another bathroom mirror. Nothing.
The side door creaked open, and she jumped to the other side of the bath, peeking around the corner. The dark shape of someone passed by the bathroom, moving too quickly to be recognised. Stepping out of the bath, she held the pole out in front of her. Her heart rate increased, her breathing shallow and quick with fear. Looking out the door and back up the short corridor into the kitchen, she saw it was empty. She stood motionless, listening for any sound. Inching forward quietly, she came to the corner of the small lounge area and took a deep breath. The blood flow pumped in her ears. The lounge was spacious enough, so maybe she could swing the pole at the person. Changing her grip, she tensed for the moment to attack.
'Christina!' the soft voice said.
'Jesus, Alex?' she said and looked around the corner at the man standing in black jeans and a blue jacket.
He looked at the pole in her hands and smiled. 'Not bad improvisation although the noise was a bit of a giveaway.'
She blurted out a loud laugh and rushed over to hug him.
'Butler was not very happy with me last night, so I have to get out of here,' she said.
'I hoped he would change his mind once he saw me, but I can see now that he will never give me the cure, so that's why I am here,' he said and sat down on a white garden chair. 'I want to help you get out of here so you can go and track down your parents.'
'Are you sure, Alex? He will kill you if he finds out you helped me.'
'My death sentence was sealed a few week ago, so I will do all I can to help you be reunited with your fami
ly, and if you get the chance, to bring him down. Do it, and make it permanent this time,' he said as he got to his feet. Alex took a few long deep breaths of his oxygen and took her arm. 'Let's go.'
They walked together out of the side door and across a large patch of manicured lawn. He pulled her to the right, away from the main house with its white walls and black roof tiles. Stepping through an arch that was cut into the eight-foot ivy hedge, they crossed a small stretch of driveway gravel then reached a large vehicle garage. It had a long brown wooden door that covered three car widths. Alex pulled out a remote and pressed the button.
'Quickly. It won't be long before they realise what I am up to,' he said.
Christina looked back along the long hedge, expecting to see the guards appearing through the arch, and then glanced up at the black slate roof of the house behind. A lone guard stood on a balcony, looking in their direction.
'Come on, Christina,' Alex said and ducked under the garage door as it slowly moved upwards.
In front of them was a black Range Rover flanked by a large black Maybach and a red 1967 Mustang. She moved around and opened the Range Rover's driver's door. It had a dark brown leather trim throughout, covering the seats, door panels, dashboard and even the centre of the steering.
'Here is the key but don't start it just yet,' Alex said as he stood and leaned in through the open driver's window. 'Pop it in the slot in the dashboard and let's set the satnav for you.’
Christina followed the instructions, and a large screen came to life in the centre of the dashboard. She flipped through the menu options getting all the previous addresses that had been programmed.
'That address in Minneapolis is the main pharmaceutical factory where I believe that Francis will take your parents. I overheard him saying to the production manager that they have to up the manufacturing at that factory and that he would be visiting the facility today to chase them along.'
'Come with me, Alex. We can get you the vaccine, and you will make a full recovery.'
He looked into her eyes and smiled. 'Christina, I have done many unspeakable things in my past for this man and his organisation. I will remain here and make sure if he does manage to return, he will never leave again.’
She placed her hand on his forearm on the window.
He smiled at her. 'Next to you are some flash drives that have incriminating evidence if Francis should ever make it to trial. The small snub-nosed revolver has only six rounds in it, but it is light and easy to use. There is a three-day pack of food and water behind your seat.’
Tears formed in her eyes and she reached through the window to give him a hug.
'Alex! Are you in there?' A man's voice.
They pulled apart, looking back out of the garage.
'Go know,' Alex said and produced a Glock17 from inside his blue jacket.
She pushed the start button in the console. The V8 engine roared.
'Alex, what the hell are you doing?' screamed the man as he walked into the garage.
Alex fired twice. The target clutched at his chest and staggered back out of the garage. Christina dropped the automatic transmission into reverse and floored the accelerator. The wheels squealed briefly on the smooth concrete floor and then the hunk of metal powered backwards, knocking the guard over as she went. She spun the wheel to face the Range Rover down the driveway, which wound its way from the house. She heard two clunking noises over the roar of the engine as she popped it into 'drive'.
Flicking a glance to her left she saw two guards running across the lawn towards her, firing at the vehicle with pistols. She tried to duck down as she pushed the accelerator again. Two loud blasts from Alex's Glock to her right took care of one of the guards but not before he was hit in the shoulder and thrown back against the side of the garage door.
'Go, Christina,' he shouted, his face contorted with pain.
The wheels spun on the gravel driveway before all four wheels got traction and she raced away.
• • •
Alex grimaced in pain and moved to his right to hide around the corner of the garage. Red brick shards rained over him as another guard appeared and let a volley of bullets rip. Dust and concrete went into his one eye, and he flipped the Glock to his left hand, spinning to his left as he dived to the ground. Two quick blasts ripped through the attacking man who went down to his knees, then fell forward.
Alex screamed in pain as he landed on his back on the grass. His vision blurred, his lungs searing like a drowning man's as they contracted. He needed oxygen, but he was not finished just yet.
Staggering to his feet, he walked as fast as he could to the two dead men, groaning as he rolled one of them over. He reached into the man's pocket and found what he was looking for. He stood up again and walked down the driveway after Christina.
A cool breeze blew his fringe across his face as he stood, wide-legged in the driveway. Pressing down on the button of the gate remote, his body jerked as the first bullet from arriving guards went through his backside and shattered his hip. The second hit him in the back, passing through his failing lung. Falling forward, a grin on his face, he felt no more pain.
• • •
Tears flowed down Christina's cheeks as she saw Alex run around the side of the garage and disappear from view. With all the V8 power, she struggled to steer as she followed the driveway around to the left and then back on itself. The main gate came into view. Two red brick towers on either side of the road, holding the big black metal gates in place. It was closed. Two guards in green fatigues walked towards her, their pistols raised.
She punched her foot onto the accelerator and ducked down as low as she could. Clenching her jaws as she held onto the bottom of the steering wheel, the power of the engine caused the Range Rover to swing from side to side. The guards raised their pistols and just before they fired at her, the gate opened behind them.
For a second, Christina closed her eyes as two bullets went through the windshield spraying glass onto her lap. The sickening thud of two bodies meeting metal resonated through the interior of the car as she raced through the gates and hit the tarmac of the main road with a crunch, ripping away the front spoiler from beneath the Range Rover.
She screamed with joy as she raced away from the gate checking in the rear view mirror for any guards. None stepped out into the road. Looking down at the satnav she smiled. One hour and thirty minutes to Minneapolis, and to see her son again.
Chapter 30
North Washington Ave, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA- 2033
Lord Butler sat back and closed the extensive contract he had paged through. The fruits of years of hard labour were complete. He rubbed his eyes in the dim light of the office hidden in the back of the Styx Pharmaceutical factory. A small metal desk with a wood laminate desktop stood in front of a large rectangular glass window overlooking one of the operational production lines.
'Michael, can you just do final proofread of that for me, I have made some of the changes that you suggested. Others I have left in because I think I need to convey the seriousness of the threat and more importantly, that I will go through with it if they fail to comply,' he said, and passed the printed document to his new assistant.
'Yes, Lord Butler. I will have it back on your desk in an hour.'
'Thanks, my beautiful boy,’ Lord Butler said and patted him on the arm. ‘You are the best assistant a man could have.'
Michael smiled and left the room.
Lord Butler stood up to look out the window at the workers in their special pharmaceutical uniforms and fabric face masks, all to ensure the pristine environment for the vaccine creation. The black satphone vibrated as it lay on the desk.
'Yes! What is it, Roger?'
'Bad news I'm afraid, Francis.'
Lord Butler shifted in his seat.
'Well spit it out, Roger. Has Alex finally died?'
'Yes, sir,' Roger replied. 'But it was not Kharon that killed him. Christina managed to escape from the ranch, and he
was shot while assisting her.'
'What!'
'We lost five men in the process.'
'I don't give a fuck about the men. You are all expendable. You all had one job, and that was to make sure that bitch didn't get away. When this is over, you’re all going to pay.'
He threw the phone against the glass window in front of him. The darkness burst through his consciousness as a large crack split the pane in two. Screaming out loud, he leaned forward on the desk and looked down at the phone that had come apart into three pieces.
The door crashed open, and his assistant stood there, a look of shock on his face. 'Is everything okay, Francis?'
Lord Butler stood up and crossed the floor in three steps, grabbing his assistant by the throat and forcing him back out through the open door, and up against the outside corridor wall. 'Fix my bloody phone, you little worm, then find me Woolf.'
Noise at the end of the corridor made him look to his left. Three workers stood there, holding boxes in their arms, their eyes wide.
‘Well, don't just stand there, get back to work before I fire the lot of you,' he shouted without letting his grip on his assistant ease.
He released the shocked young man, who walked backwards down the corridor. 'I'll get…um…Woolf.'
'No, Michael, repair my phone first and then get Woolf. Two simple instructions,' Lord Butler walked back into the office and stood looking over the production lines.
Ten minutes later he heard rapid footsteps thudding down the corridor, and the tall blond hulking figure walked in.
'Woolf, my good man,' Lord Butler said with a smile. 'Come in and sit down. You are just in time.
Lord Butler's trusted henchman closed the door behind him and walked over to a green-covered office chair positioned against the wall. Michael was seated on the floor, leaning against the wall with his legs splayed, a neat red hole in his forehead, eyes focused on the ceiling. Woolf looked up at the large blood splatter on the wall, with the downward streak to the man's position.
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