‘Oh my God.’ Abby leant over the seat to her daughter. Beth looked at her with wide eyes. ‘Are you alright, baby?’ Abby checked Beth over, although she knew that she was okay. She raised her hand to her mouth and stifled a cry, feeling stupid for letting her eyes fill up. Beth watched her mum and then started to cry. Abby wiped her face. ‘No, it’s okay, baby. It’s alright.’ She leaned over to unbuckle Beth from her seat but she couldn’t quite reach. She turned back around and went to open the door when she noticed the white van parked just up the road ahead of her. A man stepped out of the passenger-side door and was looking in her direction. She could see he had a phone pressed to his ear. Overtaken by fury, Abby shoved the car door open and strode towards him. He hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket.
‘What the fuck were you doing?’ Abby said to him, stopping as the man approached her, his hands up as if to apologise. ‘I’ve got a baby in the car; you could’ve killed her. You could’ve killed both of us.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he said in a heavily accented voice.
‘Sorry isn’t good enough,’ Abby said glancing back at Beth. ‘I’m going to report this–’
The man’s fist slammed into her face, snapping her head back. Abby staggered backwards and fell to the ground, fear coursing through her. She stared up at the man in disbelief, her heart racing. Gravel dug into her palm as she tried to push herself up. She lifted her other hand to her face and felt blood dripping down from her nose. She swallowed hard and crawled away from him. Getting to her knees, she searched the road for someone, anyone, to help her. She reached back for her car door and started to pull herself up. The man grabbed her hair from behind and yanked her away. Abby could hear screaming. Beth, she thought. Oh my God, Beth. The man lifted Abby to her feet, one hand still in her hair, the other twisting the back of her jumper into a tight knot, dragging her backwards. She could see Beth in the car, her face placid and untroubled.
It was then that Abby realised that the screams were her own.
Chapter Three
Abby turned and clawed at the man’s face, pushing him, trying to pull away. She was aware of her own voice, a cacophony of screams for Beth and pleas to let her go. A second man appeared from the driver’s side of the van; a baseball cap pulled down low over his face. He walked quickly towards them, looking around. He shouted something to his friend and the first man nodded towards Abby’s car.
‘Leave her alone,’ Abby screamed, watching as the driver peered into her car at Beth. The driver turned and ran back towards them, shouting something she couldn’t make out, in a language that might have been Russian.
The man dropped her to the ground as he tried to open to the van’s back door, still arguing with his friend. She squirmed away from him, stumbling her way onto her hands and knees, frantically trying to stand and run. His foot pushed down on her back, forcing her face down into the dirt.
The driver bent and pulled Abby up to her feet, holding her tightly by her wrists, while the first man opened the doors.
She struggled against the driver, swinging an elbow up, catching his face. He shouted at her and pulled her wrists up behind her back, forcing her arms upwards, making her scream out in pain. The first man jumped into the back of the van and held his arms out for Abby. The driver tried to lift her, bumping her forward with his hip, but she caught her foot on the edge of the van and pushed herself away. The man inside the van grabbed her feet and she kicked out at him, causing him to curse at her. The driver stepped up into the van, still holding Abby by the wrists, and threw her to the floor. She scrambled on hands and knees towards the door but she was pulled back into the corner. The driver stepped out, closing one door. He looked around from under his hat and said something to his friend who stood over Abby, keeping her cowed in the corner. It sounded like they were arguing. Abby wondered if she could get past the one in the van but he turned back to face her before she could make a move, laughing as he looked at her.
Abby looked to the driver, still watching from the doorway. He looked less sure than his partner, less willing. His eyes shifted away from Abby’s, looking back at her car, back at Beth, and as he closed the other door darkness took over and the world fell into silence. Abby realised she’d stopped screaming and now all she heard was her own breathing. She could barely see in the murkiness of the van. The engine shuddered into life and the man struggled for balance as they moved off. For a few seconds he just stared at her.
‘What do you want?’ Abby asked. ‘I’ve got money, you can have it; please, take whatever you want. Just let me go. My baby needs me. She needs me.’
The man stared at Abby, seemingly unmoved by her words. She didn’t even know if he could understand her.
‘Please,’ Abby begged again and felt hot tears on her face. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom she tried to make out his features, trying not to wonder why he wasn’t wearing a mask to hide his identity.
He bent down, his face now inches from hers, and she let out a whimper. She looked into his eyes, tried to memorise his features. His skin was pock-marked, making Abby think about when she had chicken-pox as a child and her mum told her not to scratch. The memory faded as he leaned closer and Abby blinked, flinching, trying to pull herself away from his hot, fetid breath and black, empty eyes.
He moved back and tried to stand, stooping slightly beneath the low roof. He kicked something aside and leaned over to pull a sheet out of the way. The man turned back to her and said something. She looked to him, as if she could make out his meaning by his face alone. He indicated the space he’d just made. Abby looked back down and understood what he wanted. Abby’s body shook; she couldn’t breathe. On the floor on the other side of the van was a mattress, aged with use and covered with dirt, torn in several places. The man pointed again, his voice insistent. Abby felt vomit burning in her throat. She tried to disappear into the corner. The man came towards her unsteadily and she cowered. He grabbed her wrist and pulled.
‘No,’ Abby said, pulling away from his grip. ‘No, no, no...’
The man grabbed her with both hands, dragging her by the arm across the cold metal floor. Abby screamed and lashed out at him with her free hand. He dropped her onto the filthy mattress but she pushed herself up again, trying to get away. He raised his fist and Abby covered her face just as it slammed into the side of her head. She cried out as he repeated the blow again and again. Abby curled up in a ball and covered her head, crying into the dirty fabric of the mattress. She listened to the man’s heavy breathing and prayed for it to stop. She focused on the stench of the mattress beneath her, trying not to gag. Her ears started to ring and she realised he’d stopped. His breath was loud and heavy and she could smell the stinking animal-like sweat on him as he leaned in closer to her. He spat on the floor by her head.
‘Good girl,’ he said. Abby uncovered her face slightly so she could see him. He started to unzip his jeans and she let out another cry and tried to scramble away. The man grabbed both her arms and squeezed tightly, forcing them above her head, pinning her to the mattress. He shifted position so that he was straddling her thighs, his weight making it impossible for Abby to lift her legs. ‘Good girl,’ he repeated and released one arm, his hand moving down Abby’s body to the buttons on her trousers. Abby started to breathe so fast she felt like she’d pass out. As he adjusted his position and pulled at her trousers, she prayed that she would.
Abby rocked back and forth with the motion of the van. She started to hear her mother’s voice singing ‘Rockabye Baby’. She wasn’t sure her mother had ever sung that to her, but there it was anyway. She could smell vomit somewhere in the van. There was something wet in her hair. Her naked legs felt the cold breeze sneaking in through the doors. She wondered if she was nearly home.
The van slowed down to a stop. She heard footsteps on gravel somewhere close to her. As the van door opened she saw the silhouette of a man. She
hoped Paul had come to get her.
The driver stepped into the van and leaned over her. He pulled her up gently by the shoulders until she was sitting. He wouldn’t look her in the eye.
‘Where’s Beth?’ she asked him but he wouldn’t look at her, wouldn’t answer.
She noticed the other man crouching in the corner of the van, smoking a cigarette. He stared at Abby and blew smoke towards her, making her cough. The driver helped her up and stepped backwards out of the van. He beckoned Abby. She stood, her legs rubbery. She used the side of the van to steady herself and moved towards the open door, the sudden daylight overwhelming her. She squinted up into the sky as the driver held his hand out to help her down. He looked down at her bare legs. Abby followed his glance and stared at her legs for a long time. They looked dirty. She rubbed at a mark but it wouldn’t come off. The driver leaned into the van, pulled her trousers and shoes towards him and held them out to Abby but the other man scuttled towards him and snatched them away, shouting something incomprehensible. He threw the clothes back in the van and climbed out, pushing Abby and his friend aside before slamming the back door closed. He shouted again and shoved the driver towards the side of the van. He stalked round to the passenger’s side and got in.
Abby watched as the van quickly disappeared down the long, deserted road. She looked down at her shaking hands with surprise. She didn’t feel that cold. She felt dampness between her legs. She looked down at the trickle of blood on her thigh and the world started spinning. An image of her daughter, alone, frightened, flashed into her mind as she hit the floor.
Chapter Four
Miklos Prochazka’s hands gripped the wheel. His chest felt tight. He lifted his cap and wiped the sweat from his brow. Beside him his cousin Damek lit up another cigarette.
‘Open the window,’ Miklos said and Damek rolled his eyes before rolling down the window.
Miklos looked in his mirror. There was no one behind him. There’d been no one behind or in front of him since they’d dumped the woman at the side of the road. He was expecting to see a stream of police cars, sirens on, lights blazing. But nothing. Not a thing.
Damek hung an arm out of the window and spat. The wind caused remnants of his spit to cling to the window and he muttered. Miklos watched him, his eyes moving quickly between the road, the mirror and his passenger.
‘What?’ Damek said and leaned forward to turn on the radio.
Miklos just stared at him. He wished he could stop the van and dump Damek at the side of the road. Drive away and never see him again. He knew what Damek was like, knew what he was capable of, and yet he was in shock.
‘What?’ Damek repeated and flicked his cigarette butt out of the window. ‘What’s your problem?’
‘My problem?’ Miklos said and dug his fingers into the wheel. ‘My problem!’ He slammed his palm against the side of the van. ‘What were you thinking?’ He turned his eyes back to the road. ‘What was I thinking?’
Damek shook his head. ‘You got paid didn’t you?’ He fiddled with the radio again and sat back after he finally settled on a station.
Miklos leaned over and turned it off. His mind was racing. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not like this. He should’ve walked away. He shouldn’t have gone through with it. Shouldn’t have stuck with Damek. He shook his head, thinking, ‘no more’.
‘She was nice,’ Damek said and grinned. ‘Beautiful. Shame about the baby.’
Miklos felt bile at the back of his throat. He wasn’t told about the baby. The baby wasn’t supposed to be part of it. They weren’t paid for that. He felt his breathing start to speed up and gulped air, trying to fill his lungs. He swerved to the side of the road and stopped.
Miklos scrambled from the van, dry heaving by the side of the road. He wiped his face and leaned against the van, trying to breathe. He heard Damek slam his door and walk around to the driver’s side. He stopped in front of Miklos and lifted his head up, looking him in the eye.
‘Pussy,’ he said and laughed. He pushed Miklos aside and climbed into the driver’s seat. Miklos stood watching him before checking behind them once more. The police could be on their way. He wiped his face again and got back in the van. Damek pulled away before he’d even closed the door.
Miklos stared at Damek again. ‘Did you know?’
Damek just shrugged and Miklos asked again. It wouldn’t surprise him if Damek had known. It was all the same to him.
‘Didn’t ask the details,’ Damek said and turned the radio back on.
Chapter Five
Abby opened her eyes to a fly buzzing around her head and the dry, dead grass on the verge scratching at her face. She sat up quickly and wished she hadn’t. Pain shot through her skull causing her to squeeze her eyes shut again. She lifted her hand to her head and then pulled it away. Her hair clung to it, damp and sticky, and she wondered what the hell she’d been lying in. She was suddenly aware of the sound of a car on gravel, somewhere close by. Her first thought was that she should hide; she didn’t want anyone to see her in this state.
Her second thought had her scrambling to her feet and running.
‘Beth,’ Abby said through her heavy breaths. ‘Beth, Beth!’ She started to scream. She stumbled, the gravel tearing into her bare feet. She suddenly stopped and looked around. Where the hell was she? Where was her car? Where was Beth? Abby turned around again and again, looking for something familiar, until she was dizzy. The car was getting louder; closer. She ran towards the sound. A blue car appeared from a dip in the road, swerving wildly as Abby ran towards it along the centre of the road. Her palms thudded into the bonnet as the car came to a stop. Through the windshield the startled faces of a middle-aged man and woman stared back at Abby. The couple exchanged alarmed glances before Abby ran around to the passenger side, her eyes pleading with the woman.
‘Please, have you seen her? Have you seen Beth?’ Abby said. She heard a door open and the man ran around to Abby’s side. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and she recoiled from his touch. ‘Have you seen her?’ she pleaded. Her head darted between the two of them, her breath shallow.
‘Okay, love, calm down. Tell us what happened. Has somebody hurt you?’ the man said, again reaching out to Abby but quickly pulling back. His eyes drifted to her bare legs before darting back to her face. He turned to the woman who slowly climbed out of the car.
Abby glanced around her and started to walk back down the hill, back the way the car had come. ‘I need to find her,’ she said, wiping her face with an unsteady hand. ‘I need to find her.’
The man jogged to catch up with Abby. ‘Who do you need to find, love? Who’ve you lost?’
‘Beth!’
‘Who’s Beth?’ he asked.
‘My daughter. My little girl.’ Abby stopped and turned to the man. ‘You must’ve seen her. Or heard her. She’d have been crying for me.’ Abby started to shake with her sobs. The man shrugged his jacket off and held it out for Abby but she ignored the gesture. ‘I have to find her.’
‘I know,’ the man said and steered Abby back towards the car as gently as he could manage. ‘We’ll find her.’ He opened the passenger-side door and sat Abby down. He turned back to the woman. ‘Give me your phone.’
The woman stared at Abby for a second, before turning her attention back to the man. ‘What?’ she asked.
‘The phone, woman, give me the bloody phone!’ he snapped, hand outstretched.
The woman rummaged around in her huge handbag and pulled out a phone. The man grabbed it from her and dialled. He looked back to Abby momentarily and then turned away.
‘Hello? Police, please,’ he said. He started to walk along the grass verge away from Abby until she could no longer hear him. The woman crouched down in front of Abby, clumsily taking her hand and murmuring unhelpful platitudes.
The man
hung up and walked back towards the car. ‘The police are on their way, love.’
Abby looked up at the man. ‘Have they found her?’
The man cleared his throat. ‘They’ll sort it out. Won’t be long now.’
Abby shook her head. ‘No, I can’t wait. I need to go. I need to find her.’ She stepped past the man, and the woman moved out of her way.
‘For God’s sake, Andrea,’ the man said as he pushed past her. He caught up with Abby again. ‘I think we should wait, love. They won’t be long.’
‘I can’t wait,’ Abby said. ‘What if something’s happened to her? What if they hurt her too?’ She made a move to walk around him but he grabbed her by the shoulder. Abby cried out and he dropped his hand.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m really sorry. Look, I don’t know what’s happened to your little girl but the police can help you. They’ll know what to do. Please. Come back to the car and we’ll get this sorted out. I promise.’
Abby stared at the man and then started to walk around him again. As she passed him, a police car came up the hill. Bypassing Abby and the man, it pulled in on the grass verge behind the man’s car. Two uniformed officers stepped out, approaching Abby.
‘Could you tell us your name?’ the female officer asked, pushing her dark hair from her eyes, before putting on her hat.
‘Abby. Abby Henshaw,’ she said, her voice croaky.
‘Okay, Abby. I’m PC Lawton. This is PC Cartwright,’ she said, indicating her colleague. ‘Could you tell us what happened?’
‘We were just driving out for lunch and she came out of nowhere. Almost hit her. She keeps talking about needing to find someone, her daughter. I could see she was hurt and she seemed distressed so I called yourselves,’ the man said.
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