Innocent Girls

by Terence Mitford

Hold-on a minute.

  If Gustav lives she had failed.

  Other girls will be in danger.

  The image of his smug face flashed across the blackness.

  It cannot end like this.

  An intense pain surged around her neck. Her heart began pounding in her chest again. There was no longer emptiness all around her. She became aware of the hard floor under her back and the crushing weight on top of her.

  She opened her eyes.

  She was back.

  Gustav had relaxed his grip around her throat. She gasped for air. He looked surprised. He must have thought she was dead. After all, she had thought that too. But her job was unfinished. As long as Gustav was still breathing she had a reason to live. To fight, with every fibre of life she had left.

  She brought her hands up and pushed. She didn’t know how but she managed to throw him off. She was on autopilot.

  She sucked in more much needed oxygen and rolled over on top of him. The discarded syringe was on the floor next to them. She grabbed it and thrust it up to the hilt through his left eye. He screamed and lashed out knocking her off and into the wall.

  She was winded again.

  He pulled the syringe out from his eye and straddled her thighs. She was sat on the floor with her back against the wall. He raised the syringe with the bloodied needle pointing at her left eye.

  He snarled at her, and as he held the syringe in front of her face, he said. ‘An eye for an eye.’

  Then the left side of his head exploded.

  And like a rag doll, he flopped over onto the floor and lay still.

  Natasha refocused her vision. The barrel of the pistol in Mason’s right hand was occupying the space Gustav’s head had been a split second before. A thin wispy plume of grey smoke spiralled upwards.

  Mason grinned at her. ‘Sorry to butt in.’

  She looked up at him and smirked. ‘Were you jealous when you saw us on the floor together.’

  He smirked back, then bent down and helped her to her feet. ‘Are you okay?’

  She took a moment to catch her breath. ‘I think so. But seriously, what took you so long. Did you have a nap on the way.’

  ‘No, but I knew you would have things in hand down here.’

  ‘I thought for a moment my luck had finally run out.’

  ‘Does this remind you of when you used an iron to cave in the skull of the guy who was about to stab me back in the brothel in London?’

  ‘Oh, that. I had forgotten all about it. After all, it was back when I was a novice at executing human traffickers.’

  They hugged each other for a moment and then Natasha pulled back and looked behind him. ‘Where are the girls?’

  Mason took her hand and led her through the reception into the corridor and to an emotional reunion with Katerina.

  They hugged each other tight for a minute or so before Mason said. ‘I hate to break this up but we need to get out of here before any more of Gustav’s men turn up.’

  Natasha let go of Katerina and turned to Jessica. She stroked the girl’s hair and then her cheek. ‘Are you okay Jessica?’

  Jessica nodded.

  ‘Did those men hurt you?’

  Jessica shook her head. ‘No, but I think they were going to.’

  Natasha gave Jessica a reassuring smile. ‘No one is going to hurt you now. You are safe with us.’

  Jessica smiled back. Then took Katerina’s hand and looked at her. ‘We weren’t scared, were we?’

  Katerina glanced at Natasha then smiled at Jessica. ‘No, of course not.’

  45

  MASON

  Mason led the way back down to the underground carpark but then remembered the bloody scene of the gun battle that would confront them. So he handed the holdall to Natasha and suggested she take Katerina and Jessica to the main gate to join the other four girls and wait for him to bring up the people carrier.

  Natasha agreed and escorted the girls back up the stairs.

  He went straight to the third Mercedes car, retrieved the four sets of keys from the spare wheel compartment, and searched for the fob belonging to the Ford mini van. He pressed its button and the vehicle flashed its lights and beeped to announce its presence. He threw the other keys through the open door of the third car.

  As he got to the driver’s door of the first car a figure emerged from the front of the Ford people carrier. It was the surgeon, standing next to the Ford’s front wheel on the driver’s side, pointing a pistol at him.

  Mason said, ‘Simmons, you should have left while you had the chance, and you certainly should not be pointing that gun at me.’

  A sound behind him meant only one thing. Simmons wasn’t alone, and it was either his assistant or Bridget at his back. He glanced over his shoulder. It was the assistant and she was pointing a pistol at him.

  One in front, one behind, and no doubt Bridget somewhere close by. His Beretta was still tucked down his waistband.

  Simmons said, ‘I told you, you made a mistake interfering.’

  Mason couldn’t help but see the irony of the situation. He had battled Gustav and his men under a hail of bullets up in the hospital and down here in the carpark, yet it was a rogue surgeon and his assistant who now had him in check-mate.

  Or did they?

  Although they must have picked up the discarded guns he doubted either of them had ever held a pistol before, let alone fired one at another human being. They were murderers all right, but they did it with surgical instruments under a warped justification of saving the life of the recipient of the organs.

  And they were showing their naivety by sandwiching him between them. It was a basic tactical error no marksman or even a semi-proficient gunman would make. Even if they hit their target, a nine millimetre bullet was capable of going straight through a human body with enough energy to kill anyone on the other side.

  Mason scanned the carpark. He needed to locate the third would-be-assailant before he made his move. He looked back at Simmons. ‘Where is Bridget? Was she the only one with enough sense to get the hell out of here?’

  There was movement to his right diagonal and Bridget stepped into view from behind a support pillar a few metres away. She held a pistol between both outstretched hands and it was pointing straight at him.

  Now he had all three located, his plan was simple. Dive between the car and the people carrier and return fire using the cars as cover. But like with a human body, a bullet is capable of penetrating right through a vehicle. Only the engine block would provide adequate protection.

  He was confident he could move and shoot faster and more accurately than all three of them put together. He focused on Simmons. ‘You are just as evil as the men who ran this operation, but I’m going to make you an offer you shouldn’t refuse. I will give you all the opportunity to walk away. But I promise you this. If you don’t, you will all die here today in this underground carpark.’

  Even in the subdued lighting, Mason could see the signs of stress and anxiety on the surgeon’s face. It was white and shining, with sweat running down his brow causing him to wipe his eyes with the back of his free hand every few seconds.

  That would be Mason’s cue. Next time Simmons brought his hand up to his face he would make his move. Because Simmons would need a fraction of a second to change his action from wiping his eye to squeezing the trigger. And that was all Mason needed to dive for cover. He took a couple of steps forward. He was now next to the gap between the vehicles.

  Simmons waved his pistol. ‘Stay where you are.’

  Mason said, ‘You need to decide. Live or die, it’s your choice.’

  Simmons shook his head and another bead of sweat ran down into his eyes. Mason moved fast. Two strides to his left then he dived to the ground. As he landed he rolled over and took up a kneeling position at the side of the Mercedes, keeping the engine block between him and two of his assailants. He drew the Beretta and lined up Bridget in his sights, but he waited. Even though it was three against one
he felt he had a clear advantage. He knew how to use a firearm and had killed with them before.

  Bridget remained in full view with her pistol pointing his way. The muzzle of her gun flashed and jerked upwards and a bullet whistled past Mason’s left ear. Too close for comfort. He wasn’t going to wait while she adjusted her aim so he put her down with two shots from his Beretta. Simmons appeared from behind the people carrier and fired. The bullet lodged in the wall a few metres behind Mason. Two shots from Mason’s Beretta ended any further threat from the surgeon.

  There was just one threat left and the assistant made her presence known with the most accurate shot so far. A hot stinging sensation tore across Mason’s left shoulder. He spun around to locate the assistant just as two shots rang out from the stairwell recess. The assistant rocked back against the side of the third car and her legs buckled, sending her to the concrete floor, dead.

  Natasha ran over to him and pulled the left sleeve of his jacket down and studied the wound through the rip in his shirt. Then she said, ‘That’s good.’

  Mason said, ‘Forgive me if I disagree with you, but getting shot is never good.’

  She grunted. ‘I didn’t mean that. I meant it’s good because it is just a graze.’

  He smirked. ‘Okay. It still hurts like hell though.’

  ‘Stop complaining, you have had worse and lived.’

  She was right. He had recently recovered from three bullet wounds in his back sustained while taking down The Scarlet Club. He still considered it a miracle that he survived that encounter.

  He pulled his jacket back on. ‘Let’s get all the girls and get out of here.’ He walked around to the driver’s side of the Ford mini van. ‘We’ll take this. I don’t think the owner will be needing it anymore.’ Natasha jumped into the front passenger seat and Mason drove the Ford up the exit ramp to the hospital’s entrance near the main gates. He pulled on the handbrake and looked around. ‘Where did you leave Katerina and Jessica?’

  ‘In the reception with the holdall and the other four girls.’

  ‘Gustav’s dead body is in there.’

  ‘I know, but it may help with their recovery to see that he’s dead and can’t threaten to hurt them anymore.’

  Mason said nothing.

  ‘And I threw a blanket over him so they didn’t have to stare at the blood and brains while I came down to save your ass… again.’ She got out, disappeared inside the reception, and returned a few seconds later with Katerina, Jessica and the four other girls.

  Jessica and the four girls jumped into the back seats, while Natasha and Katerina got into the front passenger seats.

  Mason turned off the engine and looked at Natasha. ‘There is something I need to do before we leave here.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘I can’t leave Sofia where she is.’

  Natasha nodded. ‘I’ll come with you.’

  They left the girls in the people carrier and returned to the large room with the platform. Mason scooped up Sofia and carried her out, along the corridor, to the first room with a bed. He laid her down, pulled off a sheet from a neighbouring bed, and covered her up. Then he stood back with his head bowed.

  Natasha stood next to him and held his arm. ‘It wasn’t your fault, Mason.’

  ‘I still feel I let her down and failed to protect her like I promised.’

  After a moment of silence he lifted his head. ‘Okay, let’s go. When we get to the airport I’ll make an anonymous call to the Brussels police department and tell them to send some units out here.’

  When they returned to the people carrier Mason sat in the driver’s seat and took out his mobile phone.

  Natasha jumped back in next to Katerina. ‘I thought you were going to wait until you got to the airport.’

  I’m not ringing the police.

  ‘Who are you calling?’

  He turned and smiled at Jessica. ‘Two very nice people in London who are about to be the happiest couple on earth.’ When the call was answered by Derek Chambers, Mason said, ‘How soon can you and Angela get to Brussels airport?’

  There was a moment’s silence before Derek answered, ‘Next available flight, but why, have you got news of Jessica?’

  ‘Better than that, she’s here with me now and she’s safe.’

  Derek's phone must have been on speaker because Angela shrieked in the background. Mason handed his phone to Jessica.

  Then he looked at Natasha and pointed to the hire car just inside the front gates. ‘I know it seems like a life time ago since we arrived in that, but unless we want another visit from the local SWAT team we need to drop it off at the airport.’

  Natasha agreed and took Katerina with her. ‘We’ll follow you.’

  'One more thing.'

  'What's that?'

  Give me your gun, I'll dispose of it.

  On the drive towards the city Mason stopped and dumped their pistols into a small stream. Then he passed his mobile phone to the four girls so they could contact their families. One by one they called and made their travel arrangements.

  As soon as they had dropped off the hire car, and regrouped at the airport, Natasha rang and gave her parents the welcome news that Katerina was safe and unharmed.

  It wasn’t long before Derek and Angela Chambers arrived for an emotional reunion with Jessica, and while they waited for their return flight, Mason gave Derek and Angela a brief account of their daughter’s rescue. He was confident they would keep their promise not to divulge any details to the authorities back home. So he made sure they knew the role Natasha had played in saving their daughter from the clutches of the sickest criminal organisation in Europe.

  To show his gratitude Derek promised Natasha he would help bring her and her family over to the UK and set them up with accommodation. He even promised to help find her father a job. Natasha thanked him and explained she would discuss it with her family.

  Derek turned to Mason. ‘When you get home come over and I’ll give you the balance of what I owe you.’

  Mason shook his head. ‘You don’t owe me anything, Derek.’ He pointed at Jessica who was hugging her mother. ‘Seeing her back with you two is enough for me.’ He handed the holdall back to Derek.

  Derek looked inside then shook his head. ‘I don’t want this back. You did what we asked so please keep it.’ He handed the bag back to Mason. ‘You can do with it whatever you wish.’

  Mason looked at Natasha and the other four girls then turned back to Derek.

  Derek nodded.

  Mason handed the holdall to Natasha and told her to divide it into equal shares. Natasha did as he asked and handed two five-thousand pound stacks to each of the four girls from the hospital. She turned to Derek and held up the remaining two stacks. ‘This is for Katerina.’

  Derek smiled, nodded again, then turned and shook Mason’s hand. ‘If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.’

  After Derek and Angela Chambers took Jessica off to catch their flight home Katerina said her emotional goodbyes to the four girls Mason had rescued in the underground carpark. But there was one goodbye that was more emotional than the rest. One of the four girls was Sabrina, and Katerina thanked her for helping her deal with her captivity. Before they parted they hugged each other for a full minute. Then the girls headed off to catch their respective flights home. They had all agreed that they would take their time before speaking to police in their own countries, and despite being an ex-cop, Mason was okay with that. Because all those responsible were dead, and he was keen for Natasha’s killing spree across Europe to go undetected. Especially as it might not be over yet.

  46

  NATASHA

  Katerina’s reunion with her mum was an emotional, heartwarming sight for Natasha to see and a welcome change to the life and death rollercoaster ride she had been on for the last few days. Her unwavering determination had paid off, and although there were moments when she wondered if she would ever see her little sister again, she could n
ever have given up. Only death would have stopped her. But as she watched Katerina and her mother embracing she realised she couldn’t relax just yet. There was one more loose end.

  She helped to book two tickets to Bucharest and when her mum asked why she wasn’t booking three, she swallowed hard and said, ‘It’s not over, Mum. There is something I need to do before I can go home.’

  She listened patiently to her mum’s understandable objections, then she hugged her and said, ‘If I don’t finish this, we will be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. I have to make sure Katerina is safe, or the last few days will have all been for nothing.’

  Mason must have guessed what was on her mind because he gave her mum a reassuring smile and said, ‘Don’t worry, your daughter is one hell of a young woman, and the most determined person I have ever met. And she’s going to have back-up.’

  Her mum stared at Mason. ‘Back-up?’

  ‘Sorry, language of habit. I mean help.’

  As her mum continued to stare at Mason. Natasha said, ‘He’s the best, Mum. I wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t.’

  Katerina chipped in, ‘I trust him. He helped Natasha save me and Jessica. I think he’s pretty tough.’

  Her mum thought for a moment then looked at Mason. ‘Okay, but I’m trusting you to look after her. She may be twenty-two, but she’s still my baby girl.’

  Natasha laughed and hugged her mum. ‘I’ll be home soon, I promise.’

  Before it was time for her Mum to check-in, Natasha took Katerina over to a quiet spot of the departures area. She held her hands and said, ‘I haven’t had chance to talk to you properly, but I need to ask, did those men do anything to you?’

  Katerina shook her head. ‘No, they didn’t. They sold me to someone but nothing happened. My friend Sabrina wasn’t so lucky. I hope she’ll be okay. She helped me to cope and then I helped Jessica. Just make sure you come home safe and I’ll tell you all about it and how Hugo stopped the men from hurting me. I don’t hate him anymore. I know what he was, but I wish he hadn’t died.’