by F. C. Clark
‘Then what?’
‘Four men crashed in. There may have been more. They had guns. Kate, it was awful! They hit Max. Luke tried to stop them…’ She looks away.
I feel a tightness in my chest. ‘It’s OK.’
‘Barney, come here. I need you to hold this drip,’ Adam says. Barney squats at Jerry’s side. ‘Don’t move – I need the fluid to go in.’
Barney nods.
‘OK, Dad, let’s look at this cut. It may hurt a little, OK?’
‘Rosie, look at me,’ I say, distracting her. ‘Do you remember anything else? What did they look like?’
She closes her eyes, thinking hard.
‘I think they knew Luke and Max.’ She runs her hands through her hair. ‘That was what they said…’
‘Good. What did they say? Any small detail may help.’ I take her hands and run my thumbs across her knuckles.
‘Payback. I remember them saying Luke had to pay. They made me and Jerry go to the kitchen, that’s when Jerry fought back, and… Adam, is he OK?’
‘He will be. He’s got a small cut and maybe a cracked a rib. Barney, help me lift him onto the sofa.’
I go to Jerry. ‘Here, let me hold the drip. What’s in it?’
‘Painkillers, he’s going to need them. Right, Barney, lift his legs on the count of three,’ Adam says. ‘One, two, three… OK, easy does it.’
Jerry groans.
‘Well done, Dad, let’s make you comfortable. Kate, pass me the drip.’
I hand the drip to Adam.
‘Babe, I think it’s time to call the police,’ Barney says.
I shake my head. ‘No.’ I turn to Rosie. ‘Did they mention any names?’
‘I can’t remember.’ She taps her head. ‘Think, Rosie, think… Oh Kate, it’s no use. Wait. Andrew – I think I heard the name Andrew… But I can’t be sure.’
‘Well done, Rosie.’ I stand up.
‘Where are you going?’ Barney looks at me.
‘I have to get them.’
‘What do you mean, you have to get them?’
‘Barney, I can’t live without Luke… You know that.’
‘I get it, babe, but you don’t know where he is. Like I said, let’s call the police.’
‘No… I need to make a call.’
Working on autopilot, I head for the basement, Barney close behind me. As I stand in front of the wine rack I run my hand down the side, feeling for the switch.
‘I don’t think you should be drinking, not in your condition,’ he says, looking a little confused.
‘I’m not.’
I slide the rack across to reveal the hidden door and input my code. The door unlocks. I walk inside Luke’s den and switch the light on.
Again Barney follows me.
‘Fuck me gently. What the hell is this room?’
‘I don’t have time to explain. Let me think.’
Quickly I open the cupboard in the far corner – Luke’s cupboard of tricks. ‘Right, I need to call James.’
‘What the hell is Luke doing with all this stuff?’ Barney walks around the room. ‘Jesus H. Christ!’
I turn to see him holding a bundle of money.
‘What the fuck is he into, money laundering? Maybe that’s why he’s been taken.’
‘For fuck’s sake, Barney, of course he doesn’t – he’s a businessman… And you’re not helping by talking shit.’
‘What do you expect me to think with all this money, not to mention the bloody guns?’
He walks further around the room.
‘This room has nothing to do with you.’ I run my hands through my hair. ‘Luke had a very different past. He’s a hero. Now shut the fuck up and let me think.’
‘OK, chill.’ Defensively, he holds his hands up.
‘Really? My husband has been taken and you want me to chill?’
‘Taken? Are you sure?’
Somehow, I am.
I switch on the satellite mobile phone and search for Sullivan’s number. Thankfully, it rings.
‘Sutton, what’s she done now?’ James Sullivan asks.
‘She has done nothing.’
‘Kate?’ James sounds confused. He has the right to.
‘Someone has taken Luke and Max. I need you to track him, I know he’s wearing his watch. He never takes it off.’
‘I’m already doing it. Are you OK?’
‘I wasn’t here. I came home to find Rosie tied to a chair, and Jerry beaten up.’
‘Are they able to tell you anything?’ he asks.
‘Rosie said the name Andrew, but I know it’s Anderson! Plus they mentioned payback. I know it’s him, James.’
‘Did Rosie say anything else?’
‘No.’
‘Are they OK?’
‘She’s OK, just shocked. Anyway, Adam’s here.’
‘The doctor – her son?’ he asks.
‘Yeah, how do you know?’
‘Luke told me. Who’s with you?’ he asks.
‘Barney.’ I stand and begin to pace. ‘James, we haven’t got long.’
‘Stay calm. Panic causes mistakes, trust me.’
‘Luke had some new CCTV installed – now it makes sense. He knew, didn’t he? Don’t bullshit me, James. He knew about Anderson?’
‘Luke’s always cautious – we have to be. It’s part of our job.’
‘Was! Luke doesn’t work with you, remember?’
‘There’s no “was” in our line of work.’
‘Are you trying to tell me that Luke never got out? That he will always work with you and Scott?’
‘Not officially, Kate.’
‘Please answer one question: have you worked with Luke since we’ve been together?’
He’s silent.
I thought I knew my husband. Now I wonder if I will ever know the real Luke Sutton.
‘I’m locating him now. OK, I need you to check the CCTV footage. I’ll talk you through it.’
I bolt upstairs to Luke’s office and sit at his desk, with a silent Barney next to me. The computer is already fired up. I assume Luke was working when he was taken – a word I find hard to swallow.
‘I’m ready.’
‘Good. There should be an icon on the desktop. Luke would have used something like…’ James pauses. ‘Maybe a car symbol or a sport.’
‘A rugby ball?’
‘Yeah, click on that.’
The screen changes. ‘There’s loads of numbers racing around.’
I look at Barney, who seems just as confused as me.
‘That’s fine. When they stop you will need to enter a password.’
‘Luke’s computer password?’
‘No, definitely not eat me,’ he says in a softer tone. He sounds amused.
‘Oh!’ The boys must talk more often than I thought. ‘OK. It’s stopped and the cursor is flashing.’
‘Enter the following code, letters in upper-case: NZ345HG9.’
‘I’ve done it. What does the code mean?’
‘That doesn’t matter. Now you should see footage at the top of the screen. You can alter the time frame. When do you think he was taken?’
‘I don’t know, maybe three hours ago.’
‘Alter the time frame. You can then press the forward button to speed up the viewing.’
I follow his instructions while Barney peers at the screen over my shoulder.
‘Kate, stop.’ Barney points to the screen.
‘Gotcha, you little fuckers,’ I say to James. ‘OK, we can see them but their faces look blurry. Shit – there’s Luke.’ His face is clear and so are the brutal punches he receives to his stomach and his face. I feel sick, watching him and Max being dragged away from the house and pushed into a van.
&nb
sp; ‘Hold the mouse over the image, left-click to hold the view and right-click to zoom in.’ James has the patience of a saint.
‘Holy fuck, it’s Anderson! He’s pointing a gun at Max’s head. I’ll never forget his face. I know where Luke is. Why didn’t Luke talk to me, James? Jesus Christ, this shouldn’t be happening.’
‘Anderson has been in hiding.’
‘Well, he’s not now! Have you got the results yet?’
‘Just another couple of minutes. Parker is on his way from Oxford. He should be an hour and a half at the most.’
I stand up from Luke’s desk, feeling wretched after watching him being assaulted. My body begins to shake and I feel an intense pressure in my chest. I can’t breathe. Where is he now? What if he’s dead?
‘I’m not waiting, James. I’m going to get them both.’
‘Oh no, you don’t! You’re fucking pregnant,’ James bellows down the phone.
‘Thanks for the reminder! My children’s father could be dead in a few hours, if he’s not already… which is precisely why I’m not sitting here waiting. I suggest you call me when you have info from his tracker. Besides, you’re in Switzerland! You can’t stop me.’
I shut the phone and slip it in my pocket.
‘Please tell me you’re joking and Luke’s army boys will be here any minute?’ Barney stands, his hands on his hips.
‘Not quite. Scott Parker is on his way and the other is going to talk me through how to get Luke.’
‘What? Are you out of your fucking mind?’
‘For God’s sake, Barney, I’m not going to just sit here!’ I take a deep breath. ‘The man that took Luke is the man that killed Max’s son – well, his bouncers killed him when he was seventeen. He died in Luke’s arms.’
‘Shit.’
‘Long story short: Luke saw to it that Anderson paid, one thing led to another, Anderson got done for possession of drugs at his club, and Luke bought the club for next to nothing. SGI!’
‘SGI! No fucking way.’
‘It was Anderson’s club back then.’
‘Revenge.’ Barney hits the nail on the head. ‘Jesus Christ, babe… You think that’s where Luke is?’
‘He has to be.’
‘Call the police.’
‘No. Anderson will kill them. I’ve seen how violent he can be.’
‘What? When?’
‘Max had a run-in with him. I got caught in the crossfire.’
‘I can’t believe what I’m hearing.’ Barney takes me in his arms. ‘The babies, Kate – think of the babies.’
‘I am! They need their daddy to be alive. I’m going and you can’t stop me.’
‘In that case, I’m coming with you.’
I pull away. ‘No, you can take me but I’m going in alone.’ I take a deep breath. ‘I’ll just get my gun.’
‘Your what?’ Barney runs his hand through his hair in disbelief.
‘It’s OK. I know how to use it.’
‘Fucking hell, Kate… Anything else you want to tell me? Sutton has got a lot to answer for when I see him. This day is getting worse. I need a fucking drink.’
I head to our bedroom and input the code to the safe in our closet, then retrieve my gun and some bullets.
Barney begins to laugh. ‘You’re bloody unbelievable, Kate.’
‘Luke taught me to shoot after my first time in Russia – actually, that’s not true. He taught me when Max was attacked by Anderson. He wanted me to be able to protect myself.’
‘Crazy fuckers, the pair of you.’
The satellite phone rings.
‘James?’ I say.
‘SGI.’
‘I knew it – predictable little shit.’
‘I can’t stop you, can I?’
‘No. I need him, James.’
‘Fuck it, Kate. OK, if you’re doing this then you do it my way, no arguing. Got it?’
‘Yep.’
‘Good. I might just be able to save the pair of you. I’ve just got access to the cameras inside SGI, but I need you to grab a Bluetooth earpiece from the cellar.’
‘And Parker?’
‘Like I said – he’ll be an hour, maybe longer.’
‘Good.’
‘Jesus Christ, Kate, when Luke gets hold of you, he will lock you up. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
‘I don’t care, just as long as he’s breathing.’
‘Call me when you’re ready to leave. I’m heading for the airfield. And Kate?’
‘What?’
‘Be safe. If anything happened to you or the girls Luke would… it would kill him.’
I frown. ‘How do you know? I mean the sex.’
‘We talk every day.’
The call ends. Barney glares at me.
‘I thought you didn’t know.’ Barney places his hand on my bump. ‘About the sex.’
‘We found out when I had the bleed, but we decided not to tell anyone.’
He folds his arms. ‘If Luke told James, then I think I should know…’
‘Jesus, Barney, I’m trying to rescue my husband and you’re pissed off because I kept a secret?’
‘Too fucking right I am. I tell you everything.’
‘I know, and believe me some things you should keep to yourself.’
In Luke’s den, I look at his toys. What might I need – other than a miracle? First a Bluetooth earpiece, but what else? I pick up a relatively small flick-knife; I guess it might be helpful. There’s a small black square device with a switch. It’s some kind of detonator, I think. I can’t remember what Luke said the other day.
In a few minutes, I stand in the hallway, waiting to leave. Adam bounds towards me.
‘Barney just told me you’re going to get Luke. Are you mad?’ he bellows.
‘I’m meeting Luke’s friends there. They’re well trained, trust me. How’s Jerry?’
‘He’s OK. Kate, this is not normal behaviour, people being attacked and kidnapped. You need to call the police.’ He looks at Barney. ‘Tell her!’
‘I’ve tried. Anyway, I’m taking her to meet Luke’s friends, they know what they’re doing.’
Adam scowls at us. ‘Good!’
‘Ready?’ Barney asks.
‘Yep. I just need the keys for the club. Go and get Rosie’s car keys.’
‘We can take your car,’ Barney responds.
‘Really?’ I look at my best friend. ‘My Bentley with the marry me number plate? That’s subtle. Not.’
‘Trust me to have a bloody Ford Fiesta as a getaway car.’
Adam glares at him. ‘What!’
‘I’m joking! Do I honestly look like a getaway driver?’
We head for Rosie’s car in silence. Of course the most sensible thing to do would be to call the police. Barney automatically takes the driving seat and I slide in next to him. My palms feel clammy and my heart is racing. What the hell am I doing?
‘You OK?’
I take a deep breath. ‘Not really. Why does this keep happening to us?’
He rests his hand on my leg, driving one-handed.
‘Do you think they’re alive?’ I ask and look at him.
‘That man will survive anything. He can look after himself,’ Barney says with conviction.
‘I know, but they may have done something to him. What am I saying? Of course they have.’
‘I’m sure he’ll get out of this. I don’t know how, but he will.’
‘I hope so. I really don’t want to shoot anyone. But I will to save them.’
‘I believe you, which scares the shit out of me… Why didn’t I know Luke was turning you into some kind of GI Jane? You make a right pair.’
‘I told you – he wanted me to be able to defend myself.’
‘He bloody
has.’ He gazes at my lap. ‘What’s that?’
I hold up the small square box. ‘I don’t know. I’m sure Luke said it’s a detonator…’
‘A fucking detonator! Are you out of your bloody mind?’
‘I don’t know what it is. It just looks useful.’ I look closely at it. ‘There’s a switch – it must activate something.’
‘Don’t bloody try it now, for Christ’s sake.’
‘Of course I won’t!’
My phone rings in my lap, which causes us to jump.
‘Jesus, Kate! Move that bloody thing.’
‘Hello?’
‘Where are you?’ James Sullivan asks.
‘About five minutes away.’
‘OK. Get Barney to park on the side street by the club – Walter Street. I’ll talk you through the entrance.’
I look to Barney. ‘Go to Walter Street. It’s the road after SGI.’
He nods.
‘I have the keys.’
‘There will be a large gold key with the number twenty-two inscribed on it.’
I look closely at all the keys. ‘Got it.’
‘This will unlock the building adjacent to the club. Luke owns it.’
‘He does?’
‘Yes.’
‘Of course he does, why wouldn’t he?’ I reply sarcastically. ‘What is it, an emergency exit?’
‘It has a direct link to the club. Also there are no CCTV cameras on that street.’
‘Christ, and I was going to go through the front door!’
‘Not today. Listen, you will need to follow my instructions, OK?’
‘OK.’
‘Good, now put the Bluetooth in your ear and press the button at the side. Give it a couple of seconds and you should be able to hear me.’
He’s right.
‘Just to let you know, I have my gun, which is loaded.’
‘And a detonator,’ Barney shouts, sounding displeased.
I look across at him. ‘Thanks, Barney,’ I mutter.
‘What did he say?’
‘I’ve got a detonator, I think… A small black box with a switch at the top.’
‘What the hell are you thinking?’ James bellows through my earpiece.
‘I’m trying to use some forward thinking.’
‘Picking up a piece of equipment you don’t know how to handle is not forward thinking.’
