by T L Swan
I shake my head. “No, I’m vomiting.”
He frowns. “Vomiting?”
“From stress, Ben. You are stressing me the fuck out!”
His eyes dance with mischief. “Do I need to pat you off to sleep?”
“No. Why would you?” I snap.
“You’re getting snarky.”
I look at him, deadpan. “No, Ben. I’m getting stabby. Get it right.”
He chuckles as he tips the contents of the three shopping bags onto the bed. He pulls out two sim cards for our phones, as well as a scanner. “Can you set up the scanner while I get the phones working, please?”
“What do we need a scanner for?”
“I need to scan the document over to Joshua. We need to know what it says. If I know what it is, I have more chance of finding them.”
I nod. “Good thinking, sure.” I begin to unwrap the scanner at double speed, and then I take it over to the desk. I try my hardest to concentrate on the instructions. Computer crap is not my forte. Ben puts the sim cards into our phones and goes through the set-up program for each of them. He then adds our phone numbers to the other’s contacts.
“All done,” he mutters to himself. He then clicks through a few things on his phone. “Shit,” he murmurs.
“What?” I frown as I look up from my task.
“I got an email from my boss.”
“What does it say?”
He passes me the phone.
10:22. p.m.
Buzz
There has been an identified security breach in relation to your call in from Prague.
We now have concrete evidence on the two suspects.
Do not return to your place of residence until we have them secured.
Keep your head down.
Commissioner Greg Jackson
BEN
Bridget’s eyes widen. “Well, what… what are they going to do about it?” she stammers. “Who’s Commissioner Greg Jackson?”
“He’s the head of security,” I reply as I take the phone from her and read it again. “This was sent last night, before they broke into my house.”
She drops her hands to her side, as if defeated. “So, what do we do?”
“We stay low until they find them, I tell her calmly.
“Do they know about the code?” she asks.
“No. I want to know what it says first.” I gesture to the scanner. “Is it nearly set up?”
“Yeah, a few more minutes.” She returns to the set-up mode and I stare at the phone in my hand for a moment.
Fuck. I’m dreading this call. I dial the number and he answers first ring.
“Statham.” He smiles. “About fucking time you called, you prick.”
“Hey, Stan.” I sigh, damn it. Joshua Stanton is the last person I want to get involved with this shit.
I stare out the window. “Listen, I need your help with something.”
“What’s up?”
“I was slipped a note on a napkin at a function from a dude saying if anything happens to him, I had to go to this safety deposit box.”
He listens. “Right…”
“So I went and got it the next day.”
“Of course you did.”
“Only, it’s in some kind of code. I can’t read it.”
“I could have a look at it. Do you think it’s important?”
I roll my lips. “The man who gave it to me was Jason Steele.”
He stays silent as he does the math. “The diplomat who got murdered yesterday, alongside his wife?”
“Yep.” My eyes find Didge as I talk. “There’s more. My house was broken in to after he was murdered. They know I have the letter.”
“Where the fuck is Bridget?” he snaps.
“She’s with me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growls. “You got her messed up in this shit?”
I close my eyes. “Unintentionally.”
“Where are you?”
“New York.”
“What are you doing there?”
“Weekend away. Good timing, I guess.”
“Fucking hell, I’m going to break your neck when I see you.”
I roll my eyes. “Can I send the letters over to you to see if you can crack the code?”
“Yes, fine.” He thinks for a moment. “Do they know you’re in New York?”
“I think so.” I glance at Didge again as she plugs in the cords of the scanner. “We’ve changed hotels and I’ve gotten rid of all phones and key cards. HQ said to stay in a secure location.” I face the other way. “I need to get her out of here,” I whisper. “She’s not safe with me.”
“Fucking hell, Statham,” he growls again. “She’s safer with you than anyone else. Nobody will protect her like you can. Natasha’s going to fucking flip out. I’m sending my private jet to get you both.”
“Yeah, but where to?”
He thinks for a moment. “Take her to Kamala. It’s secure, and I’ll send some extra security over. How long did they say it’s going to take to find them?”
“They didn’t say.”
“Kamala. It’s the best option,” he replies.
Kamala. That’s actually not a bad idea. Nobody can get in there; it’s like a fort. “I’ll call the guys and get back to you.”
“Okay, make it quick. We will have to get a flight plan together.”
I nod. “Yeah, where will I send this file to?”
“Send it to my private account: [email protected].”
I smile. “You’re a fucking soft cock.”
“Look who’s talking.” He pauses. “Put Bridget on the phone.”
I roll my eyes. I’m not in the fucking mood for him to lecture my girl. “No.”
“Statham,” he demands.
“Goodbye.” I hang up.
I turn to Bridget.
“Is everything all right?” she asks softly.
“Can you scan this and send it to [email protected], please?”
She smirks when she hears the email address.
“I know, the soft cock has her name as his email.”
“Because your internet banking password is so gangster,” she mutters dryly.
I smirk as I pass the file over to her, and I watch on as she scans it in.
“So, what do we do now?” she asks.
“We wait.”
It’s late afternoon. Bridget is reading on her phone and I’m trying my hardest not to pace around the hotel room.
I can’t stand this. I can’t stand this fucking waiting.
If I didn’t have Bridget with me I would be out looking for them, but my main focus now is to keep her safe. I watch her fiddle with her long, dark ponytail and my heart constricts. Just the thought of anything happening to her is driving me crazy. I spoke to Rick this morning and he agrees that Bridget is safer with me. The name ‘Stan’ lights up my screen and I answer it.
“Hey.”
“Hi, I’ve been working on this thing all day. I can’t seem to decipher it. It’s a code within a code. I think I may have the first one, and I don’t want to alarm you, but I think it’s some pretty fucking heavy shit. The amount of money mentioned is four-hundred-million dollars.”
“Shit.”
“I’ll keep working on it, but it will take some time to get through.”
“Yeah, okay,” I murmur. I look over at Didge as she watches on.
“The plane is picking you up from JFK at 4:00 a.m.,” he continues.
I frown.
“It was the only landing time I could secure for tomorrow, otherwise we would have had to wait for three days.”
Shit. “There won’t be many people around then,” I think out loud.
“I know, but I’m going to send some security to New York tonight to help you get to the airport.”
I think for a moment. “It’s okay, I’ll get a couple of my friends to come over.” I can see the worry on Bridget’s face. “Just in case,” I add.
“Take them to
Thailand with you to be sure.”
I nod. “Yeah, I might.”
“How’s Bridget?” he asks.
“I’ll get her to call you.”
“When?”
“In a minute, while I call the guys.”
“Is she okay?”
“Acting it.”
“I’ll get this code done and then we can move on from there. I’ll call you back later. Have you spoken to your friends already?”
“Yeah, I called them this morning; they know what’s going on.”
“What do they make of it?”
“Same as us, they’ve no idea.”
He stays silent as he thinks. “Speak later.”
“Yeah, okay, mate. Thanks, hey?” I smile.
“Tell Bridget to call me.”
“Yep.” I hang up and turn to Didge. “Joshua wants you to call him.”
She blows out a deep breath. “Yeah, okay.” She clicks out of her book on her phone. “Maybe this is all a bit dramatic, Ben. Maybe it was just a coincidence that your apartment was broken into?”
I watch her. “The boys are over at my apartment now going through the security footage. They’ll get back to us soon, and yeah, hopefully it’s unrelated so we can go home and check on my things.” I have a sinking feeling of dread about the state of my apartment, and I want to check on it.
Her face lights up with excitement. “Oh, I forgot.” She rushes to her carry-on luggage bag and rustles through it. She digs out the small wooden box that I keep in my room. She hands it over to me and I open it. Meika’s things are all here. I take out the string of pink beads as my eyes search hers.
“You didn’t think I was going to leave her at home, did you? She goes where we go now,” she says softly.
Emotion overwhelms me. I get a lump in my throat and I fall to the bed, taking her into my arms and holding her as tight as I can. “Bridget,” I whisper.
There aren’t enough words in the world to explain my love for this woman.
At a time when I just want to enjoy her and drink her in, I’m terrified that something’s going to happen to her. “I’m going to call the boys and ask them if they want to come to Kamala,” I murmur into her hair.
She pulls back to look at my face. “Is that really necessary?”
I stand. “Probably not, but they could do with a holiday, and it will put me at ease having them around. Joshua suggested it.”
She nods as she watches me. “Okay.”
“You need to call Joshua and Natasha; they’re freaking out. Why don’t you go and take a bath and call them? I’m going to call the guys.”
“Yeah, okay.” She grabs her phone and disappears into the bathroom. My phone rings. It’s Ethan.
“Hey, man,” I answer.
“We’re at your apartment, watching the security footage, and it’s definitely them.”
“Can you see their faces?”
“Yes, as clear as day. Definitely looking for something. I’m going to send you a video so you can show Bridget what they look like.”
“Thanks. Were they armed?”
“Yep.”
I close my eyes. “How do you guys feel about coming to Thailand for an all-expenses-paid holiday?” I ask.
I hear him tell the others in the background. “He wants us to go to Thailand with them.”
“Fuck, yeah.” I hear Jed in the background, then they say something I can’t hear and laugh.
“We’re in.”
“Get on a plane to New York. Our private flight leaves at 4:00 a.m. I need you to help me get her to the airport safely.”
“Will do, we’re on our way.”
“Eeth?” I say.
“Yeah, man?”
“Bring your weapons.”
21
BEN
I sit in the darkened room and watch Bridget sleep.
I had to lie with her until she drifted. If I’m calm, she’s calm, and pretending to go to bed with her is least I can do. It’s just after 1:00 a.m. and the guys have landed. They should be here any moment. I won’t sleep tonight. I can wait until tomorrow when I know that they are watching over her. Bridget’s chest rises and falls. She’s wearing a cream satin nightdress and her dark hair is splayed across her pillow. Her full lips are slightly parted and her long dark lashes flutter occasionally.
My angel.
My love.
My wife.
I’ve got this sick feeling deep in my gut, one that’s saying she’s going to be taken from me. I’m trying to fight it, trying so hard to believe that the universe wouldn’t be that cruel… but I already know that it can be.
My childhood is a testament to that.
What would my life be like if something were to happen to her?
I close my eyes to try and block out the feeling of losing another person that I love.
I couldn’t bear it.
I stand from my seat next to the bed and lie beside her, taking her in my arms and softly kissing her forehead. The need to hold her in my arms is so strong, I just can’t deny myself.
“Ben?” she murmurs softly in her sleep.
“I’m here, angel,” I whisper.
“Are you okay?”
I tenderly kiss her lips. “Of course I am. I’m here with you.
She smiles, and moments later her breathing tells me she’s drifted off to sleep again. I softly rub my lips back and forth over her forehead as I lie deep in thought, until my phone beeps with a text.
Downstairs
I text back.
6th floor, room 349.
I’ll call reception now.
I get up and walk into the adjoining room to dial reception.
“Hello, reception,” a woman answers.
“Hello, this is Jake Martin from room 349. Can you issue an extra key so that my guests can get up in the elevator, please?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Thank you.”
I open the door and wait for them.
It seems like forever until their three ugly faces come into view, causing me to smile broadly.
Thank fuck, the cavalry has arrived.
The three of them walk down the corridor with their bags. They’re on another deployment, only this one is for me. Ethan grabs me in a bear hug with a chuckle, and Matt and Jed shake my hand with broad smiles on their faces. These guys would do anything for me, as I would them. Never have I needed them like I do now.
“Thank you so much for coming,” I whisper as I open the door behind me. I quietly close the door into our adjoining room where Bridget is sleeping, and they all walk in and throw their bags down.
“What the fuck is going on, man?” Ethan asks.
I take a seat at the table and they all fall in place around me. “I don’t know,” I reply. “But whatever it is, it’s not fucking good.”
Jed unpacks his laptop from his bag and sets it up in front of us. “So, I recorded the security tape from your apartment,” he tells me. “It’s very interesting, to say the least.”
“Is Bridget okay?” Matt asks.
“Yeah, she’s fine,” I mumble. “I don’t think she fully understands what’s going on.” I run my hands through my hair. “I don’t want her scared, so I’ve played it down.” I exhale deeply. “Play the tape.”
The four of us sit in silence as we watch our former colleagues break the lock on my apartment and then gain entry. I had security cameras fitted into the air-conditioning vents when I worked for Joshua. I was away a lot. I never thought I would need them like this, though. They walk into my apartment and look around.
“Fucking snakes,” Matt whispers. “It’s going to be fun killing these motherfuckers.”
I shake my head in disgust. “I should have done it. I had the chance in Prague. Uninterrupted, in the basement of a parking lot, nobody would have ever known. I should have just pulled the fucking trigger. I don’t know why I listened to HQ. Where the fuck are they now?” I puff up my cheeks as I feel my adrenaline surge.
“If something happens to her, I fucking swear…” I shake my head in disgust.
“We got this,” Jed reassures me. “Don’t think like that.” He plays the tape and we all sit in silence, watching them rummage around in my apartment. They go from room to room as they search for the documents, trashing the place as they go. They walk into my bedroom and search it, and then place a camera in the light fitting above the bed. John walks around to Bridget’s side of the bed and picks up her bottle of perfume and smells it. He smiles darkly. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention as I watch. He raises an eyebrow and hands it over to Sam, who inhales deeply, too. They say something and laugh.
I clench my jaw in anger. “I pull the trigger. This is my kill,” I whisper.
They all nod as they watch. They then go over to the photos on the shelves in my room and go through them one by one. John picks up the photo of us at Kamala and points Bridget out to the other one. He then carefully takes the photo out of the frame and put it in his back pocket. My chin rises as I feel the adrenaline start to pump. Then they smash everything on the shelves.
I drop my head, unable to watch.
“Oh, they’re gonna fucking die, all right,” Ethan whispers.
My thoughts go to my wooden box, and I’m grateful that Didge was thoughtful enough to bring it with us. What would they have done to Meika’s passport and beads, had they found them? My eyes rise to my friends as rage fills my every pore.
“We find them and then I kill them. Nice and slow.”
“Angel,” I whisper as I wake her
“Hmm.” She stretches.
“Didge, we go have to go the airport, babe. You need to get up.”
“What time is it?” she mumbles
“We leave for the airport in half an hour.” I go to her suitcase and retrieve her clothes and underwear. I lay them out on the bed for her. “You’ve got time for a quick shower,” I add.
“Did you sleep?” she asks.
“Of course I did,” I lie. The guys and I have been up all night, discussing theories.
She glances around the room. “Did your friends arrive?”
“Yes, they’re in the room next door. They got a few hours sleep.” Another lie. I’m on fire today.
