Bend But Never Break

by Cheryl Phipps

  He studied some of the dials and decided they must operate the cameras. Moving one tentatively, he was rewarded by one of the screens changing the direction of its outlook. He found the one closest to where Talia should be and zoomed in. She was gone.

  Then the man on the floor began to stir. Nick looked around and found a length of wire, which he used to tie his hands and feet together. No real need to worry about him yelling and being heard. But conveniently, there was some masking tape on a shelf, so he slapped some on his mouth.

  Getting back to the surveillance system, he panned the camera that covered the back gates. He could see the water in the distance. The tide was right out, which meant the other henchmen would be down at the water’s edge waiting for the drugs. They would, of course, be expecting Randall and Marco to be there for the handover, which - he looked at his watch - gave him about twenty minutes to get Talia to safety and then return to the beach. Not enough time.

  He searched the other areas with cameras but could see no one else. In their earlier casing of the place, they had noted that, at any one time, there were about a dozen people on the premises, including a maid and a cook. He could probably discount those two.

  He made a mental tally: potentially ten gunmen plus whomever the drug runner had on the boat minus the three upstairs and this one down here. Looking better, he thought, but the odds were still not favourable. Besides, to finish this business, he had to make sure the boat landed, that they came ashore with the goods and then had no possible chance of escaping. Otherwise, this was all for nothing. A row of switches indicated the lights around the garden. He flicked several and was relieved to watch them shut down, especially the ones on the back gate.

  But where was Talia? And where the hell was Jack? The Boy Wonder was usually on to it but he’d been missing for some time now. Nick had a sinking feeling his protégé had met with foul play, which meant he was pretty much on his own. He hoped his backup team had been informed, or at the very least, had taken some action since the last time they’d been in contact. He checked his phone – nothing. He quickly texted Jack, Where the hell are you?

  He wasn’t going to fix anything wishing or waiting for help – it was time to do something or forget about it. He opened up several containers and was rewarded by an array of weapons. He shouldered a semi-automatic, slipped an ugly looking knife into his waistband and filled his pockets with ammo for the gun in his holster. As an after-thought, he slipped a roll of tape into his pocket. He wanted to take more but there was no sense in loading himself up so much that he couldn’t move quickly.

  Looking once more at the cameras that showed the still-shut gates, he carefully unlocked the door and peered up the hall. Taking the chance that neither Tony nor any of the others were returning, he sprinted to the outside.

  ***

  She’d lain there for ten minutes, heard the shooting and made her decision. Nick and Emma wanted the deal to go down. She understood and she wished them luck, but Chloe was her priority. She had to find her before things got worse. Having no idea if Nick was alive, she needed to harden her heart and force down the fear if she was going to do what she came here for.

  Following the direction the other two had taken, she came to the broken trellis. Being lighter than the others, she took a chance and crept up the piece still attached to the fence. Halfway up, she managed to grab a low-hanging tree branch, and she swung up into the canopy. A large deck was at eye level but a gap of at least six feet separated her from it.

  This was her first chance to use the training Kirk had put her through. She walked backwards along a heavy bough until she was hard up against the trunk, and then, running as fast as the gnarled branch would allow, she launched herself at the railing. Just as she thought she wouldn’t make it, her fingers grabbed the top railing of the deck, her body slapping against the concrete and knocking the wind out of her. Hanging for a moment to get her breath back, she pulled herself up and over, crouching low to get her bearings.

  There was no sound apart from a slight breeze rustling the leaves. She crept towards the ranch slider and it opened with a sigh. It looked like the main bedroom. Yes, there was his jacket on the back of the chair. If Randall slept here, then wouldn’t Chloe be close?

  There was an ensuite but no adjoining room. No, the few times he’d bothered with her, he’d never liked Chloe to be too near, even as a baby. She would have to search the whole damn place. Poking her head down the hall, she could see several doors, just as the plans had shown. This could take a while.

  The first room was a bathroom where a short, skinny man had just finished at the sink. He looked at her with his mouth in a perfect O.

  Talia reacted first and punched him on the jaw. He retaliated with one to her stomach. It hurt like hell and she grunted with the pain but managed to put her strength in to a kick to the groin. The man went down like a sack of potatoes, hands clasped to the offended area, and she kneed him in the nose. She felt and heard the break as blood erupted, and the man slumped unconscious to the floor.

  How long he’d be out for, she had no idea, but she hoped it would be long enough for her to search the other rooms. And fingers crossed that she didn’t come across any more of Randall’s men.

  Talia had come to the last door when a hand snaked across her mouth. She struggled at first, but when he turned her to face him, she stopped immediately.

  ‘God, you frightened me,’ she whispered as he took his hand away.

  ‘I frightened you? I told you to stay in the garden,’ Nick hissed at her.

  ‘I couldn’t. I had to find out if Chloe was here. Randall said she was.’

  ‘Randall has been known to lie. Did you find any evidence of her?’

  ‘No, nothing.’

  ‘I think he would have sent her away before the deal for her safety, don’t you?’

  ‘Randall doesn’t care about anyone but himself.’ Talia was upset that Chloe wasn’t here but also relieved. It would have been terrible for her daughter to witness the bloodshed that had begun and would probably continue. ‘Are you all right? How’s Emma? I heard shots.’

  ‘We’re both fine but there’s no time to fill you in right now. Randall’s tied up downstairs and I have to make sure the deal takes place. I want you far away when it all goes down. Will you trust me?’

  ‘I don’t think I really have a choice, given the situation.’

  ‘Good enough.’ He smiled his relief at her agreement. ‘Follow me to the gate. Emma should have it opened by now. Stay behind me and keep to the shadows. As soon as we’re through, you need to go back up the beach, but not to the house. I’ll come and find you when I can.’

  ‘You better. It seems I quite like having you around after all,’ she said softly.

  ***

  When Talia looked up at him with those big eyes, he couldn’t help himself. He pulled her to him and kissed her hungrily, even though he feared for her safety. It just felt right. In return, it felt like a total submission on her part and if it hadn’t been for these circumstances, he would not have stopped with a single kiss. Maybe it was the adrenalin, but he wanted her so bad. Shaking his head at the madness, Nick led her the way he’d come until they were once more outside.

  They crept along the back fence until they arrived at the gate. He said a silent thanks to Emma and slithered through. Staying close to the fence, he moved along it with Talia holding tight to his shirt. As soon as he touched grass, he pushed her down onto it, crouching beside her.

  ‘Please wait here. I’ll be back as soon as I can,’ he whispered. He gave her a lingering kiss and walked back to the beach.

  Several shapes appeared in the distance.

  ‘Is that you, Dave?’ One of them separated from the group and started back towards him.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ Nick grunted.

  ‘The boat’s coming in now. You shouldn’t be here. Better get the boss, mate. Just wave at the camera on the fence and Steve will call through to him. And find out what’s hap
pened with the damn lights, will you? Some of the guys are getting a bit jittery.’

  Nick walked back to the gate slowly and, as if sensing something was not right, the man followed.

  ‘How come the gates are open? I said … Hey! You’re not Dave.’

  Nick turned and pushed his gun into the man’s chest and spoke softly, but in a voice that brooked no argument. ‘Nope, I’m not Dave, but he’d like you to join him. Just walk through the gates like there’s no problem.’ He pushed harder when the guy hesitated. ‘Don’t even think about it. I know the odds aren’t good for me, but this gun says they’re quite a bit worse for you.’ The man walked through and Nick took him to where they’d hidden earlier. He used the man’s belt to tie his hands, then taped his mouth and just for good measure, taped him to the tree. ‘Just relax here for a bit.’ He patted him on the head and headed back.

  The sound of a motorboat cut through the quiet night. They were nearly here. Where the hell was his backup? He crept back to the gate and then he saw them. Several men were slipping through the garden and getting closer to the gates when he heard a whisper.

  ‘Nick?’

  ‘Jack! Where the hell have you been?’ He didn’t know whether to punch or kiss him.

  ‘Sorry. I’ve been a trifle busy organising this lot. There wasn’t a hell of lot of time after your phone call to Emma, you know.’

  ‘We’ll talk about this later. They’re here. The boat’s just landed.’ He pointed down to the water.

  ‘How many?’

  ‘I’m not sure. At least six of Randall’s guys unaccounted for and I don’t know how many on the boat.’

  One of the dark clad figures gave a thumbs up sign, and sure enough, they could hear voices. They went back out through the gates and hid beside the boat ramp.

  A nasally voice cut through the night.

  ‘You’d better get Randall out here right now or I’m leaving. Did he really think I would deal with his thugs?’

  ‘No, Mr Carmichael, he fully intended to be here. I don’t know what’s keeping him. He’s just up here in the house, if you’d like to follow me, please?’

  ‘You must think I’m an idiot if you imagine I’m going to walk in there. This whole thing stinks of a setup. Come on, boys, we’re out of here.’

  ‘Everybody just relax and drop their weapons.’ Nick jumped up and over the ramp, holding the newly acquired machine gun at the chubby man’s chest. The group turned as one towards him, but any intentions they had about shooting were gone in a flash when they saw how many guns were pointed in their direction. Someone flicked a torch on and off and within seconds, a dune buggy flew down the beach and turned on a large spotlight.

  ‘Mr Carmichael. This is a pleasant surprise. Well, for me, anyway.’ Nick couldn’t believe that after all this time, he had a far more important criminal he’d been trying to catch for years in his grasp.

  He looked surprised to see Nick, and not very happy. ‘You’ve got nothing on me,’ he wheezed.

  Jack stepped forward. ‘I believe we have all we need.’ He pointed out to sea where a helicopter had its light trained on a large launch. Several boats surrounded it, including the coast guard.

  Carmichael looked horrified, but he tried to bluff Nick with bravado. ‘You’ll be sorry you messed with us. You might have stopped this one today but there’s always another.’

  ‘Take him away, Jack, before I do something I’ll regret.’ Nick had better things to do than talk to that lowlife.

  Suddenly, the launch exploded, and the fiery ball it became was merely feet away from engulfing the helicopter. Several of the smaller boats were not so lucky. The blast was far enough away not to reach them but most of the men threw themselves onto the sand with their hands over their heads, expecting to be mown down.

  Carmichael laughed gleefully. ‘What evidence could you possibly have that would convict me now?’

  Jack very kindly saved Nick the trouble of a reply by whacking the toad-like man in the stomach with the butt of his gun. With pleasure, they watched as the criminal buckled to the sand, his wheezing far more pronounced now.

  Any other time, on any other case, Nick would have been happy to help bag up this scum, but he had only one thing on his mind now. He scanned the beach but he couldn’t see her. Would that woman ever stay put?

  Through the noise and lights, he ran towards the tree, calling her name. Just as he got within several yards, he saw Talia stand up, stagger a few paces, and slump to the sand. A fear he had never known clutched at his insides, and upon reaching her, he dropped to his knees, calling her name. She didn’t move and her breathing was shallow.

  ‘Talia? What’s wrong?’

  ‘My stomach. It hurts, Nick. Worse than childbirth. The pains have been coming and going for a while but something’s happening inside my body and I’m scared.’ She curled into a ball and whimpered.

  Nick raced his hands over her body, looking for an injury he might be unaware of. She was no wimp. He’d been witness to her strength dealing with pain, so whatever was wrong had to be bad. Her body jerked when he pressed on her abdomen, but there was no wound. She was feverish, so he picked her up and ran as gently as was possible back to the villa, yelling and pushing past everyone.

  The policemen were only doing their job, but it seemed as though there were too many obstacles deliberately hindering his progress, and he was frantic to get her help. ‘Get out of my way, damn you. This woman’s injured. Somebody call an ambulance.’ He could hear the panic in his voice but was unable to do a thing about it.

  ‘It’s okay, Nick, there’s one already out front with Emma.’ One of the men ran ahead of him, helping to get the way clear.

  Nick followed him as they raced on through the house, frustrated that it seemed to take an eternity. The front courtyard was flooded with lights and sure enough, an ambulance was in the middle of the courtyard. The doors were wide open, with Emma inside, having her wound dressed. She took one look at his face and stood to one side to allow him to enter. He laid Talia on one of the gurneys and moved back to allow the paramedic to do his job.

  It was probably only a few minutes but it seemed ages before the young man turned back to him.

  ‘Are you in charge here, sir?’

  Nick turned to face him. ‘Yes. How is she?’

  ‘Well, sir, I can’t locate any bullet wounds but she has some abdominal swelling and her blood pressure is far too high. We need to get her to a hospital ASAP. We’ve called for the rescue helicopter and it should be here soon. Meanwhile, I’ll set up an IV.’

  Nick was stunned. She’d got this far and hadn’t got shot. She had to make it. Whatever their differences, he knew without a shadow of doubt that he was in love with her. Looking at her lying so still on the white sheet, he was way past scared.

  ‘Nick, you need to see this,’ Jack called to him from the entranceway.

  He wanted desperately to stay with her and make sure they did everything they could, but he had no idea what that would be, and he had to make sure his people did things right.

  Leaving Talia in hands far more capable than his own, he went back into the house just as another explosion rocked the air.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Talia woke to a nurse taking her pulse.

  ‘Hello there, Ms McLeod. You’re in the hospital but you’re going to be fine. I’ll just get Dr Smith.’ The matronly figure bustled out the door.

  Like a storm in her mind, everything came rushing back. She hadn’t found Chloe. She’d failed. Misery and guilt swamped her.

  ‘How do you feel?’

  A young doctor strolled through the door, but her attention was suddenly drawn to the man sitting in a chair opposite her. Nick. He looked pretty messed up. He was unshaven and looked as though he hadn’t slept. A bruise coloured one side of his face and a bandage covered most of his left arm. He got up and followed the doctor to the bedside.

  The doctor turned and tried to usher Nick outside. ‘I’m sorry, I n
eed to talk to my patient. Would you care to wait in the hallway officer?’

  ‘No, I wouldn’t. Do you mind if I stay, Talia?’ He looked awkward but determined.

  ‘That’s fine, Doctor, let him stay. I think I feel okay. How are you, Nick?’ She was unsure how she should react to his presence. Was he here for her or for his job?

  ‘I’m fine. Furious that things went so wrong - that you didn’t get Chloe back, and that Randall might have gotten away.’

  ‘What? I thought you said you had him.’ A part of her was elated her child was safe, but she felt panic because, if Randall was free, he’d made it plain that he would make sure she’d never find her daughter again.

  ‘We did. There was another explosion in the house and he might have been killed, but I doubt it. They haven’t found a body. You don’t know how he escaped, do you?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Did he think she was in on Randall’s scheme after everything she’d told him?

  The doctor wasn’t happy. ‘I’m sorry, Detective. This is neither the time nor the place for these discussions. Ms McLeod has had recent surgery and must be allowed time to rest and recuperate.’ He turned to her. ‘Should I call someone for you? Perhaps a family member?’ He glared at Nick.

  ‘That won’t be necessary. There isn’t anyone,’ she said sadly.

  ‘I am very sorry to hear that but in light of all you’ve been through, I insist you have no stress, at least for a few hours.’

  ‘I don’t understand why I’m here. Why did I need an operation?’ The painkillers had done their job, but now she could feel the thickness of a bandage across her stomach, and a tube dangled ominously from the bed.