by Emma Tallon
32
Anna strained her ears, waiting for him to return, half hoping he would and half hoping he wouldn’t. She still couldn’t believe it was him. He was the last person she would ever have imagined to be her kidnapper. Why would he want to take her? It made no sense.
He had stood there earlier staring at her for about a minute, just letting her see him, letting it sink in. Then he had left, without a word. She hadn’t known what to say.
It had been hours, but she knew he would come back. He had to. Aside from anything else, he clearly wanted to watch her and he couldn’t do that from out there anymore. Not now that she had destroyed his link to the camera.
Finally, the sound of footsteps came through the door and she straightened her back, holding her head high. Her heart thundered against her chest and she swallowed hard as he opened the door.
‘Hello,’ she said, her calm voice not betraying the fear and wariness underneath.
‘Anna,’ he replied cordially. There was a strange silence as once again he just stood staring at her.
Anna felt a chill run up her back but she tried to suppress the shudder. She didn’t want him to know how afraid she truly was. And she was afraid. She knew exactly what sort of person he was and now, being held by him in this way, that knowledge terrified her.
She still had no idea why he had taken her or kept her locked up like this. None of it made sense. Surely he’s got nothing to gain? she thought. Surely he must know that by now?
‘Does Freddie know?’ Anna kept her tone light and conversational.
He took a step forward, further into the room. ‘No, not yet. He will soon though,’ he replied.
‘I see.’ Anna’s heart fell. She was hoping Freddie might know, that it would only be a matter of time before he found her. ‘Look, you must realise by now that you have nothing to gain by taking me. I’m guessing that this was all done without much forethought,’ she said carefully. ‘I can understand that in your world mistakes like this can happen. I’m sure we can all come to the agreement that this has been one big misunderstanding.’ She swallowed. ‘Why don’t we start again and go grab a coffee. I’m sure we can work something out.’
‘No, I’m afraid that’s not possible.’ He shook his head. ‘This was all planned, Anna. There’s been no misunderstanding.’ He walked into the room and sat down on the chair by the dresser, facing her.
Anna’s heart plummeted and her blood turned to ice in her veins. This was bad. Very, very bad.
‘You see, things are about to change in London,’ he explained. ‘Soon Freddie will be facing a lengthy stretch in prison and Central London will need a strong leader to take his place. One like me, perhaps.’
Anna shook her head in disbelief. ‘What? Why would Freddie be going to jail? And what makes you think London would just roll over and accept you in his place? That position has to be earned. You don’t just waltz in and sit down on someone else’s throne.’
He gave her a sympathetic look. ‘You don’t see it yet. But that’s OK. That doesn’t matter now. What matters is the future and that’s exactly what I’m building for us. We just have to wait until Freddie’s finally inside and then we can settle back down, start over.’
‘What?’ Anna breathed. ‘What do you mean, we?’
‘I mean you and me, Anna. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the connection between us. It’s been there since we met. And besides, I’ve seen you with Freddie. You’re a good partner to have around. You’re intelligent and you understand the way of things. You’re feisty too. I find that actually I like that in you. When everything goes down, I don’t want you getting dragged down with him. So, for now you’ll stay here with me, and then when it’s all over, we can start a new life. You, me and even the little one you’re growing in there.’ He pointed to her stomach. ‘Oh, I know all about that. It’s OK – I wish it no harm. I’ll keep you both safe. So long as you cause me no trouble.’ His eyes bored into Anna intently and she felt her skin crawl. Turning on his heel, he left the room and locked it after him.
Anna stood up stunned, reeling from the madness she had just heard. Surely he couldn’t be serious? How crazy was he exactly? She shivered as the enormity of the situation hit her. She hoped that Freddie and his men would work out who had taken her soon. She wasn’t sure how safe she was after all.
33
Freddie woke up with a start and groaned. He gripped his head as if trying to hold it still. He felt as though a herd of angry rhinos were stampeding through his skull. After finding Anna’s jacket he had tried to keep it together and had succeeded in putting on a brave face the following day. But sleep evaded him again the next night as his mind screamed out all of the possible scenarios that ended in her jacket becoming drenched in blood. He had driven around for hours, trying to think of something, anything that he hadn’t already thought of. But there was nothing. In the end he’d come back to Tanya’s and drunk himself into oblivion.
Although he drank a lot in general, getting off-his-face drunk wasn’t a usual occurrence for him. He liked to keep his wits about him, but last night all he had wanted to do was forget and slip into some sort of sleep, even if it was broken and fitful, for just a few hours. Now, though, he was beginning to regret that decision. He felt awful. Serves me right, I guess, he thought.
Dragging himself upright, he waited for the room to stop spinning before he stood up. He reached into the gym bag at the bottom of the bed and pulled out a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a white T-shirt. He slowly shrugged these on and made his way out to the living room, where he could hear voices.
Tanya glanced over and looked him up and down. ‘Christ, you look like shit. I’ll get you a coffee.’ She walked into the kitchenette that sat to the side of the lounge and turned on the coffee machine.
Freddie thanked her and greeted Fraser, who appeared to have just arrived. Freddie figured it was his arrival that had woken him up.
‘What’s going on then? Any news?’ Freddie’s voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat and sat down on the sofa.
‘I have got some news, yes,’ Fraser began, ‘and it’s good.’
‘You’ve found her?’ Freddie’s expression lifted in hope.
‘No, not quite that good, sorry,’ Fraser answered apologetically. ‘But I can tell you this – the blood on Anna’s jacket isn’t hers. It’s male, but whose it is beyond that we can’t tell. Whoever he is doesn’t have a record – the DNA isn’t on the system.’
‘So what does that mean?’ Freddie frowned as he tried to understand why Anna’s jacket would be covered in some guy’s blood.
‘It could be his blood, though I would say that’s unlikely. Why would he hand us that lead? It’s more likely that he’s taken someone else too. Perhaps the guy’s hurt and Anna’s tried to put pressure on a wound with her jacket to stem the bleeding. There could be a number of reasons as to how the blood got on the jacket. I think what’s more obvious is why it was left on the door. Whoever has her wanted you to think it was her blood. They’re trying to taunt you, drive you crazy.’
‘It’s working,’ Freddie said.
‘Yes, I know.’ Fraser took a sip of his coffee.
Tanya looked over to the hall as Tom poked his head around the doorframe.
‘I’m off. I’ll see you later, Tan.’ His tone was awkward but he gave her a warm smile. She tried to return it. ‘Hope you find something more today, Freddie. Good luck, mate.’ Tom waved and disappeared.
Freddie shot Tanya a questioning look, having noticed the strain in the interaction. She shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to Fraser.
‘Whoever this is they’re trying to play a weird game with you, Freddie. With no ransom demand, no calls or texts, this is totally out of my field. I don’t know what to make of it. At this stage in any investigation I’d bring in a profiler. Of course, that’s a bit tricky in this case, seeing as this is all off the books.’ Fraser sat back and waited to see what Freddie thought.
; Freddie bit his lip. So far Anna’s disappearance had not been officially reported to the police. He had Fraser running an investigation, using all of the officers on Freddie’s payroll as his team. They had access to all the technology and databases they needed and were doing everything any team could do, so there had been no need to make it official. This worked well for Freddie, as it meant that everyone on the team already knew who he was and that he was the most likely reason for the abduction. There was no need for any fresh-faced, do-good officer to go looking too closely into his businesses.
Now though, if Fraser needed to bring someone in, that complicated things. He didn’t have any profilers on his payroll and wasn’t sure he wanted to be under the scrutiny of one either.
‘How much would that help, in the grand scheme of things? Is it the difference between finding her or not?’ Freddie asked.
‘It could be, yes,’ Fraser answered. ‘My gut is telling me that we’re dealing with a nut job. We’ve been focusing on Anna, but there’s been a lot going wrong lately that doesn’t add up, and I don’t think it’s coincidence.’ He counted them out on his fingers. ‘Viktor Morina, Dale Matthews, the break-in, the money, Anna… I think these might all be the same guy. I think someone is out to get you, big time.’ He took a deep breath, his expression serious. ‘And if that’s the case, this isn’t a normal abduction. If we are dealing with a nutcase, then a profiler could be all we have to help us work out where or how to get him.’
Freddie rubbed his head, stressed. He wished he wasn’t so hungover. ‘How closely can you look at Frank Gambino without it being noticed?’ he asked.
‘Pretty closely. There’s been a watch on him since he entered the UK; he got flagged at the airport.’ If Fraser was surprised by the question he didn’t show it.
‘See if you can find out where he’s been around the times everything’s been happening. But subtly. I don’t know who he has on payroll over here.’ Freddie wasn’t stupid enough to think Gambino didn’t have his fingers in the law-enforcement pie of London. He had men everywhere.
‘Fuck it,’ Tanya muttered. She knelt down by the coffee table and pulled a small pouch out of her pocket. Taking a small mirror out from under the table, she placed it in front of her and emptied the contents of the pouch onto it. She deftly cut herself a line and then a second one to the side. Snorting the first, she offered the mirror to Freddie. He blinked, surprised.
‘Bit early, ain’t it, Tan?’ he asked.
‘Oh, you feeling fresh and full of beans then, mate?’ she asked sarcastically.
Freddie was surprised at how sharp her response was. Though she had a point, he acknowledged. He took the mirror. Just like getting drunk, it wasn’t a regular habit of his, but it would give him the kick he needed this morning. He sniffed the white powder up neatly, before handing the mirror back to Tanya. Neither offered Fraser a line, knowing full well that he was happy to ignore it but wouldn’t touch the stuff himself. Random drugs tests put paid to any ideas he might have had of trying it.
‘So, going back to the profiler, what do you think we should do?’ Freddie asked Fraser. ‘I can’t exactly report it and hand over everything we’ve found so far without getting you struck off, or myself banged up for not reporting it sooner.’
‘I’ve been thinking about that and I’ve got an idea. It will cost you and it’s still a bit risky, but I think it’s the best option we’ve got.’
‘Go on,’ Freddie said.
‘I know a freelance profiler who’s available at the moment. She’s good. I can’t approach her myself for obvious reasons, but I have a friend who used to be on the force. He’s a private investigator now and not above taking things that he shouldn’t, for a price.’ He drank some more coffee and put the mug down on the coffee table. ‘We can get him to invite her onto the case, say that he’s running it and that the client details are private. That’s the easy part. The hard part will be getting her to take the job. It’s classed as “misprision of felony” to know of a kidnap and not report it to the police. She may well tell him that she’ll have nothing to do with it. And worst case…’
‘Worst case she reports it herself and we’re all screwed,’ Freddie finished.
‘Pretty much,’ Fraser answered.
‘Do you think she would? How well do you know her?’ Freddie asked.
Fraser thought about it before he answered. ‘I worked two cases with her, but I don’t know her much on a personal level. She kept her head down and got on with things. If I had to bet, I’d say she’s likely to decline but she won’t get involved by reporting it.’
‘So we just have to convince her she needs to take it,’ Freddie said.
‘That would be the plan. If we can pull it off. I think it’s worth a shot,’ Fraser said honestly.
Freddie nodded slowly. ‘How soon could you have the scenario set up?’
‘In an hour,’ Fraser responded.
‘Do it,’ Freddie replied. His lips formed a hard line. They were running out of options and at this point in time, slim though the chances of pulling it off were, this idea was the only one they had.
34
Paul ended his call with Marco, their cocaine supplier, and slipped the phone back into the inner pocket of his dark-grey suit jacket. He leaned over the small balcony of his flat and sighed heavily.
James walked up to stand beside him, his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, and gave him a sad smile. ‘Are you OK?’ he asked, knowing that he wasn’t.
‘Nah, not really. Freddie’s losing the plot over Anna. And I can understand that. I’d feel the same if it were you.’ Paul nudged James fondly and James squeezed his arm.
‘I know you would,’ James said.
‘It’s not just that though. Freddie’s dropped the reins on the business.’ The worry lines on Paul’s brow deepened. ‘I’ve been picking up the slack as much as I can, but people are starting to notice. You know, a year ago there were three of us running things. And now it’s mostly just me and there are only so many hours in the day.’ Paul sighed again heavily. ‘And on top of that, there are a couple of people that don’t want to deal with me. So, Freddie sorts them out usually, but he’s so preoccupied that I’m going to have to step in and I’m just not looking forward to that.’
‘What do you mean?’ It was James’s turn to frown. ‘Why wouldn’t they want to deal with you? There’s nothing you can’t do that Freddie can. What’s the issue?’
Paul turned to face James and chewed his cheek. He didn’t want to upset his partner and he knew that his next words would. But he wasn’t going to lie to him either. ‘Some of the people we’re in business with are very old school. They don’t understand some of my life choices.’ He put it as gently as he could. In truth, some big issues had arisen when he had come out the year before. He and Freddie had known that this would be the case and had been prepared for it.
Most people didn’t bat an eyelid about the fact he was gay. But sadly some of the older faces that they worked with were very set in their ways. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t the first – Ronnie Kray had been one of the first men in their position to be publicly known as homosexual and there had been others – there were still people in their world who refused to accept it.
‘You’ve got to be joking…’ James’s expression turned from surprise to anger. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Yeah, I am. And it’s fine, it don’t affect anything. It’s just a ballache, that’s all.’ Paul dismissed it casually.
He had never told James how Freddie had had to fight to keep a lot of business and how he had beaten one man nearly to death to send a message to the rest of their world that in his presence homophobia would not be tolerated. It had been a tense time for the Tylers. With an empire like theirs, in the dark, cut-throat shadows of the underworld, all it took was a couple of bricks to be moved and it could all fall down in an instant. But they had shown a strong united front and although they had to rejig their responsibilities slightly to av
oid any fallout, everything had settled back down pretty quickly.
‘So, who are they then? Can’t you just tell them to piss off if they have a problem?’ James was annoyed. He had lived with this sort of bullshit for years when he was younger, but it wasn’t a problem much anymore. Not in the multicultural, modern freedom of London. He was furious that it was causing a problem now, to his Paul. Paul didn’t deserve that. ‘What is it with these people? I mean, Christ, having a problem with someone because they’re gay is like having a problem because they’re black, or Jewish, or a woman!’
Paul nodded his agreement but didn’t respond. It wouldn’t help the situation to tell James that these people were also well known for all of those things: racism, sexism, the lot. They weren’t the nicest of people, but in the underworld you had to work with all sorts.
‘Are they important? Can’t you just not work with them?’ James asked.
Paul hid a smile. Life was always so black and white to James. ‘No, they spend a lot of money with us. They used to be much bigger players, but these days they’re semi-retired. They own a couple of clubs on the East side and run some small illegal enterprises from within. We supply them with the right sort of men for security and run the drugs through the clubs. We also supply their spirits. They would be a big client to lose, overall.’
‘When do you need to go see them?’ James asked.
‘Tonight,’ Paul answered.
‘OK. Which clubs are they, anyway?’
‘Jui over in Shoreditch and Roar on Brick Lane. I’m meeting them at Roar at ten. It will be fine. The meeting will be short and sweet and I’ll be home by eleven hopefully.’