by Beth Abbott
But Reggie and his assholes? They’d probably think of it as a bit of sport. Fun for them even if it wasn’t so much fun for the women.
Chapter 53 – Megan
“Have the messages been sent?” Suzy asked anxiously as Megan retrieved her work phone from the high ledge of the windowsill.
She stared at the screen and her shoulders slumped.
“Nope.” She sighed. “Still no bars, and the messages are still in draft mode. It can’t have picked up a signal for even a couple of seconds, or the messages would have gone, and they’d be showing in the sent box.”
“Shit!” Suzy groaned as she tried to adjust her sitting position. “I’d hoped that as the day wore on and fewer people were using their phones, it might pick up a stronger signal.”
“I don’t know if it actually works like that.” Megan shrugged. “But if it does, then we’re still in a busy time. Another hour maybe, and people will have finished their nightly commute home, and they’ll be sitting down eating their dinner and watching Coronation Street. It’s almost an unwritten law that nobody is allowed to phone anyone while the soaps are on.”
Suzy smiled at Megan’s attempt to lighten the mood.
“I guess.” She nodded. “But maybe you’d better hide your phone for the next hour, just in case they come back. It would be just our luck that the screen lights up when it finally gets a bar or two, just as they’re in the room with us. Maybe even stick it on airplane mode for now?”
“Good thinking.” Megan tapped the screen a few times to activate airplane mode and then pulled up her trouser leg, shoving the phone down her sock, inside her boot. “That should do it. As long as they don’t ask me to get up and walk far. It’s gonna rub like hell if they do.”
“What do you think they’re doing?” Suzy wondered aloud, and Megan looked over at the smaller blonde woman.
“Which ‘they’ are you referring to?” She smiled. “The assholes upstairs? Or our families back in Birmingham?”
“Both, I guess.” Suzy shrugged.
“Well, I think the assholes upstairs have probably made a call to someone to demand a ransom.” Megan shrugged. “They’re not going to want to be hanging around doing nothing, when they could be making themselves rich quickly.”
“True.” Suzy nodded.
“And our families?” Megan sighed. “I can’t speak for your family, but I’m guessing that by now they’ll have realised we’re missing, and Robbie will be freaking out. He’s only a teenager, and he’s barely experienced anything of life yet. This will be so far out of his comfort-zone, he won’t have a clue what to do. I just hope Evan and Robbie’s manager, Harry, are looking after him.”
“And who’s gonna be looking after Evan?” Suzy asked pointedly.
“Evan’s a grown man. He can look after himself.” Megan shrugged. “I haven’t been in his life for more than a decade, so if anything happened and I suddenly disappeared for good, I’m sure he’d get over me pretty quickly.”
“Well, let’s get any notion of you disappearing out of your head, shall we?” Suzy scowled. “Because that would mean we both disappeared, and I have a husband and three kids to get home to.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.” Megan hurried to reassure the other woman. “I was just making the point that we’ve really only just reconnected with each other, so after only a few days, I doubt if Evan would be as devastated as, say, your husband.”
“Are you sure about that?” Suzy asked. “It doesn’t sound as though all the original feelings could have truly died, or why would you be reconnecting now, after all this time?”
“The reconnecting part is just chemistry.” Megan shrugged. “We always had great chemistry, and if anything, Evan is more attractive now than he was ten years ago. But all the other feelings…”
Megan couldn’t put into words how she felt.
“You still love him, don’t you?” Suzy guessed.
“I always knew he’d be the love of my life.” Megan said quietly. “Him divorcing me didn’t change that.”
“And does he still love you?” Suzy pushed her to face reality.
“He says he does.” Megan nodded. “He claims he only divorced me to stop me having to live through what might happen to him while he was serving in the military. He lost some friends and saw others with catastrophic injuries. I guess the divorce was his knee-jerk reaction.”
“It sounds like he was going through PTSD type issues at the time.” Suzy said quietly. “Matt suffered badly for a while several years after he left the military. It’s a tough time and can take years to work through.”
“Well, I’m guessing Evan worked through it Ok, because he seems fine now.” Megan shrugged.
“Not having to worry about leaving you behind could have lifted a huge weight off Evan’s shoulders.” Suzy said simply.
“Thanks.” Megan snorted. “I hadn’t realised I was such a burden.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.” Suzy smiled. “But the weight of knowing what your spouse will have to face should things go badly wrong is something a lot of soldiers can’t carry. That’s why some of them end up with alcohol and drug problems. It has nothing to do with how much they love their husbands and wives, and everything to do with how they process what is going on around them. The mayhem.”
“How did Matt manage to get through his issues?” Megan asked. “You don’t have to say if you don’t want to… this is just the nurse in me asking.”
“He was helped by one of his co-directors, Drew Dixon.” Suzy explained. “Drew is a registered therapist, as well as a naturally wonderful listener. He’s worked with veterans for more than ten years, and has had some real successes, not least with Matt.”
“I’m glad Matt found someone who could help him.” Megan smiled.
“What about you?” Suzy turned to look at Megan. “Did you have therapy or someone to help you get through being abandoned by Evan?”
Megan shook her head.
“I couldn’t really process it at first.” She shrugged. “I didn’t actually tell anyone until after the divorce was final, and then it was only my boss in work. That was necessary because I had to remove him as my next of kin from my emergency contact list.”
“That must have been tough.” Suzy sympathised.
“Not as tough as telling her that I didn’t have anyone to replace him with.” Megan frowned. “The only relative I could name was my nine-year-old brother. How awful is that?”
“I can’t imagine.” Suzy shook her head, obviously understanding Megan’s pain. “I’m guessing that made what Evan did hurt so much more than if you’d had a big family to turn to for support.”
“I had friends around me where we lived in Splott, but I couldn’t face them, and I sure didn’t feel like going out socialising with them, not when I was falling apart inside. Besides, they were Evan’s friends as well.” Megan admitted. “In the end, I just moved away. No fuss or fanfare. I hired a van, loaded up all my stuff and moved up to Birmingham. At least I didn’t have to explain to anyone why Evan hadn’t been coming home for so long. Nobody in Birmingham knew he’d ever existed.”
“The same way none of the team knew that you existed.” Suzy shrugged. “He probably found it just as difficult to explain as you did.”
Megan snorted.
“Somehow, I’ve struggled to find much comfort in that.” She admitted. “And I think that’s why I’m struggling to trust him completely now. I have a lot of anger inside me for how badly he hurt me, and how he abandoned me without ever even checking to find out if I was Ok. I worry that ten years of resentment can’t just be swept under the carpet so easily. What’s gonna happen the first time we have a fight? It’s all gonna come pouring out. And probably every time after that, too.”
“I don’t know Evan very well, I have to admit.” Suzy shrugged. “But Matt thinks he’s a great guy. Dedicated, hard-working and loyal. I find it hard to believe that he would try and start something with y
ou after all these years, if he was just gonna throw it away again the minute things got tough. He’s gotta be smart enough to realise that there will be hard feelings that are gonna have to be overcome. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who would run away twice, not when he obviously realises what a mistake it was to leave the first time around.”
Megan could see the sense in what Suzy was saying, and she really wanted to believe that Evan was a changed man. But was that just wishful thinking?
Could she risk everything again?
“Listen!” Suzy hissed. “Someone’s coming!”
“Lie down, quickly!” Megan checked the phone in her sock was well hidden. “You have to keep making out that you’re drowsy and nauseous.”
Megan watched Suzy slide to the floor just as the door burst open, and two men walked in as though they meant business.
Megan glanced up to find two Gary Barlows staring at her.
Ok, this was getting really disorientating now. One was bad enough, but two? Come on!
“Get up!” The Gary on the right barked, stepping up to grab her arm.
Megan struggled to get to her feet, even being pulled as she was.
“So, you’re the little nurse.” The man pushed her back against the wall roughly, his hand grabbing her around the throat. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find out who you are? Or more importantly, who you’re related to?”
Megan could feel herself going pale, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.
“And your little friend?” He sniggered. “She’s got a rich sugar-daddy husband that will pay to get her body back. But of course, you wouldn’t know that if you only met today.”
“I didn’t lie.” Megan gasped. “I never met her before today.”
The man pushed her back against the wall again, and Megan felt her head hit the base of the deep windowsill.
“What should I do to punish you for telling lies, hmm?” He crowded into her, his face only a couple of inches from hers.
As Megan held her breath, as much to avoid having to inhale the stench from a significant tobacco habit as from fear, she felt his hand at her waist, running up across her ribs.
When he grabbed a breast and squeezed hard, Megan was barely able to hold back the squeal of pain.
“More than a handful, eh?”
Megan could see his light blue eyes crinkle, and knew under the mask he was grinning, but he wasn’t talking to her.
“Let me feel.” His accomplice moved in on her other side, and without any warning, grabbed her other breast through her sweater. “Oh yeah! Enough to keep me happy while I’m fucking her.”
“You see, that’s what happens to little liars.” The first Gary was squeezing harder now. “We have to punish you, but your punishment is our reward. All of us.”
“I thought you wanted to get a ransom for us.” Megan whispered. “You won’t get anything if you harm us.”
“Of course, we will.” Blue-eyed Gary grinned at her. “They won’t know whether you’re alive or dead until they collect your bodies. By which time, we’ll have already had our fun with you, and gotten our money.”
“If you don’t let me have some water and maybe some food, blankets, and medical supplies, she won’t be alive to convince her family to pay the ransom.” Megan nodded towards Suzy.
Blue-eyes glanced down and as he did, released Megan’s breast so he could step back and get a better look at Suzy.
“Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it.” He growled. “But if she dies, it’s on you.”
Megan didn’t like to point out it was nothing of the sort.
Both men stepped back to get a better look at Suzy.
“I’ll be going out in an hour to get supplies, so I’ll get you what you need then.” Blue-eyes growled as they headed for the door. “We’ll be calling your families later, so you’ll get to talk to them to prove you’re alive. Don’t give us any reason to alter your status before then.”
Megan watched the door close behind them and slumped to the floor, almost retching at the memory of their hands on her.
“Suzy, I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’ve got to get out of here.” She whispered.
Suzy instantly grabbed her hand and held on tight.
“I know.” She whispered back. “We just have to figure out how.”
Chapter 54 – Hannah
Hannah sat in Matt’s office, staring at the two senior police officers opposite her, not sure whether she should just step out and let the two men slug it out between them.
David Roan and the local Chief Constable had been flown down to Birmingham by Vicky about an hour ago. They were currently in a stand-off over who was going to lead the operation to rescue Megan and Suzy, assuming they could be found, and whether or not the Alpha-Guardians would be able to play any part in the rescue.
“Malcolm, I don’t think you understand the reality of the situation.” David repeated for the third time. “The men of Alpha Company have worked with the Intelligence Services and British police for more than fifteen years, and all of them are fully capable of leading this sort of operation. Their association with various branches of Government, not least the Ministry of Defence and various police task forces, means they are fully licensed to carry weapons, and have some, if not all of the powers of any police force to operate on UK soil. You simply cannot leave them on the side-lines of a mission like this.”
“I can, and I fully intend to.” Malcolm Burridge puffed out his chest, obviously impressed with the aura of importance he was exuding. “I have men who can handle this job as well as any force in the country, so I don’t need a bunch of cowboys coming into my back yard, getting trigger happy and shooting up the local population. It’s not going to happen, David, and as the visitor to this patch, I’ll thank you to mind your own business, and leave me to run my own division how I see fit.”
David was obviously incensed by the other police officer’s arrogance, and Hannah was starting to wonder if he was actually going to lose his legendary cool and just punch the jumped-up asshole.
“As the husband of one of the kidnapped women, I think I should have a say in who is involved in this operation.” Matt stepped forward. “And I don’t want anyone assigned to this case who doesn’t understand the concept of team-working. So, why don’t you take your opinion and whatever authority you think you have, and shove...”
“What my colleague is trying to say…” Luke stepped forward, yanking Matt out of the way. “Is that we’ve made a good deal of progress in narrowing down the location of the missing women, and we already have a plan as to how we’re going to work through the intel we’ve gathered so far. Obviously, we wouldn’t mind if you wanted several of your officers to accompany us, and of course, they would be able to make whatever arrests were necessary, with little or no mention of us ever having been there. But at this stage of the investigation, to simply hand the case over to the police would be a huge backward step, as you simply repeat all the work we’ve already done.”
“I would expect you to hand over all of your intelligence to my officers, and step back while we do our jobs and find the alleged victims.” Burridge huffed.
“Alleged victims?” Hannah stepped forward, furious. “So, now you think we’re making all this up, do you? Are you really so intellectually challenged that you have to make ridiculous slurs about situations you know nothing about, simply because they’re obviously way beyond your molecular sized brain to understand?”
“Now, you listen to me…!” Burridge’s face had turned a dark, unattractive red. “This is my patch, and I say who does what, not you! And if I want you out of my city, then by God I’ll make sure you’re gone!”
“Malcolm, stop talking out of your backside.” David stepped in between Hannah and the senior policeman. “You have absolutely no power to have anyone removed from ‘your city’, and we both know it. None of these people have committed any crime, and you have no authority to demand that they ha
nd over any of their intelligence. It’s all been legally obtained and wouldn’t be covered by a seizure warrant even if you tried to obtain one.”
Hannah glanced down and noticed that David had one hand behind his back, and as he uttered the words ‘legally obtained’ she saw him cross his fingers.
Yeah, maybe other times her intel hadn’t exactly come through the front door, but on this occasion, it had all been obtained through the proper channels.
Before the argument could escalate further, the door opened, and JT walked in, his phone to his ear and half a smile on his face.
“I appreciate the offer, sir, but for the moment, all we need you to do is clear a path for us. We’ve got everything in hand, as far as it can be at this stage, but there are some barriers being put in front of us that will take a little more clout to knock down than we have by ourselves.” JT made sure to walk close to where Malcolm Burridge was standing. “Thank you, sir. I was sure you’d understand our predicament. Obviously, not all senior police officers are as well-informed as David Roan, and some of them need the message to stand down to come through the proper channels.”
Hannah watched Burridge clench and unclench his fists.
“Yes, sir. I’ll put you on speaker, if I may, so we all hear the same message at the same time, and there’s no ambiguity or confusion.” JT tapped his screen and held the phone out. “You’re on speaker, and Chief Constable Burridge is right in front of me.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Burridge demanded. “What sort of stunt are you trying to pull.”
“Chief Constable, I can assure you this is no stunt.” The man’s amused voice came through the speaker. “Hopefully, you can recognise my voice, because it’s so embarrassing having to tell people who I am all the time.”
“You sound like an impersonator to me.” Burridge smirked. “And not a very good one, if you ask me.”
“JT, can you switch this call to video?” The man asked. “Sara showed me how to do it last time she was home, so I think I should be able to manage at this end.”