‘Ready?’ I shouted over to Ollie. He nodded, then squealed with laughter as I opened the throttle and the boat shot forwards, skimming over the small waves being churned up by the strong wind. It had turned colder, but we were all wrapped up well. I sucked in a lungful of the fresh cool air, it was exhilarating. I felt like I’d been walking around with shackles on for the last nine months, what with Ellie’s pregnancy, then the trauma and birth, then this damn project and prototype launch. Five minutes of being back home, out here on the water, and I felt more free than I’d felt in months.
‘Faster, Daddy,’ Ollie yelled. I looked over at him, at his cheeky grin, his dark hair being buffeted in the wind and his cheeks with a rosy glow, and smiled proudly. He really was my boy. I did as he asked as we completed our first circuit of the island and waved to Ellie, who was supervising the luggage being loaded onto the other boat. I laughed as I saw her shake her head with a smile on her face.
‘What do you say to us doing a circuit of the loch then calling in to see Uncle Pete at The Stag for a bottle of Coke?’ I called. He nodded vigorously and screamed with joy as I opened up fully and we roared across the water. I heard Andy radioing in to Chris to let him know our change of plans. I’d probably get it in the neck from Ellie for bringing him back hyper from the adrenaline of the ride, as well as the sugar rush, but it was worth it to see his happy face. I needed to make it up to him for the other day.
‘You seem more relaxed, Sir,’ observed Andy, as we both drank a pint of non-alcoholic beer while Ollie sipped his Coke through a straw, swinging his legs from his chair.
‘I am, being here has that effect on me, but I feel safer, too.’
‘Safer? Has something happened?’
‘I didn’t say anything as I didn’t want to worry Ellie, but I’m sure someone’s been watching me.’
‘You’re just telling me this now, Sir?’ Andy shot, giving me a disapproving glare. ‘I’ve not seen anything out of the ordinary and James never mentioned anything.’
‘I can’t explain it, just a feeling that something isn’t right.’
‘I need more than that to take action, Sir. Have you seen something that’s played on your mind, that might have developed into something more than it is?’
‘I was walking through reception on my way to my office, and saw someone out of the corner of my eye whose face seemed familiar, but it was partially shielded by his hat. I turned around to get a look at him properly, but he had his back to me and was walking out. Then, when I went to get Ellie some flowers yesterday, after upsetting her with the whole Oliver situation, I spotted a guy with a baseball cap pulled low on his face. When he realised I’d seen him, he turned and quickly walked away.’
‘I’ll get the footage of the security cameras off the server when we get back and go through them. Is there anyone with a grudge against you that I can check out?’
‘I don’t know,’ I laughed. ‘I’m sure I’ve pissed off lots of people in my business, eating up competitors, having to make some of their staff redundant. I’ve had to fire employees who were taken on for specific skills and projects, or who weren’t up to the mark. And I also think that Ellie’s ex is probably pissed off that she settled down with me. He fucked up his life royally when he lost his job, then her, but as far as I know, he’s living abroad. Besides, it was years ago, I can’t see why he’d suddenly stalk me now. It would make more sense if he was following Ellie, trying to win her back.’
‘Jealous exes often target the new partner,’ Andy stated with a frown. ‘I’m really not impressed that I’m only hearing about this now, Sir. How am I expected to do my job when you hide key information from me?’
‘I wasn’t deliberately hiding information, I wasn’t even sure that this was anything until I spotted that guy yesterday. He could have just been someone in a hurry and I’m making something out of it.’
‘But something about it feels off?’
‘Yes,’ I confirmed after considering his statement. ‘It’s just a sense I have that something isn’t right. I know I’ve been stressed with Ellie’s near miss, Eva arriving, and the launch of this prototype. Maybe now that I’m home and things are going to settle back into normality, my overactive imagination will settle down.’
‘I never discount a feeling, Sir. It’s saved my life a number of times. You have your own version of facial recognition software, don’t you?’
‘I do,’ I nodded.
‘Is it running at Davenport head office?’
‘No, I’ve never seen a need to.’
‘I’d suggest implementing it immediately, also in your American lab and anywhere else you’re developing software. This could be a competitor trying to get a hold of the new project. Your firewalls are so secure, access would pretty much have to be made by someone on the inside, wouldn’t it?’
‘I guess it would,’ I confirmed, knocking back the remains of my drink. I wondered why that hadn’t occurred to me before, then realised my mind had been on my family. I’d been seriously distracted for the last nine months. ‘I’ll get it sorted as soon as we get home. Ready, Ollie?’ I asked. He nodded and let out a large burp, which had Andy and I laugh. I shouldn’t have let him have two cokes, Ellie was really strict about not letting him have too much sugar. ‘It’s a good thing your mother’s not here, she wouldn’t be amused. Right, let’s get back.’
Damien Daniels
Following them from the airport up here in Scotland had been easy. It wasn’t as if there were small streets for them to dodge down and lose me, like in London. They turned right out of the airport, following the signpost to Loch Airdrie. I’d already studied the map of the area countless times and knew that unless you did a massive detour to the nearest town and then climbed back up the mountain to approach the loch from the other side, there was no other way to get there, so it wasn’t going to raise any suspicion that a car was following them. I had a moment of panic when I turned a bend as we cut through some dense forest to see they were no longer in sight. I put my foot down, turned another corner to find a long straight stretch of road ahead, and they still weren’t to be seen.
‘Fuck,’ I yelled, bashing the steering wheel with my hand in frustration. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’
I soon realised that there was no way that they’d have had time to speed out of sight, so it meant that they’d turned off somewhere. I turned the hire car around and went slowly, looking left and right until I spotted a small track on my right. I pulled up and decided to investigate it on foot. It was too risky to drive down, not knowing if I’d suddenly find myself sitting on their drive. I’d be recognised instantly and what excuse would I have for being there? Given the way we parted, I was sure I wouldn’t get a warm welcome.
Instead of walking along the track, in case someone drove along it either way and spotted me, I ventured just into the forest, a few trees back from the track, cursing as I ripped my trousers and gashed my leg on some brambles. I wasn’t dressed for fucking hiking in the wilds. If this was where they lived, I was going to have to go and get some proper walking boots and waterproof rugged trousers and a jacket, as well as some thermals. It was bloody cold and windy up here, Christ knows what it would be like when it was snowing. It was a good fifteen minute walk before I spotted the clearing and a couple of Range Rovers parked up on the edge of the loch. There was a jetty stretching out into the choppy water. My stinging knee was soon forgotten when I spotted the large house on the island opposite.
‘Nowhere left to hide,’ I whispered with a gleeful smile on my face. I had them. All I had to do now was watch them, study them, note down any routines I could. As soon as I could afford to assemble my team, they could confirm when would be best to snatch the kid. It wasn’t like I was an expert in bloody kidnap and ransom. While the house had a glass front, it was too far away to make out anyone inside it. I was going to need to get a set of high-powered binoculars and a decent zoom lens camera if my observations were going to be of any help. Once I could afford
my team, I didn’t want to fuck around. I wanted to take action, to get this over and done with, so the more information I could give them, the better.
I headed back to my car, cutting through the trees again to avoid detection. No way was I sleeping in a bloody tent. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it in summer, let alone bloody autumn, or possibly winter. Staying at the hotel was too risky given it was one of his. He might visit for work, or they might go there for a family meal. That meant that the pub was off limits, too. I needed to check out the B&Bs or see if there were any holiday lets up here. That would be my best bet. Somewhere I could come and go without anyone asking questions, somewhere warm to sleep at night, where I could cook a hot meal and have internet access to work. During daylight hours, I’d need to be on watch, which meant finding a spot far enough away from the jetty that I wouldn’t be spotted, but close enough for my binoculars and camera to give me what I needed. I’d need to get a camouflage tent so I could stay in the dry when I was on shift.
I racked my brains to think whether I had any former clients up in this area. I couldn’t afford not to do any work while I was here, I’d need to keep the cash rolling in. I nodded with a smirk as I remembered that the Ospreys, owners of one of the largest smoked salmon companies in Scotland, lived in Edinburgh. That was only a short flight away. If I could visit and tempt them to work with me, that would be one fat payout, between heading back to London to continue working for the clients I’d already amassed there. I finally reached the car, turned on the engine, and cranked up the heat, holding my numb fingers over the vents until they came back to life. Why the fuck would anyone choose to live up here? In the middle of bloody nowhere, where the weather was shite? What was wrong with London? Easy access to great bars and restaurants, not to mention hookers. Staying up here was going to be a fucking nightmare. I opened the glove box and pulled out my notepad and pen.
‘Five down, five to go,’ I announced. I was so damn close. The Davenports weren’t going to know what had hit them by the time I was done with them.
Day Twelve
Monday 21st October
Ellie
‘Dan, are you sure you have time? They’ll be here any minute,’ I called up to his office from the kitchen, as I checked the seafood paella I’d prepared for us all. Mr. and Mrs. McAdams had arrived back from their holiday last night and were so excited to meet Eva. It was easier to invite them down here for lunch, instead of hauling all the baby paraphernalia and three children up to their cabin, even with the new smoother path.
‘I’ve just got to make a few calls, I’ll be down as soon as possible,’ he replied. I frowned. I had the distinct impression something was going on with him lately. I’d put his stress and occasional bad temper down to his worry over me having Eva, but other than the day we’d had everyone around for lunch in London, he’d not improved since she’d arrived. Over the last week in particular, he’d been more short fused and had avoided answering my questions when I asked if he was alright. I was determined that now we were home, I was going to get to the bottom of it. I was worried about him, it was almost like the old Dan I’d first met was slowly returning, the one who was hiding secrets from me and carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’d worked so hard on shedding that side of him, I didn’t want it to all be for nothing.
‘What can I do?’ asked Jenny as she came in. ‘Eva’s still sleeping and Oliver and Jonas are watching TV next door.’
‘Nothing you’re not already doing,’ I smiled. ‘So, when are you and Dean finally going to go out on a date?’
‘What?’ she spluttered, her cheeks turning pink.
‘Please, I recognise the signs. The two of you have been flirting for over two years. You’re moving slower than Dan and I did, and that’s something I never thought I’d say.’
‘We’re just friends, good friends,’ she replied with a nonchalant shrug.
‘Who are you trying to convince with that statement,’ I laughed, opening the fridge to grab the jug of iced water for the dining table. I winced as lifting it pulled the muscles in my stomach.
‘Ellie,’ Jenny scolded, taking it off me. ‘You know you shouldn’t be carrying anything yet. I’ll do the heavy lifting, then head down to the boathouse while you’re eating, give you some space.’
‘Now it’s my turn for the disapproving look,’ I told her as she put the jug in the middle of the dining table. ‘You’re having lunch with us, too. When are you going to get it into your head that you’re not just an employee, Jenny? You’re part of the family and one of my best friends.’
‘Ellie,’ she moaned, her cheeks colouring up again.
‘It’s true, and stop trying to change the subject. You can’t tell me that you don’t fancy Dean. He’s a very good-looking guy and that’s without the sexy pilot's uniform.’
‘He is,’ she giggled, tucking her hair behind her ear. She was so pretty, intelligent, and had an amazing figure, courtesy of all her workouts. I couldn’t believe she was single.
‘So,’ I prodded, beyond excited at the thought of them getting together. She was a relatively young woman and needed more fun in her life.
‘We’re just friends, that’s all we’ll be. It’s unprofessional to date a co-worker.’
‘Jenny,’ I scolded, ‘no one will have a problem as long as it’s not happening when you’re on duty. Your free time is yours to do with as you want.’
‘I’m sure Dan would have something different to say about that,’ she scoffed, moving back over to sit at the island as I wiped up the kitchen worktops.
‘It’s nothing to do with him, as long as you’re both doing your jobs to the best of your abilities. So, when are you going to ask him out?’
‘I’m not, but why do I get the feeling that you’re not going to let this go?’ she asked with a smile.
‘Because you know me too well. When’s the last time you saw anyone, or had sex?’
‘I can’t remember,’ she grimaced. ‘I have a great relationship with my body wand that you recommended, if that’s any consolation.’
‘You know, Dan was saying the electricity bills at the boathouse had spiked in recent months,’ I teased, then burst out laughing at the look of mortification on her face. ‘I’m joking, but for a young, attractive woman like yourself, a lack of sex life is no joke at all.’
‘Tell me about it,’ she sighed, resting her chin on her knuckles. ‘What if I ask him out and he says no?’
‘The way he looks at you? No way is he saying no, you’ll be having crazy monkey sex within minutes.’
‘Monkey sex?’ she laughed. ‘I’d settle for just boring old missionary, it’s been that long.’
‘Me too,’ I sighed wistfully. ‘I can’t wait for these six weeks to be over. I feel like I’m back here that winter I first met him and he was holding out on me.’
‘I admire him for that, that shows some real restraint.’
‘Hmmm,’ I agreed, the thought of restraints firing up my need for him. My hormones were off the charts at the moment, but it was only eleven days after my operation, it was way too soon. Maybe lack of sex was making Dan irritable.
‘Earth to Ellie, Danland,’ Jenny called, distracting me.
‘You sound just like Brooke,’ I smiled, turning to check the paella. I wanted that nice crust on it, without taking it so far it burnt.
‘You miss her, don’t you?’
‘I do,’ I nodded. ‘Molly, too. We haven’t had a girls’ night out in forever with me being pregnant. We need to get them up for a weekend and the four of us can go to the hotel for a spa and champagne day. We could get pampered, and then Dean could pick us up in the helicopter and you could finally make your move.’
‘What if I do and he really doesn’t feel the same, it will make things really awkward.’
‘Then you blame the champagne, but I’m telling you, it’s not going to happen. That guy fancies you, Jenny. He’s just too polite, and probably scared of Dan’s reaction, to do anyth
ing about it.’
‘Who’s scared of me?’ Dan asked as he jogged down the stairs. Jenny pulled her best pleading face as she looked at me, but this was something I wasn’t prepared to let go.
‘If Jenny and Dean were to date, and it didn’t affect their work, would you have a problem with it?’ I asked.
‘None whatsoever. I’ve been telling him for months to ask her out. Even I can see the chemistry and I’m usually oblivious, unless it comes to you, baby,’ he grinned, dipping his head to give me a kiss. I looked up at him surprised, he seemed in a much better mood than when he’d woken up this morning.
‘Daddy,’ yelled Oliver from next door.
‘Dada,’ shouted Jonas. Dan grinned and strode next door to squeals of excitement. He was probably hoisting them up in the air, they loved it when he did that.
‘Are you two ok now, after the other day?’ Jenny whispered. I’d confided in her about his shitty attitude and lack of concern for Oliver’s wasp sting.
‘We will be. It’s been a rough few months.’
‘You can’t not work out, Ellie. You’re my goalpost. One day I want to be in a relationship where we look at each other the way you two do, to have a family as loving as yours.’
‘We’re not falling apart, far from it, but we have been a bit more argumentative recently. Being home will do us good, he’s always more relaxed here than London.’ I waved as I spotted Mr. and Mrs. McAdams outside the front door, gesturing them to come in. Oliver raced through from the playroom and threw himself at Mrs. McAdams as she came in.
‘Hello, young Oliver. What a greeting. Where’s your brother?’
‘Playing.’ He lifted his arms for her to pick him up and flung them around her neck. He was such a loving little boy.
‘Anyone for wine?’ I asked. Jenny shot off her chair immediately to stop me heading to the wine fridge in the utility room.
‘That would be lovely, Ellie,’ replied Mr. McAdams.
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