I thought London was the United Kingdom? And Scotland was the North Pole?
Are you being serious??!! I typed, giggling. Just because Scotland is up north, it’s not in the North Pole. Your knowledge of geography is seriously appalling. I hope you know North from South when you’re waxing a client. Some poor guy may go in for a moustache wax and get his balls or arsehole done instead!
Hehe, good job I’m not a surgeon then, eh?! Can’t wait to see you, whatever the county.
Country! My God, even Oliver after home schooling has better geographical knowledge than you! I still love you though, my little challenged hot head xx
I do spend a lot of time in the cuntry, namely Molly’s ;-)
Brooke Hanson! I’ll update you tomorrow when I know more. Enjoy your bush whacking ;-) Got to dash, Jenny’s waiting to watch a film and the popcorn is ready. LYMY xx
Traitor, that’s my role, cheering you up. LYMY too, babe. See you tomorrow, come hell or Hiawatha xx
I shook my head with another chuckle, not bothering to correct her, or we’d be at it all night.
I hugged Jenny tightly as we turned off the lights in the lounge.
‘Thank you, I needed that.’
‘It was fun. Try not to worry, he’s in his element now, and when he’s done, he’ll be straight back to you for lots of love and nurture, which you do best.’
‘Sooner than later, I hope. Sleep tight without Dean,’ I teased.
‘Don’t remind me,’ she groaned. ‘I can’t wait for this weekend away. Only one more sleep!’
We kissed each other on the cheek and headed to our rooms without our men. I popped in to see the children first, giving them all a kiss, before getting ready for bed. Our specially-built bed, to accommodate Dan’s tall frame, dwarfed me on my own, and the pillow didn’t smell like him as they were fresh sheets. I picked up my mobile, checking for messages, but there was nothing. I tapped out one to him, but at the last minute I deleted it. I was being selfish. He’d said he needed no distractions and space, so that was what I was going to give him. I doubted many husbands and wives were as lucky, to have such a long run without a night apart, and it wasn’t like he was in danger tackling a computer virus. I wondered how forces wives did it, or women married to police or firemen, guys who were in danger constantly. I had no idea how they coped, never knowing if today was going to be the last time they said goodbye. I had it lucky, so very lucky.
‘I love you, Dan,’ I whispered, hugging a pillow to my chest as I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep.
Day Nineteen
Friday 11th September
Ellie
‘Thanks, James.’ I smiled at him as he held the door open at the surgery to let Oliver and I through, Jenny hot on our heels. He nodded and smiled back. I checked in and we went to sit in the waiting room. It was a good thing that it was a private practice, given three of us were accompanying a four year old for his injections. The waiting room was amazing, totally designed for children with pictures of animals all over three of the walls, and the fourth, separating the reception and waiting area, was a huge glass fish tank. Oliver was fascinated and pulled up one of the small children’s chairs to sit and watch them, while James, Jenny, and I each took a seat on the plush leather armchairs. I checked my mobile again and sighed.
‘No news still?’ Jenny asked.
‘No,’ I replied with a shake of my head. ‘The last update from Andy was that Dan had worked all night on the flight, slowing down the virus, but he was still working on eradicating it from the main lab. It’s not healthy to go so long without sleep, not when you’re concentrating so hard.’
‘It’s what he does, Mrs. Davenport, and he’s exceptional at it. He knows his limits and if anyone can crack this, he can,’ James added in a reassuring tone.
‘Thank you.’ I gave him another grateful smile and wrapped my arms around myself, in part as a virtual sympathy hug, in part because I felt cold. The waiting room was heated, and I was in my jeans, Emu sheepskin boots, and a black cashmere sweater with a vest underneath, but I was still shivery. I put it down to lack of sleep last night worrying about Dan, and not eating this morning or at lunchtime. I just hadn’t felt like food at all. I rummaged in my jeans and found one of two pellets of bubblegum-flavoured chewing gum I’d confiscated off Oliver this morning. I kept it in a bowl on a desk in my office at both houses, and he’d sussed it and had started helping himself to it. I was going to have to lock it up, it was a choking hazard for a little boy. I popped one of them in, hoping the sugary hit would be enough to keep me going until we got back for dinner.
‘Good morning, Oliver,’ came a kind female voice. I looked up and the nurse nodded to me. ‘Mrs. Davenport, we’re ready for him.’
‘Oliver, come on, darling,’ I called. He was totally engrossed watching a brightly-coloured blue fish shooting from one side of the tank to the other.
‘Can I stay and watch the fishes, Mummy?’ he asked without looking around.
‘Lots of fish are just called fish, not fishes,’ I told him, ruffling his dark hair.
‘Why?’
‘They just are,’ I replied, Jenny and James chuckling in the background. I was an author and a trained editor and sometimes even I didn’t understand the complexities of my own language. ‘Come on, we can’t keep the doctor waiting, can we?’
‘Ok,’ he sighed, reluctantly standing up. I straightened his blue and white striped jumper that I’d teamed with his dark blue combat jeans and took his hand. We headed into Dr. Harris’s room and took a seat by his desk. He spun around with a big smile on his face.
‘Good morning, Oliver,’ he beamed. ‘How are you today?’
‘I miss my daddy,’ he replied with a shrug. I put my arm around him and kissed the top of his head.
‘He’s a bit glum as his daddy had to go to America on business urgently. Other than that, he’s been the picture of health since our last visit.’
‘Excellent,’ Dr. Harris nodded. ‘Let’s just do a general exam first, we should be done in about five minutes.’
I took Oliver’s jumper off. I’d put him in a white t-shirt underneath so they could inject him easily without having to totally strip him. They were well practiced here. Dr. Harris kept Oliver’s focus on him as the nurse prepared the needle and I was so proud when he didn’t fuss or cry as he was injected. He pulled a face and buried his face in my side while the nurse put on a plaster. She waved a lolly, looking at me for approval. I nodded. It was best he ended the appointment on a good note, so he wouldn’t be scared to come back again.
‘Here you are, Oliver, a lollipop for being such a brave boy,’ she coaxed. He lifted his head to look at it, then looked up at me for permission.
‘You can have it, you’ve been so good, Mummy’s really proud of you.’ I smiled at him and he grinned back up at me. I got him back in his jumper as the nurse unwrapped the red lollipop and handed it to him. He popped it in his mouth straight away with a sound of delight. I thanked them both, took his hand, and headed out. ‘All done and no tears, from him or me, for which I think I deserve some props myself, given I’ve turned into an emotional waterfall since having babies,’ I announced as Jenny and James looked up. Jenny giggled and gave me a high five.
‘Good boy, Master Oliver,’ James uttered, looking quite proud himself.
‘I knew you could do it, Oliver,’ Jenny smiled. ‘Well done.’
‘Mummy said I was a brave boy,’ he mumbled, his lolly still in his mouth.
‘A very brave boy, but what did I tell you about not talking with your mouth full?’ I asked. He looked up at me with a grimace and I chuckled as I shook my head. ‘Come on, let’s go home. Jonas was far too lively at lunchtime. Poor Luiza will be worn out by the time we get back.’
James held the door open for us again and we ventured back out into the fresh air. It was another chilly, but clear and crisp, day. James walked ahead, as usual, Jenny bringing up the rear, as we headed down the steps to the pavem
ent to walk up to the Range Rover parked a little further up the street.
‘James,’ Jenny suddenly uttered, her voice not having her usual cheery tone. ‘Ollie.’
‘I see it, guard them.’
‘Ollie?’ I repeated, my stomach sinking again. Straight away I knew that something was horribly wrong, the whole point of us choosing the code word Ollie. I quickly picked Oliver up, holding him against my chest, one hand on the back of his head. ‘What’s happening?’
‘Black van, blacked-out windows, with no number plates up ahead,’ James advised, flicking his head in the direction of it, parked three cars up.
‘Fall back?’ Jenny asked, quickly stepping in front of me.
‘Yes, and fast,’ James advised. My mouth went dry. This couldn’t be happening again. Maybe they were doing another practice run in the event of a problem occurring in London. I immediately discounted that idea when the double doors of the black van burst open and three men in black combat gear and balaclavas jumped out and started running towards us.
‘Owwww, shit,’ Jenny gasped. I saw her reach for her neck, her fingers scratching as if she was searching for something. I realised what when I saw what looked like a dart with short feathers on the end just below her ear. ‘James,’ she slurred as she suddenly staggered. ‘Tran … tranq …’
‘Jenny,’ I cried. I reached up and yanked it out, but I was too slow. Her knees buckled and she collapsed onto her side, like a dead weight, onto the pavement.
‘Get behind me right now,’ James barked. I followed his line of sight and my heart almost exploded out of my chest. Leaning out of the van window was another man in a balaclava with a rifle trained on us. ‘Damn it,’ James bit.
‘Close your eyes for me, Oliver, everything’s going to be ok,’ I lied, stroking his hair. Blood was pounding in my ears as I looked down at Jenny crumpled on the floor. I had no idea if she was alive or dead and I was petrified. I didn’t want Oliver to see her like that. Everything suddenly seemed to go in slow motion. Sound became muffled as I watched events unfolding through wide, terrified eyes, my grip on Oliver tightening. James jerked and quickly pulled a dart from his own neck as the masked men ran towards us. I heard a woman screaming as James was hit again, then again with another two darts and started to sway. By the time I realised it was me screaming, he was already on his knees. I wanted to run, I knew that I needed to run back to the safety of the surgery, but I couldn’t leave my friends, that and my brain and my legs weren’t communicating. I was rooted to the spot, my whole body trembling. James tried to stand back up, but the quickest of the men, who’d reached us first, kicked him in the face and knocked him out cold. He collapsed face first onto the pavement as I started to feel woozy. I was vaguely aware of a stinging sensation in my left shoulder as another of the men approached me.
‘No,’ I cried as the world started spinning. Flashes of green hedges, grey pavements, and blue skies swirled around me. ‘Don’t you … don’t you … touch … my … baby.’ I felt myself starting to sway and heard Oliver crying. One of the masked men caught me as I fell backwards. I fought so hard to stop my eyes from closing, but everything was blurred and I felt so sleepy. All I could see was a pair of fuzzy brown eyes when I felt Oliver being ripped out of my arms as he screamed, and I didn’t even have the strength to hold onto him.
Damien Daniels
I sat in the back of the van, rapping my fingers on the bench that ran along its length. I felt stifled in this fucking balaclava, but Alfa had insisted I wear it until he was back in the van with the package and Bravo and Delta. Charlie was our driver, but he’d scooted over to the passenger seat with his tranquiliser rifle as we waited for the four of them to exit the doctors. I felt a combination of excitement and totally and utterly sick with nerves as we sat silently. I felt like Colin Farrell in S.W.A.T. I was dressed up like a bloody undercover commando, but I knew fuck all about this stuff, this wasn’t my line of expertise.
‘Prepare,’ Charlie said quietly, winding down his window. I swallowed hard. This was it, step nine on the ten-step plan and there was no backing out now. I was about to kidnap a bloody kid for ransom. It had never been in my life plan to do something so despicable, but I hadn’t exactly been left with a choice. Everything happened so fast, the doors of the van bursting open and the three guys leaping from it and racing towards our target. The girl Jenny was already on the ground, the old man James was swaying. For a moment I felt a sudden pang of guilt as I looked at Ellie clutching her kid to her. She looked terrified. I closed my eyes, I couldn’t watch. Was this what I’d let myself become? Some low-life scum who terrorised innocent women and children? I wanted to call it off, I wanted to scream at Alfa and his team to fall back, or whatever the bloody term was they used. They spoke a language I didn’t even understand. But it was too late. I’d promised them a share of Davenport’s money, and even if I could call it off now, they’d probably fucking kill me for messing them around. I felt the van shake and opened my eyes.
‘What the fuck?’ I spat as I looked down at James lying unconscious at my feet. Delta was crouched by the doors, ready to close them. I looked out at the street and could see Bravo with Jenny over his shoulder and Alfa carrying Ellie over his, Oliver tucked under his other arm and screaming his head off. ‘This wasn’t part of the fucking plan,’ I yelled. It was supposed to be the kid, not the whole bloody ensemble.
‘Shut the fuck up, Damien,’ hissed Charlie as he slid back over to the driver’s side and started the engine. I watched open-mouthed, totally aghast, as Jenny’s body was dumped next to James, then Ellie. Bravo and Alfa jumped in with the kid still screaming and seconds later, Delta frantically trying to close the doors, the van screeched out into the street. I could just see a couple of men running after us, were they crazy? They thought they could stop these bloody guys? Delta slammed the doors shut as I was flung back against the metal wall of the van when Charlie took a corner at speed.
‘Someone shut this fucking kid up,’ Alfa barked, dumping him on the floor of the van next to his unconscious mother. Oliver starting crying “Mummy” as he pulled at her hand, fat tears pouring down his face. It was too much, I’d made a fucking mistake doing this. I covered my eyes with my hands as I shook my head. I heard Alfa’s voice again over the noise. ‘Pedal off the metal, Charlie, we’re clear. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.’
I dropped my hands when I realised it was silent and looked down to see Oliver was out of it as well, collapsed over Ellie’s body as Delta put the cap back on a syringe in his hands. ‘What the fuck just happened?’ I asked, still not sure this was really happening. ‘It was supposed to be the kid, not everyone else. That wasn’t the plan.’
‘It was a shit plan,’ Alfa laughed, ripping off his balaclava, the others following suit. ‘What if Davenport called our bluff and refused to pay? This way we have some hostages to kill, to show we’re serious.’
‘Kill?’ I screeched, the level of my voice reaching almost womanly soprano heights. ‘No killing.’
‘You’re not in fucking charge, you were never in charge,’ Alfa hissed menacingly as he leaned forward and poked me in the chest with his index finger. ‘We only need you for the money transfer. How this goes down in between now and then is up to me, got it?’
‘Got it,’ I whimpered. He looked psychotic and what the hell could I do? I was outmatched, and outgunned, four to one. Delta laughed as he pulled his balaclava off and ran a hand through his messed-up hair.
‘What’s the matter, Damien? This shit all get a bit real for you? This is what we do, and we’re fucking great at it. Sit back, shut up, and let us do our jobs. Forty-eight hours max, we all get to walk away from this a whole lot richer than we were this morning.’
‘Where are we going, or has that all changed as well?’ I asked. I wasn’t sure where to look. The pile of unconscious bodies at my feet was making me feel sick with guilt, but I didn’t want to look Alfa in the eye either. The guy fucking terrified me. I was
that close to bricking it at the moment. What kind of crazy-arsed psychos had I got mixed up with?
‘We’ll swap vehicles on the outskirts of the city and head to the location we’ve already set up in Wales. As soon as we’re settled, we’ll make the call.’
‘Can’t we make the call now? Speed things up?’ I asked, focussing on the letter “A” on Alfa’s chest instead of his terrifying face.
‘When you’ve successfully pulled off kidnaps for cash, you can give bloody advice. I want Davenport to suffer. News will get back to him fast and if he doesn’t hear from us for a few hours, it will give him time to stew and panic. By the time we make the call with our demands, he’ll be ready to pay to put himself out of his agony.’ He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. I nodded. I might not like it, but it made sense.
‘Will you show him all four still alive first?’ I asked hesitantly. Kidnap was bad enough, I didn’t want blood on my conscience as well.
‘For fuck’s sake. Delta, shut him the fuck up,’ Alfa groaned. I tensed up as Delta pulled another syringe out of the pocket on the leg of his combats.
‘Don’t, don’t, I’ll keep quiet, I promise I’ll keep quiet.’ I held my hands up in surrender as I shrank back into the corner, pressed up against the back of Charlie’s driver’s seat.
‘What’s my number one rule, Delta?’ Alfa chuckled.
‘Never trust the fucking client,’ all three of his team chanted in unison. They all burst out laughing and I screamed as the syringe jabbed me in the leg, straight through my combats. I grasped the edge of the bench and the headrest as a weird sensation spread through my body, making my limbs feel heavy and my head loll.
‘Fuck,’ I slurred. This was way faster than any hit of blow I’d ever taken. I felt myself sliding off the seat, my hands too weak to hold onto anything, and I wondered if I was ever going to wake up again.
31 Days of Autumn Page 21