‘Or, knowing we’d come to that conclusion, he could stick to plan A, or not go anywhere, stay here, and let us go out looking for him while he rescues the woman as well.’
‘Shut the fuck up, Charlie, and let me think,’ Alfa muttered. I couldn’t help but smile. My odds of making it out of this were looking a lot better if there were only two of them left and they were arguing. I wondered what had happened to Ellie, if they’d killed her as well. I swallowed hard and ran a hand through my hair. ‘No, if I was on my own, that’s what I’d do, wait here to try and rescue her or take us out. He’s got the kid, he was prepared to die to protect them, he’ll do whatever it takes to get him out safely, including leaving the mother behind. He’s making a break for it and the track is his best option.’
‘He’s going to run out of food and the nearest house out of the woods is here, about two clicks from a main road. It’s going to take him a maximum twenty-four hours on foot, with the kid weighing him down.’
‘Don’t stand here looking at me then, take the Navara and go. Kill him for Delta and Bravo.’
‘Got it, boss. What about the kid?’
‘Do I look like I give a fuck? If I haven’t heard from you in thirty-six hours, I’m moving out and taking Daniels with me.’
‘Roger that. What about the woman?’
‘She’s no use to me if Davenport comes through. I’m happy to leave her locked down there. Bitch deserves a slow death. Even if he doesn’t, we have a pretty decent payout to split.’
I heard boots returning to the sideboard and the sound of weapons being loaded. On the plus side, if Charlie left, I only had Alfa to worry about, but if Charlie found James? I grimaced and silently cursed. The kid had been part of my plan all along, but if I could only walk away with the money, that was going to have to be good enough.
Day Twenty Four
Wednesday 16th September
Dan
I left my study after speaking to Detective Carter, Ian, and Marv. I was sick of no progress. Every hour that went by was another hour that Ellie, my boy, and James were suffering. If they were even alive. The deadline for my payment was ten a.m. tomorrow. Lucas’s father, who dealt with all of my investments, assured me that he’d have the money ready to transfer before the deadline. I’d been incredibly touched. Lucas and Summer, his parents, as well as my own, had sat down and looked at their own assets and had offered me as much cash as they had instant access to, in the hope it would help. The amount was no longer the issue though, given we’d missed the first deadline and I could already have the balance ready and waiting by tomorrow, but even if I did pay it, I had no guarantee it would secure their safety.
‘Jonas, slow down,’ I barked as he shot from the kitchen with a scream as Brooke chased him, nearly running into me.
‘Go to bed early and get some sleep, you’re being cranky with the children,’ Brooke scolded with a disapproving scowl. ‘I’ll bath them and put them to bed. Don’t make me blackmail you into submission.’
‘How can you just laugh and play like there’s nothing wrong?’ I asked, scrubbing my hands over my face, bewildered and hurting. ‘Ellie, Oliver, and James could be dead.’
‘Because if I stop and think about what’s happening, I’d never stop crying, and distracting these two from how much they miss her is helping me. It’s what she’d want. We’ve been friends for so long, I think we have some astral connection or something. I know she’s still alive, I can feel it. Please go and get some sleep, you look like hell. You haven’t even shaved for days, it’s like I’m living with Grizzly Adams, by name and by nature.’
‘Thank you.’ I felt gratitude for her demeanour, but I had to force the smile to acknowledge it.
‘That was an insult, not a compliment.’
‘You know what I meant,’ I nodded, holding her gaze. I hadn’t thanked her for letting me sob like a baby the other night. I’d been embarrassed when I’d woken up the next morning to find she was still there, holding my hand tightly. But true to her word, she’d not said a thing. She’d just kissed me on the forehead and disappeared.
‘Whatever, it’s no biggie,’ she shrugged, her pale freckled cheeks colouring up.
‘It was to me,’ I said sincerely. Ellie and I were so lucky to have such amazing friends. Lucas and his family were still staying here, as were Brooke and Molly. My parents, Magda, John, and Edward kept calling around. Magda brought food, convinced Summer was letting us starve as I’d lost so much weight in a short period of time. I couldn’t face eating, not until I had them back.
‘Dada,’ a little voice called. I turned and my breath caught in my throat. Eva was sitting on the floor with baby Logan while Molly read them a story. She waved at me with a huge dimpled smile. With her dark hair covered by her pink knitted hat, I could almost be looking at Ellie as a child. I strode over and hoisted her up, making her squeal and giggle.
‘I love you, Eva Davenport, do you know that?’ I whispered as I kissed her cheeks repeatedly. ‘Your mum is going to be so mad that she missed you take your first few steps on your own.’ I hugged her, resting my cheek on the top of her head as she lay hers on my shoulder. I went to sit on the sofa, keeping her on my chest as I sat back and watched Brooke and Jonas chasing each other.
‘We’ll find her,’ Molly said quietly, looking up at me.
‘What makes you so sure?’ I asked. I was running out of hope, I needed everyone else’s.
‘Because we have to. When I found out she’d been taken, I could remember everything about our last conversation, except I couldn’t remember if I told her that I loved her,’ she nodded. ‘Each time I run through it in my head, everything becomes so confused and jumbled that now I’m not sure what’s real or what’s imaginary. She has to come back, because I need to tell her, Dan. She needs to know how much I love her.’
‘She knows. Trust me, Molly, she knows.’
‘It’s really upset me. I know it shouldn’t matter, but it really does. I don’t think I ever told Jenny how I felt about her either. It’s just three little words that everyone needs to hear. I love you. It’s not hard to say, is it? But I never told Jenny. She died not knowing how much Brooke and I loved her.’ Molly reached up to rub her face as tears started to trickle down her cheeks.
‘Come here,’ I ordered, not daring to move as Eva had dozed off with my shirt collar clenched in one of her tiny fists. I held out my right arm and Molly scrambled up and tucked herself into my side as she cried.
‘I love you as well, Dan. Not in love, love, I’ll only ever love my firecracker Brooke like that, but I love you like a brother. I’m sorry I’ve never told you that before,’ she stammered, gasping for air between her tears.
‘And I love you like a sister, Molly Hanson,’ I murmured as I kissed the top of her head. ‘You’re an amazing friend, not just to Ellie, or my children, but to me. Let’s make a pact. We’re going to find Ellie and it’s going to be the first thing we both tell her, ok?
‘Ok,’ she agreed with a sniff.
‘O, babe,’ Brooke sighed as she appeared in front of us with her hands on her hips.
‘I’ve got her, Brooke,’ I nodded. ‘Someone told me that it’s better to let it out than keep it in.’
‘I tell her that all the time when I fart, but she still has a go at me,’ Brooke winked, making me chuckle.
‘Brooke, it’s really not the time for jokes,’ Molly admonished, wiping her face.
‘Hey, it’s the first time he’s cracked a smile in days. It’s such a great sight that I may eat a garlic shrimp vindaloo if the result can make him smile again.’
‘No, thank you!’ Molly and I shot back in unison, making Brooke pout. I shook my head and closed my eyes as they debated why garlic affected her so badly. Feeling Eva breathing against me comforted me. I might not have my wife, but I had part of Ellie right here with me now.
I woke up with a start to find Andy shaking me. It was dark, Eva wasn’t on my chest anymore, and someone had covered me in
a blanket. Fuck, I must have been asleep for hours. The house was completely silent.
‘What time is it?’ I yawned.
‘Nearly midnight. We have a location. The team is assembling now and we’ll be moving out shortly.’
‘How, how do you have a location?’ I demanded as I bolted upright, my heart racing with excitement.
‘Oliver’s tracker came online. His vitals are relatively strong and he’s moving fast. Too fast for a four year old, but too slow for him to be in a vehicle. I’d suggest he’s being carried, which implies that they’ve escaped.’
‘Thank God,’ I groaned. ‘Where are they?’
‘Wales, the Snowdonia National Park. I suspect they’ve been on the run for a while, but the dense forest was masking the signal.’
‘Let me tell the others, I can’t go without letting them know.’
‘Go? You’re not coming, Sir. I’ve no idea what we’re about to face. Eyewitness reports from the abduction account for four or five in the van, but that’s not to say that there may not be more involved when we arrive.’
‘I don’t care if there’s a hundred fucking men, Andy,’ I bit, as I rose off the sofa with renewed purpose. ‘I need to be there. I’ll bring up the rear, wear bulletproof clothing if necessary, for once I’ll do whatever the hell you tell me, but don’t think for a second I’ll let you go without me. Half of my family and one of my friends are out there.’
‘You so much as put one foot out of line and I’ll take you down myself and have you choppered back in an instant,’ he warned.
‘Deal,’ I confirmed.
‘I’ll be outside in the car waiting. Don’t bother changing, I’ll have some fatigues waiting for us at the airport.’
I nodded and bounded for the guest room, waking up Molly and Brooke and filling them in. They were beside themselves, hugging each other, as well as me, and crying their eyes out. I promised to call them the minute I had news. I headed for the study next, which doubled as a second guest room now that the children took all three rooms on the top floor. I sincerely hoped Lucas and Summer weren’t having sex as I didn’t have time to knock. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia as I found them fast asleep, barely a millimetre between then, just like Ellie and I always slept. I woke them and filled them in. Summer started crying with happiness and Lucas leapt out of bed, making me avert my eyes. He slept in the nude too, just like I did.
‘I’m coming with you,’ he announced as he pulled on his jeans.
‘No way,’ I retorted, shaking my head. ‘It could be dangerous and I’m not putting you in that position.’
‘You’re not, I’m putting myself in it.’
‘You call me fucking stubborn?’ I bit. ‘I’m telling you no.’
‘Not your decision to make, Dan,’ he glared. ‘You think my pain over Ellie, Oliver, and James means nothing compared to yours? She’s my friend and the wife of my best friend, Oliver’s my godson, and James was an employee of mine, as well as being one of my dearest friends. I’m coming whether you like it or not.’
‘And I’m telling you that I’m not risking anyone else! Think of Summer, for Christ’s sake, think of what you’re about to put her through, not to mention little Logan,’ I shot back. ‘I might have already lost Ellie, you still have each other,’ I yelled, full of frustration. How could I ever forgive myself if someone else I cared about got hurt, or worse. Lucas looked over at Summer and grimaced.
‘I’m sorry, but you know I have to do this, angel. He’d do the same for me.’
‘I know.’ She nodded her head as she wiped some tears from her face. Damn it, she was supposed to put her foot down. I could tell she wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t prepared to tell him no. He grabbed a long-sleeved jersey top and started pulling it over his head. I made an instant decision and surprised him with an upper cut to the underside of his jaw. He went down onto the bed like a sack of potatoes as I shook my fist. Shit, I’d forgotten it was my already damaged and bandaged one.
‘When he’s back with it, tell him I’m sorry,’ I shrugged as I looked back over at Summer. ‘I can’t risk him getting hurt.’
‘Thank you,’ she whispered, flashing me a grateful smile, before reaching over to pull his top down and expose his face to let him breathe. ‘Go quickly, before he comes around, and just make sure you bring them back safely.’
I nodded and raced out, wondering if Andy would have just left without me in an attempt to protect me, but as I flung open the front door, he was waiting with the engine running. I jumped into the passenger seat and seconds later, we were on our way, Andy firing instructions over the hands-free kit to Chris. When he was done, we drove the rest of the journey in silence, me bouncing my right leg up and down impatiently as I imagined the best scenario and how happy Oliver and Ellie would be to see me.
‘We’re nearly at the airport, Sir. We need to study a map of the area, form a battle plan, and load up weapons. You may feel that we’re wasting valuable time, but we can’t rush in without being prepared. Once we take off, the two choppers will take us as close as they can to Oliver’s location, but if we want the element of surprise, we’ll have to stop short and make our way on foot. The team moves fast, are you sure you’ll be able to keep up?’
‘I’ll keep up,’ I said firmly. If I had my way, I’d be leading the fucking charge, but Andy knew what he was doing. This was his area of expertise, for once I was going to have to relinquish control, something I wasn’t very good at. We pulled into the private airport that I used to travel to and from Scotland and I was amazed to see how many men were waiting for us. They lined up as Andy pulled to a halt and we got out of the car. ‘Who are they all?’ I asked, shaking my head in amazement.
‘Some of mine and Chris’s old squadron, James's and Jenny’s too. This is personal, to each and every one of us.’
‘It’s personal to me, too,’ came Dean’s voice as he stepped out from behind them, already dressed in camouflage gear.
‘You have got to be fucking kidding me,’ Andy muttered. ‘I’m not running a nursery here for untrained civilians. You’ll be asking me to allow Jonas along next.’
‘I didn’t call him,’ I retorted when he turned to scowl at me.
‘I did, he deserved to know,’ piped up Chris.
‘I’m a highly experienced pilot, Andy, and I’ll warrant I’ve clocked in more flight time and that my skills are more up-to-date than any of you. I’ll get us there fast and safe so the first team can hit the ground running while the other helicopter catches up. One of those bastards killed my girl. If you find him, I want to be the one to put him down.’
‘What we’re doing here isn’t legal,’ Andy warned.
‘Do I look like I give a crap?’ Dean shot back. Andy shook his head and looked over at me.
‘Let him come, he needs closure. It’s even more personal for the two of us than you guys,’ I confirmed.
‘Jesus Christ, if either of you fall behind, we’ll leave you behind,’ snapped Andy, giving Dean a curt nod of approval. ‘Right, last chance. Most of you have your own families who rely on you, so none of us will think any less of you if you want to walk away, but do it now as we need to get this party started.’ He ran his eyes down the line and every single one of them shook their head and stayed where they were.
‘I just want to …’ I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. ‘I just want to say how sorry I am, for all of your losses,’ I announced to the soldiers watching us. ‘You have my undying gratitude for putting your lives on the line to try and bring James, as well as my wife and son, home safely.’
Dean and I stood back as they all gathered around a collapsible table covered in a map of the area we were heading to and discussed strategies. I had nothing but admiration for these guys. They put their lives on the line every damn day and earned pennies. I sat in a plush office, messing around with computer programmes, and earned millions. It didn’t seem fair.
‘How are you doing, Dean?’ I asked, putting my hand
on his shoulder.
‘I think I’m still in denial, Sir. Knowing it’s not over, that those bastards are still out there, that James, Ellie, and Oliver might still be harmed … I don’t have time to think about what’s happened, but when it’s all done and dusted … I think I’m going to fall to pieces,’ he said quietly with a nod.
‘You know that there’s no time limit on you returning, if you even want to. You’ve been at my beck and call for years now. Maybe it’s time you thought about yourself, about having a life of your own.’
‘Jenny was my life, Sir. I’m not sure what I’ll do without her.’
‘I can imagine that only too well, Dean, and I can never apologise enough to you.’
‘I didn’t … I didn’t say that to make you feel bad,’ he replied, throwing an apologetic look my way.
‘Trust me, it doesn’t take any effort by anyone else for me to feel that way. Your annual salary is yours for life, whether you stay with me or not, it’s the least I can do. I feel her loss already, as do Eva and Jonas. It must be a hundred times worse for you.’
‘Try … try a thousand,’ he choked, nodding as he looked at the floor. I remained silent. There was nothing more either of us could say. No platitudes were going to ease his pain. I’d been there with Rebecca. The saying “time was a healer” may sound clichéd, but it really was true. One day, you suddenly woke up and the pain had lessened a fraction and continued to, until thinking of her didn’t invade your mind every minute of every day.
I checked my watch again. I was beyond impatient to get going, but they knew what they were doing. I’d rather it take a little longer and we do it right, than rush in and risk losing anyone else. I took the time to get changed into the kit that had been laid out for me and breathed a sigh of relief when Andy announced it was time.
Day Twenty Five
Thursday 17th September
James Smith
I lay on my stomach in the undergrowth, watching the one storey stone cottage a few hundred yards up ahead. Oliver was fast asleep next to me, tucked under a bush. To keep him warm, I’d covered him in the jumper I’d used for our food and water, which we’d run out of some time ago. I’d topped up our water when I followed the river line for a while, trying to disguise my tracks, but Oliver was dehydrated and I’d had to drink more due to the extra weight I was carrying. He’d done Ellie proud. He’d stayed silent until I felt we were out of range and told him that he could open his eyes and talk to me.
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