Hunted

by Heather Atkinson

  “What are you doing? You can’t come in here,” frowned Gerard, sitting upright.

  The men didn’t respond. They closed the door behind them and formed a tight semi-circle around his bed, glowering down at him.

  “What do you want? I’ll shout for a guard,” said Gerard, voice wobbling with fear.

  “Ryan Law wants us to give you a message,” said one of the men. “You fucked with the wrong family. He says if you don’t confess to everything and implicate Eddie Cope then we’re to give you a fucking good seeing to.” The man’s smile was macabre, revealing twisted, blackened teeth. “And I don’t just mean with our fists. You shouldn’t have threatened to rape his missus, big mistake.”

  “No, no, don’t,” Gerard cried, holding his hands out in front of him as they moved in closer. He turned onto his front and buried his face in the pillow, sobbing his heart out.

  “Look at that, I love a big fat arse,” grinned one of the men, licking his lips.

  Brian had never experienced so much pain in his entire life. His face particularly, despite all the drugs he was on, was agony. He’d also lost an eye and would be permanently partially-sighted. How had it gone so wrong? Yes they’d been fully aware that Ryan Law would be their toughest challenge yet but they’d never once considered he would do this to them. Now they were finished, although the solicitor Gerard had hired for him had given him a glimmer of hope. The horrific violence Ryan had subjected him to had thrown him a lifeline. Even if by some miracle he did manage to get the charges reduced he would never hunt again. The bitch who’d stabbed him had perforated his bowel and he was on a colostomy bag. He’d discovered she was Ryan’s half-sister. And he thought his family was messed up.

  It was night and the hospital was quiet, but not completely silent. There was always someone walking up and down the corridor outside his private room, some patient calling out for attention. He longed for the silence and peace of the woods, he’d always felt much more at home with nature than he had with people. In fact he hated people, hated how they polluted and desecrated the environment. Humans were useless, pointless creatures and they sickened him. He’d proved he was better than all of them by hunting the best of the best - until he’d made a huge error of judgement and taken Ryan Law. The man was as much a predator as himself, that was what had drawn him to him in the first place. However he’d underestimated him and that was his downfall.

  He hoped Gerard was keeping his big fucking gob shut. Ever since they were kids he’d followed him around like a puppy, his unquestioning obeisance irritating as well as satisfying. It had been easy to persuade him to do what he wanted, Gerard was always willing to fulfil his every whim. He was sure he wouldn’t drop him in it, he loved him. Little did Gerard know that all he felt for him was contempt.

  Brian attempted to calm his turbulent thoughts and get some decent sleep, but the ever-present pain and the sounds of the hospital were making it impossible. He shifted about on the bed, attempting to find a position that didn’t cause him agony. He grimaced as he shifted, tugging at the wound in his stomach. He’d love to get his hands on the bitch who’d done that to him.

  He sighed when he heard footsteps approaching. Why couldn’t this whole, entire hospital just shut up for five fucking minutes? It was supposed to be a place for rest and recuperation and it was one of the most stressful places he’d ever been.

  Forcing his eyes closed Brian tried to imagine he was back in Dartmoor Forest, running free under the night sky, the fresh night air on his face, the sounds of nature soothing him and urging him on. He was running faster than he ever had before, dodging in and out of the trees, the weight of the rifle in his hands powerful and at the same time soothing. No one could hurt him.

  He sighed. The insistent footsteps in the corridor kept disturbing his pleasant dream. He wanted to shout at the idiot to shut the fuck up, but he was incapable because of his broken jaw and that made him furious.

  When the footsteps stopped right outside his door Brian went rigid. He was under the care of more than one doctor for his various injuries but there was just something about this late-night visitor, some instinct way down deep in his gut that told him this wasn’t right. There was the low exchange of voices outside his door as whoever it was spoke to the police officer on guard duty.

  The door opened and Ryan Law walked into his room. If Brian’s jaw could fall open it would have done. No, this couldn’t be happening, he had a fucking police guard, surely they wouldn’t let him in? The sight of the man who had broken his jaw, fractured his throat and removed one of his eyes and made him swallow it generated a horror in him so extreme tears welled in his one remaining eye.

  “Hello Actaeon,” said Ryan, closing the door and sitting in the chair beside his bed. “That’s a much more impressive name than Brian. No wonder you felt the need to use an alias.”

  Brian attempted to work out what had happened. Ryan must have bribed his guard, it was the only explanation.

  “I believe you’re going to be interviewed by DI Boyle tomorrow,” continued Ryan. “I’ve come to tell you what you’re going to say. You will confess everything. You will tell him - or rather write - where each body is buried. You will tell him what happened to each and every man in great detail and you will tell him about Eddie Cope’s involvement. If you don’t…”

  Ryan didn’t use words to demonstrate his point. Instead he pressed his thumb to the lower lid of Brian’s one remaining eye. Brian’s whole body shook and if it hadn’t been for the catheter connected to him he would have wet himself.

  “I will take your other eye. Would you like to be permanently blind for the rest of your life?”

  Ryan’s voice was perfectly calm but underneath there was an undercurrent of menace. Brian shook his head, his remaining eye bugging out of his head with fear.

  “Gerard has already received a warning from his fellow inmates giving him a vivid example of how his life will be from now on if he doesn’t do as I say.” Ryan leaned closer, staring into that single, startled eye. “You know who I am, you know what I am capable of. If you choose not to heed my warning I will ensure you suffer for the rest of your life. If your fancy lawyer gets you a reduced sentence I promise every day will be a living nightmare for you, not even the prison warders will bother to protect you. I know someone in every prison in the country, nasty people who owe me favours and who are very keen to pay up. Some of these nasty people will also no doubt find you very attractive, just as they did Gerard. However, if by some miracle you do manage to wriggle out of this altogether then I know even more people on the outside who will do to you what you threatened to do to myself and my family. I won’t have to lift a finger, nothing will ever be traced back to me when they eventually find your tortured, mangled body. Basically, the only way you’re going to stay alive and keep your anus intact is by taking my advice.”

  When Ryan’s face turned to stone Brian filled his catheter bag some more.

  “I want Eddie Cope punished for what he’s done and if he isn’t I will hold both you and Gerard personally responsible. I do hope you understand the consequences?”

  Brian nodded, an alarming cracking noise sounding in his jaw.

  “Excellent.” He produced a notepad and pen from his jacket pocket, placed the pen in Brian’s right hand and arranged the notepad beneath it. “I want Eddie’s hunting name.” He watched as Brian shakily scrawled the word across the pad before dropping the pen, exhausted and quivering all over. “Endymion,” said Ryan, frowning at the pad. “The Greek hunter often portrayed as a shepherd. Eddie does think a lot of himself, Endymion was renowned for his good looks.” He shoved the pen back into Brian’s hand. “You said you had another victim lined up after me. I want their name too.” Brian started to write again in his ugly scrawl and Ryan sighed heavily as he read the name. “You keep that to yourself, do you understand me? He does not need to know that. If you tell anyone our deal is off and I take my retribution on you.” He replaced the pad and pen in his j
acket and got to his feet. “We have no further business.”

  Brian struggled for breath as he watched Ryan leave, the number one predator.

  Mikey and Jez looked down at the two little boys, barely a month old, tucked up in their cots sleeping soundly.

  “They’re big buggers, aren’t they?” commented Jez.

  “Just like their dad,” replied Mikey. He turned to the woman they’d hired to look after them. Annie was a very respectable middle aged woman with a long history of childcare behind her. She’d been thoroughly vetted before being hired to raise the boys and had passed every scrupulous test. They had no doubts of her ability to care for the children.

  “At least this way they’ll stand a chance at a decent life,” commented Mikey.

  Hayden wasn’t so sure. He stood in the background with Mark and Grant, who didn’t seem to have a problem with what they’d done, but he did. When he’d signed up to work for Mikey and Jez he hadn’t envisaged killing women and stealing their children. It just felt wrong, no matter how much he heard the boys’ mother was an evil witch. They would grow up in luxury in this big, beautiful house in the Cheshire countryside, wanting for nothing. But Hayden had seen the way their mother had looked at them as she’d pushed them proudly down the street. Despite everything she was a loving mother and nothing could replace that. Every time he looked at his new employers he felt sick, disgusted, and he was beginning to resent his new colleagues for not seeing anything wrong with it.

  “Mikey’s the kids’ family too,” was all Mark had said. The fact he’d murdered the mother of those same little kids didn’t seem to worry him in the least. Hayden had killed people during his time in the Parachute Regiment and he’d murdered even more once he’d left the army and become a contract killer, but this just wasn’t sitting well with him. He was being careful to keep his feelings hidden until he’d decided what to do.

  “Which one’s this?” said Mikey, picking the boy up and rocking him gently in his arms.

  “That’s Alex,” replied Annie.

  Mikey gazed into the boy’s eyes, which opened and fixed on him. That hard gaze bored into him, making him feel a little uncomfortable. But the boy was young and pliant, he could be moulded into an ally and not an enemy.

  The boy let up a loud wail and nothing Mikey did would soothe him. The second he’d handed him over to Annie he calmed right down and accepted a bottle. However his crying had disturbed his brother, Daniel, who similarly woke up bawling, but at least he let Mikey give him his feed. Just like their deceased counterparts, Daniel was more easy going than Alex. This wasn’t lost on either Mikey or Jez.

  “We’ll give you a good life boys,” said Mikey, addressing the babies once they were back in their cots, sleeping soundly after a good feed. “You won’t need to worry about a thing.”

  Hayden stood at the back of the room, his sense of unease growing. This wasn’t right.

  CHAPTER 33

  Gill and Rick were under siege. A sea of reporters had gathered outside their cottage so they’d barricaded themselves in and drawn the curtains, sitting in tense silence as they listened to the crowd milling around outside. Rick had unplugged the landline after they’d been deluged with calls.

  “Why can’t they leave us alone?” cried Gill, reaching the end of her tether. She leapt up of the couch and yanked the curtains open. “Leave us alone,” she screamed through the window.

  “Pull yourself together,” said Rick, drawing the curtains again and ushering her away from the window. “They’ll soon get bored and go away.”

  When his mobile phone started to ring she released a shriek. “Oh no, they’ve got hold of our mobile phone numbers now. Make them go away,” she exclaimed, pressing a hand to her forehead in a tortured fashion.

  “Will you get a bloody grip, it’s just Ryan.” He pressed the phone to his ear, shoving a finger in his other ear so he could hear over Gill’s hysterics. “Alright Ryan, how are you doing?” he asked gently. “No, it’s just Gill having one of her dramas, no one’s torturing a cat. Who?”

  “What does he want?” said Gill.

  “He says is there a blond woman outside who looks like a preying mantis?”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know yet, just take a peek.”

  Gill opened up a chink in the curtains and peered through the gap. She knew who Ryan was referring to instantly. “Yes.”

  “He says her name’s Gayle Westerly, he wants to talk to her.” He threw back his shoulders. “I’m going out there.”

  “Don’t Rick, it’s not safe,” she said, clinging onto his arm.

  “What do you think they’re going to do? They’re only a bunch of reporters. This isn’t Night of the Living Dead.”

  “You haven’t seen some of those reporters, looks like they’ve not slept in days.”

  “Hang on Ryan, I’ll take the phone out to her. I’m not letting her in the house, I’ll never get rid of her.”

  Rick slipped on his shoes, took a deep breath then stepped outside still holding the phone. Gill slammed the door shut behind him. As he walked down the path the press all started shouting at him as one, raising their cameras and taking their pictures. He ran a self-conscious hand through his thinning hair, wishing he’d smartened himself up a bit first.

  Scrupulously he ignored them all as he opened the gate. At first he found himself surrounded and he couldn’t pick Gayle Westerly out of the mix, then he spotted a wide voracious smile, the large white teeth both scary and acting as a beacon to him.

  “Mr Thomas…,” she began.

  He cut her off by thrusting the phone at her. “Someone wants to talk to you.”

  She regarded it with surprise before putting it to her ear. “Hello?” Her grin broadened when she heard who was on the other end. “Just a minute.” She looked to Rick. “This way please Mr Thomas. I don’t want my colleagues hounding you and getting some information before I do. You can sit in my car while I take the call.”

  He followed her to a smart silver Audi and climbed in the back while she got in the front. “Hello Mr Law and what can I do for you?”

  Rick watched her, wondering what on earth Ryan could be saying that could expand that already frighteningly wide smile. Ryan was right, she did look like a preying mantis with her long thin limbs and small head that bobbed about on her shoulders, but she had the smile and demeanour of a shark.

  “You have a deal Mr Law.” She took a pad and pen out of her handbag. “Now, what questions do I need to ask?”

  Five minutes later she handed the phone back to Rick. “Thank you Mr Thomas. That was very informative,” she said, smirking out of the car window at her colleagues. “Any comment to make before you go?” she said as he opened the car door.

  Rick knew better than to utter one word to people like her so he just hopped out and hurried back up the path to his house, pushing his way through the crowd as they tried to block his path.

  When he attempted to open his front door it refused to budge. “Gill for God’s sake, it’s just me. Open the bloody door,” he called.

  Nothing.

  “Gill, open it right now,” he said, burning with embarrassment, aware photos were being taken of him stuck on his own doorstep like an idiot. “Gill,” he yelled.

  Finally the door opened and he hurried inside.

  “What was that about? I saw you getting into that awful woman’s car,” she demanded.

  “I’ve no idea but I think Ryan’s got a plan to put all this to bed once and for all.”

  Gill peeked out of the window again. “I hope so, I can’t take much more of this.”

  When one reporter raised the camera to take a photo Gill released a squeal and let the curtain drop. “They’ve all been saying horrible things in the newspapers about our daughter. One journalist said they think she was something to do with Alex’s disappearance, I mean, how silly? They loved each other like brother and sister didn’t they? She’d never do anything to hurt him.”

&nbs
p; Rick didn’t like lying to his wife but it was the only way he could protect her from the truth. “Course not love, it’s all rubbish. You know what the tabloids are like. Alex had a lot of enemies, it was probably one of them.”

  Gill smiled, reassured. “You’re right. Shall I make us a cup of tea?”

  “Please love,” he said, smiling when she bustled into the kitchen, looking a lot happier. He’d watched Gill read that article about Alex, had seen her mind ticking over afterwards and knew it had been bothering her. If Gill ever found out Alex was responsible for putting that scar on her daughter’s throat she’d be glad he was dead and that just wasn’t his Gill, the knowledge would change her forever and that was something he would never allow to happen. One of the things he loved about his wife was her innocence and naivety, it made her better than the rest of them.

  A large crowd had assembled outside the town hall to hear what the mayor had to say. He stood on a plinth from which protruded a furry microphone. Eddie’s lawyer was beside him, a short, slimy, rat-faced man with bum fluff for a beard. He eyed the assembled crowd with suspicion, poised to defend his client should it become necessary.

  Eddie’s expression was suitably sombre and put-upon. He wore his best suit and his greying hair was for once smartly combed. A bright white plaster covered the cut above his left eyebrow, put there by Riley’s fist when he’d struggled against him. A gallery of reporters surrounded the base of the plinth, some armed with cameras. Gayle Westerly was among them, circling the plinth like a hungry shark. There was even a camera crew set up off to one side, the reporter completing his piece to camera, standing aside to allow his colleague to film when Eddie started to speak.

  “I’ve lived in Devon my entire life,” began Eddie, his voice clear and confident yet full of hurt. “I am a proud son and never once in my fifty seven years have I experienced violence or even a cross word from my fellow good citizens of this great county. I am proud to live here and even prouder to be mayor. Then a shadow cast its pall across our beautiful, golden land. Criminals came into our midst, dirty drug dealers and murderers. At first we welcomed them with open arms but they came in the guise of decent, law-abiding people. We allowed them to set up home here, to infiltrate our lives and take our money and flourish when all the time they were laughing at us.” He held up one of the tabloids, a lurid headline about Ryan and Rachel splashed across the front page, his whole body shaking with moral outrage. “These are the same people who viciously attacked me when I was out for an innocent walk one evening.”