Finding You

by Elizabeth Holland

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  10th November 2018,

  “Miss, where do you want this?” One of the removal men asked, signalling towards the large box that he was carrying.

  “I think it’s for the kitchen.” Laura replied, trying to keep her calm. ‘Kitchen’ was written in very large and eligible writing down the side and the top of the box.

  “I know, miss. The problem is there are so many boxes in the kitchen we can’t fit anymore in.” Sean sniggered from behind the removal man, before quickly going to grab another box before Laura could throw something at him.

  “Could you just start making a pile against the back wall in the living room?" Laura was beginning to wonder whether she had gone a little overboard with all of her kitchen purchases over the years. She had always justified them as ‘work tools’, however, in reality, she probably had a little bit of an addiction to buying kitchen gadgets.

  Once all the boxes were in and the removal men had left, Sean and Laura walked hand in hand to their local chip shop, ready to celebrate their first night in their new home with a mountain of chips. For a chef, Laura didn’t have a refined palette.

  Once home, they curled up on their sofa and ate with music playing in the background.

  “I can’t believe we’re finally here.” Laura smiled as she picked up a crispy chip. Could life get any better?

  “Nor can I, it’s perfect, isn’t it?" Sean smiled back at her. It really was.

  Before buying the flat they had rented lots of different places, however this was theirs. They could make this place their home for however long they wanted to. The thought filled Laura with joy as she considered all the memories that they would make within these walls.

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  They had been so happy in that flat, planning their future together. Now all it seemed to hold was bad memories. Laura wasn’t sure if she could ever go back there to live.

  “You okay?” Greg asked her, sensing that there had been a shift in her mood.

  “Just thinking. What do you think our chances are of finding Sean?” Laura wanted to forget about the flat, and the perfect future that she once had planned. That wouldn’t be happening now, even if they got out of this alive.

  “I’m not sure, Laura. He knows how to go unnoticed. I think it might be a matter of luck if I’m being brutally honest. We have to try though.” Greg was right, they had to try. There was no other option. They had to get to Sean before anyone else could.

  The journey seemed to drag as they left the beautiful Welsh scenery behind for the busy city. Greg had arranged for them to stay in a hotel for tonight, then he would try to find out more information from his contacts. Laura hadn’t mentioned anything, but she had also been planning to go out wandering the streets, just in case. If it was down to luck, then anything could happen.

  Eventually, they arrived in Manchester, this time to a hotel on the outskirts. Laura couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine. The last time she had been here, Luke had been hoodwinking her. She dearly hoped that she could trust Greg.

  Once inside the room, they relaxed a little, Laura put her fears to the back of her mind and they ordered some lunch.

  “Shall I put the television on?” Laura asked, settling down after finishing her lunch of soup.

  “You can do. I might just give my husband a call if you’re okay to entertain yourself for a bit?” Laura nodded in response and tried to avert her attention back to the television. She wondered whether Greg would leave the room to make the phone call. If he did, should she run away? Was she sure she could trust him? Laura didn’t know what to think anymore, or who to trust. Before her mind could get too carried away, Greg settled himself down on his bed and made his phone call. Laura instantly relaxed as she heard him chatting away to his husband and asking after their children. It was a relief to know that he hadn’t been lying to her.

  Laura slowly relaxed on the sofa and tuned into the trashy dating show that was on the television. The sound of Greg on the phone to his husband had become background noise. Her eyelids were growing heavy and she was just about to give in to them when there was a knock on the door. Laura turned to look at Greg, wondering what they should do. He quickly said goodbye and held a finger to his lips, shushing Laura. Slowly, he made his way over towards the door and looked through the peephole.

  “Oh, no.” He sighed, giving no explanation. Instead, he opened the door and in came four very angry-looking men.

  “What the hell are you two playing at?” Jake angrily shouted at them as Greg rapidly shut the door behind them, in case anyone was walking by and heard their conversation.

  “It was my fault.” Laura stepped forward. She didn’t want Greg taking the blame for her crazy plan.

  “Yes, it is, but it’s also Greg’s fault. He should have told us you were planning this. You’re lucky the car had a tracker on it so we could follow you.” The other men grunted in agreement.

  “I’m sorry. Please don’t stop me looking for Sean.” Laura could feel a sob rising inside of her chest. She was in the same city as Sean again, she couldn’t just leave without even trying to find him.

  “I won’t do that. Laura, I think you ought to sit down.” The anger had disappeared from Jake’s voice and had been replaced by a kindness that set Laura’s nerves on edge.

  “Jake, what’s going on?” Her voice was shaky as she stepped backwards and sat back down on the sofa. Her legs gave way beneath her.

  “We’ve received information saying that the gang have caught Sean. They’ve taken him to a warehouse in the area.”

  Laura had to reach out to grip the side of the sofa to stop herself from blacking out. They had Sean.

  "We have to go there.” Laura screamed, jumping up from her seat. Nothing would stop her from going to Sean. The gang wanted him and now they had him, it was unlikely they would delay killing him. If she didn’t get to him soon, he would be dead.

  “We do, but you have to stay here Laura, it’s too dangerous.” Jake walked towards her, gesturing for her to sit down again. Laura did as she was told, but she held his eye. She would not give in.

  “I’m coming with you, Jake. I can help, Sean trained me to shoot. Please.” Laura poured every ounce of her emotions into her little speech. Whether or not Jake agreed, she was going. However, it would be easier and safer if she could just tag along with them.

  “Let her come. She’ll follow us and we cannot afford to leave any officers behind to babysit her.” Greg stepped in to argue Laura’s case for her. He was right, she would do everything she could to follow them.

  “Fine, you can come, but first we need a plan.” Jake relented, he knew Laura would be safer with them rather than trying to follow them on her own.

  Laura breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever happened next would be the end of all this. Whether it ended with her death, Sean’s death or the destruction of the gang, she didn’t know.

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Laura sat in the back of the car, trying to stop herself from shaking. She was in the car with three of the officers, including Greg and Jake. The plan was that the four of them would enter the warehouse first, leaving the other officers to follow later as a surprise ambush. It was risky. The plan was to use Laura as a distraction, just for long enough for them to get the upper hand. If Sean was still alive, then the gang would want to make him suffer by killing her. Laura was terrified, but she was determined to be brave. They did not know if their plan would work, all they knew was that it was dangerous and there was a good chance they wouldn’t survive.

  The officers had brought a selection of weapons with them, and Laura was now wearing a bullet-proof vest underneath her oversized hoodie. It was surreal sitting amongst undercover officers, about to be used as bait to save her boyfriend from an organised crime group. Laura hoped she would never have to experience anything like this again. Despite the dangerous situation, Laura’s mind was overcome with the realisation that she was the closest she had been to Sean
in over a year. In a few short minutes, she would be in the same room as him. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought of being in his arms again. She could only hope that they would make it out of this alive and have a future together.

  “You okay?” Greg asked from beside her. His eyes looked sad, and he had been withdrawn for most of the journey.

  “No, but I have to do this. Greg, please don’t feel as though you have to come with me. None of you have to accompany me. Turn around now and go home to your families.” Laura’s tone was pleading. As much as she wanted and needed their support, she knew what they were sacrificing. It wasn’t fair of her to put them in a situation where they might not see their families again. Laura felt the weight of her actions lie heavy on her shoulders. She was about to take people away from their family by leading them into the mouth of danger. Was it selfish of her to do all of this just to save Sean?

  “Laura, we’re not just doing this for you. We’re saving a fellow officer. We’re also stopping an organised crime group who are responsible for many drugs-related deaths and endless corruption and crime. It’s why we signed up to the police force and we intend to keep our word and protect civilians.” Greg’s voice was sincere, he really meant what he was saying.

  “When we get out of this alive, I promise to babysit for you so you can take your husband out for dinner.” It was good to make plans for after all this. Even if those plans never happened, it gave them hope.

  “I’m holding you to that!” Greg beamed back at her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  “Two minutes!” Jake shouted from the driver’s seat.

  Laura took a deep breath. As soon as they pulled up outside the warehouse, they would jump out of the car and running towards the enemy. They could not delay, surprise would be the only thing on their side.

  Those two minutes passed in a blur and soon enough they were pulling up along a road next to the warehouse. One-by-one they jumped out of the car and made the rest of the way on foot. As quietly as possible, they climbed through a gap in the fence and ran towards a backdoor belonging to one of the warehouses. There was nobody guarding it. They wouldn’t be expecting anyone to launch a rescue mission for Sean. After all, too many people believed he was just an officer that went rogue. Few knew the truth behind his undercover operation - even Laura didn’t think she knew everything.

  "You sure you want to do this?” Jake paused before he entered the building and glanced back at Laura. She nodded in response. She didn’t trust her voice enough to speak. In truth, her insides were churning, and all she wanted to do was run. However, she couldn’t, she had to be brave.

  “Stay close, Laura. Any trouble and just shout for one of us. We’ll do our best to have your back at all times. If it goes wrong, then leave us and escape.” Jake’s voice was stern and void of all emotion. He was good at his job. Laura only wished her career as a chef could be of more use to her right now. Being able to cut an onion without crying didn’t seem all that impressive in the face of danger.

  Laura pushed back the blinding fear as she followed the men into the warehouse - it was bringing back memories of the last time she was in a warehouse like that. For the first week after she had been saved, she had nightmares and every time she closed her eyes she saw Luke lying on the floor, slowly bleeding to death. With every ounce of strength within her, Laura forced her feet to keep moving and to keep up with Jake. Greg was behind her, she knew he would do his best to protect her. Laura also had a gun in her hand, and she knew it was likely that she would need to use it.

  The group came to a standstill and Jake pressed a finger to his lips to signal everyone to be quiet. As they stood in the dark hallway, they strained their ears. In the distance there was shouting, lots of shouting. Laura couldn’t be sure, but she thought she recognised one voice as Sean’s. Courage took a hold of her and she gripped her gun with a new resolve. She would do whatever she had to, to get them out of this alive.

  They quickly resumed their tiptoeing along the corridor, they were now walking towards the voices. Decades of rubbish crunched underneath their feet, but thankfully the shouting in the other room masked the noise they were making. As a gunshot sounded, Laura clamped a hand across her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Who had been shot? Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to run towards the danger. She needed to know that Sean was okay.

  “We need to hurry,” she whispered, forcing everyone to move quicker. After a few seconds of silence, the shouting resumed and Laura was relieved to hear Sean’s voice again.

  They came to a stop outside a doorway. It looked to lead into a disused office. The door was shut, but the voices on the other side were clear.

  “Where is it?” A man shouted. It was so loud it made Laura jump.

  "This is getting boring now. I’ve told you, I don’t know. Now just get on with it and kill me.” Sean’s voice was calm and collected. The sound made Laura want to kick down the door and run into his arms. She took a deep breath to get her emotions under control. If she didn’t, she could get them all killed.

  Jake signalled a thumbs up sign to everyone. They all nervously glanced at each other and returned the sign. They were ready to go in. Ready to fight the enemy and to see who would win.

  With a deafening blow, Jake kicked down the door and all four of them ran into the room. Laura was surrounded, so she was almost out of sight. Once inside the room, Laura’s senses went into overdrive as she took in the scene around her.

  She was right; the room had once been an office; it was still filled with desks and chairs. In the middle of the room sat Sean, tied to a revolving chair. He looked completely different to the last time she had seen him. His brown hair was overgrown and was hanging across his eyes so that he had to keep shaking his head to move it to the side. Once she could see his eyes, a pang of sadness reverberated through her. They no longer held that cheeky sparkle, instead they looked tired and withdrawn. His right eye had a huge purple bruise around it and blood was still dripping from his nose. He looked awful, but at the same time he still looked like her Sean. Laura knew that as soon as his arms were around her, he would still feel like her Sean.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Laura moved her attention from Sean to the man who was shouting. She gasped for breath, feeling as though she had been winded as she inspected the man that stood opposite Sean, holding a gun. It was an older version of Luke. The same dark hair and green eyes. It took a lot of self-control for Laura to stop herself from hyperventilating. Despite Luke’s inherently evil nature, a very stupid side of her had started to fall for him. However, being in the same room with Sean again made Laura wonder how she could have ever entertained the thoughts of liking another man. He was her soulmate and nothing would stop her from getting him out of this alive.

  “Where are the rest of your men?” Jake shouted. He had noticed the empty room at the same time Laura had. Something was wrong.

  “They’re dead.” Harry spat back at them. His eyes were ablaze with anger.

  “All of them?” Greg’s voice gave away the shock that he was feeling. Even Laura couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

  “They all betrayed me. They’re all dead. You will be, too, in a few minutes.’” Harry’s eyes widened as he took in Greg standing opposite him.

  “A few minutes?” Jake asked, squaring up next to Greg. It was a look of solidarity, but Laura knew it was also to create a protective wall for her.

  “Surely, you boys remember how I like to play with my food? Lull you into a false sense of security.” The laugh that escaped Harry’s lips sent a chill down Laura’s spine. He was truly evil.

  “He’s just too cowardly to kill you.” Sean shouted from behind and Harry whipped around to glare at him. Laura could have killed him herself in that moment. She’d always loved his out-spoken side, but right now it had the potential to get them all killed. His love for living dangerously was something they needed to sit down and talk about.

  “You
really need to learn to let go.” Greg shouted, diverting Harry’s attention back to him. Laura could see what they were doing. They were winding Harry up to make him vulnerable to his emotions. However, she suspected that Harry’s emotions were not ones to be played with. The anger inside of him would be enough to drag them all down with him. Harry advanced towards Greg.

  “Hello, Harry." Greg’s voice was filled with anger as he stepped forward slightly. Laura had to move quickly to ensure she was still hidden. However, she saw Sean’s face completely change as he spotted her flecks of blonde hair. He knew she was in the room with him and a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

  “You’ve already crossed me once, Gregory. I suggest you leave now, before I kill you.”

  Harry walked towards them. As his attention was on Greg, Laura took the opportunity to peak around him to see who else was in the room. There was nobody, only Sean sat in the middle. Was Harry being truthful when he said the others were dead? She also wondered what Harry meant when he said that Greg had already crossed him.

  “I always knew Luke would grow up to be a disappointment.” Greg was shouting now.

  “No, Gregory, you’re the biggest disappointment. A son who refuses to go into business with his father.” Laura had to stop herself from gasping at Harry’s words. Did she understand him? Was Greg really his son?

  “No, you’re the disappointment, dad.” Greg snarled back at Harry, his hands forming fists by his sides.

  “You were always jealous of Luke. Tell me why I shouldn’t put this bullet in your head right now?” His teeth were gritted as he held the gun up, pointing it directly at Greg’s head. Laura moved to the right slightly, away from the line of fire. There was a small gap in-between Greg and Jake that she could peer through. Sean’s eyes were focused on her, the small sliver that was on show. Unless someone knew she was there, then she would just look like a shadow.