One Last Chance

by Hollowed, Beverley

  “I am on my way too,” Cole replied. “Oh, and Nathan, think it’s time you involved the police. This has gone far enough. I don’t want to do anything to put Ally in any more danger than she is already in.”

  “Nick, you need to get to a hospital,” Cole said when he hung up the phone. “That cut on your head looks very serious. I want you to have it checked out. Liam shouldn’t be too far away. Why don’t you call him and have him take you to the emergency room.”

  “With all due respect, Mr. Thomas,” Nick said straightening up his shoulders. “I would rather stay with you sir. I am not sure how much use I will be but I want to help. This is my fault. You trusted me and I failed you, again. I need to help put this right.”

  “Okay,” Cole nodded. “Get in, but I think its best I drive.”

  Both men jumped into the car and Cole pulled out of the car park like a bat out of hell. All he could think about was getting to her. Getting to his Ally.

  *************************

  “What are we doing here?” Ally asked when they pulled up outside her old apartment block. This was the last place she would have expected him to go. “Jason why have you brought me here?”

  Jason just ignored her instead just telling her to get out of the car. As she reached for the handle of the car, Jason grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back towards him.

  “Remember, I have a gun,” Jason said to her with such venom he spat when he spoke. “I will put one through that pretty head of yours and then through this.” He poked her in the bump once again with the barrel of the gun.

  Ally nodded as she blinked back the tears. She knew he meant what he said so she dutifully climbed out of the car and waited on the pavement for him. Coming around the car to meet her, he once again gripped her tightly by the forearm and pushed her towards the main door of the apartment building.

  Once inside he didn’t wait for the lift, instead heading towards the stairs, pushing Ally up them in front of him.

  It took a lot out of Ally, in her condition the last thing she should have been doing was rushing up four flights of stairs.

  By the time they reached the top, she was exhausted and feeling a little light headed. She tried to stop to catch her breath but Jason didn’t let her. Instead he pushed her down the long corridor until they reached her apartment.

  He quickly opened the door and pushed Ally inside. By the time she reached the sofa, Ally was feeling a little unwell. She felt dizzy and she wanted to vomit.

  “Can I have some water?” Ally asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

  “Certainly sweetheart,” Jason replied with a big warm smile. “Anything for you.” Ally looked at him in complete disbelief.

  “Don’t you get it?” He asked when he saw the confused look on Ally’s face. “I am doing all this for you. You and our baby are the most important things in the world to me. Don’t you see this Ally?”

  Ally had no response, she just stared at him blankly.

  “Come with me,” he said reaching out his hand to Ally and indicating towards the bedroom. “There is something I want to show you.”

  Ally didn’t take his hand, she didn’t move. She just stared at him as terror took hold. The memory of the last time he took her to that bedroom crashed into her mind. She sat frozen to the spot, pure fear taking hold of her body.

  “Ally,” he said sensing her unwillingness to go with him. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. I just want to show you something. It’s something good.”

  Ally reluctantly stood up, thinking it was best to go along with him and not anger him. When she walked into the bedroom, she was surprised to see a baby crib set up in the corner of the room. He guided her towards it so she could have a better look.

  As she approached the crib, the first thing she noticed was the blanket that was inside it. It was Ben’s. The one that vanished from his pram in the park weeks earlier. Then she noticed his little elephant. She thought back to how unsettled he had been when it went missing and how she had kept blaming herself for losing it.

  “I know it’s not all brand new,” he said, sounding a little embarrassed. “Money is a bit tight since I lost my job.”

  “You took Ben’s things,” Ally said looking at him in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”

  “Don’t worry,” he said his whole demeanour suddenly changing. “Mr. Moneybags can afford more.”

  “That’s not the point,” Ally snapped angrily. “That little boy fretted for days over his elephant.”

  Jason just looked at her, thinking what his response should be. He was about to speak when Ally spotted the picture frame Ella bought them, on the shelf above the crib and the missing 3-D scan photo.

  “You were in my home,” she said as she turned and looked at him with disgust. “How did you get into my home?”

  “Your precious Cole, may have had you watched around the clock,” Jason sneered. “But that stupid old trout that lives with you is a real liability. She washed her damn floors every day at the same time. And always left the back door open to let it dry. You all thought you were untouchable but that stupid old biddy was the chink in your high security armour.”

  “How dare you come into my home,” Ally growled at him with complete and utter contempt.

  “This is your home,” he snapped back,

  “NO IT’S NOT!” she screamed. But suddenly she doubled over as a shooting pain went through her stomach making her cry out in agony. “OH GOD!”

  Jason looked at her for a moment and said nothing.

  “JASON, PLEASEEEE!” She cried as a second piercing pain shot through her. She looked down at her legs and she could see a trickle of blood running down her leg. “SOMETHINGS WRONG!”

  “What do you mean?” Jason said looking at her in panic.

  “THE BABY!” She cried out as the pain shot through her body once again and she knew she was having contractions. “SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE BABY.”

  Ally stumbled to the bed and collapsed onto it.

  “Jason, please,” Ally sobbed as the pain grew stronger. “I need help. Something is wrong with the baby.”

  Ally could feel a pop and her waters came rushing out, soaking the bed beneath her. She began to sob harder and harder.

  “You stop crying,” Jason demanded as he paced up and down the bedroom the gun in his hand. He repeatedly tapped it against the side of his leg.

  “Jason, the baby is coming,” Ally sobbed. “But I can’t have her here, we will both die if I have her here.”

  “I NEED TO THINK!” Jason shouted and he pointed the gun at Ally. “STOP CRYING AND LET ME THINK!”

  Ally screamed in agony as another contraction took hold. She knew with each one, the baby was closer to coming and the closer she and the baby were coming to bleeding out.

  “I SAID STOP FUCKING SCREAMING!” Jason snapped. “I CAN’T FUCKING THINK!”

  “I WANT COLE!” Ally cried.

  “NO!” Jason shouted angrily. “YOU WANT ME, YOU LOVE ME!”

  “I want Cole,” she sobbed. “Please Jason don’t let my baby die.”

  “I want you to tell me you love me,” Jason demanded. “Tell me it’s me you want, not him.”

  “I WANT COLE!” She screamed as another contraction washed over her body like a tidal wave.

  “SAY IT!” He demanded angrily but Ally just cried out in agony. “SAY IT NOW!”

  “I WANT COLE!” Ally cried out again. “PLEASE, I NEED HELP, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BABY!”

  “Well, you can’t have him,” Jason said coldly lifting up the gun and pointing it at Ally. “And if I can’t have you, no one can.”

  Chapter 31

  When they pulled up outside Jason’s apartment, Cole was a little taken back by the amount of police cars and blue flashing lights there were. He knew Nathan had called in a few favours and made sure the troops were called in.

  He pulled to a stop and jumped out of the car. Nick got out the far side of the car and made his way a
round to Cole.

  “I really think you should go to the hospital,” Cole said as he looked at a now, very pale looking Nick.

  “I can’t go until I know she is okay,” Nick insisted. “I was supposed to keep her safe. I let her down.”

  “This was all Jason’s doing,” Cole growled. “And Ally wouldn’t want you to not take care of yourself. You know this.”

  “I can’t leave,” Nick replied simply.

  Cole sighed and nodded and looked around the car park of the apartment. He spotted Nathan talking to two police officers. He quickly headed over to them, leaving Nick standing next to the car.

  “This is Mr. Thomas,” Nathan said to the two officers, as Cole approached them. “Cole these are the two officers in charge of finding Ally.”

  “Mr. Thomas,” one of the officers said and held out his hand to Cole. “I am Sergeant Dickson and my colleague here is Sergeant O’Flaherty. We understand you believe that your wife’s ex-partner is behind this. A Mr. Jeffreys.”

  “That’s correct,” Cole nodded. “He seems to have gotten it into his head that our baby is his. And for the record, it isn’t his baby. But I need you to understand, my wife is not well. She had an appointment today with the doctors at the hospital that she never made. We need to find her and find her fast.”

  “We have all our best men on it Mr. Thomas,” Sergeant Dickson assured Cole. “We are doing everything in our power to track them down. We are currently pulling video surveillance from around the hospital car park. If we get a visual, we may be able to track the car and see where he may have taken her.”

  “Money is no object,” Cole replied. “Whatever it takes, I will make sure you have it.”

  “There is no need,” Sergeant O’Flaherty replied quickly. “We have all our resources channelled into this. We will do whatever it takes to bring Mrs. Thomas home safely.”

  “Serg,” one of the junior officers called out, as he walked out of the main door to Jason’s building. “You have to come and see this.” Then the officer turned and hurried back inside.

  The two police officers turned and headed into the building followed closely by Cole and Nathan.

  “Mr. Thomas,” one of the officer’s said as he stopped and turned back to Cole. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea you coming in here.”

  “If this is something to do with my wife,” Cole insisted. “I want to see it. I need to see it.”

  He looked at Cole for a moment, sighed and reluctantly nodded.

  “Fine!” He agreed before he turned and continued on into the building. “But touch nothing.”

  When they reached Jason’s apartment, the first thing Cole noticed was the stench. The apartment was filthy. There was dirty dishes everywhere, filled with rotten food and covered with mould. There were empty beer bottles and whiskey bottles everywhere. There was a collection of flies buzzing around the room. It was like walking into hell.

  It was hard to believe that the man who lived in this squalor, was once a pretty confident and successful business man in his own right.

  “In here,” the officer who had called them into the building said, when he emerged from one of the side rooms. Cole and Nathan followed the two officers into the room and Cole’s stomach heaved.

  The room was wall to wall pictures of Ally. Some on her own, some with him, some with Ben. They were taken everywhere. He had some of her coming and going from her grandparents. Some of her out and about with Ben. He even had some of her sitting in her back garden, reading or playing with Ben on his blanket.

  He has been following her for months, and all of these were taken before the incident with Nathan. Cole couldn’t bear to think of what he had been up to since then.

  Cole’s stomach heaved once again as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. This was worse than he had thought. He knew he was going to be sick. He barely made it out of the apartment before he threw his guts up all over the hallway.

  “Come on buddy,” Nathan said, suddenly next to Cole’s side. He rubbed Cole’s back as Cole remained bent over, his hands resting on his knees. “Just breathe deeply.”

  “Where is she, Nate?” Cole asked glancing up sideways at his best friend. “She is my world, I am nothing without her. I can’t lose her.”

  “We will find her,” Nathan said trying his hardest to keep Cole’s spirits up. But deep inside, he knew this was not looking good. This Jason was completely insane. That much was apparent. Nathan silently prayed they would get to Ally in time.

  “I hope so, Nathan,” Cole replied. “I really hope so. I can’t live without her.”

  “Maybe we should get you home,” Nathan suggested. “Ben will be there waiting for you, and you need to talk to your mom, dad and Ally’s grandparents. You don’t want them hearing this news, second hand. It should be you they hear it from.”

  “You’re right I should call Nan and Pop,” Cole nodded. “And then my mom and dad. They are expecting us back to take them to see Ally’s apartment.”

  Then it hit Cole, he looked up to Nathan as the realisation took hold.

  “I know where she is,” Cole said suddenly, then without saying another word he ran flat out, down the stairs, out of the building and to his car outside.

  “COLE WAIT!” Nathan called after him, as he burst through the doors after Cole. But Cole was already reversing and wasn’t slowing down.

  Nick, who had been standing beside one of the police cars, talking to two officers, hurried towards the car too. But Cole didn’t pause. He put his foot down and sped away at top speed.

  “What’s happened?” Nick asked Nathan as he hurried towards him.

  “He said he knew where she was and took off.” Nathan explained. “But that’s all I know. One minute he was talking about taking his parent’s to Ally’s apartment then the next…”

  “That’s it!” Nick exclaimed. “That’s where he has gone.”

  Nathan shouted over to one of the police officers to inform Sergeant Dickson where they were going, then both he and Nick jumped into his car and sped away after Cole at high speed.

  Cole was already nearly at Ally’s. As he drove, he chanted to himself over and over again. “Just let her be okay, just let her be okay.”

  When he reached Ally’s apartment, he hit the brakes and jumped out leaving the car running. He ran to the door and thanked God for giving him a break, that someone was just leaving and held the door open for him. He didn’t wait for the lift. Instead he headed for the stairs and took them two at a time.

  When he reach the corridor, he could have sworn he heard someone crying. As he got closer to her door, he was certain it was Ally that he could hear and his stomach knotted. What is that bastard doing to her?

  When he reached the door, he could feel the blood drain from his whole body. It hadn’t dawned on him until now, as he stood there and stared at the black door. It was the black door from his dream. It all came rushing back to him.

  He kept waiting to wake up but he didn’t. This was no bad dream. This was really happening. He took deep steadying breaths because he thought he was going to vomit again.

  Keep it together, he scolded himself.

  “I SAID STOP FUCKING SCREAMING, I CAN’T FUCKING THINK!” He heard Jason scream at Ally. All the while Ally was still crying. Cole could barely breathe. He wanted to kick the door in but he knew he needed to handle this correctly.

  “I WANT COLE!” He heard Ally cry out and his heart almost broke. Cole pulled his phone from his pocket and called Nathan.

  “He has her in her apartment,” he told Nathan the minute he answered the phone. “I can hear her crying.”

  “Don’t do anything till I get there,” Nathan replied in to the phone. “I’m nearly there, so is the police.”

  “I can’t stand here and do nothing, Nate!” Cole exclaimed as he heard Jason shouting once again.

  “SAY IT!” Cole heard him demand as Ally cried harder. He could feel his blood boiling. He brought the phone back to h
is ear.

  “Nathan, I can’t wait,” Cole said in an eerily calm voice.

  “COLE DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID!” Nathan roared into the phone but Cole just hit end and slipped it back into his pocket.

  He stood in front of the black door and stared at it for a moment. He could hear Ally cry out again.

  “I WANT COLE!”

  The plea nearly broke Cole’s heart. Then he heard.

  “PLEASE, I NEED HELP, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BABY!”

  Cole’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest, he knew he needed to get in there and needed to do it fast.

  “OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR JEFFREYS!” He roared as he began beating the door with his fists. He could hear Ally cry out and he banged the door harder.

  “ALLY, I’M HERE!” He called through the door as he stepped back and then ran at the door hitting it square on with his shoulder but it didn’t budge.

  “COLE, NO!” She cried out. “HE HAS A GUN, PLEASE, DON’T COME IN HERE!” Then she cried out once again as if in agony and Cole knew something was very wrong. He needed to get to her.

  Taking hold of each side of the door frame, he began to kick the door as hard as he could.

  He heard Jason scream something out, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying over Ally’s crying. So he just continued to kick the door.

  Cole could hear the sound of the sirens in the distance as they got closer and closer to the apartment.

  “COLE!” He heard Nathan call from the far end of the corridor. He turned to see Nathan and Nick hurrying down the hallway. Nick was still holding his ribs but he had a determined look on his face.

  “I have to get in there,” he said in a panicked voice. “Something is wrong with Ally. I need to get her out of there.”

  Cole turned and kicked the door one more time.

  Suddenly Ally screamed.

  “NO JASON NO!” And it was followed by a loud bang.

  “ALLY!” Cole screamed as his dream came crashing into his head. Wake up, wake up, he chanted to himself.

  But he didn’t wake up, and the only sound was the sirens of the police cars as they surrounded the building.

  Cole took a deep breath and with one more kick the door burst open. He steadied himself before he stepped through the door, unsure of what he was about to find.