“I’ll call big bro. He’s supposed to be lining up a deal with Dexter this afternoon. We’ll get him to pay up or the girl gets it.”
Big bro? So Beardy had to be Tom Saunders. He went over to the other side of the room and pulled out his cell.
“You can go over here.” Jenner pulled her bag from her shoulder and threw Tuesday into a dusty corner.
“Don’t enjoy this too much,” he sneered at her as he grabbed some rope and tied her wrists. Next came her ankles. A shibari expert he was not. She was glad he wasn’t a very good Dom.
Saunders followed them over, a massive grin on his face. “All sorted. He’s going to use her as the first bait to get the cash, then golden-boy for the club. If he refuses, we tell him about the bomb. If it all takes too long, the place goes up anyway. We’ll be in the money in a few hours, either way!”
Jenner guffawed, no doubt pleased to be back in the boss’s good books again.
“So what’s next?”
“He wants us there for the handover. We need to get across town and wait at the Condover. Harry’s going to see us there and take us to the meet point just outside. It’s a blind alley, perfect. Nowhere for the cops to hide, but we’ll have plenty of back up.”
Jenner grinned, following him toward the door. “What about her?”
They stopped and Saunders sniffed. “We’ll go in my car. Frankie’s still outside, he can keep an eye on her. Not that she can get up to much all the way out here anyway.”
Jenner sniggered. “Good. She’s caused me enough trouble already.” He went over and fetched her bag. “She won’t be needing this.”
Tuesday felt a wave of relief wash over her as she watched them leave. The place was crumbling and she wasn’t entirely sure it was sound, but it still felt a lot safer without them here. Part of the roof had long since caved in and there was brick dust and rubble all over the place. As soon as the coast was clear, she rolled herself over to an exposed part of the wall. The jagged bricks and old cement were rough and she managed to rub the ropes of her wrists against them.
Eventually she felt her binds give way and she yanked her arms apart. Glad that she had put her cell in her pocket instead of her bag, she pulled it out. There was only one person she could call—only one person she wanted to call. The only person who could help her now…
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dan had caught a couple hours broken sleep and had a good hot shower before meeting up with Padric in his kitchen. The Irish guy was booked in at a little motel, but Dan had taken him back to his place while they sorted this mess.
“Top of the morning to you,” Padric greeted him with a cheeky grin.
Dan sniggered. The guy’s sense of humor was not unlike his little sister’s.
“Hi,” he replied in his most southern accent, to match his friend’s exaggerated expression.
They both giggled as they sat down to fresh coffee and toast.
“Can you think of anywhere she might have gone to?” Padric asked, taking another swig of his drink.
Dan frowned. “I need to call Nathan to fill him in. I’ll check if Summer’s heard anything. She and April are her best friends. I suppose it’s possible she might have been in touch,” he said doubtfully.
It was almost nine-thirty so he pulled out his cell and called his best friend.
“They’re planning to turn Ropes into a casino, that’s why they’re sending their members over to us,” he explained. “Looks like they plan to take us over once they fleeced the boss for every penny they can get. Also, Tuesday’s gone. I don’t suppose Summer’s heard from her?”
“Sorry buddy. We’ll come over to you.”
By the time Padric and Dan had finished breakfast and tidied the kitchen, Nathan was at the front door.
“Ratner’s checking out the casino thing. Reckons the Hummingbird will be going the same way, seeing as they’ve sent over a load of members from there too,” Dan told him as he offered Nathan and Summer a drink.
“Where could Tuesday have gone?” Summer’s big green eyes were staring at him, reminding him of his sub’s. They went straight through to the bright conservatory.
“I wish I knew, baby,” Dan told her with a reassuring smile. He felt a lurch in his gut, disturbing the knot which had settled there last night.
“Has Ratner got his guys looking for her?” Nathan queried.
“Unofficially.” Dan nodded.
Padric appeared with a tray of cookies and a fresh pot of coffee. “Hope you don’t mind, I kind of raided your larder,” he told Dan with a grin.
“Oh guys, you need to meet Padric, Tuesday’s brother.” Dan grinned as he introduced them.
“I love your accent,” Summer told him excitedly.
“I can see the resemblance,” Nathan remarked as he shook the guy’s hand.
“He’s come over to find her,” Dan explained as they sat down and allowed Padric to fill them in.
Dan was surprised when his cell rang a short while later.
“Tuesday!” He gasped when her name appeared on his screen and he shot to his feet as he answered it.
The room fell silent while everyone listened in.
“Where are you, little one?”
Her voice came through the phone quick and panicked. “I don’t know, Master Dan. Listen, there’s a bomb in the club. In the dungeon I think. It’s set to go off tonight. Dexter’s got to pay a ransom or they’ll kill me. Then they’re going to demand he gives them the club or they’ll kill Brad. If he doesn’t comply or he takes too long they’ll blow up the place.”
Dan could tell that she was barely keeping herself together.
“They’ve gone to a place called the Condover to make the exchange with Dexter, then they’ll tell him about the club. It’s a blind alley just outside and they’re taking back up. They’ve got guns…”
“Bitch!”
A harsh voice yelled, and he heard Tuesday scream. It sounded like she had been struck. Then there was silence as someone hung up her cell. Dan felt his whole body shake as it grew hot, and he stared at the phone in his hand.
“Someone just caught her. I think she’s been hurt.” His voice was tight as he explained to his friends staring expectantly at him from the little table.
Running his fingers through his hair, he went back over to them, his hand trembling as he lifted his coffee. His relief and joy that she had actually called him for help had been totally marred by the knowledge that, in doing so, she had put herself in grave danger. Now he could only pray she was OK.
“Any clues?” Nathan asked.
Dan shook his head. “They’ve planted a bomb in the club though. I’ll call Steve. You get the place evacuated!”
Everyone was on their feet. Nathan and Dan got onto their cells while Summer slipped her jacket back on and Padric scooped everything back onto the tray, which he quickly took to the kitchen, presumably glad of something to do. They all piled out of the house and into the two cars.
“He’ll meet us there,” Dan called over as they got in.
Burning rubber on the drive, both cars shot off in the direction of Collar and Cuffs. Dan’s mind whirled as he relayed the message to Padric, who had gone with him.
“I’ll fucking kill the bastard.” The Irish man’s easy-going demeanor changed in an instant and he seethed. “You’ve no idea where she is?”
Dan shook his head. “She didn’t know.”
“Fuck!”
It sounded odd for Padric to be cursing, but Dan noticed how quickly his mood had changed once he knew his sister was in danger. For all his happy-go-lucky attitude, this guy had a fiery temper on him.
The police were already at the club when they arrived. People were milling about in the parking lot, shivering against the cold.
“What the hell’s going on?” Dominic caught up with them as they got out of their cars.
“Like I said, bro. They’ve planted a bomb in the dungeon. Not sure when it’s set to go off.” Nathan patted him
on the back. “Oh, and this is Padric, Tuesday’s brother.”
They shook hands.
“We’ll fill him in, you find Dexter,” Nathan told Dan as he pulled Dominic to one side.
Dan saw Carol-Anne, the boss’s PA, speaking to the chef and ran over.
“Master Dan.” She looked relieved to see him.
“Is everyone out?”
“Yes. She gestured to the registers in her hand. “But we don’t know why. Master Dominic set off the fire alarm and we evacuated. Then the police and fire crew arrived, but there’s no sign of smoke.”
“Where’s Dexter?”
“He suddenly said he had to go out. He’s got appointments booked all day which I’ve been having to cancel. Didn’t say where he was going or for how long.” She shook her head in frustration.
“How long ago?”
She frowned, checking her watch. “Nearly an hour ago, I guess. Not long before the dang alarm went off. Chef’s hopping mad about lunch being spoiled, and what am I supposed to tell all these guests?”
Dan looked where she was pointing and grimaced at the number of customers who had turned up to dine. There was no way they’d be allowed back in the building today.
“Tell them it’s an electrical fault. We’ve had to evacuate as a precaution,” he told her quickly before looking around for the others.
“Anything?” he asked Steve when he caught up with him.
He shook his head. “We’re beginning to worry it’s a hoax.”
Dan sighed. “They haven’t tried anything so far. Although it looks like Dexter’s already gone to meet them. I suppose this could be a decoy, stop anyone following him.”
Steve nodded. “True. We can’t take any chances though. My boss is going to have my guts for garters if they don’t find anything soon. He’s gone over to the Condover with a select team.”
“They’d better be good. Tuesday reckons it’s a blind alley, they won’t be able to get too near.”
“Dexter won’t even know they’re there, let alone those fuckers,” Steve assured him.
Dan stared at him. “Dexter doesn’t know?”
“Didn’t say a dickie-bird about the meet. He obviously thinks he can handle it alone. We sent our team in as soon as we got your call.” Steve shook his head.
“He doesn’t know they’ve got Tuesday as well. He’s just trying to save his son,” Dan said ruefully.
“I can understand it. Makes you wonder what you’d do in his shoes. He’s dang naive though if he thinks they’ll just hand him over in exchange for the cash!” He rolled his eyes.
“We’d better go after him,” Dan announced as Nathan and the others caught up with them.
“You be careful,” Steve warned.
“Keep us posted,” Dan called over to him as they hurried toward the cars.
Nathan insisted that Summer wait there with Dominic while he went with the guys. Dan agreed it was the safer option and suggested they all went in his car.
“I just hope Tuesday’s all right,” Dan said, thinking aloud as they sped toward the outskirts of town.
“She fucking better be.” Padric spoke through gritted teeth, and Dan immediately regretted bringing the subject up—not that it hadn’t been on both their minds all day.
“She’s a tough cookie,” Dan reminded him as well as himself.
“Yeah, she’s had to be,” Padric moaned.
“She had a hard life?” Nathan queried.
Padric sniffed. “You could say that, mate.”
“It’s going to get better for her now though, I’ll make sure of that,” Dan interjected.
He felt Nathan’s eyes stare into the back of his head. “You told her how you feel, bro?”
Dan sighed, remembering how that went. “Yeah. I told her I love her.”
“Nice one!” Padric slapped him on the shoulder approvingly.
Nathan cut in. “What did she say?” His voice was wary and Dan knew he’d picked up on his vibe.
“She didn’t say anything. When I woke up afterward, she’d gone. She hadn’t looked at all unhappy about it, but I guess it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.” Dan looked over at Padric and was surprised how disappointed he looked.
“She would have said right away if she hadn’t been happy about it,” the Irish man said immediately. “I know Caoimhe; she probably just needed to think things over a wee bit. She does a lot of that.”
Dan suddenly felt relieved. Perhaps that’s all it was.
“She didn’t say it back though? Ouch!” Nathan was trying to sound sympathetic.
Padric sniggered. “Like you’d expect her to? When’s my sister ever followed convention? No, trust me, she’ll have gone off to mull it over, so she would. Something as big as that takes time to digest, you know? You don’t just accept it and say the first thing that pops into your head.”
Dan had started to feel a little better about the whole situation. Her brother obviously knew her well, and, when he thought about it, Padric appeared to know exactly how his sister would think.
The Condover was a big, run-down hotel on the outskirts of town. Dan had only been here once before when it was still a thriving business, but those days were long gone. He parked in a nearby side street and was surprised to be stopped by a plain clothed officer before they even turned the corner.
“I’m sorry gentlemen, you can’t go down there,” he informed them.
“We’re management from Collar and Cuffs,” Dan explained quietly as the cop discreetly showed them his badge. “We just want to make sure our boss is OK.”
The officer shook his head. “It’s not safe, sir. We don’t know what’s going to happen so we have to stand clear. It would be best if you waited at the club. I’m sure someone will get back to you later.”
“Like fuck we will!” Padric growled.
“We’ll just wait here,” Nathan said calmly. “We won’t be in anyone’s way.”
The officer sighed. “Perhaps if you stay in your car,” he suggested.
Nathan nodded and led them back up the street. The officer said something on his radio, and Dan guessed he was warning his colleagues that they were there. They were a couple of streets away from the meet-point, and he was surprised the cops had cordoned off such a large area. They must have been expecting something big.
The guys stood around the car contemplating their next move.
“We’re not going to find out anything waiting here,” Nathan moaned.
“We can’t just hang around here doing nothing, I wonder if Steve’s got any ideas?” Dan whipped out his cell and explained their dilemma to their friend. He grinned as he slipped it back into his pocket.
“He’s already on his way over. They’ve sent all the staff home and they think they’ve located the bomb. Summer’s gone home with Heaven.”
Nathan nodded. He looked relieved that his sub was safe.
It was nearly five o’clock when Steve pulled up behind them on the curb of the deserted side street.
“There’s a back way,” he told them with a grin. “Come on.”
The officer at the other end of the street had waved him though on production of his badge, so didn’t take any notice of them all running off in the opposite direction. The road was a cul-de-sac, but they were able to squeeze through a hedge and turn into the next street. Dan felt his heart hammering as they ran across the road and through a pile of rubble where a house had once stood. He was surprised when Ratner led them through the rubble and clambered over some rocks, standing on a stone ledge which once supported the staircase.
“We’re going up,” the big cop announced as they all caught up to him. They clambered onto the next ledge and Dan was relieved when it opened out into the first floor of the dilapidated house. At the end of what used to be the landing was a wall with a smashed-in window.
“Great!” Dan felt a surge of relief when he saw that directly opposite them was the Condover, with a view of the alley that ran along one side of it.
>
Steve grinned as they all took their positions around the tiny window. Dexter’s Mercedes-Benz was parked a short way down the street, but there was no sign of him.
“I hope they get this over with before it gets dark,” Dan muttered, looking up at the sky.
They crouched there waiting as the sunlight dwindled into early evening.
“There he is,” whispered Nathan excitedly after a while.
Roland Dexter was walking toward the alley, looking around him. He was carrying a briefcase and looked nervous.
“Will they bring Caoimhe?” Padric mumbled to Steve.
“She said they’d already left when she called me, so I doubt it,” Dan interjected, although he couldn’t help hoping.
They all stared as a group of men marched out of the Condover’s main entrance and assembled in the mouth of the alley.
“He’s trapped,” Nathan whispered as Dexter turned around to see the men huddled around his only exit.
“Hang on, I’ll see what they’re saying.” Steve radioed one of his colleagues hiding within earshot of the thugs. After a hushed burst of profanity, he agreed to leave his channel open.
“I want my son,” Dexter was demanding.
“It’s not just him you want to be worried about,” one of the men was telling him. “We’ve got one of your staff as well. Pretty little thing. Be a shame if something happened to her.”
They couldn’t see Dexter’s expression, but he straightened up a little at the news. “Who? Who have you got?”
One of the men turned to another and Dan immediately recognized him as Jenner.
“The Irish one. Tuesday something-or-other.” Jenner’s triumphant tone made Dan clench his fists, and he was sure it would have had the same effect on Padric.
Dexter shook his head. “I doubt that,” he sneered. “If I’ve read my staff right, there’s a certain Dom who wouldn’t let anything happen to that little girl.”
Dan felt his insides burn with shame. He also had no idea that his boss knew him so well.
There was a heated exchange between them, so it was hard to make out exactly what was said, but Dan got the gist that the fuckers had actually agreed to bring the hostages down. Thank God! He couldn’t wait to see if Tuesday was all right. Jenner could be seen making a phone call and then everyone settled down for a long wait.
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