Abducted (Powell Book 2)

by Bill Ward

  “Don’t worry,” Powell said pleasantly. “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I was in the process of booking a flight back to my empty house in Brighton and started thinking about our time together and well… here I am!”

  “Are you mad?” Lara asked but she forced a smile.

  “Look, I haven’t been with anyone for a very long time and it’s not easy to walk away from something as good as we shared. Even if it was just sex for you, it was bloody good sex. At least I thought so.”

  “Yes, it was pretty good,” she admitted, grinning. “You better come in.”

  “I understand why your boss made the call he did and I can’t blame you for his decisions,” Powell said, as they walked through to the lounge. “Baz is obviously a very big fish. I’m not naïve and had to make my share of tough decisions back in my days in the Security Services.”

  “Thanks. I’ve been feeling bad about what I did but I really didn’t have a choice… Not if I wanted to keep my job. ”

  “You could have just handed me over to the authorities but instead you got me out of the country. I owe you big time for that and rest assured neither Jenkins or I would ever say a word about what we know.”

  “Where is Jenkins?” Lara inquired.

  “He went back to England this morning with Angela Bennett. But enough of them. I just wanted to see you one more time. See if perhaps there is any future for us.”

  Lara smiled and seemed to relax for the first time since he’d entered the house. She moved towards him and reached up and touched her lips lightly against his before pulling them away in a tease. She did it again and again until finally she kissed him passionately. When she was finished she said, “Probably no long term future but we don’t have to worry about that tonight.”

  “Can I have a shower?” Powell asked.

  “Of course. You know the way.”

  “Give me five minutes and you might like to join me.”

  “I’ll be right up.”

  Powell hurried to the shower and undressed. He carefully placed his clothes over the towel rail.

  Within a few minutes he was joined by Lara.

  “You realise this is actually the first time I’ve seen you naked,” Powell said.

  “You suffering from early Alzheimer’s or something?”

  “It’s true. We’ve only made love on your sofa in the dark.”

  “And what do you think?” She put her hands on her hips and adopted a provocative pose.

  “Stunning.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, as she lifted her mouth upwards to invite further kisses.

  Unlike the previous occasions he was more dominant as he made love to her, pushing her to her knees to suck on him, while the shower cascaded over her head. Then he turned her around and banged her hard against the shower door. The sex was steamy but so was the shower cubicle and didn’t really suit his purpose.

  “Let’s go to the bedroom,” he suggested, pulling her out of the shower. He took a towel and briefly dried her body. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

  “You better be.”

  He towelled himself dry, then took hold of his clothes and went through to the bedroom. She had lain down naked on top of the bed. He placed his clothes neatly on top of a chest of drawers.

  “Hurry up,” Lara encouraged.

  He turned to face her. “What would you like to do now?” he teased. His cock was standing upright and there was no doubt where her gaze was fixed.

  “I’d like to try and swallow all of that.”

  “You’re a very naughty woman,” he chided jokingly. “Single women aren’t supposed to behave like this in Saudi.”

  “Maybe but I am feeling very horny.”

  “Actually, you may have noticed, I am as well.”

  CHAPTER FORTY NINE

  Powell lay on the bed exhausted by the night’s sex. The fact they had a large double bed and an empty house had encouraged Lara to get rid of all her inhibitions, if she ever had any, and she had noisily enjoyed Powell in a variety of positions. He certainly wasn’t complaining, as it had been physically satisfying if not emotionally. He was also certain it had achieved its purpose but he wouldn’t be able to check properly until later.

  “I didn’t want to leave on bad terms,” Powell said, as Lara returned to bed with two mugs of coffee. “If I hadn’t done this, I’d never have seen you again. It would have been an unsatisfactory way to end whatever it was we had. Of course, if you now tell me it was fun but that was all it was, then I really do understand. I’m not going to start stalking you or anything! You have my phone number and next time you are in England, I hope you call me and visit me in Brighton so we can have some more fun.”

  “Well it was definitely fun! Was that all it was, I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem practical to develop a meaningful relationship so far apart. But I’ll definitely look you up next time I’m back in the UK.”

  “That’s good enough for me. I need a shower and then I’ll be out of your hair. I’m going to drive back to Bahrain as I have to return the hire car. If you ever fancy a weekend together in Bahrain, give me a call.”

  “That sounds a wonderful idea. Let’s go share a shower and I’m going to suck out the last bit of spunk left in your balls as a going away present.”

  Powell was happy as he walked back to his car. Lara was both physically beautiful and a great lover, which didn’t always go hand in hand. She had made it easy for him to get what he needed. She had snatched at the chance of some momentary pleasure and now would have to pay the price for her actions.

  He had some degree of sympathy for how she had behaved regarding the children. She did a difficult job, which he knew from his own experience make it impossible to lead a normal life. While he had been running a bar in Brighton she had been fighting global terrorism in the Middle East. The two responsibilities didn’t really compare. Lara and her kind were needed so those back home in their beds in England could sleep safely.

  She had been trained to use those around her as nothing more than assets to achieve her operational aim. She would be entirely focused on the job in hand but she was still human and had grabbed at the chance of a bit of normality by having sex with him.

  In normal circumstances, he would respect Lara for the job she did but this had become personal. Funny how something you are willing to accept is okay when it happens to other people, becomes something quite different when it becomes personal. Her dark world had touched upon his life. The decision made by her boss was not affecting some faceless person, it was two children he had grown to like. They were not his own children but they were Angela Bennett’s children and their family deserved to be reunited. He wondered what reaction he would get next time he appeared on Lara’s doorstep. He couldn’t imagine her being very welcoming.

  He drove straight to the school gates and arrived in time to see the children arrive. There was one significant change in their routine. As well as the driver, another man was sat in the front passenger seat. Was he just being dropped somewhere or was he a permanent new addition to the routine, in the form of a bodyguard?

  The children had walked slowly into school and didn’t hurry with the enthusiasm he had seen displayed previously. Powell interpreted it as a sign they weren’t happy to be back in their old routine. Powell was relieved Baz had insisted on them going straight back to school and making his job easier. They would have quite a story to tell their friends.

  Powell had to do a number of things to prepare for the afternoon when he planned to take the children. He drove towards the airport hotel and returned by taxi. Preparations completed, he found he still had a couple of hours free, which he spent at the shopping mall, where he purchased a laptop and drank copious amounts of coffee. He emailed copies of his files to Brian with instructions and to his personal account at the bar.

  He thought about Lara and Afina, and how different they both were. He had used Lara last night but felt vindicated by the fact she had previou
sly used him. He didn’t hate her for what she’d done but he also knew he could never have a relationship with her because he could never fully trust her. That was the fault of the job she did.

  Afina was quite different. Powell knew he could implicitly trust Afina. She would not lie to him or use him for her personal benefit. There was only one of them he could ever see himself having a proper relationship with but every time he thought about the longer term and Afina, his doubts resurfaced.

  Finally it was time to leave and he took a taxi back to the end of the road where the school was located. The Range Rover arrived before the kids emerged, complete with its additional passenger and damage to one wing. He wasn’t entirely surprised by the presence of further security but it was definitely unwelcome. There was a strong likelihood the guard would be armed, which certainly added an extra dimension to what he was planning. At least neither men in the Range Rover knew who he was, which was a small mercy.

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  Powell knew the direction from which the Range Rover would arrive and where it would park. He had positioned himself fifty metres down the road behind the car. He walked briskly along the pavement towards the vehicle, carrying the small bag he had purchased earlier, which contained everything he needed. One hand was inside the bag, gripping the heavy wrench. As he came level with the rear doors, he was grateful to see they were already unlocked.

  Without breaking stride, he dropped the bag to the floor and pulled open the passenger door. He delivered a heavy blow with the wrench to the side of the head of the man sat inside. The guard literally never knew what hit him and the effect was immediate as he was knocked unconscious.

  The driver was quickly grappling with his own door handle, seemingly desperate to escape. Powell reached across and grabbed hold of his arm, glad the driver’s first instinct had been to run away not drive away.

  “Stay where you are,” Powell shouted, raising the wrench in a threatening manner.

  The driver cowered in his seat with his hands up to ward off any blow.

  Powell was already removing the weapon from the guard’s shoulder holster with his free hand. He waved it at the driver. “Sit quietly and you won’t be hurt,” he commanded.

  The driver did as instructed, allowing Powell the chance to pick up his bag from the floor and jump in the back seat. None of the mothers hanging around the school gates was showing any sign of having noticed what had happened. Fortunately, they were all facing the gates, waiting for their little ones to emerge.

  “When the children come out just behave normally. I don’t want any trouble.”

  “For a man who doesn’t want trouble you have a very strange way of showing it,” the driver replied.

  The guard had only been stunned and was now alert to the presence of Powell on the back seat.

  “Do you speak English?” Powell asked the guard. Receiving no response, he turned to the driver and demanded, “Please translate for me.”

  “There is no need, he understands perfectly.”

  Powell prodded the guard sharply in the neck with the barrel of the gun. “I am here for the children. I need your driver but I don’t need you. Therefore I suggest you don’t play games with me. Just keep very still, say nothing and you will get to see the sun come up tomorrow.”

  The children were emerging from the school and Powell spotted Karim and Laila. They walked towards the car and due to the tinted windows were not aware of Powell’s presence until Karim opened the door and started to climb inside.

  “Get in,” Powell instructed, seeing a momentary uncertainty on Karim’s part. He was thankful they did as asked because if they had turned around and run away he would have been in a right mess.

  “Time to go,” he said to the driver. “Head for the airport.”

  “Are we flying to meet mummy?” Laila asked excitedly.

  “Yes we are and this time no one is going to stop us.”

  Powell noticed Karim had a black eye and bruising to his cheek. “What happened to you?” he quizzed.

  “Daddy hit him,” Laila replied. “He blamed Karim for letting you take us away.”

  “I’m sorry,” Powell apologised. “That wasn’t fair of your father. It wasn’t your fault”

  “It doesn’t hurt,” Karim answered.

  They drove for thirty minutes and then Powell directed the driver into the hotel car par. He showed him where to park in a quiet corner.

  “Give me the keys,” Powell said, once again pushing his gun into the driver’s back, who handed them over.

  Powell opened his bag and took out a pair of handcuffs. “Put your hands behind your back,” he instructed the guard, with a prod from the gun to remind him not to argue. Powell closed the handcuffs over the guard’s wrists.

  He took out a further pair and told the driver to cuff his right hand to the steering wheel. He took out a third pair and cuffed the driver’s left hand to the chain between the guard’s cuffs. The man in the shop had looked at him as if he had a whole harem at home when he asked for three pairs.

  He took the tape from his bag and wrapped it around their mouths so they wouldn’t be able to shout for help. Next, he took the rope from his bag and secured both of them to the backs of their chairs sufficiently to stop them being able to lean forward onto the car horn. Finally he tied their legs together.

  Powell surveyed his work. They would be uncomfortable but they were alive. There was a time when he would have simply settled for putting a bullet in each of them but that was the old Powell.

  The tinted windows would make it difficult for anyone casually passing to spot what had happened inside the vehicle and the two occupants were not going to be able to easily attract attention.

  “Okay, it’s time to go,” Powell announced to the children. “We have a flight to catch.”

  He led the way out of sight of the Range Rover to where he had left his Toyota earlier that morning. The children sat in the back and Powell accelerated away back towards town.

  CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

  As Powell reached the compound gates, he wound down his window and half leaned out, smiling at the guard who approached.

  “Me again,” he said. “Visiting the Thwaites.”

  The guard didn’t even bother to record their entry and just waved them through.

  Powell drove straight to Lara’s home, hoping she wouldn’t have any meetings to delay her arrival home from school.

  “Stay in the car, while I check Lara is at home.”

  Karim looked anxious. “It was she who returned us to our father.”

  Powell realised Karim would not welcome another beating from his father. “It’s okay,” he assured them both. “You won’t be going anywhere without me this time.”

  Powell walked up to the front door and knocked. He heard the footsteps on the other side of the door and knew he was being viewed through the spyhole. After a minute the door was opened, rather grudgingly he suspected, but she wouldn’t want to draw attention to him stood on her doorstep for too long. She also would know he wasn’t just going to go away.

  “Yet another surprise visit,” Lara said. “Are the kids in the car?”

  “You know?”

  “Baz called me demanding to know how to find you. I told him I had no idea, which was the truth.”

  “I need your help one last time.”

  “Not a chance in a million. He’s already threatening to renege on our deal. I suppose I should have known when you came back it wasn’t just because of me.”

  “I have something I want to show you. If you ask me to leave afterwards then I swear I will. I just need ten minutes of your time.”

  Lara unblocked the doorway as her answer and went back inside. Powell waved to the children to join him.

  “Go in the kitchen and help yourselves to a drink,” Powell suggested. “Lara and I need some time alone.”

  The children obeyed without saying anything to Lara. Not really surprisingly, there was no greeting, not even a bri
ef hello.

  “I need you to get Ben to drive us through the causeway one more time,” Powell said firmly. “Then we will be out of your hair for ever.”

  “I already told you ‘no’. What did you want to show me? Your ten minutes is counting down.”

  “Did you see the bruise on Karim’s face. That was from his father, who blamed him for being taken by us. If he ends up back with Baz again, there is no telling what he will do.”

  “That is hardly my problem. It’s on your conscience not mine. Is that all you wanted to show me? Did you really expect a bruise to make me change my mind?”

  Powell had thought there was a small chance Lara wouldn’t need any more coercion and it had been worth a try. He took the USB stick from his pocket. “If you won’t offer to help voluntarily then you should look at this.”

  She took hold of it like it was a hot coal. She placed it in her laptop, which was on a small table in the corner of the room.

  Powell couldn’t see the video playing but could tell from the sounds that she was watching them having sex the previous night.

  After a minute she stopped the file and turned back towards him. “That’s pretty tacky of you,” she admonished. “What is it? A souvenir of your time in Saudi?”

  “I wish it hadn’t been necessary.”

  “How did you film it?”

  “The wonders of modern technology. An amazing small camera in my belt.”

  “I thought at the time it was a bit odd how you took such care tidying your clothes before jumping into bed. You were positioning the camera.”

  “I’ve sent copies to various people, who will ensure they are published all over the internet, if you don’t help me. A copy will also be sent to the Mutaween. If you were lucky you might get away with an enormous number of lashes and a prison sentence but I think it more likely they would want to make an example of you.”

  “You wouldn’t do that to me. You’re bluffing,” Lara stated but without conviction.