“You must have an address or something that will lead me to where they have Lorne—please?”
Angela shook her head in frustration. “I don’t, I swear. As far as I knew, my husband worked in the city as an accountant. Imagine my horror when I discovered he was involved in this dreadful business. Why? Why would he do that to these girls? It’s barbaric. Lorne asked me to tell the police. He’d already beat me to a bloody pulp. He’d kill me if I called anyone, but I’ve been sitting here thinking about how these poor women are suffering, and I can’t allow it to happen anymore.”
“I’ll call a friend of mine. You can trust him to help you out of this mess and into protective custody.”
“Would you?”
Tony rang DCI Sean Roberts and explained the situation to him.
“Christ, Tony! I’ll send a couple of my men over. Do you need any help trying to track Lorne down?”
“Yeah, it would help if you got your guys to keep an eye out for them on the streets. We have no idea where… Hold on a minute.”
“Tony? What is it?”
“The warehouse. I bet he’s taken them there.” Tony gave Sean the location and asked him to send a couple of squad cars out to the location.
Tony hung up and asked Angela, “Will you be okay by yourself? Is there anyone you can contact to come and sit with you until the police arrive?”
She nodded. “My neighbour can pop over, if you think it’s safe for her to do so.”
“That I can’t guarantee. Maybe you should go to her house. The police are on their way; odds are they’ll be here within ten minutes or so.”
“I’ll see you out and then go and see her. Thank you, and I’m so sorry about your wife. She’s a brave lady.”
Before Tony could ask her what she meant, his mobile rang. “Hello?”
“Tony, thank God. It’s Carol Lang.”
Tony gave Angela a brief wave and then got into his car. He watched the woman disappear through an archway in her hedge, then turned his attention back to Carol. “Sorry, Carol. I’m kind of in a rush.”
“I know, dear, and rush, you must. I fell asleep in the chair after lunch and woke up with a start. Lorne’s deceased partner, Pete, contacted me—can you believe that? The cynic of all cynics contacting me.”
Tony sighed heavily. “Carol, please get on with it, Lorne’s life is in danger.”
“I know, I know. He told me. What he said was a little hazy, so bear with me.”
“I’m listening.” Tony fidgeted in his seat and started the engine.
“He gave me tall railings. Huge buildings. Busy during the day, but silent at night,” Carol told him.
“The warehouse. I had the same inkling. Thanks, Carol, that reinforces my idea.”
He put the van into gear and released the handbrake, ready to drive off, but what Carol said next made him shudder. “Tony, listen to me. Lorne is in mortal danger. She’s no longer at the warehouse.”
“Then where the fuck is she?” Tony demanded. He slapped the palm of his hand across the steering wheel.
“I don’t know, dear. I wish I did. Would you like me to come over to the house? Something might come to me, and we’ll be able to act upon it straight away if I’m there with you.”
“I’m out and about, Carol. Sam’s back at the house, if you want to go over there. I think I’ll go and take a look at the warehouse just in case. Not that I don’t believe you, but I might find something over there that’ll tell me where they’ve taken Lorne and Katy.”
“My goodness, Katy is with her, too? Pete didn’t tell me there was anyone else involved. I’ll get over to your house as soon as I possibly can. Does Sam know?”
“He knows that Lorne is missing, yes. He’s feeling under the weather lately, so it might be a good idea if one of us was back there with him. Thanks, Carol. I’ll ring the house if I find anything out.”
The next call he made was to Sam. It was of the hardest calls he had ever had to prepare himself for, and throughout the call, his foot kept moving up and down on the accelerator, making the inside of the van far noisier than normal. At times, Sam had to ask him to repeat himself, which only twisted Tony’s gut ten times harder.
“Sam, listen to me: it’ll be all right. I’m going to contact a couple of friends of mine. We’ll hunt the bastards down if we have to. I’ll make them regret the day they ever messed with either Lorne or myself—that’s if she hasn’t done that already.”
“I am listening, Tony, but being the more cautious amongst us, it won’t stop me from worrying. You say that Carol is on her way over here?” Sam asked.
Tony noticed that during their conversation Sam’s voice had faltered a few times. He hated giving him the unfortunate news over the phone, but keeping the news from Lorne’s father was a definite no-no. They had all made a pact when the business had started up that they would tell each other the truth, no matter how harsh that truth turned out to be.
Tony watched a car pull into the drive. Two men in suits got out and walked his way. “That’s right, Sam. Look, I better go. The police have just turned up at North’s house. I need to have a word with them before I shoot off.”
“Keep me informed, Tony.”
“I will. See you later.”
Tony wound down the window and told the plainclothed officers that Angela North had just gone next door to her neighbour’s house. He gave a brief rundown of what had happened and suggested that the officers take Angela to the station for her protection, at least for the time being.
The officers agreed and Tony left. On the way, he called an MI5 agent who had helped them out in the past.
“Hey, Weir, how’s it hanging?”
“Warner?” The man laughed. “It’s hanging like a donkey’s, as usual, mate. Not seen any action for months, though, so it’ll be shrivelling up soon enough. Long time no hear. Where have you been?”
Tony gave a brief laugh at the man’s joke and then reprimanded himself as guilt swept through him. “I’ve been around, as they say. Listen, man, I’m in a pickle. Any chance either you or Taylor could help me out on the sly?”
Weir’s voice lowered. “I think we both need to get out of here for a while; the bloody new boss is driving us nuts. Tell me where and when and we’ll meet you.”
Relieved, Tony punched the air. He gave Weir the address to the warehouse and warned him not to do anything until he got there. “We’ll hit it by force, together.”
“In the daylight?” Weir asked surprised.
“If we have to, yes. I’ll see you later.”
Chapter Twenty
Approximately thirty minutes later, Tony parked a few roads away from the warehouse. Unlike the last time he had been here with Lorne, the industrial estate was a thriving and noisy community. Hearing a car door slam behind him, he looked in his rearview mirror and saw two men walking toward the van—Weir and Taylor.
They opened the passenger’s door, Taylor hopped in the back, and Weir sat in the front seat. “Nice wheels,” Weir said sarcastically.
“It does the job. Thanks for coming, guys. The warehouse is around the corner. Last time we were here, the gates, which are like ten feet high, were locked.”
“Have you been to check what the situation is now?” Taylor asked.
Tony shook his head. “Nope, I arrived two minutes ago, thought I’d wait for you guys to get here before proceeding.”
Weir spoke next. “Well, I suggest one of us—either Taylor or myself—ambles by pretending we’re looking for a specific company in the vicinity. Taylor, are you up for it?”
“No probs. On foot, or shall I take the car?”
“Foot would be better,” Tony told him.
Weir let Taylor out and they watched him walk around the corner and out of sight. Neither man spoke again until he returned five minutes later.
This time, Weir jumped in the back and Taylor sat in the passenger’s seat. “Couldn’t see a lot because the gates were shut. I suggest we drive ’round the ba
ck of the building, maybe take the next road down, and see if we can gain entry into the unit from there without drawing too much attention to ourselves. The road at the front of the building is far too busy to attempt anything.”
“Good idea,” Tony said. He started the engine, reversed up, and drove down the next road.
Weir suggested, “Drive past, Tony, so we can suss it out first.”
There was no convenient opening in the fence that they could get through as far as Tony could see. He pulled the car in and the three of them left the vehicle. Taylor was right; this road appeared to be the final one to the estate and was indeed far quieter than any of the others.
“How are we going to handle this?” Weir glanced down at Tony’s false leg to emphasise his meaning.
Tony slapped his thigh. “Don’t go worrying about this guy, he’s capable of doing anything yours can do and then some.”
“Right,” Weir said, seemingly taking charge of the situation. “I’ll give you a leg up. Er…excuse the pun.”
Tony tutted good-naturedly and thrust his good leg into Weir’s linked hands. He climbed up the spiked fence, thankfully clearing the top without causing any damage to either himself or his clothes. Tony snuck up behind the warehouse and waited for the other two men to join him.
“It looks deserted to me,” Taylor said. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a crowbar. “Let’s go.”
Taylor went first. He pried the door open and beckoned the others to follow him.
Tony’s nose wrinkled in repulsion. “Jesus! What’s that smell?”
“He’s definitely been out of the game too long,” Weir said as he moved further into the building. “That, my dear friend, is the smell of fear, mixed with the smell of sex.”
Tony felt his stomach lurch and the colour drain from his face. Hold it together, man.
Taylor gave him a dig in the ribs. “You all right? Don’t you go cracking up on us.”
Tony sucked in a breath to calm himself and regretted it. He spat out the bile that burned his throat and nodded at Taylor. “I’m all right. Let’s do this.”
They searched the caged area first and found discarded, torn female clothes. Thankfully, Tony didn’t recognise any belonging to his wife. The stench coming off the thin mattresses lying on the floor had intensified to the extent that none of them stayed in the area long.
Taylor pointed to another section of the warehouse near the rear and the three of them went over to investigate. Fresh blood pooled on the floor alongside a thin white blouse that had been shredded to pieces and a black pair of women’s trousers in the same state. “This looks as if it took place recently,” Taylor said, wincing as he spoke.
Tony kicked out at a nearby crate. “Shit! Where the fuck is she? The specifics we have on the case so far are that any girls shipped into the country are brought here and then dispatched around the country. We haven’t found any concrete evidence as yet to where these girls end up. We know an agency is involved, but the owner is being uncooperative. She got beat up by an associate only this morning; to me, that could mean that their partnership has altered in some way, and she wasn’t keen to dish the dirt. Who’s to say where these women would end up next? Or, more to the point, where Lorne and Katy will end up.”
Weir shrugged. “I don’t know what to say, mate. We can hunt around here for hours, but I doubt if we’re going to come up with anything new. I’m not sure what to suggest.”
Taylor nodded. “He’s right. Our hands are tied right now, Tony. Until something else surfaces, that is.”
“Okay, let’s get out of here,” Tony said, his shoulders slouching despondently.
Weir shoved him in the back as he followed him to the door. “Hey, where’s that stiff upper lip gone? From what I’ve seen of her, Lorne will have her wits about her. Keep the faith, mate.”
After climbing the fence and dropping the two agents back at their car, Tony headed back home. There was nothing else he could do.
*
Lorne struggled to keep upright in the back of the van. The driver had his foot down and didn’t seem to be taking the other people in the vehicle into consideration as he swerved around the corners of the narrow lanes. Even North shouted and cussed at him to slow down from his seat in the back.
Another corner, and Lorne crushed Jai San yet again. Fighting to sit back up, she smiled an apology at the young woman. The woman’s face was blank, devoid of all emotion. Lorne noticed how dead her eyes looked since her ordeal. Her heart went out to her.
Once the men had finished with Jai San, they had thrust her into the cage. She’d landed at Lorne’s feet, naked and trembling. Lorne sat on the floor and using her feet had tried to put one of the smelly blankets around Jai San’s quivering shoulders. With Lorne distracted, the men had seized their opportunity to grab Katy and pull her out of the cage. Amidst perverse laughter, they had dragged the screaming and kicking Katy over to the other side of the warehouse. However, before either of the men could hurt her, North had received a call on his mobile. The call had angered North, he threw some soiled clothes at Jai San and ordered her to get dressed before the three women had been roughly loaded back in the van once more.
On the way to a destination unknown, Lorne had surmised one thing from the call North had received: he was taking orders from someone else. Bang went her theory of thinking he was the man in charge of this gang. At that moment, Lorne’s fear for their safety escalated to a new level. Fear of the unknown had always been her downfall. Please, Tony, help us!
Lorne eyed Katy with concern; Katy, too, had been quiet since her near-miss ordeal. She nudged her foot with her own to get her attention, but Katy refused to look at her. Is she blaming me for getting her involved in this case? She tried again, harder this time, but Katy still averted her eyes.
North caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. “I told you to keep still,” he said and struck Lorne hard across the face.
Blood instantly filled her mouth, Lorne spat it out and he laughed. Defiantly, she said, “Your bullying won’t wash with me, North. I’m biding my time.”
“Your pathetic threats won’t wash with me, Warner.” He hit her again for good measure on the other side of her face. “There—now you have a matching pair.” He threw his head back and laughed.
Lorne glanced over at Katy, who was shaking her head in disappointment. Lorne’s chin dropped to her chest as the realisation dawned on her that she might be meeting up with Pete sooner than she had anticipated. Anytime you feel like lending a hand, buddy, feel free to contribute. Something tickled the palm of her hand, which was still tied up behind her back. She turned, expecting to see a mouse or something, but saw nothing. Was that Pete letting her know he was there?
Chapter Twenty-One
Tony heaved a frustrated sigh when he sat down at the kitchen table. Carol Lang placed a cup of coffee in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find her soon, love,” she said, sitting down beside him.
Tony gave her a brief smile, but then shot out of his chair. “My God—Charlie! Has anyone thought to ring the hospital to see how she is?”
“Sit down. It’s all taken care of; don’t worry. Jade and Tom are with her,” Sam informed him. “They’re aware of the situation with Lorne, but they’re not going to tell Charlie anything. As far as she knows, her mother is tucked up in bed with a fever.”
Tony slumped back into the chair, which creaked under the sudden movement. He hadn’t told Sam everything he’d seen at the warehouse. What was there to tell him really, anyway, except that the place stank of sex?
“So what’s next, Tony?” Sam asked. His hands were squeezing the life out of his mug.
“I’m not sure, really. Weir and Taylor are going to do some asking around for me, but I don’t hold out much hope of them finding anything. I’m wondering if Sean Roberts would be willing to question Angela North for us—is it worth asking him?”
Sam nodded. “What have we got to lose
from asking him? She’s in custody, anyway.”
Tony left the table and dashed into the lounge to ring Roberts. “Sean, it’s Tony.” He explained what had happened to Lorne and North’s part in it, and then asked, “Any chance you can question the wife for me? She looked pretty shaken up, and it’s obvious her husband beats her, but she still might know more than she’s letting on. Maybe they have a holiday home somewhere or something like that; he might use that to hide Lorne.”
“I’ll question her myself once I’ve located her and get back to you. And Tony?”
“Yep?”
“Lorne will come out of this unscathed—she usually does. Have faith in her abilities—and Katy’s, for that matter. They’re both strong women,” Sean said quietly.
“I know you’re right, Sean. It doesn’t make it any easier or less worrying, though. Speak to you soon, hopefully.”
Tony hung up and went back through to the kitchen to find Carol sitting at the table with her eyes closed, rocking back and forth in her chair. Tony gave Sam a questioning look. Sam shrugged his shoulders.
“I see,” Lang said after a few more rocks.
“What is it, Carol? What do you see?” Tony asked anxiously.
“Pete’s coming through again. He’s worried about Lorne…” Carol said before drifting off again.
Tony’s patience was being tested to the maximum. However, he knew from past experience that he would have to wait until Carol had finished conversing with the spirits before he found out any information.
“Thank you. Right, Pete said two men have Lorne, Katy, and another woman tied up in the back of some kind of van. He doesn’t know in which direction they’re heading, but he says that Lorne is remaining strong despite everything.”
“Christ, that’s bloody cryptic. Despite what?” Tony asked the psychic.
Carol’s eyes rose to the ceiling. “That’s all he said. We need to locate that van, Tony.”
“It’s not that simple, Carol. Without a registration number or rough idea of location, the task will be impossible. Have you any idea how many vans are travelling around the London area at any given time? Thousands!”
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