by Anna Edwards
His head rested against the door as her tiny fist pounded it from inside. He shut his eyes, composed himself, and turned to Sonia. "Stay with her. Don’t let her out for any reason until I get back. If you do, you will never work again in this country, even if you are fucking Matthew. Do you understand me?"
Sonia nodded. James took the gun from her and placed it into his jeans and headed down to the garage to find Matthew. He was certain he could still hear Amy's screams when he reached the basement. He hoped she would forgive him for this.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Amy
Amy's hand hurt from thumping the heavy oak door. She fell to the floor, wiped the tears from her eyes and sat there in disbelief. James had lost it and had locked her in their bedroom. He was racing off to do god knows what and maybe even get himself killed. She had to stop him. He didn't know her uncle. Yes, she had thought butter wouldn't melt in his mouth once, but she had also seen the dark side to him and the damage that his hired thugs could do, like when a punter got out of hand at the club and left with broken limbs. They didn't have a brain cell between them. She had to get to James.
"Sonia, you have to let me out. Please." Amy got to her feet and calmed her voice as she spoke through the door.
"I am sorry, Amy. You know I can’t do that." Sonia's voice was tempered as Her bodyguard was also reeling from the rather unexpected welcome home.
"Sonia, James is in trouble. He doesn't know what he is headed into to. Please, Sonia. Matthew will be in danger too. Sonia, I have seen the way you look at him. I know that look. I wear it on my face all the time. Please, Sonia, I love James so much if anything happened to him I wouldn't survive. Do you feel that way about Matthew?"
"Amy, Matthew will be level-headed the whole time. He will know what he is doing. I want to let you out but I can’t. Take a seat and wait. It won't be long and we will hear something. I am sure of that."
"Wait for the police to come and tell me that my fiancé is dead? Not going to happen. I will get myself out, even if I have to tie sheets together and climb out of the bedroom window."
Amy yelled out in frustration and smashed her fist into the door again. She saw her bag on the floor. Her mobile was in it. She could phone the police. She scrambled across the room and began to frantically pull all the belongings out. Where was it? Damn it. When she finally found it, she hugged it to her chest and almost let out a squeal of jubilation. Until she turned the screen over to face her.
"No, No, No."
It was out of battery.
"Amy what are you doing in there?"
Sonia's voice came through the door.
"Trying to sort this mess out as you won't help me."
"Amy, whatever you are doing stop it. Amy, please? Just wait. "
"Open the door and stop me then."
Amy got to her feet and went to besides James' bed. He kept a spare iPhone charger plugged into the wall there. She quickly plugged the phone in and waited, not very patiently for it to charge.
"Come on you damn thing. Work."
How long had James been gone? Ten? Fifteen minutes? He would be there soon. She didn't have much time.
Hurry up, hurry up.
"Amy. Please, just be patient." Sonia's voice was desperate now.
"Patient? Like fuck, Sonia. Do you know what my uncle is capable of? He is the reason you are employed to protect me."
"Amy. Lock yourself in the bathroom" Sonia screamed her name and advice this time. A thud came from the other side of the door.
"Sonia?" Amy stepped towards the door. No sound came from the other side.
"Sonia?" Amy shouted louder and ran to the door. The key turned, and it opened.
Sonia lay on the floor. Dead? Unconscious? Amy didn't know. She looked up and into the dead eyes of two of her uncle's thugs. Amy had to think quick. She couldn't get out of the bedroom; hiding in the bathroom wasn't an option.
The knife. Matthew had left it on the bed. She made a dash for it and grabbed it, just as one of the men caught her around the waist. She turned and slashed at his face. He screamed out in pain and let her go. Blood squirted from a gash that tore down his stubbled cheek.
"Stay away from me."
"Fucking bitch."
"You touch me, and I won’t hesitate to use this knife as you can see."
"Amy, don't be so stupid. Your uncle just wants a little chat." The other man spoke as he strode confidently into the room, his hands were held high in supplication though.
"Where is James' mother? If you have hurt her--" She looked towards the fingernail on the bed.
"We only took one."
The man that didn’t have blood pouring from his face lunged for her, but she slashed at his arm and managed to dash for the door. She wanted to check on Sonia, but she didn't have time; she had to get to the club. As she sped through the hallway she noticed the keys for the Audi on the side table. She grabbed them and headed down the stairs to the garage. Her heart was beating so fast she could hear it in her head. Footsteps echoed on the floor above. She stumbled on the stairs but managed to grab hold to the barrier to keep her upright. She tore into the garage and clicked the keys for the Audi. It opened and she jumped in and started the engine. She had never driven this thing. It had so many different buttons. She just wanted the button which allowed her to go. She found drive, pressed that and floored the accelerator just as the two thugs hurtled down into the garage. Amy clipped one of them as she sped past. His body flew off the bonnet and landed with a sickening crunch on the floor. She didn't have time to worry if she had killed him. The garage door was thankfully still open and she emerged onto the street above.
A car pulled in front of her. She had to slam on the brakes and whacked her head on the steering wheel. She tried to reverse but couldn't. She was trapped. The feeling of failure began to constrict her stomach. The door was flung open her uncle's head guard pulled her like a rag doll from the vehicle.
Leon was the only guard with half a brain. He was strong, devious, and liked to get his own way. There had been many a time in the club that Amy had seen him hit some of the girls if they’d done something wrong. He was also well known for taking pleasure from the girls, whether they wanted to or not.
"Miss Jones, can we stop with the feeble escape attempts now? If you want to see your lover alive again. I would come quietly."
Amy kicked him in the shin, but she couldn't get herself free. She was screaming, hoping someone would hear something and call the police if she could stall them for long enough.
She stilled immediately, however, when a gun was pointed at her head.
"Come on Leon, let me shoot the bitch."
"Boss wants her alive. We won't get our payoff if she is dead. I will let you play with her afterwards, though. She always did think she was better than the rest of us."
"I just heard the rumours that your dick was so small it wasn't worth worrying about."
He whacked his calloused hand hard across the face. She tasted blood in her mouth. He then pulled her face towards him and held her tight.
"I will show you just how much satisfaction I can give. Maybe a little display in front of your lover." Amy spat in his face. Leon threw her at the other thug, whose face Amy had slashed. "Get her in the car. The neighbourhood watch 'round here will have called the police. We need to get out of here."
"What about Jase? She hit him with the car."
"Is he alive?"
"No idea."
"Let's hope he isn't. Now get her in the car."
Amy was thrown forward and into the car that she had crashed into. She just needed to relax, keep her calm, and use her brain. She knew her uncle better than anyone. He must have a weakness. What was it?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
James
"Are you sure about this, boss?" Matthew pulled the car up outside the club. "He isn't like anything you have faced before."
"He has my mother."
"He is also your fiancée's uncle. "
James gripped the dashboard tightly; his knuckles were white with fury. Matthew would do as he was asked, even if he felt James was going about it the wrong way.
James checked the gun, handed it to Matthew, and got out of the car. "Wait here. I will sound the alarm when I need you. Get my mother out first. I will get myself out."
"As you wish."
Matthew turned the engine off and waited, eagle-eyed, as instructed. James hated this bit. James hated it himself; his palms were sweating. They had only done this a couple of times together. James really hadn't lied to Amy when he said that he hadn't killed anyone. He hadn't, but Matthew had. On his say so.
After James had left the hospital, after the beating, he'd had Matthew follow the brothers. One night, they discovered them about to attack a gentleman outside of a gay club. They prevented the attack and dispensed their own justice on the brothers. Matthew had killed the older of the two. The other brother they had forced to leave the country for good, and he wouldn't walk properly again.
So this was nothing new to them, but it felt so much more personal. His mum was everything to him, she had supported him through so much. He wasn't about to let anything happen to her. Amy was his future and the thought that the man doing this was related to her made matters even worse. He knew that no matter what happened, Amy was going to end up hurt--better emotionally than physically.
He entered the club and was immediately frisked by a bodyguard, his phone was taken away, and he was led down the corridor to the back. The club was empty. James was shown into a dark room. Again, as Amy had said, knives, whips, and chains were on the wall. His mum was in the centre of it. He ran to her and checked her. She was crying, and her hand was covered in blood. Somebody would pay for this. She pulled away from him. She was blindfolded and had headphones over her ears--she didn't know it was him. He went to remove them, but a voice behind him spoke. "I wouldn't do that Mr North; she tends to scream a lot when you remove the blindfold. I wish I had taken her tongue instead of a nail. Mind you, it wasn't as bad when I was fucking her, pretending to be her loving boyfriend."
James slowly stood up, his fists clenched and he exhaled sharply to keep his composure. He spun to face Amy's uncle and three guards.
"So that is how you got in my house. Clever. Name your price, I will pay and then I can get home to my fiancée, and we can forget you ever existed. My driver is in my car; I will send him to get it."
"Oh no Mr North, this has gone so much deeper than that. You see, I found something out. Those papers I sent to you in India for Amy to sign? Well, They’re worthless."
James swallowed hard. Something he thought was over and forgotten was coming back to haunt him.
"Worthless? They handed the club over to you, which is what you wanted. And Amy doesn't know that she even owned it in the first place."
"Yes, she can't sell the club. A stipulation of her father's will, not until she is twenty-five. And I am sure you can appreciate that I am not willing to wait that long."
"I will get my lawyers to look into it at once. Amy doesn't have to know about that. She thinks you are out of her life. She doesn't want you back."
"No. That isn't enough anymore. I have been messed around enough, and as it seems things are very serious between you and my niece. Why should I not profit from it? I want ten million."
"I don't have that money laying around." James raised an eyebrow in derision.
"I've researched your finances, and I know you can access your money at any time. I could however, take a down payment until you can get the rest to me. I will post one piece of your mother back to you each day until I get what I want. I am thinking a finger next. What do you say?"
"I won't be able to get that sort of money from here. Let me send my bodyguard in to stay with my mother, and I will go get the money."
Amy's uncle rubbed his head. "Micky. Remove Mrs North's finger. It seems Mr North is determined to play with us."
Micky moved towards James's mother with a knife in hand. James moved his hands together as if to plead, and pressed a button on his watch. That would give Matthew the alarm he needed to come in and finish this. James just needed a little time.
"No. Please. If I take that much money out of my accounts, it is designed to trigger alarms. I need to do it in person. I am not messing with you. I wouldn't risk my mother. Please." He kept his voice deliberately calm.
James moved forward to try and distract the guard that had the gun pointed at him. The guard put the gun down and went to grab James. James allowed himself to be restrained just as Matthew appeared, and in one quick shot, fired a bullet through Mickey's head. Matthew turned the gun on the guard beside Amy's uncle and shot him in the leg before he could get a clear aim at either James or his mum. James flipped the guard who held him in place over his shoulder and rammed him head first into the wall. He slumped to the ground. James grabbed the gun from the table as Matthew knocked the other guard out as well. Both James and Matthew turned the gun on Amy's uncle, ready to shoot. But something was wrong.
He didn't look scared. In fact, he still wore the confident smile on his face.
"Matthew, untie my mother and get her out of here."
Matthew nodded and removed the blindfold.
"Do you even know who to use that gun?" Stephen Jones was taunting James but he responded by cocking the pistol and pointed it squarely at Amy's uncle's forehead.
"I may be a simple businessman, but unfortunately, I have seen enough fuckers like you in my life to need to know how to protect myself."
"You ever killed any of them, though? Isn't that what he is for?" He raised his eyebrows towards Matthew.
"We shall see very shortly won't we?"
"We will. Because you won't be killing me here today. You will be giving me what I asked for."
"Are you an idiot?"
"No but it would seem you are. And a predictable one at that."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Matthew appeared at James' side with his mother.
"Let's go, boss."
"Oh, I wouldn't." Amy's uncle laughed with a cackle. "Our party is just beginning. I would suggest you drop the guns." His eyes flicked towards the back of the room. Matthew turned his head whilst James kept his eyes boring into the evil before him. Matthew sighed and bent to put his gun on the ground and kicked it away.
"Boss, drop the weapon."
James spun around.
Amy stood before him, her hands cuffed behind her back, a bump on her head, and blood staining her mouth. Next to her stood a man who held her tightly, whispering in her ear so that Amy's face screwed up in revulsion. James didn't need to lip read to know what was being said, especially when the man licked Amy's face. Tears tumbled down her face. To the other side of her stood a man with a gun at her head. James pointed his own gun down and bent to lay it on the floor. It had all been a trap. His mother was a ruse to allow them to take the real prize. The woman he loved more than anything. He had vowed to protect her, but he had failed. He needed to get his head straight, but he couldn't. His need to control would destroy everything. It already had.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Amy
Amy recoiled as Leon licked her face. He had been touching her and insinuating all sort of lewd things all the way to the club. She wanted nothing more than to smack him in his tiny balls.
James put the gun down and stood with his hands up. The guard with the weapon at Amy's head gave his gun to Leon and stepped forward to collect the ones Matthew and James had placed on the ground. Her uncle's guards were rapidly dwindling, two lay unconscious on the floor, one lay dead from a bullet to his forehead, and the one that Amy had injured had disappeared for medical attention the second they had dropped Amy here. He probably also went back to collect his mate that she had run over. She tried to remember how many other guards were around. She thought this was it. The guard with the guns placed them on a table. At her uncle's command, he then strapped Matthew into a set
of chains on the wall. They knew he was the one to watch. Miranda kept close to his side.
Amy looked at James, and she could see that he was lost again. She had seen that fear before. He was suffering. He had seen that Amy was hurt and shut himself down as he blamed himself for causing her pain. She needed to bring him back and the only way she could do that was by being the strong one as she had been in the past.
This was how their relationship worked. When one needed the other, they were always there for them. Amy was shoved roughly down into a chair. The handcuffs at her back rubbed against her wrists; they were tearing the skin and causing bleeding. She made a note that if she ever tried handcuffs with James, they would be fur-lined.
Her uncle barked out another order which made Amy jump. Leon came back around to Amy's side, and the gun pointed at her temple again.
"Now I have your full attention, Mr North? After your willful attempts at escape, I now have funeral costs and medical bills to cover. I think I will have to increase the amount that I require from you. And I would suggest you waste no more time in trying to delay the inevitable. I want £20 million in my account in the next half hour. Or," he pointed toward Leon, "I will let you watch as my associate here take whatever he wants from my niece. And believe me, he has some very peculiar tastes that tend to leave his ladies a little broken." Leon cracked his knuckles in Amy's ear, and she felt sick again.
"Get me my phone. I will show you how to transfer the money to whatever account you want. It will be done in moments." Amy knew the tone in James' voice, he was just waiting for what he now saw as the inevitable. His death or Amy's. Her uncle sent the only other guard in the room that was conscious to get James' phone. While they waited, her uncle strode up to Amy and patted her cheek,
"So naive, so pretty. Such a waste. You were too much like him." Amy turned her head away, she didn't want to be touched by this man, she wanted him to rot in hell. He pulled it back and gripped her tightly by the chin. "You know; you are just like your whore of a mother. She was always playing hard to get, but the reality was; she loved it rough."