“Rachel hit me in the face but it didn’t hurt,” she said, although it was a lie. She had a horrible headache and Robbie’s groaning wasn’t helping.
“They could have hurt our babies,” said Alex. “This time I’ll put you in a place so safe they won’t get near our boys again.”
Katia frowned. It sounded as though he only cared about the babies and she was just a convenient vessel. She put the treasonous thoughts aside, she knew Alex loved her and she was much more to him than a baby maker.
Robbie’s moaning increased, worsening her headache and she couldn’t stop herself from snapping at him. “Calm down you child, we are on our way to the doctor and it is only a flesh wound, the bullet passed through.”
“Rachel is a bitch,” Robbie managed to say through gritted teeth.
“Too right she is mate and we’re going to eradicate her once and for all,” said Alex. “On the bright side that display convinced the Russians I was telling the truth. Vladimir’s back onside and desperate for revenge at being taken for a ride. He’s got some brutal people who will back us up.”
Apart from making him furious, how close the Laws had got made Alex nervy. He’d thought he was safe in that house, safe to plot his attack. He had somewhere else lined up to run to but he was a little apprehensive about using it. The Russians had offered him a place but the last thing he was going to do was put himself in their debt. He would use his other safe house and shore up security much better, he’d allowed it to get lax. Lucifer’s Shadow were less than useless but then again they were amateurs playing at being criminals, nothing more than mindless bully boys. Unfortunately the Laws had left him little choice.
Rachel knew she was making a lot of noise but she didn’t care. This was about her and Ryan and that lot downstairs could sod right off. He’d always enjoying pushing her to her limits but now he’d broken through the boundaries, taking her to new dizzying heights of pleasure. When he’d started barking orders at her she’d laughed, leading to her very first spanking, which she’d revelled in. It was fortunate she had a high pain threshold. Now she found herself on all fours, Ryan behind her. As he brought her to another shattering crescendo her knees gave way and she flopped face down on the bed, panting and sweaty.
“Get up,” he told her.
“I can’t.”
“Yes you can Rachel. Do it.”
“I’m tired.”
He rolled her onto her back and she found herself looking up into his determined eyes.
“I’m not finished with you yet,” he said.
“I need a drink.”
“Very well.”
She sat up, feeling shaky and a little disorientated.
“Are you okay?” he said.
“Yes, apart from being really tired. I need some rest.”
He recalled how she’d only recently come out of hospital and decided he needed to control himself. “Okay, we’ll take a break.”
“A break? We’ve been at it for…” She squinted at the clock and her eyebrows shot up. “Three hours, bloody hell.”
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. “That’s got to be a record, even for us.”
“You hurt my arse.”
“You seemed to enjoy it.”
She broke into a smile. “I did, I really did.”
“So you’d like to try it again?”
“Hmmm,” she replied with a nod. “But not right now.”
“Alright, I’ll let you sleep,” he said, running his fingers up and down her bare back, holding her tighter when she nuzzled into him.
A bang on the door disturbed the tender moment.
“Have you two finally finished in there?” called Frankie. “You’ve turned on Paul and Jamesie and it’s not a pretty sight.”
“Tell them to take a cold shower or a long walk,” Ryan called back. “Preferably back to Glasgow,” he added under his breath, making Rachel giggle.
“Congratulations by the way. We’ve been timing you and we’re calling The Guinness Book of Records.”
“Is there any particular reason why you’re shouting through our bedroom door?”
“Aye there is. Your mobile’s gone off a few times. It might be urgent.”
Ryan’s immediate thoughts were of his kids so he jumped off the bed and strode to the door, Rachel managing to hide her nakedness beneath the duvet just before he opened the door.
Frankie looked down the length of Ryan’s naked body and his eyes widened. “Wo-ho, the beast in the flesh. I’m not sure whether to feel sorry for you Rach or crack open the champagne.”
Ryan took the phone from his hands and shut the door in his face.
“I’ll have the ice packs on standby Rach,” Frankie shouted before charging back down the stairs.
“Who is it?” she asked Ryan.
He frowned at his missed call list. “I’m not sure, there’s a few different numbers.” He called back the latest one and frowned when he heard Taylor’s voice. “What do you want?”
“Where have you been? Everyone’s been trying to get hold of you. I was beginning to think the worst. You shouldn’t have disappeared like that without letting me know where you’d gone”
“Taylor, what’s happened?”
“The spa’s burnt down. Or to be more precise, someone burnt it down. Petrol bombs were thrown through the window. A member of staff got trapped in the building, I’m afraid she’s dead.”
“Who?” rasped Ryan.
“Gaynor Macey, a massage therapist.”
“Oh Jesus. Who did it?”
“We don’t know for sure yet, although I’ve got a good idea.”
“We’ll be right there.”
“What’s happened?” said Rachel when he hung up. “Is it the kids?”
“No, it’s the spa. It’s been petrol-bombed. Gaynor’s dead.”
Rachel shook her head furiously. “No, she’s only twenty five.” She shot to her feet and started to dress. “We have to get over there.”
“Yes we do,” said Ryan, pulling on his clothes.
“Who did it? Alex?”
“I think that’s most likely, although he won’t have done it personally.”
They raced downstairs. The jokes on everyone’s lips about what they’d overheard them doing died when Ryan explained what had happened at the spa.
“We’ll come with you,” said Mikey.
“No, it’s best if you’re kept out of it. This way it remains our problem and doesn’t become anything to do with the Maguires. We don’t want the police getting involved in this war,” Ryan told him. “Come on Rachel.”
After pulling on the bike gear they hopped onto the powerful Ducati Superbike Dane had loaned them. It was bright red and absolutely stunning. Rachel had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it, she was starting to share her husband’s enthusiasm for bikes. They raced it through the countryside back towards the city.
When they arrived at the spa they were shocked by what they saw. The worst of the fire was out but the building had been left a smouldering, blackened shell, just like their home.
Rachel pulled off the bike helmet and gaped at the ruin. Ryan stood beside her, an arm around her shoulders, equally appalled. They were approached by a huge hulking figure streaked with soot.
“I’m sorry, you can’t be here,” the fire officer told them.
“We’re the owners,” replied Ryan. “How bad is it?”
“We managed to contain it to the main building. The cottages and business centre round the back are unaffected.”
“I don’t care about the building,” said Rachel. “What about our staff?”
“One fatality, two injured but nothing serious. They’ve been taken to hospital. I’m sorry,” he added when Rachel’s eyes filled with tears.
“Did she die of smoke inhalation or did she…was it the fire?”
“She got trapped upstairs. We found her by the fire escape, it had been barricaded shut. I’m afraid the flames got her.”
&n
bsp; Rachel turned away, a hand clamped to her mouth, shoulders shaking as she started to cry. Ryan pulled her into his chest and she gazed up at him with watery eyes.
“Gaynor’s worked here since it opened. I hired her myself.”
“I know Sweetheart,” he soothed, stroking her hair.
“They could have attacked the casino, it’s still closed for repairs after the water damage but they wanted somewhere that was full of people. They wanted to hurt and kill.”
“You’re right. Let’s go to the station and talk to Taylor. Someone might have seen who did it, even though we already know who is ultimately responsible.”
They drove to the police station and walked into reception to find four members of the spa staff sat there looking dazed, faces covered with grime from the smoke.
Linda, a very capable brunette they’d hired as manageress, started to cry when they walked in. Rachel swallowed down her own tears and hugged her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” replied Linda, voice quavering. “Alice and Meg are at the hospital, they got hurt by flying glass when the petrol bombs came through the window. Gaynor…she…”
When Linda began to sob a little hysterically Pierre - the head chef of the spa restaurant, still in his chef whites - pulled her into his barrel chest.
“I know about Gaynor, I can’t believe it,” said Rachel.
“We could hear her screaming,” said Sally, one of the beauticians, wrapped in a blanket, trembling. “We tried to reach her but we couldn’t, it went up so quickly.” As she spoke she rocked back and forth in her seat, eyes wide and unblinking.
“Pierre’s a hero,” added Kerry, the receptionist. “We were all screaming and crying and didn’t know what to do. He came out of the kitchen, he was so calm, and he picked up Alice, who’d fainted when she saw she was cut, and carried her out of there in his arms. He led us all out the back way, through the kitchen.” The beautiful blond twenty-something gazed adoringly at the overweight, middle-aged balding chef who seemed a little embarrassed by her adulation.
“I didn’t really do anything,” he blushed.
“He was incredible,” added Kerry.
“Why did this happen?” said Sally, staring straight ahead. “Gaynor never hurt anyone in her life. Why did she have to die like that?”
“Who would do it?” said Linda. When she saw the scar on Rachel’s neck her mouth fell open. The others followed her line of sight and Sally released a shriek.
Rachel, in her haste, had completely forgotten about the scar and her hand went to it self-consciously.
“I didn’t know they did that to you,” said Linda, starting to cry again.
“Did the same people who kidnapped you start the fire?” said Kerry.
“We think so,” replied Rachel.
“You’ll get them, won’t you?”
Rachel looked to Ryan, unsure how to reply.
“You,” said a voice.
Their attention was drawn by a tall gaunt woman who looked even more gaunt because her skin was a ghastly white, her eyes swollen and bloodshot.
“That’s Gaynor’s mum,” Linda told Rachel.
The woman shuffled more than walked up to Rachel, as though the death of her daughter had drained every last drop of strength from her.
“Mrs Macey, I’m so sorry,” said Rachel.
The woman slapped her hard across the face. “Don’t give me your words. People like you are full of meaningless words. I’ve just been down to the mortuary but they wouldn’t let me see my little girl because she’s too much of a mess. I know this wasn’t some random act of violence, it’s because of who you are. I’ll never get to see or hold my baby again because you’ve pissed off someone you shouldn’t.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Her eyes settled on the scar on her neck. “I wish whoever did that had killed you. At least then my Gaynor would still be alive.”
With that the woman marched past Rachel, who nursed her stinging cheek.
“She’s upset, she doesn’t know what she’s saying,” said Ryan.
“She’s right thought, isn’t she?”
“No, she’s not.”
Their staff, who had witnessed the spectacle, looked away, pretending they hadn’t noticed.
They were saved from the awkward situation by DCI Taylor making an appearance. “Mr and Mrs Law, if you would come this way?”
Before they followed, Rachel said to her staff, “you’ll be paid in full until the spa is rebuilt or we can get you other work.” Her heart went out to this bedraggled bunch who would have to deal with a severe trauma for the rest of their lives because of who their bosses were. “That’s if you want to continue working with us. I hope you do.”
They all stared back at her blankly, work the last things on their minds but Rachel didn’t want them to worry about their financial situations while they recovered. It would be one less weight off their shoulders. They were going to have to learn to live with the memory of Gaynor’s screams and it wouldn’t be easy.
Taking Ryan’s hand, Rachel followed Taylor deeper into the building. He led them into an interview room and shut the door.
“Please sit,” he said pleasantly.
They sat beside each other on one side of a chipped Formica table while Taylor took the other.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Rachel recognised that he was sincere and nodded. “Do you have any witnesses?”
“A party of four had just pulled up in the car park outside the restaurant when the attack began. They said the perpetrators wore leather jackets with Lucifer’s Shadow patches on the back. They weren’t smart enough to take them off first.”
They both nodded. “As we thought,” said Ryan quietly.
“They have to be stopped before they attack more of your businesses and more innocent people die.”
“Do you know where they are?” said Ryan.
“You mean you don’t?”
“We thought we did but that was only a small group of them. Jasper White has gone to ground.”
Taylor shook his head. “I thought you’d have this situation much more under control Ryan.”
“You seem to be labouring under the impression that I have superhuman powers. Now I know your lot have been interested in Jasper lately. Do they have any idea where he is?”
“They did then they lost him.”
“So you don’t have a clue either.”
“We’re working on it.”
“Great. While you work on it they’re going to kill more innocent people. They must be stopped.”
“I’m well aware of that but they’re only puppets aren’t they? Kill Alex and they’ll stop dancing to his tune.”
“We’re trying, believe me. What has Superintendent Kennard been up to?”
“He’s shown great interest in the warehouse massacre and soon he’s going to hear what happened to the spa and he’ll be sticking his nose in that too. Because this fire is identical to the one that burned down your home in Devon and the fact there’s been a death he’s going to use it as an excuse to really rummage around in your affairs and he’ll try to screw you up any way he can. He’s desperate and he’s senior to me, I have no control over him.”
“We need to find Jasper White, he’ll lead us to Alex. Then and only then will all this stop,” said Rachel. “You have access to resources we don’t. Use them.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“Aren’t we all,” sighed Ryan. “We’ve got something in the pipeline and if it comes off we’ll be able to get rid of Alex and Lucifer’s Shadow once and for all.”
“The clock is ticking. It’s only a matter of time before they hit another of your businesses.”
Ryan felt pretty helpless at that moment. They owned dozens of hotels, restaurants, shops, apartment blocks and houses, far too many to place guards on each one, they didn’t have the manpower. “We can at least try and limit the damage. We’ll tell what businesses we can to close un
til further notice.”
“You’ll lose a fortune,” said Taylor.
“I’d rather do that than risk someone else being burned alive and it should only be for a short time. I’m not going to allow Alex to live for much longer.”
When the door opened Taylor turned in his seat. “Excuse me, I’m in the middle of an interview…oh sorry Sir, I didn’t realise it was you.” The expression on Taylor’s face when he turned back to them told Ryan and Rachel what they already suspected. “Mr and Mrs Law, this is Detective Chief Superintendent Kennard.”
CHAPTER 29
“I’ll take over the interview now if you don’t mind DCI Taylor,” said Kennard.
“Well actually Sir…”
“I said I’ll take it over.”
Taylor looked back at Ryan, who nodded. Reluctantly he got to his feet. “I’ll just be outside if you need me Sir.”
“I won’t,” retorted Kennard as he took the seat Taylor had just vacated.
Kennard was a tall upright man with a military bearing, light brown hair swept back from a prominent forehead and deep green eyes. It was these very same eyes that gave away his agitation. They were bloodshot and ringed with dark circles, indicating he hadn’t been sleeping and they constantly bobbed between Rachel and Ryan.
He didn’t speak until Taylor had left the room. “Mr and Mrs Law, thank you for coming in. I have a lot of questions for you regarding the fire at the spa that led to the death of Gaynor Macey, who was in your employ.”
Ryan leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head. “Go on then,” he said. The challenge was clear.
“Your home in Devon was burnt down in a very similar manner only recently, not long before Mrs Law was kidnapped.” His eyes settled on the scar on Rachel’s neck and widened with panic before he regained his composure.
Rachel knew exactly what he was thinking; that the man who had left that horrible mark on her was the same one who was threatening him. She didn’t like Superintendents, they made her nervous. She had been directly involved in the death of one when he threatened her family and his successor had turned out to be an obsessive lunatic who had tried to kill her. Hopefully this one could be reasoned with.
Shattered (Dividing Line #5) Page 26