“They will, don’t worry.”
She regarded him curiously. “Is this still the life you want, after everything you’ve seen?”
He nodded. “What’s the alternative? Spend our lives on benefits, because we’ve no qualifications. We had to turn to robbery just to put food on the table. This is the only way we’ll make some serious money.”
“What about the danger?”
He shrugged. “It’s the price we pay and we can live with that.”
“I thought I could.”
“You’re lucky, you’re a millionaire. Sometimes there’s no other choice.”
Declan had come a long way from the jovial boy who came over from Ireland just over a year ago. The Maguires were good at giving harsh life lessons.
Declan frowned, squinting through the window. “There’s a van coming up the road, a big red one like the posties use.”
Rachel joined him at the window. “We haven’t seen a postman the whole time we’ve been here.”
“I know and I don’t like it.”
Rachel and Declan looked at each other and nodded.
“Charlie, turn the telly off, Kian hit the lights then grab your weapons,” ordered Declan.
“But I’m watching it,” protested Charlie.
“Do it you fecking eejit. We’ve got trouble.”
They decided not to protest further and did as they were told.
“Let’s go out the back way,” said Rachel.
Declan locked the front door and they followed him through the house and out the back door, which he also locked. Then they were tearing across the overgrown grass towards the barn. From there they could still see the front of the house and snuck inside seconds before the van pulled up.
“Are you going to call Ryan?” Declan asked her once they were safely inside.
“Let’s see what happens first. I don’t want to disturb him because someone’s come to post a letter.”
They felt pretty silly standing in a barn watching a man in full Royal Mail uniform knocking on the front door holding a letter.
“See, nothing to worry about,” said Charlie.
“I’m not so sure,” replied Declan. “Why is he knocking for a letter? Why not just put it through the box?”
“Could be recorded delivery?” offered Kian.
“But no one knows we’re here,” said Rachel. “As far as the rest of the world is concerned, this property is empty. Get the car open just in case, but don’t start the engine. It’s so quiet up here he’ll hear it.”
Rachel was glad Battler and Bruiser had insisted on keeping one vehicle separate from the others in case they couldn’t access the garage. The vehicle was a small four by four, tough enough to deal with the rugged terrain but light enough to make a quick getaway.
Charlie and Kian got in the front while Declan and Rachel kept watch on the postman who had knocked several times, to no avail. After peering through the windows he ambled back to the van and Rachel started to relax.
The postman opened the back doors of the van and out jumped half a dozen large men, all armed to the teeth. They rushed up to the house and a loud crack filled the air as the front door was kicked in.
“Oh shit,” whispered Declan.
“It’s only a matter of time before they find us. Let’s go,” said Rachel.
She and Declan leapt into the back of the car. “Drive,” he ordered Charlie.
“They’ll hear us.”
“There’s no fucking choice.”
“The doors are still closed,” said Kian.
“Floor it, the wood’s rotten,” said Declan.
“Are you sure?”
“Just do it,” snapped Rachel, drawing the gun.
The engine burst into life. Charlie put the car into gear and stomped on the accelerator. They lurched forward, the barn doors growing ever closer. There was a loud crack and suddenly they were outside. As they roared past the house the figures ran out. Her eyes locked with Alex’s and he smiled and raised his gun.
“Get down,” she yelled.
They ducked as there was the crack of gunshots. The back window erupted, showering Rachel and Declan with sharp shards.
“Holy Mary mother of God,” cried Charlie, praying out loud as he wrestled with the wheel, fighting to keep the vehicle on the narrow track leading away from the house.
“For God’s sake don’t crash or we’re all dead,” Rachel called to him.
When the gunshots ceased she lifted her head to look out the back window and saw the figures scrambling into the van. She took aim and let off a few shots but they went wide as the car bumped its way down the road.
“Where am I going?” said Charlie.
“Anywhere, just get us away from here,” said Rachel, dialling Ryan’s number.
CHAPTER 32
“You’re alright,” Rachel exclaimed, wanting to cry with joy at the sound of Ryan’s voice.
“We all are, it’s over. What’s that noise?”
“Alex has found the house. We’re in the car but they’re chasing us.”
“Oh shit. We’re on our way but stay on the phone so you can direct me to your location.” From the noise on the other end it sounded like he was running.
“We turned right at the bottom of the road leading from the house.” She grimaced as the car hit a bump in the road and they were thrown about. “Charlie, where are we headed?”
“I’ve no fecking idea,” he called back, frowning with concentration.
Kian spotted a sign and rhymed off the name of a village that was still a few miles away, which Rachel recited back to Ryan.
“You need to find somewhere with lots of people. They won’t do anything to you in public,” Ryan told her.
“There’s no one around for miles,” she replied, trying to stay calm. Looking over her shoulder through the shattered windscreen she saw the van had gained on them slightly. There was no way that was a real post van.
“Careful Charlie,” Declan chided as they took a sharp bend a bit too fast and the vehicle skidded.
“You think you can do better, be my guest,” he yelled.
Rachel could hear the sound of an engine on the other end of the phone. “We’re on our way,” Ryan told her, “but we’re still a bit off yet. Just keep on the move.”
“How are we for petrol?” asked Rachel.
“Full tank, no problem there at least,” Kian replied, clinging onto the door as Charlie negotiated another tight bend.
When they hit a long stretch of road Charlie stomped on the accelerator, the needle hovering over the hundred mark. The van speeded up in response and gained even more on them.
“How is that possible?” said Kian, eyes wide as he gaped at the vehicle through the rear-view mirror. “We’re faster and lighter.”
“They’ve souped up the engine,” Declan told him, taking out his gun. He twisted in his seat and unleashed a volley of fire through the space where the back window used to be, aiming for the van’s tyres but he couldn’t keep his aim straight with the erratic movement of the car and he missed, but the van did drop back slightly.
“What’s that noise?” demanded Ryan’s voice.
“It’s just Declan.” Her eyes widened. “There’s a sign for a garden centre,” exclaimed Rachel. “Follow them Charlie.”
He was forced to slow slightly as another bend approached, giving the van chance to gain a little on them. They all ducked as there was a crack from behind and the sound of bullets pinging off metal.
“Are they shooting at you?” said Ryan.
“Yes but we’re okay.”
“Oh fuck,” exclaimed Kian.
Up ahead was a long line of traffic, a car towing a caravan holding everyone up.
“Fucking bastard idiot moron caravans,” yelled Charlie, spitting with fury and bashing the steering wheel with his fist. “There’s at least seven cars behind it, there’s no way I can overtake them all.”
Rachel spied another sign for the garden centr
e. “It’s just four hundred metres away. Keep going.”
“I can’t.”
“He’s not going to start shooting at us with all these other cars around,” said Declan.
“I wouldn’t put anything past Alex,” she replied.
They were forced to slow down to fifty miles an hour and the van came up behind them so close she could see Alex sat up front, Col in the driver’s seat, Jason Sugar sat between them. Alex appeared to erupt into a fury, yelling and pointing at her, but she couldn’t hear a word he was saying.
“He’s fucking demented,” said Declan.
“You’ve got that right,” she replied. She watched as Alex bent down to retrieve something and sat back up clutching a weapon that turned her blood to ice. “Oh fuck Charlie, you really need to get us out of here,” she said.
“But I can’t.”
“You have to, he’s got a gun with a silencer. He could shoot us and no one will hear it.”
Her words sent Ryan into a frenzy on the other end but there was nothing she could say to calm him down. All she could do was watch in horror as Charlie swung the vehicle onto the other side of the road and put his foot down. The vehicle picked its feet up quickly and they went sailing past two other cars, the occupants of which gaped at them as though they were mad.
“Oh shit, oh shit,” said Charlie when they saw a car coming at them fast, beeping and flashing its lights.
Fortunately the cars they’d passed slowed, allowing them to swing back into the line of traffic, barely missing the oncoming car.
“Jaysus. I lost ten years off my life there,” breathed Charlie, sweat standing out on his forehead.
“Yes Ryan, we’re okay,” Rachel said into her phone. She looked back to find the van still stuck at the back of the queue. She ignored the rude gestures and angry faces of the occupants of the cars behind.
The next sign for the garden centre said two hundred yards. “We’re almost there,” she told Ryan, her hand holding the phone slick with sweat, heart hammering in her chest.
The caravan turned off onto a campsite and the flow of traffic started to speed up. Fortunately the two cars between them kept the van at bay, not giving it the opportunity to catch up with them.
As Charlie swung the vehicle into the garden centre Rachel was relieved to see it was full of cars.
“I’m going to have to go Ryan, we’re here. We’ll wait for you.”
He started to protest but she hung up. She needed to concentrate.
“Get as close to the doors as you can,” said Declan.
As Charlie drove around looking for a space Rachel saw the red van pull in. Charlie managed to find a spot close to the doors just vacated by a small silver Peugeot. The moment they’d parked up they opened the doors and jumped out, Rachel tucking the gun into the back of her trousers and pulling her top down to hide it.
“Declan, you’re bleeding,” she said, spotting the blood on the back of his neck.
He dabbed at it with his fingertips. “Must be from the glass. It’s fine.”
“Hey, you,” yelled an angry voice.
At first Rachel was sure it was Alex, until she saw a bespectacled middle-aged couple getting out of a green Mondeo, one of the two cars they’d overtaken so recklessly.
“I’m going to report you for dangerous driving,” said the man, purple with fury. “You could have caused a pile-up.”
Rachel stepped up to them, putting on her best damsel-in-distress face. “I’m so sorry about that but something came crashing through the back window,” she said, gesturing to the shattered glass. “It made my friend who was driving jump and he accidentally hit the accelerator. It wasn’t intentional.”
They were good people and, taking in their dishevelled appearances and obvious agitation, their anger turned to concern.
“Oh my God,” said the woman, “are you all okay?”
“My friend got cut and he’s bleeding,” she added, eyes flicking to the red van, which had been forced to pull in further down the car park, too big to get any closer. The front doors opened and Col, Alex and Jason hopped out. None of them wore the Royal Mail uniform so she assumed Alex must have got someone they didn’t know to play the part of the postman. They stood by the vehicle, watching.
“You need a sit down and a strong cup of tea inside you,” said the man. “They have a great café here.”
Rachel was incredibly grateful for this kind couple and the woman linked arms with her, chattering away while the man handed Declan a pristine white handkerchief to press to the back of his neck.
“Are you alright Dear? You do seem very nervous,” said the woman, who’d revealed her name was Carol.
“That really shook me up. I thought we were going to run into that car. Thank you for letting us pull back in.”
“Well we weren’t going to let you crash, were we?” she smiled. Carol had such pretty bright blue eyes, full of gentleness and Rachel felt guilty for deceiving her. Little did they know they were helping criminals because that’s what she was, she couldn’t hide from it any longer.
The garden centre was indeed busy. Thankfully it was a Saturday and the presence of so many people calmed Rachel down a little, her heart rate slowing, although her legs felt spongy from the adrenaline rush. As they moved through the indoor plant section towards the café she chanced another glance over her shoulder and saw Alex and Col following, Alex’s eyes riveted on her.
Rachel made for a table right in the very centre of the large, busy café, so they were surrounded on all sides by people.
“You have a rest, we’ll get the drinks in,” smiled Carol’s husband, John. “And how about some cake as a treat? I think you could all use some sugar, it’ll perk you up a bit.”
“Thank you,” smiled Rachel, touched by their kindness. Her smile fell when Alex and his cronies took a table not far from their own.
“Relax, he can’t do anything here,” said Declan, keeping the handkerchief clamped to the back of his neck.
“And soon Ryan and the others will be here,” said Rachel. She couldn’t wait to see her husband.
Carol and John returned with tea for them all and a selection of small cakes.
“We didn’t know what you liked so we got a bit of everything,” said John.
“You didn’t need to go to so much trouble, especially after what we did to you,” said Rachel.
“It’s not as if you did it on purpose, is it? It was an accident and everyone’s okay, fortunately.”
“Are you from the area?” she asked, taking a sip of tea, her hand once again steady. She was genuinely interested and wanted to talk about normal things, just for a little while.
“No, we’re just on our way home after visiting our daughter, she’s given us our first grandchild,” said John, proudly showing them a photo on his mobile phone of a newborn bundled up in pink.
“She’s beautiful,” smiled Rachel. “What’s her name?”
“Ava.”
“That’s pretty.”
“We think so,” he beamed, clearly head over heels in love with his brand new granddaughter.
“Do you two have children?” Carol asked, looking from Rachel to Declan.
“We’re not married,” replied Rachel. “These are my cousins, they’re visiting from Ireland.”
“Oh I see.”
“But yes, I have three children, two boys and a girl.”
“You don’t look old enough to have three children.”
The thought of them caused her a huge pang of longing and she must have looked so sad because Carol wrapped an arm around her. “That close call really did upset you, didn’t it?”
She nodded sadly.
“You need to call someone about that windscreen, you can’t drive about with it like that,” said John.
“I’ve called my husband, he’s on his way. He’ll sort it out,” replied Rachel.
“Then you can just relax until he gets here,” said Carol.
They all chatted compan
ionably, except for Charlie, who quietly sat in his chair, looking a little dazed after the most intense drive of his life.
After finishing their tea Carol and John got to their feet. “Well now we know you’re okay I’m afraid we’re going to have to say our goodbyes,” said John. “We’re on a tight schedule.”
“Thank you, you’ve been so kind, more than we deserve,” said Rachel.
Carol patted her hand. “What a strange thing to say. Everyone deserves a little kindness.”
Rachel watched them walk away together, blissfully unaware of how close they’d come to real danger and she felt sad. She wanted them to stay so they could talk for a little longer about their lives, which seemed so happy and tranquil, the life she wanted.
Once they’d gone she watched Alex get up out of his seat and walk towards them.
“Oh fuck, what does he want?” muttered Kian.
He plonked himself down in the chair vacated by Carol and grinned at them all. “Fancy meeting you lot here.”
“Ryan and the others are on their way so why don’t you fuck off?” Rachel hissed.
“That’s not very polite,” he said, stuffing a small cake into his mouth. “Nice driving by the way Charlie, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Charlie, still very pale, gave him a withering look.
“Worked out how I found you yet Rach?” said Alex cheerfully.
“DCS Kennard planted a tracking device on the bike.”
“Very good. Seems he’s more scared of me than you and Ryan.”
“That’s his mistake.”
“You got back into the swing of things pretty quickly Rach, I respect that. I thought you’d be a quivering wreck after what I did to you. I should have cut your fucking throat down to the spine while I had the chance.”
“That’s enough Alex,” said Declan. “Ryan’s on his way here so why don’t you piss off?”
“Do you think I’m scared of him?”
“Yes,” said Rachel with a malicious smile.
“You really are blinded by love when it comes to that wanker.”
“You haven’t asked how we found you Alex, or did you steal your tracking device idea from us?” Her grin broadened when he appeared confused. “Katia didn’t tell you, did she?”
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