by SC Daiko
“Catrin loves gardening. Do you like gardening, Eric?” she turns and flutters her eyelashes at him.
“Can’t stand gardening,” he grunts. “I’m a city boy. Always lived in flats.”
“What are your interests in music?” she tries again.
He admits to liking electronic dance. I catch Eleri’s look of disgust and giggle to myself. She sings soul; we both loved it as teens and were never into electronic. I hope she realises there isn’t a chance in hell Eric could even feature on my remotest radar.
His pale blue eyes are starting to give me the creeps.
I surreptitiously check the time. Maybe I can explain I should go back home and do some work? I’ve been neglecting my clients all week…
Suddenly the door bursts open, and Rosie erupts into the room. “Sorry,” she gasps, “but I need your help. The children have been playing hide and seek, but we can’t find Ben and Becca anywhere.”
I clutch my arms to my chest and let out a gasp. Then I tell myself I don’t need to worry. They’ve hidden before, they’re good at it, but we’ve always found them.
“They can’t have gone far.” Eleri puts down her coffee cup. “I know it’s a big house, but they’ll still be inside.”
We get to our feet, ready to start searching. Luke and Gabe appear with their eldest son, Matt, and we fill them in on what’s happened.
“They’ll be hiding in one of the storerooms, I expect,” Luke grins. “Little tykes.”
Eric rubs his hands together. “Let’s fan out and take a different area each. We can meet back here if one of us comes across them.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say.
I search for what seems like ages, running through so many rooms calling their names that I lose count. Eventually, I find myself in the picture gallery on the first floor of the west wing. I stop, my breathing ragged.
I can hear the echoes of the other kids’ voices shouting for Ben and Becca.
They should have been found by now.
Fear clutches at my heart.
Something is seriously wrong.
I bump into Eleri, Gabe and Luke as I leave the room. “I wish Toby was here; he’d sniff them out in no time.” My voice has gone shaky.
The minutes tick by and we keep looking.
Where the hell are they?
Then Rosie rushes up to us. “Eric’s gone!”
We ask her what she means, and she says his car has disappeared from the courtyard.
“Maybe he’s driving around the grounds looking for them?” Eleri suggests.
“I’ll go and take a look.” Keep calm and carry on is his archetypical motto.
“I’ll come with you,” Luke says to him firmly.
Eleri and I sit and wait for what seems like hours. She tries to keep me positive. “We’ll find them,” she says, squeezing my fingers.
Sudden footsteps sound in the hall outside.
My heart hammers in my chest.
The door flies open.
Gabe and Luke pace across the room.
“There’s no sign of the kids. And no sign of Eric, either.” Luke runs a jerky hand through his hair. “We even checked the cottages. No one there except your dog.”
A cold shiver runs all the way down my spine. “Do you think Eric has found them and taken them somewhere?” I speak the words that have been whirling through my mind ever since he disappeared.
“I can’t think of any other explanation.” Gabe’s face has gone ashen.
I grab my phone.
A sob strangles in my throat as I key in Daniel’s number.
“You need to come home.” My fingers tremble.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Daniel
“You need to come home,” Catrin says.
I’m slightly confused. “Where are you?”
“At Aldridge House.”
“What are you doing there?”
Through heart-wrenching sobs she tells me she arrived back in Northamptonshire late this morning… so she could surprise me… and then goes on to tell me what happened afterwards.
Cold drops of dread run down my spine.
Keep calm, Daniel. Don’t panic.
But fear has turned every muscle in my body rigid.
“I’m on my way.” I pause, attempt to come up with something to console her. “Try not to worry.”
Gleb quirks a brow and gives me one of his intense looks.
He doesn’t say a word.
Jesus, is he involved in this train wreck?
I bunch my hands into fists.
I’ll fucking kill him…
I snatch up the phone that Eric gave me.
First things first…
“Come on Eric… pick up.”
Just when I think the call is about to go to voice-mail, he answers. “Daniel,” he says, as if this is just a regular chat.
“Have you got Ben and Becca?” My heartbeats thump in my chest.
“They’re safe with me.”
“What the fuck’s going on?” I snap, spittle building up in the corners of my mouth.
“I’d like you to transfer a million pounds to my bank account or I’ll hand your son and the girl over to the mobsters.”
“God almighty, Eric…” My voice is a guttural roar.
What a fucking cunt to take two innocent children…
“I’d like to speak to my son,” I say, with false calmness.
“I’ll put him on speaker phone. Don’t ask him where I’ve taken them, or I’ll cut you off.”
“Just put him on.” I want to jab my finger in his fucking face.
“Daddy,” the sound of Ben’s little voice wrenches in the pit of my stomach. “Eric promised me a new game if I told everyone to play hide and seek. He said he’d find me behind the curtains in Gabe’s library, so that’s where I hid.”
“I didn’t expect the girl to be with him,” Eric butts in.
“Becca won’t stop crying,” Ben says pitifully.
As if to confirm his statement, she sets up a loud wail in the background. “I want my Mum…”
Her words almost break me into little pieces.
“Listen, sweetheart.” I try to keep my tone measured. “Your Mum and I will be with you as soon as we can. Please don’t cry.”
“Eric won’t let us play in the ball pit.” Ben’s voice trembles.
“That’s enough,” Eric says harshly. “I’ll email you my account details. As soon as the transfer goes through, I’ll let you know where you can pick up the kids. The sooner the better… they’re getting on my nerves.” He pauses for a beat. “Don’t even think of contacting the police. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to get me the money. That’s do-able.” He lowers his voice. “Otherwise, I’m handing over your precious children to the Brotherhood. Rest assured, they won’t treat them as kindly as I’ve done.”
The line goes dead.
I sag into an armchair and Gleb perches on the seat opposite while I fill him in.
He reaches across, and now I don’t recoil when he touches his hand to my shoulder. “Eric can’t have taken them far from Aldridge. I mean, your girlfriend has only just called you.”
I shoot him a glance. “What do you know about Catrin?”
“I’ve been searching for you for three years, Alexei. Tom found you about a month ago and has been keeping watch on my behalf. That damn dog of hers…”
“She knows nothing about my past.” The words scrape in my throat. “I wanted the mafia off my back before I told her anything.”
“You’d better call her and let her know what’s gone down with Eric.”
Fuck, he’s right.
She picks up as soon as I tap the green button.
“The kids are safe, Cat.” I go on to explain about Eric’s demands. She’s full of questions, like will I be able to raise the money, but I tell her there’s no time for explanations now. I’m on my way to Aldridge and will explain everything as soon as I get there.
She
hands me over to Gabe, and I ask him not to call the police… which he hasn’t done yet, thank God. “They’d stop me from paying the ransom, and there’s no way I want them freezing my bank accounts,” I clarify.
“Only if Catrin agrees,” he says, putting her back on the line.
“What guarantee do you have that Eric will release the children once you’ve transferred the funds?” she asks.
It’s a good question, and I tell her so. “He’s a money-grabbing wanker. Once he’s got the cash in his filthy hands, he’ll release them.” I instil a note of confidence into my voice. “I’m sure of it.”
“I don’t trust him, Daniel. Please get here as soon as you can.”
We sign off and I log onto my internet banking. Then I pull my car keys from my pocket and get to my feet.
“I’m coming with you,” Gleb says briskly. “You might need me and Tom for backup.”
We take our leave of Diana, who has left us on our own this past half hour. She has no clue what’s gone on and we don’t enlighten her. We thank her for having us, and act like nothing out of the ordinary has happened. She’s been a good sport, I’ll give her that… and I hope I’ll be able to let her see Ben when I get him back.
And I will get him back.
I won’t even consider any other outcome.
It takes an hour to get out of London, due to the ever-present traffic congestion, and a further two hours to reach Aldridge. During the drive, Gleb fills me in on his life in the USA. He’s set up a business in New York, apparently… some sort of club. He’s cagey about it and I don’t ask for details.
It’s his shit, not mine.
He, in turn, asks me how I got involved with Eric. I explain it was through the bureau, after I’d blown the whistle on the money laundering fiasco.
“If I were you, I’d have nothing more to do with that organisation,” he says. “You can’t trust spies.”
“Eric got me my new identity, at least. The background checks Gabe ran on me were water tight.” I shake my head. “Why the fuck has Eric turned on me?”
“He’s a spook. They’re the lowest of the low.”
“Lower than mobsters?” I can’t resist the jibe.
He ignores the dig, and asks, “What are we going to tell everyone when we get to Aldridge?”
“I want to come clean.” I release a long, slow breath. “I’m fed up with lying.”
We lapse into silence for the rest of the journey and soon I’m navigating the narrow country roads leading to the stately home. It’s raining, and the windscreen wipers beat a steady rhythm, the wheels of the car churning up muddy spray. All the while, my thoughts are focused on Ben, Catrin and Becca. I feel sick with worry and regret, my belly tied up in knots.
I pull up in front of the mansion. Catrin flies down the steps, straight into my arms. I hold her close, breathing her in and taking comfort from the feel of her body. “Thank God, you’re here.” Her voice trembles. “I’ve been out of my mind.”
“I talked to Becca,” I reassure her. “I told her we’d come and get her as soon as we could.”
No point in adding that her little girl was sobbing as if her heart would break.
I introduce her to Gleb, and if she’s surprised by his accent she doesn’t say so. She simply stares at him wide-eyed. Her fear-filled eyes widen even further when I present his bodyguard.
We go into the living room. Gabe is there with Luke and Eleri. “Catrin has already told us you’ve grown close,” he says. “She’s also said she knows little about you. And, to be honest, I think you owe both her and us an explanation.”
“I agree. I’m sorry I’ve kept you all in the dark up to now. I did it with good intentions, to keep everyone safe.”
He quirks a dark eyebrow. “Doesn’t seem to have worked…”
“How long have you known Eric?” I interrupt him.
But Luke answers. “I met him in London a few years ago, when I was working in the film industry. He was an agent for a couple of artists.” He tilts his head. “Why?”
“That’s his cover. He’s also been working for the European F.B.I.”
All four of them stare at me open-mouthed.
I carry on my explanation, giving them as much information as they need at this stage. I fill them in on my background, including my original surname Sokolov, and reassure them I have more than enough money to pay Eric’s demand. Catrin is sitting next to me on the sofa, but with every question I answer, she draws further away from me until she’s perched at the far end, her body rigid with apparent shock.
She glares at me, her eyes angry, and she gives a little shake of her head.
Fuck!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Catrin
Daniel’s brother calls him Alexei.
He’s involved with the Russian mafia.
He put me and Becca at risk.
The words ring in my head as my world starts to fall apart.
I stare at the man I thought I knew.
I don’t know him at all.
Nausea grips my stomach. “I’m going to throw up,” I gasp, running from the room.
He catches up with me in the hallway and attempts to put his arm around me. “Cat, please…”
I push hm away, all I can feel is his deceit, his lies. “Leave me alone, Daniel. Or is it … Alexei?”
I swallow the sour taste of puke.
“I’m still Daniel.” His voice is raw. “I kept all this from you to protect you.”
A scornful laugh bubbles out of my throat. “Well, your protection has backfired. If I’d known who you really were, I’d never have let myself get close to you.”
I’m so angry every bone in my body is shaking.
“It will all be alright.” He gives me the broken look that used to melt my heart… the heart he’s just shattered into a million pieces.
“How can you say that? You have no clue…” My words come out high-pitched.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
Breathe, Catrin. Breathe…
“Eric won’t harm the kids,” Daniel says slowly. “Once he has the money, he’ll let them go.”
I open my eyes and stare at him hard. “How can you be so sure? They must be so fucking scared. I can’t stop thinking about that… how terrified they’ll be.” My lower lip trembles.
“Ben said there’s a ball pit where Eric’s holding them. Maybe he’ll let them play in it?”
“You’re clasping at straws…,” I scoff, tears streaming down my cheeks. “He’ll have them locked in a room, so no one will know they’re there.”
A picture of Becca’s face, almost certainly contorted with terror, comes into my mind, and I start to sob uncontrollably.
Again, Daniel reaches for me.
I jump back, wiping the snot from my nose. “Don’t. You. Dare. Touch. Me.”
“You’re in shock, darling.” He shakes his head. “Remember I love you.”
The door to the hallway swings open, and Eleri appears, saving me from replying.
“Gabe would like a word with you,” she says to Daniel.
He answers with a small nod before turning on his heel and heading towards the living room.
Eleri wraps her arms around me, holding me while I cry. She pats my shoulders and makes soothing sounds.
I cry for my daughter.
I cry for Ben.
I cry for the man who has become a stranger to me.
My chest feels empty.
It hurts so bad.
Eventually, I’ve cried myself out. Eleri hands me the tissue she’s salvaged from her pocket. “Let’s go through to the kitchen and have a cup of tea.” She gives a half-smile as she takes my hand and pulls me along with her. “Nothing beats a nice cuppa when all seems lost.” She stops, catches her lip between her teeth. “Sorry. I didn’t mean the last bit. All is not lost.” She tucks a curl behind her ear. “I just can’t believe Eric would do what he did.”
She plugs in the kettle and puts teabags into tw
o mugs. Then she opens the fridge and retrieves a bottle of milk before fetching the sugar bowl from the counter.
The hot, sweet drink warms my insides, but my heart still feels cold.
Cold as a stone.
I shuffle my feet on the granite tiled floor.
“Kidnapping two innocent children and holding them for ransom goes beyond vile. It’s disgusting.” I shudder.
She nods her agreement. “Gabe took Eric at face value. He deceived us by giving false information about Daniel for the background check. We’re freaking furious that someone with organised crime connections has been living here, putting us and our kids in danger.”
So many secrets.
I was willing to wait to hear those secrets, I remind myself; I was so desperate to play. This is just as much my fault as Daniel’s.
God, if something happens to Becca I’ll never be able to forgive myself.
I scrunch up my forehead. “I remember Daniel’s wife’s murder being reported in the press, now that I think about it. It was headline news for a few weeks then the newspapers dropped the story.”
“Yeah, Gabe told us he recalled the incident. He didn’t recognise Alexei from the photographs, because of his beard.”
Alexei.
A shiver slices through me.
There’s a knock at the door, and Rosie comes in. “Sorry to disturb you, but the kids are worrying about Ben and Becca. I don’t know what to say to them…”
Eleri pushes back her chair. “I’ll go and settle them. Tell them everything’s going to be alright.”
Everything’s going to be alright.
I hold onto those words as I make my way back to the living room.
The men are sitting around the coffee table, and the atmosphere is so thick with testosterone you could slice it with a knife.
But they stand politely like well-brought up schoolboys as I enter the room.
I lower myself into an armchair and they all sit.
The lights have been switched on as it’s turning dark outside. There’s a chill in the air as the central heating hasn’t clicked on yet and no one has bothered to light the fire.