by SC Daiko
I stare at the botanical prints hanging on the walls, then switch my gaze to stare at the men, one after the other.
Gleb stares back at me, while the others look away.
His mesmerising eyes pierce me, and my mouth goes dry.
If I thought Daniel a brute once, this man is a thousand times worse.
I lift my chin and return his stare.
His gaze burns me, but I want to give him the finger.
Fuck you, Gleb Sokolov.
Fuck you for causing Daniel to be lured away from his son.
I sit on my hands to stop myself from flying out of my chair and scratching at his penetrating blue eyes.
Silence hangs like a noose in the air between us. I think about everything I’ve learnt in the last several minutes.
Have Daniel and his brother told me the whole story?
A sudden thought occurs to me, like a light-bulb moment. “Ben said there’s a ball pit where they’re being held,” I blurt out.
“Yes,” Daniel’s face assumes a thoughtful expression. “Eric wouldn’t let them play in it.”
“Remember the ball pit at the King’s Head?” My voice wavers. “It’s within the right distance for Eric to have taken them there before you contacted him.”
“It’s a long shot.” Daniel presses his lips together.
“I think we should call the police,” Luke says, running his fingers through his tousled hair. “They’re professionals. They’ll be able to check it out.”
“We’d have to come clean about the ransom if we called them.” Gleb’s voice is chilling. “Not going to happen.”
His bodyguard stands and, almost casually, lets his jacket fall open.
Christ, there’s a gun holster strapped across his chest!!!
My heart thuds and I feel the blood drain from my face.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Daniel
Catrin’s eyes are red-rimmed from crying, but she lifts her chin, insisting on coming with us and that we go pick up that mutt of hers. “He’ll be able to scent the kids if they are there,” she says defiantly.
We don’t linger. After letting Eleri know what’s going on, we pile into Gabe’s Ford Galaxy, Tom riding shot gun, Gleb and I behind with Cat and Luke sharing the backseat.
She doesn’t want to be anywhere near me.
How could I even think she’d still love me after she found out the truth?
I told her I was toxic. Warned her to stay away; she took the risk, I remind myself.
Ah, but I should never have let her play with fire.
She had no clue what she was getting mixed up in.
I rub the centre of my forehead and close my eyes, the pain in my heart so sharp I feel as if it’s being ripped apart.
I sense Gleb staring at me. He gives my shoulder a nudge and whispers stay strong in Russian, ostavaysya sil'nym.
“Da,” I say. “Yes.”
I keep my eyes closed until we arrive at the cottages. After Tom has checked there’s no one hanging about, setting off frantic barking from within, Catrin jumps out of the car. I attempt to go with her, but she gives me a look that would slay dragons, so I wait, leaning against the doorjamb, my arms slack against my sides.
Tom stands next to me, his fingers never straying from his handgun. UK law prohibits civilians from carrying firearms, and I remember the ruckus after he shot Victoria’s assassin. My chest tightens. It was the bureau that intervened with the authorities then; I doubt they’d do the same if there was a similar incident now.
Cat exits the cottage, Toby straining at his leash. Under the light of a full moon, he cocks his leg against a bush and pisses for an eternity before squatting and taking a massive dump on the grass.
She gets back in the car, the dog perched between her and Luke. We all fall silent as Gabe drives at full speed towards the King’s Head. There’s a sense of urgency now. Are Eric and the kids there? I mean, there must be a plethora of inns in this part of the country with ball pits…
Soon we’ve arrived, and I keep my eyes peeled for Eric’s Audi in the parking lot. My pulse hums in my throat. I swallow hard. No fucking sign of it.
Be optimistic for Catrin’s sake. She’s pinned all her hopes on this. There’s still a chance they could be here.
“Why don’t you, Luke and Tom stay downstairs,” I suggest to Gabe. “Gleb, Catrin and I can sneak up to the bedrooms with Toby. Find out if he can scent the children.”
Except it’s not as easy as that. The inn is crowded with Friday night drinkers, which should make it simple to slip upstairs unnoticed. Problem is, we can’t find the fucking stairs. This old place dates to the Seventeenth Century, and part of its rustic charm is the fact that it’s filled with nooks and crannies.
The stairs must be in one of those nooks.
Or crannies.
Whatever.
I inhale the fuggy air, redolent with the yeasty smell of beer and the aroma of musty upholstery. At the back is the cosy dining area where I took Cat and the kids for lunch only a month ago.
So much has changed since then.
My stomach churns, and a cold sweat breaks out all over my body.
I’ll fucking kill that bastard Eric for putting Catrin, me and our kids through this.
She pulls at my sleeve with trembling hands. “I’ve found the way up. Let’s hurry before someone notices I’ve brought a dog in here.”
We leave Gabe, Luke and Tom to keep watch below. Thankfully, there’s only one entrance to the building. If Eric is here, and he tries to beat a hasty retreat, he doesn’t stand a chance.
My heart is beating so fast my head is spinning.
The stairs are narrow and twisty, the wooden steps creaking under our feet.
As soon as we reach the top, Toby sets up an incessant whine.
“He’s scented them,” Cat whispers in a wavering voice.
I tug at my beard. “Let him off the leash.”
She does as I ask, and he goes straight to a door at the end of the corridor. He barks, twice, then starts scratching at the wood.
It’s only now it occurs to me that Eric could call the Brotherhood the minute he realises we’ve found him.
If we’ve found him.
Fuck!
I grab Toby’s collar, about to drag him away.
Cat spins around and shoots me a distraught look.
Gleb places his hand on my arm. “Luke is here,” he says.
I turn and catch Luke grinning at me. “Eric was at the bar. Gabe and Tom have escorted him out to the car park.”
Jesus, so fucking blatant!
The slimy bastard will have weighed up the risks of coming down for a drink against the almost certainty I wouldn’t have called the cops… and will have decided to indulge his love of a pint of ale.
Luke holds up a room key. “Look what I’ve got.” He smirks. “Tom persuaded Eric to hand it over.”
Within seconds, Luke has opened the door.
Catrin and I run up to the double bed.
Ben and Becca are under the duvet, fast asleep.
A slow smile spreads across my face. The sense of relief is palpable.
Catrin bends and gently shakes her daughter.
“Mum,” Becca’s eyes fly open. “You came.”
Cat gathers Becca into her arms and hugs her. “Didn’t Daniel promise we’d be here as soon as we could?”
Ben stirs and unleashes his toothy grin. “I told Becca you’d come for us. And you did.”
Tears of emotion well up behind my eyelids, but I blink them away.
I catch Gleb gazing at his nephew. He gives a quick shrug, as if he’s shrugging off the years of not knowing him. “Time to get out of here,” he grunts.
“Yep.” Luke adds. “I’ll give you a hand, Catrin.” He lifts Becca, and places her gently on his shoulder. “It will be quicker if we carry the kids.”
With Ben in my arms, I lead the way downstairs. We shove our way through the mosh-pit of drinkers in the bar, out into the cold nigh
t air. I wrap my coat around my son, and notice Cat doing the same to her daughter.
In the car park, Tom and Gabe have tied Eric’s hands behind his back and have gagged him. There’s so much I want to say to the wanker but can’t in front of the children. Anger makes my pulse skyrocket. I plant my feet wide apart, and glare at him.
Tom shoves Eric into the Ford, and this time Luke rides shot-gun. Gleb and Tom keep Eric sandwiched between them, leaving Catrin and me to sit holding the kids, with Toby between us on the back seat. He lets off one of his noxious farts, but we don’t even blink an eye. Within minutes Ben and Becca have fallen asleep again, the motion of the car and the purring of the engine soothing them.
I bend and kiss the top of Ben’s head, so thankful to have him back with me that I feel light-headed.
Rosie helps us settle Ben and Becca into bed up in the Aldridge House nursery… a suite of rooms reserved for the kids on the top floor.
I leave Catrin with Eleri and Rosie. They’ll come and get me should Ben need me. I hope he’ll sleep through to the morning, though. When he wakes up, this whole episode might just seem like a bad dream.
I go down to the kitchen where the others are having something to eat. I rub the back of my neck and scan the room for Eric.
“He’s in the larder,” Luke points to a door next to the fridge.
“I want a word with him,” I grit out.
“Go right ahead,” Gabe says. “Then I want a word with you.”
I can guess what’s coming; the writing has been on the wall since they discovered the truth about me. “Alright,” I say, releasing a deep breath.
They’ve tied Eric to a chair in the pantry, a storeroom with shelves on three sides and a large space in the middle. “You bastard,” I sneer. “Have you no moral standards? Taking two innocent children and using them as pawns for monetary gain. Why the fuck did you do that?”
“The minute you asked me to set up a meeting with your brother I knew the game was up.” He stares down at the floor. “I mean, you were about to discover I’ve been lying to you regarding his whereabouts.”
“Why lie about that anyway, you lowlife cunt?” I snap.
“I didn’t want to risk you seeking his protection instead of mine.”
I pace up and down the room. “Gleb doesn’t have that kind of influence, motherfucker.”
“Truth is, I’ve been earning a decent sum of money from selling your paintings. More than I’d led you to believe. Let’s just say I have a gambling habit that needs regular feeding….”
I’m speechless.
I literally have no words.
My stomach churning in revulsion, I spin on my heel and return to the kitchen.
Gabe pulls out a chair. “Take a seat, Daniel. Or should I say, Alexei?”
“Please, call me Daniel. I’ve changed my name officially.”
Gabe leans forward, making a steeple of his fingers. “You’ll understand we can no longer let you live on the estate.”
Yup, it’s just as I’d feared.
This whole fucking clusterfuck is about to get so much worse.
A realisation of the inevitable fills me, and chills me to the bone.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Catrin
I wake up with a stiff neck from spending the night in an armchair beside Becca’s bed. I hadn’t wanted to leave her, hadn’t wanted to go downstairs and deal with Daniel; it was all I could do just to breathe through my feelings of relief at finding my daughter mixed with the certain knowledge that everything is about to change.
I stare at Becca. She hasn’t woken up yet, even though morning sunshine is slanting through the windows. Toby thumps his tail on the floor by my feet, and I reach down to rub his floppy ears. “You did good, boy,” I whisper. “I take back every bad thing I ever said about you.”
Toby barks, once, as if in agreement.
“Shush, you’ll wake Becca.”
But it’s already too late. She rolls over in bed and blinks her sleep-crowded blue eyes.
“Why am I here?” she asks in a small voice.
Quietly, I explain that she fell asleep after we’d left the King’s Head and it was easier to put her to bed in Aldridge House than to risk waking her by taking her home. In any case, I didn’t have my car as we’d come with Eric.
Her mouth turns down at the corners. “I didn’t like that horrible man.”
A shiver of disgust runs through me. It had taken every ounce of my self-control not to fly at him last night… not to pound my fists into his vile chest.
The bastard.
Becca climbs out of the bed and into my lap. I hold her close, breathing in her sweet little girl scent. I kiss the top of her head. “I love you, poppet. It’s okay for you to be angry with him.”
I think about Daniel and Ben, wondering how they’re coping, and I release a stuttering sigh.
Becca squirms in my arms, gives me a searching look. “Why are you sad, Mum?”
“It’s nothing, sweetheart.” I stroke her soft cheek. “Nothing for you to worry about.” I try to laugh away my melancholy mood. “Maybe I’m just hungry. I didn’t eat any dinner last night.”
“I’m hungry too.” She wriggles her body until she’s standing between my legs. “But first I need a wee.”
We bump into Rosie outside the bathroom. “Oh, good. You’re up. Everyone else has had breakfast already. Eleri is waiting for you in the kitchen.”
“Tell her we’ll be there in a minute,” I say, pushing open the door so that Becca can use the toilet. “Thanks.”
My reflection stares back at me in the mirror.
God, I look awful.
Dark circles under my eyes.
My face pale.
I slept in my clothes like Becca did, and they’re all rumpled.
I run my fingers through my tangled hair and press my lips together.
Becca grabs my hand and pulls me away. “Come on, Mum. I’m starving.”
We descend three flights of stairs and walk along a corridor. The house seems eerily quiet. Where is everybody?
As soon as we step into the kitchen, which has a view of the back garden, I catch a glimpse of Gabe, Luke and Daniel’s brother playing soccer with all the kids except Eleri’s youngest, who is watching on the side with Rosie.
No sign of Daniel.
And no sign of Eric.
But Eleri is here, and she hands me a cup of tea. “What would you like for breakfast?”
Becca opts for her usual Weetabix, and I request toast. It’s impossible to ask the questions at the back of my mind while my daughter is here. Thankfully, she begs to go and play with the rest of the kids as soon as she’s finished eating, and I wave her off. Letting her carry on as normal will help her get over the traumatic events of last night, I hope.
As soon as Becca is out of the door, Eleri says, “The Brute has asked if I’ll leave you alone with him to talk.” She clasps her hands together. “I said I’d clear it with you first.”
I drag my clammy palms down the leggings under my tunic dress. “Please, tell him okay.”
Her smile is sympathetic. “Sure?”
There’s a dull ache of dread at the back of my throat, so I simply nod.
She goes to fetch him, and soon he’s standing in front of me, his dark troubled eyes holding me in their snare.
I can’t glance away, even if I wanted to.
I can’t even breathe my heart is thudding so much.
He pulls out a chair. “I owe you an explanation, Catrin.”
I’m finally able to draw in a breath and fill my lungs with air. “You should have told me right from the start.”
“I warned you off me.” His voice is firm.
“Your warning wasn’t strong enough.” I flash him an angry look. “I had no clue what you were involved in.”
“I hid it to protect my son.”
“By protecting your son, you let me put my daughter at risk.”
“I was also protecti
ng you and her.” He’s keeping his tone steady. “I couldn’t let my real identity be known.”
“You didn’t trust me enough.” My voice is like ice. “And you knew I’d call it off if you told me the truth.”
I’m right, and he knows it.
He also knows I’m plagued by guilt.
I can see it in his eyes.
“I love you, Catrin. And I love Becca.”
“If you love someone, you shouldn’t lie to them.” I push the hair away from my face.
Minutes seem to pass by while we stare at each other.
The air between us vibrates with emotion.
He places his hand on the table and clenches his fist.
The despairing look on his face darkens. “I’d like to fucking kill Eric.”
“W… w… where is he?”
I almost want to kill him too.
“Gabe knows someone in Special Branch.” Daniel grunts. “He called him, and his contact has already sent an officer to take Eric into custody.”
My thoughts scramble to understand while he tells me about Eric’s gambling habit, how he thought he’d no longer have Daniel as a cash cow.
“What are you going to do now?”
“Gabe won’t let me live in the cottage any longer.”
I swallow hard. “Where will you go?”
“The USA. My brother has bought a place in the Colorado mountains. I think it will suit.” Abruptly, he sinks to his knees and places his hand on mine. “Will you and Becca come with me? We can start a new life. You can be a mother to Ben, and I’ll be a father to her.”
Shock wheels through me and I hold up my hands. It’s as if I want to defend myself from his offer. “I… I can’t. I agreed to talk to you only to tell you I can't do this. Too much has happened. I don’t feel that I know you anymore.”
With slow movements he returns to his seat.
“Are you saying you don’t love me?”
The broken look in his eyes pierces me like a shard.
It almost makes me relent.
Almost, but not quite.
I shake my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”
“What about the kids?” he rasps. “We can’t split them up. They’ve grown so close.”