Come for Me

by Ford, Mia

“I will come too…”

  “No, you won’t Mr. Donald.” I shake my head emphatically. “That’s just asking for trouble. You will be more hassle than you’re worth. You can’t do anything to help and we’ll have to watch out for you. No, you stay here and look after Pippa. I don’t know what you can do, but make sure no harm comes to her.”

  “I can call the cops if you want to?” Pippa offers. “Save you a bit of time, you know if you want to go now.”

  “And I’ll keep watch of the car. I know I can’t help much but I’m Savannah’s father. I want to help.”

  I nod slowly, knowing that’s the best way forward. We need to get inside that building and quick. I can’t stand the images flickering through my brain that might well be happening to Savannah right now. My brain is torturing me, seeing the worst and I’m just hanging on the hope that what’s really happening cannot be as bad. If Pippa calls the police while we’re in the middle of things then at least we’ll know that we have back-up coming.

  “You don’t have to come in if you don’t want, Tommy, he might have a gun or something. Pippa’s right.”

  I know that freaked him out last time, seeing the barrel of a gun pointed at him when it wasn’t expected and since this isn’t his fight I don’t expect him to dive into it with me. I can do this by myself. I’m okay with it. Even if I have nothing to defend myself and I’m at a disadvantage, I don’t mind. It’s better than doing nothing.

  “I’m coming,” he tells me firmly. “I know what the risks are and I’m coming anyway. So, let’s go.”

  I flick my eyes towards the building and I feel my heart racing at a million miles an hour. Anticipation course through my veins, batting away my fears. All I can think about right now is Savannah’s face. I slowly unclick the door and slide out with the other three behind me. We have to be the worst set of super heroes going, but we’re all Savannah has. I inhale deeply, feeling her inside of there. We’re in the right place, I just know it.

  “Okay, Tommy, it’s time.” I nod in his direction. “Are you ready? Let’s do this.”

  “Please.” Mr. Donald grabs my arm. “Please look after my daughter and my grandson.”

  I peel his fingers off me and nod. “Yes, I will. Don’t worry about it. I’m going to make your mistakes right.”

  Guilt flashes across his face and I’m glad. He deserves that guilt. I hope all of this makes him realize just what he’s done. I hope it changes things in the future. Lessons need to be learned from all of this. I hope he sees that his reputation and company isn’t worth more than his family. He needs to know that. Even if his intentions weren’t the worst with whatever he’s done, the outcome has been absolutely horrible.

  We walk rapidly towards the building, mine and Tommy’s feet move in unison. I hope our actions remain as in sync once we’re inside the building. We’re going to have to work together to survive this.

  “Do we knock?” Tommy asks me quietly. “Or should we just go in? What is the etiquette here?”

  “I don’t exactly know. I haven’t been in this situation before.” I shove my shoulder into the door and much to my surprise it flies open easily. Too easily in fact, that makes me nervous. “I say we just go in.”

  We slip inside, just to find the building empty. Too empty for my liking, but I’m not going to give up easily. I still have the feeling that this is the place, which might be more desperate hope than anything else, and I’m not ready to give up on anything yet. My shoulders bunch up around my ears and I call out.

  “Hello? Is anyone here?” I strain my ears, but it’s just silence. “Bryan, are you here?”

  “Dude, I hate to tell you this, but I think this might be another dead end. I think Bryan is still giving us the run around. It might be better for us to get out of here and to call him again.”

  I shake my head, but deep down I think he might be right. I just can’t accept that we have to go somewhere else because each new place that we travel to leaves us with too much time away from Savannah. It means that not only could anything be happening to her, but also that we might never see her again. I can’t stand that.

  “Bryan!” I call out louder. “Whatever the fuck you’re playing at, just stop it now.”

  I hear a muffled reply. I don’t know if it’s Bryan, I don’t know if it’s someone else. It might even be Savannah. It fills me with intense glee to know that someone is here. I rush forwards, about to investigate further…

  “Oh, I don’t think you want to do that right now…” I turn to see a man who I presume is Bryan staring at me with a nasty smirk. “Not unless you want her to die. My wife, that is. The woman I am married to.”

  “She’s in there then?” I demand. “Savannah is here? Peter too?”

  Bryan steps closer to me, completely ignoring Tommy as if he isn’t here. I suppose I’m the one he wants. “You are awfully concerned about my family. That troubles me a lot.”

  “You don’t have anything to be concerned about, I only want to take care of them.”

  “I don’t need you to take care of them. You are poking your nose into my business and to be honest, my business has been going pretty well up until recently. I don’t want you to stop that.”

  “Mr. Donald has no money for you, you do know that, don’t you?”

  “I know more than you think. You’ve only just turned up here, I’ve been doing this for twelve years.”

  “You’ve never done this, right? The kidnapping, I mean. This is a step too far.”

  “This is none of your business. I don’t even know who you are.”

  I take a step to him now, closing the gap. I’m winding him up and that’s what I want. I know it’ll be more dangerous if he’s angry but it’ll be easier to take him down as well. Emotions have no place in battle, that’s the first thing we’re taught in the army. I can use that to my advantage right now. I have to.

  “Everything to do with Savannah is my business, soon it won’t be yours. Soon, you will be locked away and unable to control anything. You’ll lose your business, your blackmailing plot, your wife, your family, your heavies… although a couple of them are locked away already, right? You got them thrown in jail?”

  Bryan’s blood boils, I can see it in his red face. He spits out as if he’s trying to find the right words but they aren’t quite there. “You… fuck… you’re… I cannot believe that you…”

  Tommy creeps behind him, ready to attack. I just need to keep his attention on me for a little while longer. If all of this goes to plan, then Tommy will have him knocked out in a second and I can race to Savannah’s side.

  But it doesn’t go to plan. Bryan senses him and he spins rapidly, elbowing Tommy in the face. Blood spurts from his nose and he staggers back swearing. Bryan takes advantage of Tommy’s bewilderment and he punches him again, hard. As Tommy falls backwards I race towards Bryan with my fists flying and I lash out. I hit him hard and everywhere which causes him to turn back to fight me too.

  We both punch, we kick, we slam body parts against the walls. My vision becomes blurry, I feel darts of pain shooting throughout my body, but I don’t stop. This is it, my moment to really save Savannah.

  “You’re a fucking asshole,” I call out as I punch hard. Every time I connect with his skin I feel a bolt of satisfaction. Every time I hit him, it’s just more pain that he deserves. Every punch is for everything that he’s done to Savannah. “You scum bag. You fucking evil scum bag.”

  Eventually, he slumps to the ground, but I don’t stop. I continue to kick him until he’s pretty much in a pool of his own blood. He cries out, sounding like a wounded animal.

  “When this is over,” I growl. “You will never go near Savannah and Peter again. Do you understand me? Never.”

  “Stop,” Tommy coughs out before I kick again. “Don’t do it again, you’ll kill him. I know you want that, but we need him alive. We need evidence.”

  I clutch down onto my knees and I pant heavily, relishing Tommy’s words. He’s right, I ha
ve to listen, whether I want it or not.

  As soon as I get distracted for a second and turn myself towards Tommy, Bryan is back on his knees and gets hold of my neck. Even with all the blood coming from his body, he is still strong and punches me hard. There is nowhere near I can see this tussle ending.

  27

  Savannah

  “What’s that?” I mutter to myself as loud bangs fill the warehouse. “What’s going on?”

  For a moment, I thought I heard someone shouting too but me yelling back didn’t get me anywhere. I guess I have to presume that it’s something to do with Bryan rather than someone here to rescue me. I can’t keep relying on Jayden coming here to save the day. He might not even know where I am. He’s sure to know that I’m missing but there’s little chance of him finding this location. Knowing Bryan, he’s probably managed to convince everyone that I’ve run away with him. He’s got such a power over the world, he might even have convinced him.

  “What do we do, Mommy?” Peter mutters and nestles into me. “What’s that noise? I’m scared.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart.” I kiss him on the top of his head, trying to keep my shakes to a minimum. “It’s going to be okay. Mommy is here to take care of you now. I love you, sweetie. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too.” His little arms wrap around me. “I have missed you, Mommy.”

  All I want to do is remain in this moment, I want to stay here with my son and hold him forever more. We’ve only just gotten back together I don’t want us to separate again, but this might be the moment. To save his life.

  “Right, Peter. It’s time to play the game we were talking about earlier, do you remember?” He nods and I feel his head tilt towards the window. “It’s time to play hide and seek, so shall we get going?”

  He clutches to me tightly but nods. It’s hard for me to rip away from him, but the further away I get him from Bryan, the better. I force myself to rise into a standing position, and I walk over towards the window. I hate that I have to do this, I honestly don’t know what I might be sending him into, but it’s for his sake.

  “Okay, so what you need to do, baby.” I bend to my knees and clutch onto his shoulders so I can stare deep into his eyes. “Is run, okay? I don’t quite know what direction to go in but just keep on running, okay? Find a house or a shop or something. Someone nearby and ask them for help. You need to find Pippa Hewitt, okay? Whoever you find will help you find her. Then you’ll be safe.” It’s hard to keep the tears inside but I don’t want Peter to think there’s anything to worry about here. “Then I’ll come and find you, okay?”

  “But how would you know where I am if I’m with Pippa?”

  “Oh, no, you tell her that you’re playing hide and seek with Mommy then she’ll help, okay?”

  “Okay, Mommy. If you say so.”

  I pull him back into me and let one single tear leak out. I brush it away quickly. I can’t cry now. This is the right thing to do. All I need to do protect my son, he’s always been my main priority. All of this has always been for him. It might hurt to pull away, but that’s a selfish pain. That comes from love. My momma bear protective side is stronger and it needs to push Peter free. As long as he’s away from Bryan, it’s okay to be away from me.

  “Right, baby.” I lean back and kiss him again. “It’s time. You promise me that you’ll take care of yourself.”

  He doesn’t look certain but I don’t know how much time we have. Something or someone has Bryan distracted at the moment and I don’t know how long that will last. I lift him up onto my shoulders and I push him towards the window. Because he’s so little, Peter climbs through it with ease, and he’s soon on the other side.

  “I’m out, Mommy. What now… oh wow, look I can see grandad!”

  “Gr… grandad?” I demand, but he’s already gone. He’s run straight towards the first face he recognizes, which unfortunately is my father. My heart hammers against my rib cage as I think about what this might mean. I don’t know who’s side my dad is on at the moment. What if he takes Peter all the way back to Bryan? He might, then he’ll know that we’re trying to escape and it might be even more dangerous.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I mutter while scrabbling around the room like a mad woman. Panic coils and darts through me, I feel wild and out of control, the need for myself to get out too almost consumes me entirely. I didn’t want to leave myself, not without working out what’s really happening here, but I can’t leave my son in my father’s arms. There isn’t anything to help me reach the window, so I jump like I mental person. “Peter!” I cry out, desperation making me act stupid. “Peter, don’t go to Grandad. You need help, he might not help you…”

  I rake my fingers through my hair, knowing that it’s hopeless. He’s run to him now, it’s already far too late. I’m screwed. What I need to do is get my sorry ass out of this room before anything bad can happen. I run towards the door and slam my body against it, almost feeling the bones in my shoulder shatter. I wiggle the handle, desperately shaking it, needing it to open, but of course it doesn’t. He isn’t dumb enough not to lock the door. As I lean against the door I can hear the yelling outside getting louder and louder. It’s definitely a fight, this isn’t a positive conversation, which I suppose fills me with hope.

  If there is someone here to fight with Bryan then maybe there’s a chance that my dad is here to help them. But I don’t think I can trust him which leaves me nervous. I can’t be sure that my father is the good guy in all of this.

  “He… hello?” I cry out and I lean against the door frame. “Hello? Who’s there?”

  No one’s paying any attention to me, right now this moment has anything to do with me, so it’s up to me. I slam against the door over and over again until every inch of my body hurts. The tears are free flowing down my face now, I can’t stop them. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop them again. I can feel blood tricking down my arm but I don’t even bother to look down. I don’t care about the damage to my body…

  “Savannah?” All of a sudden, I hear a familiar voice on the other side of the door. “Is that you?”

  “Tommy? Fuck, is that you? Oh my God, you’re here. Can you get me out, please?”

  “Step back. I’m going to knock the door down.”

  I move backwards but I’m not convinced. “I’ve been trying, but I don’t know if it’ll…”

  The door flies to the ground with an injured looking Tommy on top of it. He’s got bruises on his body, blood on his face, but as he looks up at me I can see that he’s just about alright. And he’s saved me again.

  “Oh fuck, Tommy, oh my God.” I grab him and help him get up. “Thank you so much, I can’t believe you just did that. You’re so strong. Are you alright?” He nods silently. “Who are you here with? I got Peter out but he’s run to my dad and I’m scared because I don’t know if he’s going to be safe with him or not…”

  “Your father came with us. Pippa is with us too; your boy will be okay.”

  I blow out a breath of relief, letting the stress flow free from me. Thank God. If Pippa is there then I have nothing to worry about. She cares about Peter as much as I do. If she has my boy, I’m okay.

  “I came to get you out before it gets out of control out there. I can’t do anything to stop it. It’s getting wild. The cops should be on their way but I’m afraid that Jayden will be beaten to death by then. He’s not much stronger than that husband of yours, but Bryan is a fucking sneaky asshole. He’s knocked me out already.”

  The idea of Jayden being in pain causes me physical agony. I need to do what I can to save him. “I’ll do what I can. I’ll separate them. Even if it means that I have to sacrifice myself.”

  Tommy grabs my arm hard and spins me to face him. “No, you cannot do that. You have no idea what Jayden has done for you, he won’t accept you sacrificing yourself. All of this will be for nothing.”

  “No, it won’t. My boy will survive. That’s what all of this has been for from th
e start.”

  “So, what’s your plan?” I shrug helplessly. “What do you think we should do here?”

  “We need to stop them fighting.”

  “I know, I get that. But the more time we spend here talking, the more beaten he gets.”

  I grow ice cold. All of a sudden, I fear that I might get my son back but I lose the man I love. I want him too, the image of hope that I’ve been giving myself is an image that involved everyone. I need him too.

  “Okay, so we need to get out there, you agree? We need to save Jayden?”

  I stare deeply into Tommy’s eyes seeing a glaze there. He’s more hurt than he’s made out and now I’m concerned about him too. I don’t think we’ll just need the cops but an ambulance too.

  I tuck my hand under his arm pit and carry him through the building. He barely leans on me because I’m sure he wants to appear strong but he has to fall on me a bit. I don’t mind, I want to support him, but I’m also growing increasingly nervous about Jayden too. I need to see him already.

  “Right, Tommy.” I finally find somewhere he can sit. It’s a chair in a hallway that doesn’t really belong. But beggars can’t be choosers and we don’t have time to worry right now. “You wait here, I’ll be back in a moment.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid…” he begs, but his voice is weak and strained. I can tell that he’s having a really hard time. “Please look after yourself. Jayden loves you, I can’t get you get hurt.”

  Jayden loves me… that’s the one thought that I need to drive me forwards right now.

  “I won’t do anything stupid. I promise you.”

  I race away at the speed of light, heading towards the sounds of the fight. This warehouse is massive, it’s a twisting, turning mess but I know where I need to go. My heart thunders, sickness swirls, I don’t know what I’m going to find. If Tommy is this worried then it must be bad. Jayden must be in real danger here.

  “Bryan!” I scream out, terror shredding through my voice. “Bryan, whatever the fuck you’re doing, stop it. Stop hurting him, it’s me you want. It’s me and I’m here. Do whatever the fuck you want to me.”