by Court, C S
His laughter rumbles down the line for a few moments,“Oh man, you got me. Get your arse up here so I can fill you in on how we plan to do this thing. See you in a few.” And then he’s gone.
I know he’s hiding something, what, is the question though. I just hope it’s nothing that affects me or my girl.
I pocket my phone, rushing my way back up to Lottie’s apartment. Harry answers the door before I get the opportunity to knock, dressed in his‘I love beavers’ t-shirt, jean shorts and‘Van’s’ trainers.“Let’s go, the boys are out the front ready to go. We wannaget in and out as quickly as possible, I’m hoping we can be there when he drops one of these threats and we can catch the fucker. I want to put an end to this today if possible. Lottie is worried sick about Connie.”
Interesting, there is more going on between Lottie and Harry than I thought, for him to bring up Lottie in all of this is just strange. He has never cared how a woman feels before, well, not when it comes to sleeping with them, he is usually in and out, not one to hang around and hold a conversation.
I don’t argue, I want this bastard caught more than anyone.
We walk side by side, Harry filling me in on what’s going to happen when we get to Diane’s, and the rest of what she been through already. From what they can work out, there have been several dead flower deliveries, all from different companies, and all paid cash. The nastiest one was a wreath made from wilted flowers, with a sealed envelope accompanying it, stating inside‘this is long overdue, you should have listened when I told you to go away, now you pay for being a meddling nosey bitch.’ Obviously Diane is quite hysterical over it all, and that’s understandable, we have no idea just how far Dan will go now. He has nothing to lose after all.
Upon arriving at Diane’s house, I opt not to inform her of Connie’s recent abduction, although we want her to be aware, we don’t want to scare the woman senseless, I think she has had enough of that for the day.
Diane appears sceptical when we first request that she allows us to enter and talk to her, it takes me talking about Connie and jogging her memory on how we first met to get her to open up.
She holds the door open, her hand having a white knuckle grip to the side of the wood, as if readying herself to slam it in our faces. She is an absolute bag of nerves, shaking from head to toe, and eyes shifting between the pair of us as if we are going to pounce on her the second she removes s from her eyesight.
Harry is quick to pull out ID and inform her of why we are here, doing his best to reassure her that no one is here to cause her any harm, just catch the bastard harassing her.
I can tell that is she not going to allow us to come inside, not without being one hundred why we are here, and it’s pretty clear I am going to have to use Lottie to do just that. Knowing Connie, if I filled her in on even the smallest thing going on here, she would be straight in the car and over here comforting Diane. As bad as I feel for keeping this from her, it’s another thing I need to do to keep her safe. She can bitch at me later when I know that the fucker is out of the picture, until then, her safety is my number one priority.
Lottie picks up on the second ring, sounding suspicious.
“Yes?” Is all she says.
“I need a quick favour, one that Connie cannot know of. Can you do that?”
She hums down the line for a beat before answering“Yeah, but it depends what it is. And you better be quick, she has just gone to the loo and won’t be long. Spill?”
Fuck Sake, why has it all got to be so long winded, woman are so infuriating sometimes.“I need you to speak to Diane and let her know we are who we say we are, and are not going to cause her any harm. Do you think you can do that without informing Connie? Whatever she says to you, you need to keep this to yourself for the meantime though, if Connie finds out, there is a chance she could put herself in the direct firing line of Dan again.” My hearts going ten to the dozen, if this backfires and Lottie opens her mouth then the shit is going to hit the fan and Connie will be marching straight to Diane’s door and making herself a prime target for Dan.
I make sure to relay the message to Diane with my eyes, to which, thankfully she nods, agreeing silently not to say a word to her.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Of course. Is she okay though?”
“Yes she’s okay. Had a scare but otherwise is fine. Can you keep this to yourself before I pass you over?” Come on woman, just a simple‘yes’ will suffice.
“Uh, yeah yeah, of course. Put her on.” I sigh gratefully and hand the phone over to Diane.
The conversation is thankfully quick and to the point, with Lottie reassuring Diane that we are there to help her and are safe to allow in. I can tell she still has her back up, but who the hell wouldn’t after the threats she has been receiving.
“Come in.” She whispers, slamming the door shut behind us and placing the bolt and latch across it. Her cheeks glow when she turns to see myself and Harry watching her,“can’t take any chances, not with the kids in the house.”
That just pisses me off, why the hell has she been left alone after receiving some quite nasty threats? She has children in the house and the police just swan out and tell them to call her if she receives anything else.
“Is there anybody you can call to come and stay with you? I’m sure it would make you feel safer having somebody else around.” Diane appears pensive, leading us to the sitting room, and after what seems like forever, shakes her head and looks to the floor.
I don’t think I have ever come across as woman as skittish as this, and going by what I have heard about Diane from Connie, this is the complete opposite of her personality. She is in your face, loud and bubbly, and always one to speak her mind. These threats have really taken their toll on her.
“No, I haven’t. I separated from the kids Dad after a stupid bust up, and he has kind of done a disappearing act. I have zero contact with him at the moment. I have tried to call and text but his number has been cut off, and all messages via Facebook are coming back‘unable to send’, he has totally cut me and the kids off, and now I actually need him I have no way to ask for help.”
A tear drops from her eye and rolls down her cheek. I sit beside Harry on the three-seaterblack leather sofa, unsure of what to do or say. This really isn’t my field of expertise, and as sorry as I feel for her, it’s kind of making me uncomfortable.
“How about a family member? Somebody you could go and stay with for a few days.” Again, she appears pensive, sitting and staring at her hands in her own little world.
Her phone ringing breaks the silence, and she murmurs a greeting, the words an automatic subconscious response.
Harry and I sit forward sharply in our seats, immediately recognising something is wrong. Her head is shaking from side to side, the word‘no’ repeatedly falling from her lips as the colour drains from her face.
Harry grips her hand between his, attempting to ground her and offer up some form of comfort. He takes the phone from her other hand to place the handset on speaker and a male voice floods down the line.
We listen to him ranting away like a lunatic, not caring that all is quiet from this end, threats just spewing from his mouth. Harry points Diane out of the room and begins writing down information the second she leaves.
Several horns blare down the road, and our heads snap to one another when the sound comes down the phone line too. The fucker is close, real close.
We have him, finally.
It takes us seconds to reach the windows, our eyes flitting left and right, desperate to get a glimpse of him and start the chase. As If somebody has answered our prayers, my eyes catch an open vehicle’s door, the rest of it unseen as it is parked before a delivery van. I nudge Harry in the ribs and point down the road to the right, just as a man dressed in a baseball cap, hooded jumper and tracksuit bottoms steps out of the mostly hidden vehicle and closes the door.
It’s him, I know it is. I may not be able to see his face, but the height, body type and shiftiness of this blok
e is a dead giveaway. The fact that the car door slamming comes though the phone at the precise time we see it, also cements the fact that we have him, we have Dan, now we just need to catch the fucker. I swear I’m gonna tear him to shreds for what he has done to my girl.
I don’t give much to thought to how I am going to handle things once I reach him, I just take off at a sprint, out of the front door with Harry hot on my heels.
The blood is whooshing through my ears, and the adrenaline is coursing through my body. The anticipation of catching this fucker is almost too much to bear.
Harry is screaming my name, wanting me to stop, not a chance in hell am I about to do that. This end now.
The reasoning behind Harry’s words hit me hard, once I realise I have given Dan the perfect opportunity to escape us, I’m on an open road, fury radiating from my body, and at a dead run towards him, of course he was bound to see me and turn and run, like the chicken shit he is.
He can destroy everyone around him, attack innocent and defenceless women, but hasn’t got the balls to go man to man. I bellow down the road,“You fucking pussy. Man up and face me you spineless bastard.” He keeps running, jumping in to his car and starting the engine. Fuck, no, not again, I can’t allow him to get away again. My mind is going a mile a minute, trying to think of ways to anger the fool and get him to face me.“Connie’s mine, she chose me. She doesn’t want you man, so let it go and come and face me.”
The car starts to pull away, and my heart sinks at my stupidity, if I had just waited, just a few more minutes, he would have been at Diane’s door and we would have had him. Instead, I let my anger take other and acted rashly, allowing Dan the perfect opportunity to slip away from us again. This time it’s my fault.
He sticks his head out of the window, smirking at me as I continue to chase the car that is increasingly pulling away in distance from me.“I’ll have her back, and everyone that took her from me is going to pay. Make the most of it, I will get her back.” And with that his car screeches around the corner and out of sight.
“FUCK, NO.” I scream, throwing my fist in to the brick wall beside me. The skin splits across my knuckles, and I relish the feeling, I deserve the pain throbbing up my hand at present. I allowed that fucker to get away, I gave away the best lead we have had since he showed up on the scene.
Harry has turned away from me and is walking back to Diane’s house, speaking rapidly to I can only guess at his colleagues, hopefully they can catch up to him. I can hear him repeating the number plate and direction he took off in, and can only pray they do a better job than I did, that they can catch him after my epic fuck up.
What was I thinking, I know better than that. I was thinking with my heart and not my head, if I had just slowed down long enough to think, rational thought would have had me waiting him out. We fucking had him!!!!
“It’s done, calm down. The boys have the information needed and can try and catch up to him. If not then we wait him out, he’s not going to wait long before striking again, and when he does we will be ready.” Harry utters, placing a hand to my shoulder in support.
Nothing he will say can make this better, I made a major rookie mistake, completely screwed up and he knows it.
I ignore his words and shake his hand off.“Let’s just get back in and get Diane to agree to stay somewhere else, even if I have to put her up in a hotel. I want to get back to my girl and work out what to do next.” I mutter without giving him a chance to respond.
This is going to be a long old day.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dan:
Woah, that was close. I should have been prepared for Diane to pull some stunt like this. She is all mouth, gives it all the big I am, and the second shit is dropped at her door she runs squealing like a little bitch.
This has got fuck all to do with that Hunter bloke, Diane had this coming, so who the fuck is he to meddle in business that has nothing to do with him? God, the second I can put an end to him the better, he is ruining everything.
I dial Dean’s number, knowing he is going to be pissed at losing a toy, but needing him to step up and do his part of the plan now, if he doesn’t it’s all going to go to shit, and that is something I cannot have happen. Everything needs to fall in to place if I am going to get Connie back as expected.
“Mate you need to get Rhianow. It’s all gone tits up, and Diane is a no go. Don’t hang about, in and out..You need to get gone as soon as possible. And keep your eyes open.” He grunts down the line, sounding slightly pissed but hangs up after responding with a single word,‘done.’
I know he’s got this, and I can’t wait to get my revenge on this bitch, if she had kept her crazy fucking mouth shut, and not set me up, I can guarantee Connie would still be at home. All of this cause she wanted me in her life, she was an easy lay, does she not get this. She’s gonna learn the hard way not to fuck with me, and that I am not the man for her.
After driving around for a good half an hour to make sure I haven’t got a tail, I ditch the car in a shitty neighbourhood, with keys still in the ignition, and hurry back to Dean’s.
I’m sat, anxiously tapping my fingers on the windowsill in the front room, overlooking the road, when I spot his blue Ford Focus pull in to the driveway a good forty five minutes later. My stomach flips several times, I’m pissed at Rhia, but also pleased to have her and do what needs to be done to get my girl back. One person at a time needs to be removed, then I have her all to myself with no one to come between us. She has no reason not to take me back if Rhiais no longer around. And the second Hunter and Lottie are gone, there is nobody left to stop her from coming back to me, it’s just me and her, as it should be.
Dean steps from the driver’s side of the car, turning his head in several directions to check it is clear for the pair of us to emerge. He whistles three times, signalling the all clear.
Pulling the hood to my jumper over my head with my left hand, I use my right to open the front door and make my way to the boot of his car. I’m hoping when we open it that Dean has used some initiative and not just left Rhiain there uncovered, otherwise this is going to cause some serious heat if a neighbour or passer-by spots us removing a woman’s body from the back of a car.
The boot opens, showing what appears to be blankets of varying sizes and colours opened up and spread out inside. Dean lifts them in to his arms, bridal style, making sure to keep Rhiacovered as he moves. I throw a plastic carrier bag filled with several cans of coke on top, trying to erase any doubt should anyone become suspicious. To look at him, you wouldn’t automatically assume he was holding someone in his arms. He has actually used his noggin for once.
I follow him up to a pretty basic bedroom at the back, which has black out blinds and thankfully no neighbours can see in, the result of several trees located around the garden providing cover. The room has the necessities, a bed, small chest of drawers and plain beige walls.
He literally dumps Rhia on to the bed, removing the loose blankets from around her and placing her dead in the centre.
I take in her small bound form, ropes are secured around her wrists and ankles, and her mouth has a rag of some kind inserted in to her mouth and tied behind her head. She looks pathetic, I don’t understand what I saw in the girl, except that yes she was an easy lay, but seriously, the thought that I dipped my cock in that makes me want to gag slightly. There is nothing to grab, no hips, no bum, no tits, she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
“How we gonnado this?” I ask, eager to get this over with and move on to the next part of my plan, Lottie.
Her eyes shoot open, falling on me with desperation, pleading with me to help her. Stupid bitch, I’m the reason she’s here, she should not have fucked with me.“Someone’s awake.” With a smirk on my face I turn to Dean, allowing him to make the first move.
He doesn’t hesitate, he steps forward and lowers himself to his knees, bringing him level with Rhia’sbody.“Here’s the thing, you kind of fucked with Dan’s relation
ship, got involved when you shouldn’t. If you spread your legs for a bloke, you don’t do it to take him away from his family, you do it for an easy shag, you get me? If the bloke wanted you over his Mrs, then he would leave her and be with you. When he just bends you over and leaves straight after, it’s kind of a given that you mean fuck all to him. Your mouth is kind of whathas led you here. You opened your mouth and thought you could get one over on my boy here.”
Rhiabegins to shake her head and sob hysterically on the bed, the sound of her words completely muffled through the gag. Dean’s eyes flit to me briefly, before he turns and walks from the bedroom. I follow him out, disappointed in his actions. Where’s the sick fucker that I know gone?
As he shuts the door behind him, he lowers his voice to me so as not to be overheard by Rhia.“She is one seriously fucked up bitch, it will be more effective if we leave her in there alone for a while, let her to stew and stress over what we will do to her.” He has a point.
“Yeah,” I agree,“I’ve also decide that I don’t want her taken out of the picture altogether, too many questions will be raised if we are to do that. The best I can think of is seriously scaring the shit out of her, somehow forcing her to agree to pack up and move. She isn’t getting it easy either, I want her other half to find out just how much of a slag she is. She is going alone, regardless of if he forgives her or not. Don’t worry mate, you still get to have some fun with her.” His nose wrinkles up in disgust, clearly not enjoying that image too much.
“Na it’s alright, I’ll pass. I like my women to look like women, not ten year old boys. This Lottie bird better be more to my liking, my balls are starting to ache from the lack of action.” He grabs his crotch to emphasise his point.
“She’s a mouthy cunt, but the girls has tits and an arse, I’m sure you can work with it.” He nods his head, a sinister expression passing across his face.
“Oh yeah mate, I can work with it. It’s always more fun when they have a bit of spunk, makes it so much more worthwhile when they finally submit to me.” And I thought I was fucked up, he takes it to a whole new level. Not that I can complain, he is doing me a major favour with all of this.