“But you’re not prepared to throw Delores to the wolves,” Brett said.
Matt saw the slight smirk on the other man’s face and wanted to punch him again. He didn’t like Brett, but the comment was correct. If he walked out now and reported that there was no deal, it would put Delores in danger. As much as he wanted to protect Brigitte, he knew he couldn’t live with himself if he simply gave up his ex-girlfriend to Eddie Millar. He was certain she wouldn’t walk out on her boyfriend and what would befall her in that case didn’t bear thinking about.
“So, what do we do now?” Delores said and the concern showed in her voice.
“Maybe I should beat a deal out of…”
“That’s not helping,” she snapped.
“There is only one thing we can do,” Matt went on.
He wiped a hand across his face again then let out a curse. Delores being there had thrown a massive spanner in the works that meant the only thing they could do now was run and get as far away from Eddie Millar as they could. He wasn’t sure quite how he would explain that to Brigitte, but he needed to otherwise she was a target.
“Which is?” Delores asked to interrupt his thoughts.
“Are you fucking kidding me,” Matt blurted out. “Your boyfriend isn’t going to play ball and I can’t go and tell Eddie that. All of us are in danger now. We have to get as far away from here as we can.”
“He’s right,” Brett said.
The words came as a surprise to Matt and he looked across the room to the other man. He’d expected the opposite reaction and the fact that Brett agreed raised his suspicions. There was no time to worry about it though. His concern now was to get to Brigitte and make sure she remained safe.
“You two need to pack what you need and get out,” he said and moved towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Delores asked.
“I need to get to the girl I know,” he replied.
“Do you have transport?”
Matt frowned as he turned.
“No,” he said. “I’ll get a cab.”
“Where does your girlfriend live?” Delores went on. “We can grab what we need and follow you there. Brett has a car.”
Matt weighed up the offer. It seemed the simplest solution to getting out of town although he was still hesitant to accept it. The alternative would be bus or train though, which might prove more risky if the word got out about what he’d done. He suddenly wished he hadn’t made the call to tell Lincoln that he was going through with the job that day, but it was too late to worry about it.
“Do you have a pen and piece of paper?” he asked.
Delores got them as Brett looked on. Matt handed the gun over to her then wrote down Brigitte’s address on the paper.
“I’ll see you when you arrive,” he said. “But if you’re not there when we walk out of the house, we’re gone. We won’t hang around to wait for you.”
It ended the conversation and he galloped down the stairs after leaving the apartment. When he got to street level, he managed to hail a cab almost immediately. He settled down for the journey and tried to stay calm, but the creeping sensation of things falling apart was lurking in his mind. He knew he’d fucked up. That wasn’t entirely his fault and he silently cursed the misfortune of Delores being there, but it now put him in a bad situation.
“Put your foot down,” he told the driver. “I need to get there urgently.”
He brought out his phone and switched it on to see one missed call and recognized the number. It was a bad sign that Lincoln Holt was trying to get in touch, but he ignored it to dial Brigitte’s number. That the call went unanswered was even more of a worry and he got the same result each time he tried contacting her over the next couple of minutes. He swore under his breath when he gave up, but the signs were pointing towards something being seriously wrong and he couldn’t shake off the feeling that the situation was spiraling out of control.
It took him a few seconds to get his bearings when he glanced out of the window of the cab to the passing scene. He reckoned they were around halfway to Brigitte’s house and urged the driver on again to get them there in a hurry. The fear of what he might find when he arrived began to grow in his mind. He didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do while he was stuck in the cab.
“Please be safe,” he muttered under his breath and hoped his words were true.
Chapter 15
The ringing made Lincoln look down at the phone in his hand although the number showing wasn’t really the one he hoped it would be. Still, the man on the other end of the line likely had some information that would be useful. He swiped the screen to answer the call and brought the device up to his ear.
“What have you got?” he said abruptly.
“He just left the place,” Billy replied.
“How long was he inside?”
“It must have been at least forty or fifty minutes,” Billy said. “I’m assuming the meeting happened.”
“Was he alone when he came out?”
“Yes,” Billy went on. “He looked in a hurry to catch a cab and the one he got in set off straight away. What do you want me to do now?”
Lincoln tapped fingertips on his lips as he considered the question then pulled them away to answer.
“Do you know what Collins and his girlfriend look like?”
“I’ve seen Delores before and would recognize her,” Billy replied. “I wouldn’t know Brett Collins though.”
“OK, stick around there and let me know if you spot any more activity,” Lincoln went on. “Get on to me if you do see anything that I should know about.”
“How long should…”
Lincoln pulled the phone from his ear to end the call before he heard the full question. He knew the man on the other end of the line would stay put until instructed otherwise and left him in place. There was no guarantee that Billy would see anything, but there was no harm in leaving him there. He glanced across the room to the scared expression of the person sitting on the armchair but Brigitte dropped her gaze immediately to look away from him.
“It seems like your boyfriend did his job,” he said.
Brigitte lifted her head to briefly glance at him although she didn’t say anything.
When she heard the doorbell less than an hour previously, she’d expected to open the door to the sight of Matt. Her panic erupted when the stranger she found herself confronted by forced his way inside the house. The knife in his hand made her fear for her life, but it quickly became clear there was more to what was going on than a man taking advantage of a lone female at home.
She listened to the details she was told of Matt getting involved with his old boss and wasn’t quite sure it was the truth. From the time she’d spent with him, both as his counselor and as his lover, she was sure he was committed to getting away from his criminal past. It was difficult for her to believe he would get involved in the program and try to move on, while at the same time slipping back into the way of life he’d always led.
She’d only known him a matter of weeks though. There was always the possibility that he was simply taking advantage of the program perks while they lasted, with no real intention of changing anything. It wasn’t something she wanted to consider however, as it would mean she was letting herself be used by an unscrupulous man.
“You still don’t believe me, do you?” Lincoln said.
The words cut into her thoughts and she glanced across the room at him.
“It makes no sense to me,” she replied.
“Yeah, well, men will tell a pretty woman what she wants to hear for some action,” he went on and let out a raucous laugh that ended abruptly.
It put into words the fears growing in her mind, but there were more pressing concerns to worry about. She assumed the phone conversation she just listened to was about Matt. Only hearing half of it meant she couldn’t be entirely sure, but her suspicions were that he was on the way to her home. She couldn’t make up her mind if that was a
good thing or not and wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to the question that popped in her head, but went ahead and asked it anyway.
“So, what happens now?”
The man looked at her although she couldn’t hold his gaze.
“That depends on how your boyfriend’s meeting went,” he said.
Brigitte wished he would stop calling Matt her boyfriend, but wasn’t about to complain about it. The man obviously wasn’t a common thug and it came across that he was professional in what he did. That only made her fears worse though and she was under no illusion that he would do whatever he felt was necessary, without any remorse.
“How do you find out?” she asked in a shaky voice that betrayed her rising anguish.
“Let’s try calling your boyfriend again, shall we?” the man went on. “Maybe he’s switched his phone on now and we can find out how he got on.”
Lincoln lifted his phone to search for the number and made the call. It rang out this time instead of transferring to the voice message service, but it wasn’t picked up.
“I feel hurt,” he said mockingly when he gave up. “I think your boyfriend is ignoring me.”
Brigitte shuffled her feet nervously as Lincoln moved towards her, but the sound of a vehicle coming to a stop outside the house stopped him in his tracks. He quickly moved to the window and eased the curtains aside to peek out through them. A smile flashed across his face when he saw the cab.
“I don’t think we need the phone any more,” he said and glanced over his shoulder to look at Brigitte.
It was enough to tell her who’d arrived and the dread of what was about to take place escalated when Lincoln put the phone in his pocket. She watched in horror as he brought out the knife and flicked it open. He positioned it in his hand, so the flat side of the blade was pressed against his arm. That kept it hidden from sight, but Brigitte knew it was there.
“On your feet,” Lincoln said when he got to her and seized hold of her upper arm to speed things up.
He moved behind her when she was standing and Brigitte winced when he grabbed her hair tightly and made her move forward. She wanted to struggle free of the painful grip, but didn’t think she could and knew it was better not to antagonize him. They were stepping into the hallway when the doorbell rang.
“You open the door,” Lincoln hissed in a menacing tone. “And remember what I have in my hand. I don’t want to use it on you, but I will.”
Brigitte clenched her teeth as the grip on her hair tightened. When they got to the door, she reached out to open it and let out a squeal as she was yanked back.
“Brigitte, are you…,” Matt started when he pushed the door fully open and moved forward, but his comment ended abruptly. His expression hardened when he surveyed the scene before him.
“Well, fancy seeing you here,” Lincoln said in a pleasant voice before his tone hardened. “Let’s keep things nice and calm. Close the door and we can go in the lounge to have a chat.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Matt spat out in an irate voice and slammed the door shut.
Lincoln pulled on Brigitte’s hair to make her back up with him and he didn’t speak until the three of them were in the lounge.
“Sit down.”
“I’m not…,” Matt said
Lincoln brought up his hand to reveal the knife he was holding.
“I said sit the fuck down.”
Matt eyed the other man then brought his gaze to Brigitte. He could see the distress in them and his guilt welled up. He’d put her in danger and knew he needed to do something, but was at a disadvantage for the moment and could only comply with the other man’s order. Moving to an armchair, he dropped down on the arm.
Brigitte winced as she was hauled in the direction of the sofa then pushed down on it. There was some relief from the excruciating grip on her hair being released and she raised a hand to rub at the nape of her neck. Lincoln remained standing beside her and she glanced across the coffee table to Matt, but his attention was focused on the other man in the room.
“I tried to phone you earlier,” Lincoln said and a smile flashed across his face.
“I didn’t want to be distracted, so I switched off my phone after calling you,” Matt replied.
“Yeah, I gathered that,” Lincoln went on. “I was going to let you know that I was here as an extra incentive to make sure you got the job done. Eddie thought it would be a good idea and I was keen to see the woman that caught Matt Harris’s attention.”
“There was no need to get her involved,” Matt replied.
“You know the game,” Lincoln said and smirked. “How did the job go?”
“Fine,” Matt lied. “I made Brett Collins the offer and ensured that he agreed to it. Everything went to plan.”
“He’ll hand over all his contact details as Eddie wants?” Lincoln asked.
“Yes,” Matt went on. “So, there’s no need for all this.”
He glanced at Brigitte and saw the expression of disappointment on her face but ignored it. The important thing now was surviving the situation and that’s what he planned to do. Lincoln was about to go on speaking but the sound of the ringing stopped him. He brought his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen.
“What is it?” he said when he answered the call.
Matt watched in the hope that what was being discussed had nothing to do with the situation. His suspicions grew that it was when he saw Lincoln’s lips tighten together in an unwitting scowl. It was a small sign, but enough to convince him that he and Brigitte were in trouble. A glance down showed the heavy glass ashtray on the coffee table in front of him. It was a weapon of sorts and all there was at hand. He kept his expression impassive and his movements slow as he leant forward, but knew he needed to act when the phone call came to an end.
He didn’t wait for anything to be said before picking up the ashtray and flinging it hard. Brigitte let out a loud shriek as Lincoln moved to the side to avoid the flying glassware and it thudded into the wall behind him. It was enough of a distraction for Matt to launch himself away from the armchair.
“Get out,” he shouted at Brigitte and she leapt to her feet as he slammed a shoulder against the other man.
It knocked Lincoln off balance, but he managed to stay on his feet and turned to swing his arm. The knife he was holding arced through the air to stop the attack being followed up. Matt reached in his pocket and sprung the switchblade open when he got it out. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on his opponent, but out of the corner of his eye caught sight of Brigitte reaching the door of the lounge and stopping. He wished he’d kept Brett’s gun, but it was too late for that now.
“Everything went fucking fine, did it,” Lincoln hissed. “Then why did my man just see Brett and his girlfriend coming down to a car loaded up with bags. How about you give me the truth about what really happened?”
“You had me watched?” Matt spat out.
The grin spread across Lincoln’s face.
“Eddie reckoned we didn’t need to, but you know, I don’t always listen to what he says. It turns out I was right to keep eyes on you.”
“Going against orders,” Matt replied. “That’s a risky business, isn’t it?”
“He won’t always be around,” Lincoln replied.
“Are you planning to follow in his illustrious footsteps and kill your way to the top?”
“I’ve no intention of doing that,” Lincoln went on. “But Eddie’s got enough enemies that he’ll be taken out sooner or later. Someone will need to take over running the organization when that happens.”
“Do you think you’ll still be alive to do it?” Matt asked and raised the knife.
“Oh yeah, I’ll be alive,” Lincoln said.
Matt glanced towards the door to see Brigitte still watching. He was between her and Lincoln but he knew there was a chance he wouldn’t win the fight that was about to take place.
“I told you to go,” he snapped harshly at her and saw her wince.
“It doesn’t matter if she stays or goes,” Lincoln said. “After I’ve finished with you, I’ll make sure I find her. I don’t think she’ll enjoy it when we meet.”
He led with the knife when he lunged forward, but Matt was alert enough to avoid the attack. More quickly followed as the two men probed for a weakness they could exploit, but neither could get the upper hand as they faced off against each other.
Lincoln was the first to find a way through. He lunged forward with a straight arm then whipped his hand to the side at the last moment. Matt’s jacket gave him some protection, but the blade still ripped through it and a spurt of blood from a flesh wound stained the material.
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