“Sure,” the giant replies. “Sorry about that,” he says looking down into the car. He frowns then stiffens as he looks to the back seat. A power seems to surge over him as he glares at the passenger.
“Jake! Chris!” he calls.
The doors of the van click open then slam shut and two men appear. Neither are as big as the giant, but they are equally as big as Rick, and Dan would look weak beside them. With the two burly men behind him, he reaches down to the passenger door and opens it.
“Get out!” he commands staring down at Dan.
Cassie twists around to look.
“Get out!”
“What do you want him to get out for?” Rick asks.
The response is immediate. The two guards step forward, lock their arms through his and drag him back and away from the car. He struggles, but they’re strong and he can only watch as Dan is manhandled from the car and dragged to the van.
As he thrashes against the two henchmen, Cassie jumps out and runs after Dan, hitting at the giant’s back as he holds him tight. Dan makes no effort to fight back.
“Let him go!” she shouts as the giant slides open the side door of the van and throws Dan inside, Cassie’s thumping fists making no impression. A heavy thump and a grunt follows.
“No!” Cassie shouts as Dan disappears and scratches again at the giant, pulling at his hair.
“Cassie! Stop!” Rick shouts, as the man throws back his arm and Cassie is knocked to the ground. There is no way, even with her skills, that she can fight a man that size, particularly one who seems hellbent on taking Dan off the street.
Jumping straight back up and ignoring Rick, she continues to pummel at the man, kicking at his legs until he eventually turns, grabs her by the hair, lifts her off the ground and throws her into the van to join Dan. Unseen, she yelps as her body hits the metal sides and her shouts grow muffled as he slams the doors shut.
“Finish off!” the giant shouts back at the thugs holding Rick in place.
They lift him off the ground and throw him through the air towards the car. He slams down with a thud, and pain rips through his side. The sharp grit of tarmac sticks into his knees as he lands with a thud and he shouts his pain. The van’s engine revs as Rick drags himself up to the bonnet of the car and watches it disappear down the hill.
Chapter 27
“Dan!” Cassie shouts as the van lurches and begins to roll.
Her heart pounds so hard that she feels it will burst. Frustration rides over any fear she has and rage courses through her. She stands, wobbles as the van moves, then lurches to the metal partition and bangs.
“Let me out!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Let me out now!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
There’s no response and as the van turns a corner she’s thrown to the side and slips down next to Dan.
“What’s going on Dan? Why did they want you? It’s not like you’re a billionaire anymore? Why would he want to kidnap you? Who’s he going to ransom?”
“I don’t think he wants a ransom,” Dan replies.
The cold acceptance of his voice chills Cassie. “What then? What does he want?”
“Revenge.”
“Revenge? For what?”
“For killing everyone. For this life we’re all living.”
“But it wasn’t your fault. When we tell them the truth-”
“It is the truth though, Cassie. It is my fault.”
“No! No, it’s not. You know it’s not. Don’t say that.”
“It is though. I’m the one who gave permission for the trials to go ahead. I was the one who agreed to talks with the Koreans. It was my idea to sell the virus as a weapon.”
She sits in silence, digesting his words, not wanting to believe what he’s saying.
“So, you can hate me too, now, Cassie.”
“No, Dan. I don’t hate you. I loved you—once.”
“Once. Perhaps.”
Maurice pulls at the belt of his jeans, the itch he has now down there won’t be silenced until he’s got what he wants and what he wants is the girl tied up in the back of Saskia’s van. Silly bitch coming up here and goading him with the girl. Silly bitch thinking she could get one over on him. He knows what game she’s playing; she wants the best deal for the girl. Well, he’ll give her a deal alright.
“Dean! Cash!” he calls to the kitchen where his boys sit playing cards. “We’re going into town. Going to have to teach that bitch a lesson.” He grabs his coat from the peg “Teach her a lesson, I will,” he mutters. “That’s right, Saskia. I’m gonna teach you good and proper.” He can almost feel her neck beneath his fingers, feel the life squeezing out from her and it thrills him. Monster they called him and a monster he was. Sticks and stones. Pah! He chuckles as he strides out of the house. A dog barks in the distance. “Shurrup! Bloody mutt,” he mutters again and slips into the back seat of the truck. Those boys had better hurry up or he’d give them a hiding too.
“You got the guns?” he asks through the window as they stride towards the truck. He can see that they haven’t and grimaces. “Idiots! Go and fetch them.”
He waits another minute until the men run back to the truck and jump into the front seat. Good. They know better than to waste his time.
“Let’s pay her a visit then. She’s got something that belongs to me.” He chuckles and rubs at his crotch. Oh yes, it was going to belong to him for a long, long time.
Cassie stands next to Dan, the heavy reek of mildew and stale beer is thick in the room, made noxious by the stench of meat cooking in the back. It didn’t smell fresh—perhaps something that had been hung a little too long.
Deacon sits with his legs over the arm of a heavily carved chair and stares at her. She can tell that he’s taking in the curves of her body and feels a waft of shame spread over her. She’s not looking her best, and with her roots almost down to her ears, she’s sure she looks practically shabby. When Deacon stands, Dan at least has the good grace to stand in front of her, keeping up the pretence of protection.
Deacon stamps down onto the floor, dust eddies around his scuffed boots, and he walks across the room. He’s muttering something about payback and coming onto his patch as though they’re in a bad western. She could almost laugh if it wasn’t for the pain that sears his eyes as they meet hers; this man has suffered.
The henchmen stand behind him as he steps forward.
His jaws clench.
“What do you want for it then?” he asks staring at Dan. She can feel him judder as the man speaks.
“Huh? It?”
Dan grasps for her hand. She ignores it.
“Yeah, it,” the man nods at Cassie. “Your woman. How much?” He smirks.
“Hey!” Cassie shouts unable to hold her tongue a second longer. “How dare you?”
“Hah! How dare I? How dare you come onto my patch,” he retorts.
“I’m not an ‘it’! I’m a woman and I have a name,” she shouts, resisting the temptation to shout that they’re not hammy actors in a bad film, but is he … is he playing a part?
He smirks at her again. Her anger grows and she clenches her fist, stands to her full height behind Dan. If he wasn’t going to stand up to this animal, then she would. She wasn’t the one who had lost her backbone in the last three years.
“I know that, honey. Now pipe down whilst I agree a price with your man. Payment is due.”
His smile deepens as he looks into her eyes and purposefully drags them down with his as he looks to her chest.
How very dare he! “Price? Dan! Dan, tell him I’m not for sale.” She prods at Dan from behind. He remains quiet. “Tell him, Dan. Tell him I’m not for sale.”
Dan makes a small mewling noise as if to speak then closes his mouth again.
The man looks irritated and steps forward. “Let me tell you what’s on offer here. I’ll make it real simple for you, Dan. You owe me and you need to get somewhere far, far away, somewhere no one will k
now you. Right?”
Dan’s head sags.
The man leans in. “I know who you are Dan,” he growls, “and if I let everyone else know who you are they’ll be on you like a pack of wolves. There’s no one round here who wants you living with them.” Dan’s shoulder sags as though with resignation.
Where are his balls? He’s supposed to be her husband. He’s supposed to be her protector!
“Now,” Deacon continues stepping back, his voice loud. “You have a choice, Dan. I’ll give you two wheels and a tank of petrol in exchange for your woman. That’ll make it easy for you to get your stinking carcass away from here.”
The man moves behind them and slips his arm around her waist, moves it high on her ribcage and holds her tight in his arms, his breath is warm on her neck as he nuzzles there. “Don’t worry,” he says with a voice full of desire, “I’ll take real good care of her.” He nuzzles again at her neck.
That’s it! “Dan!” she cries, urging him to answer. He’d better answer. He’d just better!
“So, Dan. What do you say? Your freedom for your woman? Or are you going to stay here to face the wolves? I’ll even throw in a wrapping of meat and a quarter barrel of water.”
“Dan!” Cassie growls, her anger and frustration, along with the need to get away from here and find her children, overwhelming her. “Answer this arsehole before I do one!”
The man laughs. “Feisty,” he responds. “I like them feisty.”
That’s the last straw! She’s endured this too long.
With an upward thrust of her arm she smashes her fist against Deacon’s nose. He shouts in pain and surprise and loosens his grip. She takes her chance and twists on her heels then raises her knee hard into his crotch. He groans in agony and staggers then falls to the floor. The henchmen step her way and she darts to the kitchen and grabs the long knife that sits on the table there then twirls back and stands with it pointing towards them.
“You want some? You come get it!” she says as the two men turn to advance on her.
At that moment the door bursts open and Rick stands with Zak at his side.
“Looks like I’m late to the party,” he says taking in the scene. One of the henchmen steps towards Cassie. She holds the knife high, his eyes follow its arc and she raises her leg and lands it with a sickening thud on his groin. Idiot! First lesson—always be aware.
“Rick,” she calls as the giant scrapes himself from the floor. “Sort him out. We haven’t got time to lose. We’ve got to find Saskia.”
“Saskia?” the giant asks. “What do you want with that psycho.”
Cassie stops and stares at him as he gets to his feet. His brows are creased as he stares at her.
“She’s stolen my kids.”
He grunts, but doesn’t seem surprised.
“I’ve got to get them back and then she’s going to pay for everything she’s done.”
He raises his eyebrows and considers her for a moment. She stares back into the brown of his eyes and a moment of connection passes between them. “You want to pay her back too, don’t you,” she states, holding his gaze. A flicker of pain passes over his face.
“Yes,” he replies. “Yes, I do.”
“Well,” Cassie returns without hesitation. “How about you forget about Dan for now—you can have him later—how about you and me go and sort this bitch out and get my kids back? Huh?”
He nods in grim agreement.
“Sure,” he replies. “I know just where to look.”
Chapter 28
As darkness falls, Saskia flicks the switch for the generator. Light floods the area around the farm and she steps back into the kitchen.
“That’s better,” she says to Sergei as he walks over to the stove and reaches for the pan and then the bottle of water sat on the counter.
“Fancy a brew?” he asks.
“Yeah, sure, but why don’t you get one of the kids to do that? No point having little helpers if you’re going to do everything yourself.”
“I like making my own tea—there’s not much else to do around here once the lights go down.”
“You could play cards or something,” she suggests pulling up a chair. “Why don’t we play now. It’s been ages since we had a game.”
“Nah! I don’t fancy playing Snap.”
“I can play other stuff too!” she says with indignation. She loved Snap—loved the way she always managed to shout out before him and slammed her hand down onto the deck to claim her prize.
“Watch the telly then—there’s enough power for you to watch a DVD.”
“Yeah? I might do that then.”
“Me too,” she says with a smile. She can’t remember the last time they’d both just sat and enjoyed a film together—they had a real connection that way—had done since they were kids.
“What do you want to-” He stops and peers out of the kitchen window.
“What is it?” she asks, alert within an instant. The chair scrapes against the tiled floor as she stands and joins him at the window.
“Maurice!” she growls as the car pulls up onto the yard. “He’s got a cheek pulling that far up—as if he lives here or something.”
“Showing his dominance is what he’s doing. We shouldn’t have gone up there today-”
“No, but-”
“You could see he was interested in those kids—real interested, and when you changed your mind he was-”
“I couldn’t leave them with him—they’re too young for what he wants.”
“Getting soft in your old age?”
“No. It’s disgusting. He’s disgusting.”
“True. Well, what are we going to do about him then? There’s only us and the other kids here—Lennox and his crew have gone down into town.”
“When they coming back?”
“Dunno, but if they decide they want to party, then it could be tomorrow.”
“Hell!”
“Indeed. Saskia …”
“Yes.”
“Do you see what they’re holding?”
“Shit!”
“Yep!”
“Lock the doors.”
“What about the kids?”
“Just lock the doors,” she returns as she watches Maurice and the two thugs walk over the concrete of the yard to the door. A loud knock sounds.
“You going to answer that?” Sergei asks as Saskia reaches for her leather jacket and boots.
“No,” she replies as she pulls the zipper high. “Listen. My crossbow is in the boot of the car. If I can get to that then we’ve got a chance.”
“Why don’t you just talk to him first?”
“He’s here for that girl and he’s armed. I think he means business. Don’t you? I know I’m a lot of things, Sergei, but I’m not about to let him take her or any of the other kids.”
Sergei raises an eyebrow as she pulls the zip on her boot.
She stares back at him. “What?”
“Just never thought I’d hear it, that’s all—you admitting that you’re wrong.”
“I’m not wrong, Sergei. He’s a nonce—they all need putting in the ground. I’m going to start with this one.”
“You’re going to kill him?”
“If I have to,” she replies without a second’s hesitation and stands. “Now, keep them busy whilst I go out the back.”
The knock sounds on the door again and Saskia gestures to Sergei to go and answer it as she grabs the car keys from the hook and makes her way to the back of the house. As she slips out of the back door she can hear the deep and demanding voice of Maurice. She runs across to the car and presses the key fob to open the boot. It unlocks with a click and she opens the boot slowly. Shouting sounds from the front of the house as she reaches in and pulls out the long canvas bag. It lands with a thud on the ground. Squatting, she unzips the bag and pulls out her crossbow. It feels reassuring in her grip. Next, she pulls the flaps of the bag wide and picks out a handful of bolts. Their aluminium shafts are cold in
her palm. She slips them into her pocket then reaches in for another handful before walking around the side of the house. At the corner she stops and looks to the front door. Maurice is leaning forward, his fist raised, his voice loud and vociferous as he speaks to Sergei.
“She’s not here. You’ll have to come back later,” Sergei repeats as though Maurice is here for a social visit.
“We’ll wait,” Maurice replies and turns away from Sergei to look across the yard. “Where do you keep them anyway? Are they inside?” He steps forward.
“Stand back,” Sergei warns.
Maurice makes a silent gesture to his henchmen and they step to the door. It slams and Saskia listens as it locks.
“Dean, go round the back. Cash check the outbuildings.”
Saskia steps back into the shadows and runs across to the far side where she hides just as Dean takes the corner and walks down the path to the back door. She hopes that Sergei has thought to lock it, not that a locked door would stop this crew. Cash walks unknowingly towards her and the outbuildings. The shed where the children are housed, including the new girl, is locked with a large padlock. The keys hung up in the kitchen. Cash walks straight up to the padlocked shed and looks in through the window.
“In here, boss,” he shouts back to Maurice.
Maurice grunts in satisfaction as Cash reaches for the padlock.
“It’s locked.”
“You don’t say! Break it.”
Cash raises his leg. Saskia stands and raises the crossbow, the man in her sights. He kicks at the door and she pulls the trigger.
Cash is surprisingly quiet as the bolt slams into his arm and stands, confusion knitting his brow, as he looks down at the silver spike sticking into his arm. Saskia smiles and pulls another bolt from her pocket. This one’s for Maurice. A sound behind catches her awareness, but before she has a chance to react pain cracks across the back of her head and she staggers, knocking her legs against the side of the car. The crossbow drops from her hand as a foot makes contact with her buttock in a violent kick. Cash pulls the bolt from his arm, laughs and turns again to the door. This time his kick breaks it from its hinges and it drops to the floor with a huge crack. Screams sound from inside and Saskia watches as Maurice steps through the doorway. Another kick to her hips and she slides with pain to the ground. The last thing she sees is the ridged sole of a dirty boot heading straight for her—and is that dog shit on the tip!
The Route to Justice: A post-apocalyptic survival thriller (A World Torn Down Book 5) Page 14