She waited a while before going back inside. Fortunately there were so many people that Mavis didn’t notice that Ellie wasn’t eating. She simply couldn’t face food. Her senses were on high alert and she couldn’t think properly. She wanted her lists and her files. As soon as she was home, she was going to make a list, even if she had to eat it afterwards to make sure no one got his hands on it.
Dessert was being served when Nick called.
“Where are you?”
“Still with Clara’s family. How did it go this morning?”
“Vermaak sent a message that they couldn’t make it. Something came up.”
Ellie heard the irritation in his voice. “Sorry. If I’d known they were going to do that, I would have warned you.”
“It’s okay. I’m actually calling to see whether Enzio told you about the photo shoot he’s arranged with a well-known photographer. He says Clara needs new material for her portfolio. Please pack for two days. I’m picking you up tonight.”
“Where are we going?”
“The photographer must still confirm, but evidently it’s on the peninsula somewhere.”
“Clara will be excited. But why can’t the two of us go on our own?”
“The situation has changed. You’ll have to get used to the fact that you won’t be allowed out on your own. She’s not just Clara Veldman any more. Enzio’s not going to take unnecessary risks.”
Ellie asked him to let her know what time they would be leaving, and what Clara should take along.
She was relieved when Clara began to say her goodbyes an hour later. Ellie watched Reggie in the background. Suddenly he looked up. When he saw her watching him, he slowly drew his finger across his throat.
Ellie forced herself not to avert her eyes. In a strange way she could feel his pain. It had never been a fair fight.
At seven that night they were packed and ready to leave. Clara tried to convince Enzio to go along.
“I can’t, lovey. I have a lot of work to do over the next few days.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “I’m going to miss you terribly.”
He smiled and hugged her to him. “I should certainly hope so. Thanks, Ellie. When you get back, the two of us need to talk. I think it’s time you came to work for me. I could use someone like you.”
Ellie laughed and got into the passenger seat next to Nick. When they drove through the gate, she saw another vehicle with two security guards, ready to follow them.
She looked at Nick, but he was watching the road. He hadn’t been wrong when he had said that Allegretti wasn’t taking any chances with Clara’s safety.
Ellie wanted to ask him where they were going, but Clara was talking animatedly in the back seat. The girl hadn’t stopped talking since the night before, Ellie thought.
She was surprised when, a few minutes later, they drove into the small parking garage under the club. She felt the hair on her arms stand on end, but she tried to remain calm. She was sure she would have noticed from Nick’s behaviour whether something was wrong.
Nick turned the engine off, opened his door and looked at Ellie. “Will you help me, please?”
A siren went off in her head. “What do you want me to do?”
He had walked around the vehicle and was opening her door. “Clara, we’ll be back in a minute.”
The door slammed shut behind Ellie and she pulled her arm out of his grip. “What the hell is going on?” She saw the two security men in the car behind them take their luggage out of the back of the Range Rover and load it into an old white BMW.
“What are they doing?”
“Come along.”
“You must be out of your mind if you think I’m going to leave her. What’s going on?”
“Will you trust me if I tell you it’s for your own good not to ask too many questions and to do as I say?”
“Not a chance.” Ellie’s hand crept towards the pistol concealed under her jacket.
“Lower your hand before those two see it and get trigger happy.”
“I want to know what’s going on.”
“Enzio has reason to be worried about Clara’s safety. He wants her to go into hiding for a few days.” He held out his hand. “Hand me your cellphones. As long as they’re switched on, they can be traced.”
“Why don’t you just ask us to switch off our phones?”
“I need to be sure you won’t switch them on at all. I can only control that if I keep them myself. I don’t want to upset Clara, so it’s important that you understand the situation. If you’re calm, she’ll be calm.”
Ellie looked at the two guards again.
“Don’t even think about it. Enzio is paying them, and his order was to shoot anyone who threatens Clara’s safety. If you make a wrong move now, I won’t be able to help you.”
Ellie took her cellphone from her pocket, switched it off and gave it to him. “I’m going to make sure Nazeem Williams hears about this.”
“Is this your only cellphone?”
“Yes.”
When he proceeded to search her, she spread her legs and raised her arms. “Would you like me to strip?”
Before Ellie could stop him, he had deftly removed her pistol from the holster under her arm.
She drew back her arm to strike him with her elbow when she saw one of the guards draw his firearm. She raised her hands.
“What about your luggage?”
“Open it and see for yourself.”
“You understand that I’m here to keep you safe?”
“I don’t care why you’re here. What you’re doing is unacceptable, and you know it. She’s still my responsibility, and this comes down to kidnapping. A double kidnapping. Do you know how much time you’re going to do for this?”
“I’ll take my chances. I’m asking you again, is there another phone anywhere?”
Ellie walked across to the boot of the BMW, unzipped her bag and shook out the contents. She felt sweat trickle down her back as she opened the bag containing her toiletries. He motioned at a smaller bag. She unzipped it and two tampons fell out.
“Would you like to inspect the rest?”
Nick shook his head and she began to repack her clothes.
Ellie opened Clara’s door. “I have some bad news. You’re going to have to do without your cellphone for the next day or two. And we’re taking another car from here.”
“You must be joking. Do you know how many messages I get, and how many arrangements I have to make? I’m waiting to hear about a shoot.”
“Clara, trust me. It’s better this way. I’m sure the messages can wait. If someone needs to contact you urgently, they’ll call Enzio.”
“Something is wrong.” Clara lowered her cellphone and looked at Ellie. “Is it Enzio?”
Ellie heard the panic in her voice. “Enzio is fine. He’s just worried about a business deal, and he wants the two of us to go and relax somewhere for a few days.”
“There’s no shoot?”
Ellie looked at Nick. He replied. “As soon as you’re back. Enzio has already arranged it.”
Clara handed over her cellphone and Nick switched it off.
“Thanks.”
It was dark when they stopped at a house in Blouberg, on a large property on the outskirts of the town. The interior was nice – modern, but tasteful.
Ellie put her bag down and went to make sure Clara had everything she needed in the spacious master bedroom. She was sitting on the bed when Ellie entered.
“Do you think I need to worry?”
“No, I think Enzio is just being extra careful.”
“Do you know what deal he’s busy with?”
“No, Nick didn’t tell me.”
“Business can be so messy.”
Ellie nodded. “There’s food in the kitchen.”
“I’m not really hungry yet, but I’m quite tired. I think I’ll have a bath and go to bed. Nick said there’s DStv. I’ll watch a bit of Red Carpet.”
�
��Call me if you need anything.”
“Don’t be angry with Nick. He’s just doing his job.”
Ellie kept quiet. She walked across the landing to her bedroom. She could hear the TV news coming from the ground floor. She wanted to speak to Nick, but first she had to get her emotions under control, or she was going to start making mistakes. She locked the bedroom door and opened her bag. Her unlisted phone was at the bottom, underneath the tampons. When she’d put it there, she’d hoped Nick would react like most men.
She really wanted to speak to Clive, but she couldn’t take the chance of being overheard, so she sent him a message. Problems. Allegretti ordered Malherbe to hide Clara and me in Blouberg for a few days. Something about a deal. He confiscated our phones and my firearm. I must warn Williams, or he’ll think I’m part of it.
The reply came almost instantly. Are you in danger?
I don’t think so, but I’m pretty sure Allegretti wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t have to. He knows Williams will kill him if he finds out.
Don’t do anything just yet. Let me make a few calls. It’s a hell of a risk having that phone with you. What if they find it?
I’ll be careful.
No heroics, please.
I promise.
She put the phone under the mattress, but not too deep. Then she sank back onto the bed. After a while she discovered her ears were pricked for every sound. She closed her eyes. In her imagination she created a stage, where the characters appeared one after the other: Allegretti, Barkov, Mang, Williams, Jonathan, Visser. All her old acquaintances. Jonathan crossed the stage and walked off on the other side. She had no reason to believe he was involved at this point. Barkov was a possibility, but there was a question mark behind his name. She moved him to the back. In his inebriated state, Allegretti had said he had offered Williams a deal that Williams wouldn’t accept. And that he would never hurt Clara. Visser had a plan Allegretti didn’t like, but he didn’t have a choice. Ellie put Clara at centre stage. Would Allegretti use her to force Williams’s hand? He had to know that Williams would never allow Clara near him again. Didn’t he care? Was the ring just a way to keep her happy and give himself some credibility?
Allegretti and Visser were using Clara to blackmail Williams. It was the only possible explanation. She didn’t know why she felt disappointed. Had she really thought Allegretti had honourable intentions with Clara? Surely she wasn’t that much of a romantic. But she remembered the way Clara had rested her head on his shoulder on the stairs the night before, and she knew she had hoped, for Clara’s sake.
Ellie thought she heard a noise outside the door. She listened, but heard nothing. Only a dog barking in the distance.
She took out the phone. Sent Clive a message.
What’s the plan?
His answer came back immediately. Greyling is working on it.
Keep me in the loop.
I’ll try. Things might happen quickly. Keep your head down and no heroics, please.
Ellie wanted to tell him she had a responsibility towards Clara, but decided against it. Neither he nor Albert understood.
Nick was watching the day’s news in the living room, changing channels distractedly, when his cellphone rang.
It was Monica.
“We’ve got problems. Is it possible that your address has been leaked?”
“No. Unless Allegretti leaked it. It would mean Visser has got to him. But I spoke to him only a few minutes ago. It didn’t sound like anything was wrong.”
“One of the guards?”
“I don’t think so. I picked them carefully.”
“Your two friends, or Paul?”
“I confiscated their phones. And I didn’t tell Paul where we were going. Monica, what’s going on?”
“I have a contact who occasionally passes on information under the table. He sent a message tonight, asking if I have anyone in Blouberg, because he’s picked up something. It’s so deep he felt only the ripples. Could it be your vehicle’s tracking device?”
“We came in an unlisted vehicle.”
“Your cellphone?”
“It’s off the grid.”
“Nicky, I don’t know what’s going on, but I trust him. If he says he picked something up, you might want to get the hell out of there.”
Nick ended the call, sat for a moment, then went up the stairs. Ellie’s bedroom door was locked and he knocked softly.
After a while Ellie answered.
“We have to talk.”
“Can it wait? I’m really tired.”
“Unfortunately not.”
She unlocked the door. He walked in and locked the door behind him. He motioned at a chair by the window. “Sit.”
Ellie sat down.
“I’m going to give you one chance to tell me the truth, and I suggest you think very carefully about what you’re going to say.”
Ellie felt her palms turn damp, but she tried to keep her breathing even. “What’s going on?”
“Do you have an extra phone, or some sort of tracking device with you?”
She threw her hands in the air. “Lord, how many times must we do this? You searched my luggage. Did you find anything there?”
Nick walked to her overnight bag and unceremoniously dumped the contents on the bed. He went through her clothes until he seemed satisfied. He opened the cupboards, took out all the extra bedding and tossed it on the floor.
When she made a move to get up, he took out his pistol and pointed it at her. “Sit.”
Ellie sat back down. She was afraid she was going to stop breathing any minute. He tore the bedding off the bed and dumped the mattress on the floor. He felt under the bed, then he went into the bathroom and she heard him throw out all her toiletries. When he returned, he motioned for her to get up.
“Take off your clothes.”
“Have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea what Nazeem Williams will do to you when he hears about this?”
“Undress.”
Ellie stood up and began to unbutton her blouse. She dropped it on the floor. Her jeans followed. She kicked them aside as she stepped out of them. She stood in front of him in her underwear. He didn’t bat an eyelid. Just motioned for her to turn round. She turned slowly, lifting her arms. The cool breeze made her damp skin contract.
“Put your clothes back on.”
He watched her getting dressed. “Shoes as well.”
She put on her boots.
“Come.”
“Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer, just took her arm and marched her to Clara’s room. “I don’t want hysterics. You have five minutes to get her up and dressed.”
“What about our luggage?”
“Leave it.”
The television was on, but Clara was fast asleep. Ellie touched her shoulder. “Clara.”
It took a while before she opened her eyes. “What …?”
“Get dressed. We have to go.”
Clara licked her lips, brushed her hair out of her face with her hand and came up onto her elbows. “Nick?”
“We must go. We don’t have much time.”
“Enzio? Did something happen to Enzio?”
“No, nothing happened to him. But we must go.”
Ellie helped her pull on clothes over her pyjamas.
“My stuff …”
“We’ll fetch it later.”
Nick led them downstairs. The other two men were waiting at the front door. She was surprised to see they weren’t taking the BMW, but were being herded towards the Hummer.
Nick put Clara in the front seat and Ellie between the two guards in the back. He pulled away fast.
“Where are we going? What’s going on?” Clara curled herself up in the seat.
“Enzio has arranged another place for us to wait.”
Ellie’s mind was in overdrive. She saw they were heading for the city. She was still going through all the possibilities when she saw two vehicles on either side of the road.
It was too much of a coincidence at that time of night.
Before she could react, the first shot was fired. She felt the Hummer lurch, but Nick managed to keep it on the road. The two stationary cars pulled away at almost the same time. While Nick was still trying to control the heavy vehicle, another shot rang out.
Clara screamed. The two guards wound down the windows and began to shoot back.
“Stop shooting!” Nick shouted to Ellie’s relief. She didn’t know who was in the other cars, but as long as they were being shot at, they would shoot back.
With two tyres flat, they struggled to keep moving. Suddenly, lights came on in the road ahead. It was too late for the Hummer to swerve.
Ellie saw Nick trying to decide whether he should burst through the barrier. At the last minute he slammed on the brakes and with screeching tyres he brought the vehicle to a stop.
The other two vehicles drew up behind them. There was an almost unnatural silence before Ellie heard doors being opened.
“Get out!” she heard someone shout.
She was halfway through the door when she saw Albert. She looked around for Clive, but he was nowhere to be seen. There was no sign of any of the other familiar faces. Not even Vermaak.
Then she saw Reggie, and an alarm went off in her head.
Clara had seen him as well. “Reggie! What the fuck are you doing?”
“Get in the car,” he ordered. He was holding a semi-automatic rifle.
“Why? Are you out of your fucking mind?” Clara screamed. “Wait until Uncle hears you almost killed us tonight!”
He grabbed her roughly by the arm and began to drag her to one of the cars behind the Hummer.
Ellie ran after them. Instinctively, her hand went to where she usually kept her pistol. “Leave her!” she shouted.
Reggie turned and struck Ellie a glancing blow on the side of her head. She fell on the tarred surface, but got up immediately.
She looked back, and saw Albert and a few other men handcuff Nick and the two guards, and put them in the back of two vehicles.
“Albert,” she called out, but Reggie was holding her arm and forcing her into the car.
She kicked out desperately, and he punched her in the stomach, winding her. Trying desperately to breathe through the pain, she felt as if she was caught in a nightmare.
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