“
I
can
’t
see any woman,” she whispered. “Where should I be looking? Oh, but
I can see Chad—he’s almost back here.”
I moved back over so he could
climb in quickly. “Phew,” he said, as he sat back in his seat and
sighed. “I’m not cut out for all this spy shit.”
“Yeah, whatever. What did
you see? Are they still there?” Angel demanded.
“
Give me chance, woman.
The van’s still sat where it stopped. It was difficult to see
anything because its lights were still on at first. I daren’t get
any closer in case it pulled off and saw me. But then the lights
went out and I thought I saw some movement but it was tricky to see
in the dusky light. But then I saw two guys—and they weren’t Lucas
and Carter—dressed all in black and I can’t say why but something
about the way they walked and didn’t interact made me think of
spies or marines or something. I know it’s mental before you say
anything but—”
“
Chad, if they came out
of Lucas
’ van, they’re Carter’s men and they probably were marines.
What happened next?”
“
I turned before they got
too close and walked as nonchalantly as I could back here. And let
me tell you, that wasn’t easy when I was crapping myself. There’s
something spooky about those two. I could hear the sound of my
sneakers as I walked but they didn’t make any noise. I had no idea
whether they were behind me and, if so, how close they were. I just
wanted to get my ass back in this van.”
“
So you
don
’t
know where they were heading?” Angel asked, frustration evident in
her tone.
“
No, I don’t. My only
thought was not to be seen . . . or worse, caught,” he
muttered.
“
God, you’re such a
pussy. So we’re still none the wiser,” she said,
scornfully.
“
Well, as they haven’t
passed us, I think it’s safe to assume that they didn’t follow
you,” I intervened, before they got started. “But just before you
got back, a woman passed over there,” I nodded my head. “And
although I only saw her fleetingly from the side and then from the
back, she looked just like Ava.”
“Ava?” cried Angel. “But I
thought she was being held hostage by Joel?”
“
Shush for God’s sake,”
hissed Chad. “Remember those two creepy dudes are out there
somewhere and for all you know they’ll hear you if you keep
shouting like that.”
“
I
’m not shouting,” she retorted, crossly.
“
Guys!” I hissed.
“Please. This isn’t going to get us anywhere and we can’t just sit
here all night. We have to figure out what we should do next.” The
pain from my shoulder, as well as the stress of the situation, was
making me snappy.
“Well, where did this woman
go?” Chad asked.
“
I lost her,” I admitted,
sheepishly. “I almost opened the door and called to her to check
whether it was her but then I thought I should check to make sure
Joel wasn
’t nearby. By the time I’d scanned the area in the fading
light and looked back, she’d gone.”
Chad tilted his head to one
side. “And you’re not sure it was her?”
“
No, I
didn
’t get a good look at her face and the light was crap, but
she was the right build and had the same hair length and color. But
I guess it couldn’t have been her if Joel’s kidnapped her. She’d
hardly be walking down the street carrying groceries, would she? I
think it may have been that Ava was on my mind and, in the
semi-darkness, I saw someone who vaguely looked like her and my
overactive imagination jumped to a possible conclusion. The woman
was well wrapped up against the cold too—she probably bears little
resemblance to Ava.” I began to feel slightly foolish.
“
So, like I say,
we
’re
still none the wiser,” claimed Angel. “Well, we can’t just sit
here. Any ideas?”
“
We
’re not going near that van or those creepy spies,” Chad
muttered. “Where was that woman heading?”
“To the top of the street—”
I began before Angel cut me off.
“
But that’s pointless
because it wasn’t her. We need to somehow find a way to keep an eye
on Lucas’ van. That’s the only lead we have to get us closer to
Scott.”
“
But how do we do that
without being seen?” I asked, beginning to feel that we were on a
fool’s errand and maybe we should have stayed in the warmth and
safety of Lucas’ apartment. But, even as I thought it, I knew I’d
be climbing the walls in frustration at not knowing what was going
on by then. At least I knew that Lucas was safe at that moment in
time, and he wasn’t doing anything stupid that could get him
hurt.
The sound of the engine
starting cleared my head. “What are you doing, Chad?”
“He probably wants the
heater on to keep him warm,” Angel murmured.
“
No,” he replied coolly.
“I’m going to drive to the top of the road to see what’s up
there.”
“
And it’s just a
coincidence that it happens to take you further away from the nasty
spy men.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm.
He ignored her and pulled off,
driving steadily to the top of the street. The houses on either
side of the road stopped and then, shortly afterward, the road gave
way to a gravel path that was just wide enough for the van and we
found ourselves in pitch-black darkness. We turned a sharp bend and
a large sign warning that we were on private property and
trespassers would be shot loomed into view. Chad abruptly applied
the brakes.
“What are you doing?” Angel
cried.
“
Stopping the van so we
don’t get shot!” he retorted, haughtily. “Can’t you see that huge
sign?”
“
Of course I
can
,
you doofus, but what’s the use of stopping here? We’re sitting
ducks!”
Their constant bickering was
really starting to grate on my nerves.
“Guys, please!” I shouted, fisting my
hair in sheer frustration. “Must you argue over everything? What’s
gotten into you two today?”
Angel folded her arms
defensively
.
“There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m not the one with a
problem.”
Instantly, Chad took the bait.
“Oh so in other words, I’m the one with a problem? That’s rich. I
wasn’t the one flaunting myself in a seedy sex club!” His voice
rose an octave and several decibels as he spoke.
“
It
isn
’t
seedy!” Angel cried before adding, almost as an afterthought. “And
I wasn’t flaunting myself.”
Oh
God. So that’s what their bickering
is all about
. I could see where it was heading. “Look, can we just get
ourselves out of here? Drawing attention is hardly going to help.
Besides, I think that conversation is best had in private, don’t
you?”
Abruptly, Chad threw his door
open and got out, leaving it slightly ajar. “Oh for fuck’s sake,
now what does he think he’s doing?” Angel spat. “He’s been acting
like a sulky five-year-old since we left Odyssey. It’s beginning to
grate on my last nerve.”
I sighed, not wanting to get
involved but also feeling partly responsible. It was my fault that
they’d set foot in the club, after all.
“
He’s not used to seeing
you like that. Hell, I’m not either!” I almost chuckled as I
recalled Angel swinging merrily to and fro and Chad’s frantic
attempts to get her down.
“
But you’re open to all
that stuff. Chad isn’t. I want us to go back there but he says he
won’t ever go back there and that if I do, it’s over. Can you
believe that?”
“
Yes. I can,” I said
simply. “Most people never set foot in a club like Odyssey. That
lifestyle isn
’t for everyone. And there’s a whole spectrum of . . . um .
. . activities that you could try together if you both wanted to,
without having to be in a BDSM club. Do some research, try some
stuff, but above all have fun. Together. You can’t pressure him
into it. He may well enjoy kinky sex . . . hell, he may turn out to
be far kinkier than you but he may not be an exhibitionist. And
remember, sex isn’t the be all and end all of your relationship.
It’s much more than that.”
She was nodding as I spoke. She
was silent for a few seconds, seemingly mulling over my words.
“Christ! I’m taking relationship advice from you . . . who’d have
thought? Crap, things must be worse than I thought between me and
Chad.”
She gave me her wide-eyed
innocent look. I turned my head away as if I was offended and she
snorted. “Fuck off,” was all I could manage before the pair of us
collapsed in a fit of giggles.
We both jumped when we heard a
loud cough.
Hearts pounding, we looked over to the slightly open
driver’s door. Nothing. I looked around wildly, rapidly remembering
where we were and why. It was pitch dark out there and suddenly it
felt forbiddingly eerie. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up
when I heard a scratching noise. Angel clutched my arm tightly,
triggering pain in my shoulder. Clearly she’d heard it
too.
“
Nice to see you two
taking the situation seriously,” said a deep
voice.
Angel squealed and grasped me
tighter still, making me feel even more nervous
, despite the pain it
caused.
“
Shushhhh, for God’s
sake!” came Chad’s voice, before the door opened a little more and
his head peered inside.
Relief flooded through me.
I could feel my heart thudding solidly as it attempted to return to
its regular rhythm.
“
You stupid ass!” hissed
Angel.
“You scared the crap out of me. Why the fuck would you do
that, you fucking idiot?”
He climbed into his seat and
pulled the door to. “Because I could hear you two laughing from a
hundred meters away, that’s why. And if
I
could hear you . . . then maybe Joel could
hear you.”
Angel huffed. “A simple shush
would have done. There was no need to hide and scare the shit out
of us.”
“
Wait . . . How could
Joel hear us?”
“
Because I think
we
’ve
inadvertently found where he’s holed up.”
“What?” we
chorused.
“
I went to see if I could
find somewhere to turn the van around. I didn’t want to have to
reverse back around that sharp bend back there—especially in a hire
van in total darkness—and I didn’t want to drive the van any
further until I knew what was out there. Not after that threatening
sign.”
“So you felt safer
blundering around on foot?” asked Angel.
“
No, not really, but the
van was making a hell of a noise on the gravel path so I thought it
best not to go any further until I knew what was up
ahead.”
“
And what is up ahead?
What’s Joel got to do with it?” I asked,
impatiently.
“I was getting to that,” he
said, sounding annoyed.
“
Well, is there any
chance you could get straight to it?” I just knew Angel was rolling
her eyes as she spoke.
Then it was
Chad
’s turn
to huff loudly. “Basically, there’s a large house around another
sharp bend with a huge graveled forecourt in front and several
vehicles.”
“Is that it, Sherlock?”
Angel asked, barely suppressing her sarcasm.
“
Hardly. I can’t be 100
percent sure but I think one of the vehicles is Scott’s
van.”
Angel turned to face him. “You
think? Why didn
’t you check?”
“
Because
it
’s
parked right in front of the house. There could be security lights
controlled by sensors and even if they weren’t, what if someone
came out of the house?”
“
Someone meaning Joel?” I
asked, although it was more of a statement, given the
circumstances.
Why else would Scott’s van be there? Assuming it
was his van. “Chad, what makes you think it was Scott’s? I mean,
it’s dark and, from what you say, I presume you didn’t get very
close to it.”
“
It’s the same model but
it was impossible to check the color.” He was interrupted by an
exasperated gasp from Angel.
“
There must be hundreds
of those vans around.
Thousands even,” she blurted. “For God’s sake,
Chad. There’s no reason to think it’s Scott’s.”
I could feel Chad bristling in
indignation. “Yeah well, how many others have a huge, rusted dent
in one of the back doors . . . in exactly the same place as his
from when Travis kicked the hell out of it after a gig one
night?”
I felt my eyebrows shoot up.
“Well, that kind of changes things.”