“
Yeah, that’s what I
figured,” he gloated.
“But what should we do?”
Angel asked. “Should we go and check it out?”
“No!” Chad and I exclaimed
as one.
“No way,” I said firmly. “I
think we should get out of here. God only knows what Joel would do
if he caught us here.”
“And do what?” she
challenged.
“
I think we go find Lucas
and tell him what we’ve found,” Chad replied. “He’s got the men for
the job with him. He’ll know what to do.”
I shook my head, knowing Lucas
would go ballistic if he knew we’d followed him. But even as I did
so, I knew that facing his wrath was preferable to allowing
something to happen to Scott and Ava. Something bad.
Ava! Was it a
coincidence that I’d seen someone fitting her description heading
this way just an hour or so ago?
If it wasn’t, it didn’t make any
sense.
Angel and I got out and watched
Chad reverse the hire van safely around the sharp bend. It seemed
to take forever
—a point which Angel made several times. I found myself
regretting taking them to Odyssey. It seemed to be a catalyst for
all kinds of crap. I hoped they could get past it because one thing
was for sure, being stuck together on a tour bus for almost twenty
four hours a day would only add more strain to their relationship.
As I gingerly climbed back into the van, I pledged to myself that
I’d find a way to help them—I had no idea how, but I vowed I’d find
a way.
We quickly reached the end of
the narrow, graveled path and Chad turned the van around. He drove
back down the street and turned right at the bottom.
Lucas’ van was
gone. Chad pulled over. “What do we do now?” he asked.
I let out a deep breath, trying
to calm the nerves that were tying my stomach up in knots.
“I
’ll have
to call him,” I replied quietly.
I fished my cell out of my
purse and made the call. It went straight to voicemail. “Fuck it!”
I exclaimed, feeling that anything that could go wrong was doing
exactly that.
“
Drive around some,”
suggested Angel. “Walton Park isn’t exactly huge, is it? We’re
bound to bump into them.”
Chad shrugged and looked to me.
“We may as well.” I had no better ideas.
We drove around for what must
have only been five minutes or so but seemed like hours. “Look,”
shouted Chad suddenly, pointing ahead and making me jump.
“There
’s one
of those spy types walking towards us.”
“
Pull over,” I
instructed. “They’ll be able to contact Lucas or
Carter.”
Chad abruptly swerved across
the carriageway and hit the brakes. Pain seared through my shoulder
and I could have slapped him hard but, thankfully for Chad, the
rush of adrenaline kept my focus on our mission.
I turned to face Angel. “Put
your window down quickly.”
The man, dressed entirely in black and looking
completely disinterested in us, was almost level with the
van.
I leaned across Angel, holding
onto my throbbing shoulder and called out, “Excuse me, I need you
to contact Lucas Hunter immediately. It’s an emergency.”
Instantly, he was at the
open window in one lithe movement. The fleeting feeling of relief
soon turned to panic. I found myself staring down the barrel of a
gun.
Fear gripped my stomach and
emptied my lungs. My heart thumped wildly but I think that was the
only part of my anatomy that could move. All of my other muscles
had seized up; for a few seconds I couldn’t even
breathe.
“Fuck!” I heard Chad mutter
under his breath.
“Nobody move. Trust me, I
won’t hesitate to blow a hole in any of you,” the man said in an
authoritative yet quiet voice that sent chills down my spine. “Now
you.” He nodded at me. “Tell me who you are and what you want with
this Lucas Hunter you mentioned.”
I stared at him, completely
immobilized. Somehow I knew he’d carry out his threat.
“Now!” he hissed but still
I couldn’t speak. The fear that he’d hurt me only served to make me
more scared.
“She’s Lucas’ girlfriend.
We followed him here and we think we’ve found Joel,” Angel blurted
in an uncharacteristically high voice.
He looked from me to her
and then over to Chad. “And who are you? And him?” He turned his
cold eyes on me again.
I heard Angel swallow. “I’m
her best friend, Angel, and he’s my boyfriend, Chad.”
His eyes narrowed a little
but that was the only sign that he’d heard her. “Don’t move a
muscle,” he grunted.
I wish I could!
Suddenly, a
horrible feeling washed over me, making my skin crawl.
What if Chad’s got
it wrong? What if this armed thug’s employed by Joel?
Sheer panic overtook me and
I was lightheaded and nauseous. I felt like I was floating away,
out of the van, distancing myself from what was going on around me.
I heard him talking but I couldn’t make out a word he was saying.
Then everything went black.
*
The next thing I knew, I
could hear muted voices, but I didn’t recognize any of them. I was
aware that I was lying down, but I felt disorientated and confused.
I opened my eyes but it was dark and they didn’t focus properly so
I couldn’t see much. I also felt weak; lifeless even. I could make
out a roof over my head that wasn’t far away, and I attempted to
sit up but pain shot like an angry flare from my shoulder into my
neck. I closed my eyes and tried to think where on earth I could
be. I racked my brains for my last conscious memory but I came up
short until I opened my eyes again and realized I could see a
little better.
I soon figured out that I was
inside a vehicle, and that was enough to trigger my memory. Fear
gripped me like icy fingers squeezing my lungs.
What the hell’s happened? Have
I been taken hostage by Joel too? Where’s Angel? And Chad?
I forced myself to
sit up a little, the fear and adrenaline helping to take the edge
of my shoulder pain. I felt lightheaded again and had an almost
overwhelming urge to close my eyes and lie back down.
I was startled by a
disembodied strange voice declaring, “She’s awake!”
My heart thudded and my
clammy hands shook. I heard footsteps approach, and with each step
the hairs on the back of my neck stood up a little more. I heard
the door handle being grasped and my heart thudded. I couldn’t
breathe; my chest felt like it had been crushed. I told myself to
turn my head as the door opened but my body refused to comply. I
remember thinking fleetingly that the expression ‘fight or flight’
was a load of crap. I could do neither.
My eyes closed
involuntarily. I felt a rush of cool night air on my clammy skin
and time seemed to freeze as I heard a voice say, “I should
strangle you with my bare hands, right here and now.”
But instead of it striking
fear into my wildly beating heart, it made me crumple with
relief.
Lucas!
“How are you feeling, my
darling?” he whispered.
I shook my head. I couldn’t
believe it. Lucas was at my side. I shook my head again, trying to
clear the confusion that reigned.
“What is it, Issy?” he
asked. His voice was thick with concern. “Tell me!”
I turned my head to look at
him, grateful for the interior light that had come on when he’d
opened the door. His tense, worried expression helped me to find my
voice at last. “Oh Lucas, I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting to see
you. I don’t know what happened. There was a man with a gun and . .
. where are Angel and Chad?”
“They’re nearby. Don’t
worry, they’re fine,” he said, before dropping a kiss on my
forehead. “The man with a gun is one of Carter’s crew. I’m so sorry
he scared you. He was just doing his job. Carter hadn’t briefed him
about you because you weren’t supposed to be anywhere near here.
You were supposed to be at the hospital getting your shoulder
checked out. How is it, by the way?”
“It’s felt better,” I
admitted. “But it’s just a soft tissue injury. It’ll be fine. Don’t
fuss. Well, you can stop fussing after you help me out of
here.”
“I think you should rest,”
he said firmly.
“Lucas, I’m fine,” I
countered, cross. “But I have some important information for you so
help me up please.”
“It’s okay. Angel and Chad
have filled us in. I just want you to rest up until you’ve
recovered after fainting and then you can go back with them to my
apartment.”
I fainted?
I supposed I must have
done.
Go
back?
I slid
first one leg then the other onto the floor and managed to sit up
properly, gritting my teeth against the pain but refusing to allow
him to see how bad it was.
“
I’ve told you I’m fine.
I’m more concerned about what happens next. What
does
happen
next?”
He shrugged. “That’s what
Carter and his team are deciding now. I know he’s waiting for
backup before plans are finalized but we need to move
quickly.”
“Backup as in cops?” I
don’t know why I bothered asking. I knew the answer.
He sighed. “You know I
can’t call the cops. We’ve been over that.”
“But you can come home with
me and let Carter take care of it. His team are experts at that
kind of thing. You’re not.”
“I’m not leaving here until
Ava and Scott are safe. I’ll do my damnedest to make sure that Joel
can’t go public about Odyssey. Even if I have to hand over my
assets in order for that to happen.”
“But you’ll stay out of it.
At least while there’s any risk of danger. Promise me
that.”
“
I’ll do my best but I
can’t make promises about the unknown. I’m not going to go storming
in at the start. I plan to make sure it’s as safe as possible
before I get in there. I know my limits, Issy. I don’t want to play
at being a marine. Thanks to you guys, Carter thinks it’ll be a lot
easier. We have the element of surprise on our side and some time
to coordinate a strategy. I could kill you for being here, but I
guess I’ll have to settle for
punishing
you at a later date.”
There was something about
the way he said ‘punishing’ that made my insides turn to molten
liquid. Well, that and the way he’d suggestively cocked an
eyebrow.
“You’re not distracting me
with those tactics, Lucas Hunter. And I want to stay. I promise
I’ll stay safely out of the way but I want to see you as soon as
it’s all over. And for that I need to be nearby. Please, Lucas,
it’s important.”
He shook his head slowly.
“You’re so strong willed and defiant. One day, I’ll manage to
correct that too . . . one way or another. You’re lucky I don’t
have time now.”
That suggestive eyebrow
pump again!
He reached in and cupped my
face with his hands. “Fine. See if you can find a hotel
ne
arby. But
I don’t want you within a mile of Joel’s place. Do you hear me? And
I’ll contact you when I can. It could be hours, so don’t
worry.”
Then he kissed me. One of
those slow, tender kisses that you just want to lose yourself in,
but all too soon, he pulled away and released me, leaving me
feeling bereft.
I heard the sound of
another engine approach then cut out. Lucas straightened and looked
out for a few seconds. “I’ve got to go, honey. It looks like the
cavalry have arrived. I’ll tell Angel and Chad to come and drive
you to a hotel. If they don’t want to stay with you, get them to
drop you and I’ll either come get you when I’m done here or I’ll
send a car. Okay?”
“I wish you didn’t have to
stay,” I whispered.
He leaned in and caressed
the side of my face with the back of his hand. “I know but I’ll be
fine. I have to stay. You’re by far my best asset and I’m not
letting go whatever it costs me.”
I forced a smile. “Let’s
just hope it doesn’t cost you more than I’m worth.”
“There is nothing in this
world worth more to me than you. This will be over before you know
it.”
He kissed my forehead and
was gone.
Finding accommodation at
that time of night in an unfamiliar location would have been an
impossibility but for my smartphone. Even then, we had to head out
towards Monroe. We eventually got rooms in a hotel and arrived
tired and drained to be told that food was no longer being served.
Chad was dispatched to get a takeout meal of some description but I
really just wanted my bed. I doubted that I’d sleep but I wanted to
rest my shoulder. Angel obviously had other ideas. I knew she was
trying to keep me occupied to take my mind off the situation Lucas
was heading into but, while I was grateful, I really wasn’t in the
mood.
Surprisingly, I managed to
eat all the pizza Chad brought back for me. He’d also thoughtfully
picked up some painkillers. We all ended up in my room, lounging on
my bed as we ate. Chad began to recount the events of the evening
and it was when he stated how lucky we’d been to stumble on Joel’s
hideout that I remembered how that had come about. All because of
the woman who bore a resemblance, at least from the side and rear,
to Ava. I was keen to know Lucas and Carter’s thoughts on that so I
asked.