30. Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
Luke
I close the boot of my car with a gentle thud. Resting my hands on it, I take what few moments I have to gather my thoughts. Tonight is hanging on the edge of either being the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning.
My conscience is like a compass, flitting between which way it will fall.
The burner phone chimes from my back pocket. Pulling it out, I read the message.
Call me when you have it
I tuck the phone away in my pocket, turning to face Adam.
“You’re all set.”
“And Eva?” I ask calmly.
“Carrie knows what to do if things change.”
Waiting for the arrhythmical beat of my heart to steady, I wouldn’t have gone into this without Adam and Carrie on my side.
Talking to Eva before I left the house will have undoubtedly troubled her, but I needed her to know some of what’s going on.
I push away from my car, swallowing down the desire to call Eva or run back to her. “No,” I say to myself, giving Adam a nod before heading towards where the boat is docked. The harbour is busy, the revellers streaming past .
“You alright?”
I sigh hearing the concern in Adam’s voice through my earpiece a few minutes later. “Fine.” I hold on to a railing, stretching my muscles. My cap is on. My hood is pulled over the top.
Other runners begin to congregate, hiding me under their collective size.
“Your first time?” a gentleman asks me, he too stretching and lunging before he begins his night time run.
I hadn’t seen him approach. “Yeah,” I reply, pointlessly adjusting the earpiece disguised as a headphone. I have no intention of running.
“There was static. Can you still hear me?” Adam asks.
I scratch my head, whispering my answer subtly.
“It’s nice to see some new faces in the group,” the man says, making me look at him. I’m about a foot taller than him. Giving him my most appeasing smile, I stretch my arms.
“Terry,” he says, holding out his hand.
I don’t take it. Nor do I humour him with any false talk.
He retracts his hand. “Uh,” he begins, looking at someone else and waving. “Well, enjoy your run.”
I nod, glad he’s walking away from me.
“Nice chap,” Adam says in my ear.
“Focus,” I say quietly, spying the small group of men and women heading towards the boat all nicely lit up. “He’s here.”
“Get running.”
I roll my eyes and jog towards the boat they’re boarding. The luxury power catamaran is shiny, and by the looks of it, brand new. There can be no doubt as to who it belongs to.
Waiting until they’re all aboard, I slink into the shadows, biding my time until they’re inside and closing the door behind them. Then I hop on the rear steps, crouching down.
“You good?” I don’t answer Adam. “Maybe we should have thought about this more.”
“Don’t back out now. ”
The engine starts, and I hold on as I’m sucked down into my spot. “You just make sure you bring my car where I tell you to.”
“I’m behind the wheel, ready when you are.”
Waiting until the waves start to rise near my feet, a visual check confirms the party-goers are all inside.
Zoran sent me everything I needed, including a picture of his girl who knows I’m coming for them. He said she was good. Let’s put her to the test.
I counted eight people walking on board. Slowly rising at the back of the boat, four of them I can see on the lower deck. I thought about how I should do this, but every scenario came with too many things that could go wrong. So, I opt for the easiest option.
Everyone overboard.
The engines slowed five minutes ago. Now that we’re cruising and past the choppy waters, I pull up the balaclava from around my neck, blanketing most of my face in darkness. They won’t be able to see me, but I can see them.
Patience is key, but when two of them move to step outside and begin swaying to the shitty music, I’m startling them, wrapping one of the life vests around the woman before I lift her and toss her over the edge.
“Savage,” I hear in my ear, but I don’t reply as I lift the man and serve him the same fate. Adam can’t see me, but he undoubtedly heard the splash.
Two more men seem to have heard the commotion. I hear the music turn up, but still, I duck back out of sight just as they step outside.
“Where did they go?” one of the men questions, sipping his beer. Fortunately they haven’t been drinking long. I don’t want anybody drowning out at sea. We’re about three miles out from shore. Yeah, it’s cold, but they’re all adults. They can swim back.
“Fuck knows,” one of them says, just as I step out, making them both cry out in horror. I must look a sight. Black hoodie. Black cap. Black face. And running shorts.
One of the men looks down, and I seize my opportunity to get rid of him.
He’s bigger than the last man, and judging by the size of him, he works out. Swiping my hand, I slap him, stunning him as his friend decides to try and jump me. He’s fast over the edge when my elbow connects with his nose. He wails, falling over the side backwards.
“You’re fucking dead,” the man facing me threatens.
“Oh, throw him over right now,” Adam remarks, hearing him.
“Shut up,” I reply.
“What?” the man says, looking confused.
Fuck me. This is ridiculous. “Should I give him a life vest?”
“Nah,” Adam remarks, and I shrug at the man staring at me before I reach forward and sling him over the side.
“Done?”
“Done,” I reply. I immediately turn and see the door ajar. Tiptoeing forward, I creep and make my way inside. Selena is there, her mouth wrapped around the man I’m here for’s dick. She chokes on him as he roughly pulls her hair, yanking her head back and forth. Poor girl.
Leaving them in peace, I need to make sure the other two are dealt with before I interrupt the fun.
I find them on the upper deck, both drinking from clear glasses. There’s a man and a young woman, both standing very close. Too close, even. Rather than let this progress to how downstairs is going, I take the final step, spotting the man is armed.
The leather holster he wears isn’t designed to be on show, but it signals that he must be the security. And we all know security stays near the money.
“Excuse me,” I announce myself, pointing my finger at the girl. She freezes as the man in front of her drops his glass and reaches for his gun immediately.
I duck, rugby tackling him to the railing, cursing under my breath when my head jolts with a thwack. My nose connects with his when we land, instantly exploding with blood.
It does the trick, even though my face is now throbbing. The man underneath me can’t focus his gaze. In his hazy state, I reach for his gun and toss it into the sea.
Hearing the splash, I’m aware the other three are still here. I look up, spotting rope attached to a pole. That’ll do. I reach up and pull it down, tying him up hog-roast style. No way he can escape from this .
After I’ve checked he’s secure, I hear the girl making her way down the stairs, no doubt for some help. I move quickly, feeling a flash of pain stab through my leg. It hinders my move towards the side of the boat, but it doesn’t stop me.
Her footsteps stomp through my head as a scream comes from inside. Not from Selena, but from the guy.
It forces little miss clip clop to quicken her pace, right into my open arms.
“Shh, shh, shh,” I tell her in a rush, my hand covering her mouth.
Her terrified eyes are round and wide, her face turning pale. I chance a glance over my shoulder, seeing Selena and meeting her eyes. She gives me a half nod, running back to where the guy must be.
“I’m a friend of Selena’s. I’m not going to hurt you. Need you to be quiet for me for two minutes. Alright?”
“I have been quiet,” the voice inside my ear says, just like I knew it would.
The girl nods, her body now shaking.
“Good. Wait right here,” I tell her, before going inside and finding Selena. She’s leaning against the side, casually counting cash, whilst the man I’m here for looks down at his bared cock in his hands.
“She bit me,” he half laughs, half cries, assuming I’m somebody else.
When I see him double take, he drops his cock, fumbling and grabbling for his trousers. My fist is through his face before he can put himself away, sending him crashing back against the small kitchen unit.
“Go get the girl,” I order Selena.
She slowly listens, popping the gum in her mouth with a crack, tucking the money in her hand down the front of her bra.
Whilst I’m dealing with securing the fat fuck on the floor, the girls walk back inside. “You know Selena, right?” I say to the girl.
She nods her head, looking at my hands as they pull off the man’s belt and use it to secure his wrists.
“Then you know who she works for?” Another nod as I push myself up to stand. “I was going to throw you over the edge like all your other buddies, but maybe you could make it out of here unscathed. Want that?”
She and Selena exchange a look. “Take the opportunity,” Selena tells her. “The money’s good. ”
The young girl looks at me like she isn’t sure, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m not a whore,” she tells me, and honestly, the knot in my stomach has me faltering. Checking her expression, I see her eyes are filled with tears. She doesn’t want to be here.
“I have a man who can make sure you’re safe. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
A lone tear falls and she nods at me, swiping it away.
“Am I that man?” Adam says, making me sigh a breath.
I ignore him, looking at Selena. “I need a bag. A big one. Go find something. Anything.”
Without acknowledging me, she does as I ask, leaving us.
I roll the guy to his back with a heave.
“What do you want?” he whimpers pathetically.
I pat down his pockets, removing his phone, his wallet and a USB stick. “I want sunsets and lazy mornings, big guy. Until I get you to the man you stole from, I don’t get those.” I inspect the USB, holding it up.
“Stole from? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I kick him, winding him. “Don’t play dumb. Doesn’t suit you. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” I slip the USB in my back pocket.
“I don—”
I kick him again, this time a little harder.
He gags. “Alright. Alright. It’s upstairs. I swear.”
I can’t contain my smirk. “Well done.” Standing straight, I look at the petite red head on my left before looking back down at him, a lightbulb seemingly going off in my head. “You have offshore accounts?”
“Yes,” he whimpers.
“And that’s where you’re taking the money?”
He nods this time. “I can give you whatever you want. Just, please, don’t hurt me.”
I look at the girl. “Write down the details of the accounts he has, and stay here.”
“Okay,” she stammers, whilst I lean over him.
“You give those details to her otherwise you’re the next to go over. ”
“You all good?” Adam asks.
I straighten and pull out my phone, nodding at the crying girl as she looks for a pad and pen. The sound of Selena making her way back to me, echoes louder the closer she gets. “I’m fine. I’ll bring the boat back to the harbour, two miles further east from where it left. I’m sending you the location now.” I then send the location to Zoran on the burner.
“Got it,” Adam confirms.
“Be careful,” I quickly say.
Selena steps in front of me. “Bag.” She holds out a grey duffel bag which is presumably one of theirs.
I nod at her, taking the bag and moving quickly. “Get inside. Go.”
She moves with pace, listening and not making this any harder than it ought to be.
Taking the stairs two at a time, the pain in my leg bites with every press of my foot. I grit my teeth, bearing it, coming to the top of the deck and finding the guy where I left him.
Well, almost. “Where are you going?”
He’s wriggled like a worm to the other side of the boat. My guess is that is where the money is being kept. “Stay back,” he yells. “I’m warning you.”
I look around trying to spot any reason why this fucker thinks he’s in any position to be threatening me. “Or?”
“Or I’ll blow your fucking head off!” He squirms against the deck, the boat gently rocking, aiding him in his mission to reach the seats just ahead of him.
“Let me help you.” I walk to him, hooking my arm under his and propping him up so he can see me properly. “There.”
“Five minutes,” I listen to Adam tell me.
“So, let me guess. Sloppy dick downstairs hired you to protect him?”
He frowns, spitting some blood from his mouth onto the deck. “What’s it to you?”
“It means shit all to me. But he’s pissed off the wrong men thinking he could keep something that’s not his.”
“The money’s his.”
I laugh. “Is that what he told you? ”
The guy on the floor looks at me like I’ve ruined his night. To be fair, I have, but he’s lucky it’s me who came to retrieve the money. Adam would have killed him by now. I don’t see the point in taking anyone’s life without reason.
“Well, you tell me where his money is, and I might actually think about letting you go.” I see him study my face, but he can’t see who I am for the balaclava covering me. “Okay?”
Holding his gaze, perspiration coats his brows. I refuse to look away, watching as the pressure builds behinds his eyes. They’re twitching. Any second now, he’s going to cave.
And he does.
Darting to his left, I follow his gaze and move to the seating. I lift up the cushions, finding a hidden storage compartment. “Jackpot.”
“You got it?”
“I have it,” I reply to Adam, reaching in and picking up a black briefcase. Bloody thing weighs a tonne.
“Four minutes.”
“Looks like it’s time for me to go.” I gaze at the man. He’s breathing heavy. “But I’m a man of my word.” I reach down, placing the briefcase and grey bag on the floor before I untie his legs. Then I help him to stand.
“You are?” he questions.
I turn him away from me. “Usually, yes.”
He glances over his shoulder, his eyes maddening and enlarged.
“Make sure you kick hard.” I throw him over the side, peering over the edge as he wails and the sound dissipates with his fall.
“Three minutes.”
Turning on my heels, I grab the briefcase and bag and make it down to the girls. Looking at Selena, I place the empty bag on the counter they’re standing next to. “You have two minutes to fill that up,” I point at the duffel bag, “and make it look heavy.”
She nods and gets to work, and I think of Zoran. He’ll be waiting for me at the location. The harbour we’ll be pulling into is all controlled by him.
Keeping the briefcase with me, I head to the wheel and begin steering us back to shore, the notion that this part is almost done, wreaks havoc in my gut. My nerves twist and my hand on the wheel tightens as the other pushes the throttle, punching us forward.
“I’m here.”
“Zoran?” I ask Adam.
“I see his men waiting.”
One minute later and I’m slowing the boat to the deck.
Zoran’s men are armed and waiting for me. Cutting the engine, I toss the rope over the ledge for them to anchor us, then I find the girls. “We good?”
They both nod, and Selena shows me the now heavy-looking bag. “Good.” I pick up both that and the briefcase, and the three of us make our way outside.
“The money,” one of the men says, looking down as we step closer.
I hand over the briefcase which he proceeds to check, while the girls are escorted away by someone else. “Wait here,” he tells me, his voice with an accent as thick as Zoran’s. Giving me his back, he then walks to what I know is Zoran in his car.
Confirming it, the car door opens, and Zoran steps out, buttoning up his suit jacket with steady steps towards me. He looks tired. “Mr Jones.” He gives a subtle nod of his chin. “Is Selena okay?”
I pull down my balaclava, sucking in some fresh air, my face hot from the fabric. “She and the other girl are fine. They have the details of all of his offshore accounts.” The devil grins at me, and I raise my shoulders to my ears. “Figured it was compensation.”
“Good. And the rest of them?” he asks me, pulling out a cigar from his top pocket.
“Enjoying a twilight swim.”
He chuckles as the end of the cigar cracks and glows orange. “The kurvo?”
My eyes narrow on him.
“The bitch who stole my money. Where is he?”
Oh . “Inside,” I say.
With a click of his fingers, his men move to retrieve the man still bound with his belt. They shout from inside, whatever their words, Zoran seems satisfied.
“I’ll be in touch with your next job, Mr Jones. ”
Son of a bitch. “No. I have a life to live, Zoran. You have your money. You have access to his money. You don’t need anything more from me.”
“What if I want more?”
Taking a chance, I begin walking, my legs shaking. “You can’t have it from me.”
“We’ll see.” I hear a chuckle and the sound of his heels twisting on the wooden decking.
“I have eyes on you.”
“Where are you parked?” I ask Adam, lifting the hood over my head.
“Just keep walking the direction you’re heading in.”
“Is he following?”
There’s a rustle in the background. “No. You’re good.”
For now , I think to myself. I eventually make it to my car and go straight to the boot.
Adam steps out, meeting me as I pop it open. “You alright?”
As if on cue, the pain in my leg begins to sting. I look down, seeing red. “My leg’s busted.” I lug the duffel bag into the boot.
Bending down, Adam unnecessarily inspects the damage. “Might need stitches.”
“Leave it. We need to get out of here.” I shrug him off and close the boot.
Simultaneously, we both glance down to where Zoran and his men are getting in their cars, the boat also beginning to move out to sea once more. “What do you suppose they’ll do with him?” he asks a little concerned.
I take a few steps away from my car. “I don’t know. You heard him say about wanting more?”
Adam follows, looking at me, his face turned down. “We’ll think of something to keep him away.”
“Like?” I question, feeling desperate. I can’t have Zoran wanting me to work for him. I never wanted this life for myself. Why would I get in deeper?
A lot changes on the outside when you’re locked away. A lot also stays the same. Men like him? They never stop wanting more.
“Come on. We need to get to Carrie.” I turn back to the car just as Adam receives a call. With my hand on the handle, I hear him .
“Hello?”
I open my door but pause hearing a whizzing sound that only comes with… “Adam.”
I’m moving as fast as I can, turning and reaching for him.
I feel the blast before towering flames kick the night sky. A destructive pulse sucks us in before throwing us through the air, knocking the oxygen from my lungs.
What’s happening?
Debris and shrapnel dart past me on the tarmac. The echoing boom pulses through my chest. The heat from the flames scorch my skin.
I can’t move as my head rests against the cold, hard ground. I can’t hear anything except the high-pitched ringing in my ears. Whilst I try to bring myself to the present, try to feel anything around me that will bring me back to now, I see her.
Her fanning lashes.
All forty-three freckles on her face.
Eva enters my vision as if she were here. “Eva?” I say wearily, even though I know she’s not.
Someone laughs, and the image of the woman who saw my demons and chose to love me regardless, vanishes.
“Adam?” I strain to say his name realising what’s happened. Coughing, the muscles in my chest tighten. “Adam!” I try harder to shout his name as clarity begins to shine brightly.
We’ve been followed. And I’m guessing whoever blew the car saw me put the bag in the boot as we suspected they would.
But they didn’t know it wasn’t filled with cash.
And now I know they didn’t care if it had been. This isn’t about money.
Fuck . That means there’s only one person responsible for wanting me dead.
I need my brother. “Adam!”