CHAPTER 85 - RED
CHAPTER
Red
D EL LOOKS AT HIS watch again, but doesn’t need to because I’m fully aware we’re almost out of time.
“Red, you need to make the call to evacuate,” Oscar says, a note of trepidation in his voice.
He’s right to feel trepidation, but whatever happens, I won’t abandon my building. Like the captain of a ship in the event of a disaster, I’ll go down with it. It’s the only thing I can do. “I’m not leaving.”
“Don’t be crazy, bruv.” Liam tugs at my arm. “Come on. We need to get out of here. Wherever that thing is, it’ll blow any minute.”
I think this is one of the rare occasions I’ve seen Liam look concerned. He rarely shows signs of fear, unless he’s on the receiving end of my rage, but it’s there now - shining bright.
I turn to Oscar, who wears the same expression, and then finally look at my watch, already knowing what I’ll see: one minute to the deadline.
There’s nowhere else to search. We’ve looked everywhere.
I’ve failed.
Just when I got a glimpse of something other in my life aside from this - in the form of Arianna, the chance of a life with her is fast moving as far away as a desert oasis.
There’s nothing else I can do, but they can.
“Leave. All of you,” I croak, my throat dry.
“Get out now. There’s no point in us all going down. ”
“Red, no!” Liam moves forward. “We can’t. We won’t! We’re not leaving you. It’s not...”
“It’s me they want. Me .” I flap my hand. “The rest of you - all of you, go. Go now. Before it’s too late!” My brothers, Keith and Del exchange looks, but no one wants to make the move. “JUST GO!” I scream.
Before anybody reacts, my phone dings with a notification. I scramble to open the text following the one giving us an hour:
[Unknown number]
17 Nov 07:28
Only joking!
I smash my fist into the wall. It doesn’t hurt. Nothing fucking hurts me, apart from Arianna not being here. “There’s no bomb!” I snarl. “It’s a wind-up! The cunts have tricked us, and we fell for it!” I glance at my watch. Yep! Two minutes over the allotted cut-off time.
I shake my head in rage, as well as relief. At least Arianna is safe. “Someone tell the rest of the men to stand down.”
“Fuck’s sake!” Liam spits. “All that time and wasted resources. Shit!”
I can’t quite believe the Bristonis, or whoever’s behind this, have pulled this off so well. I’m furious beyond words. However, the upside is that Arianna can now return. I pull up my contact list and scroll to Cal’s number. I’ll give him a call and tell him to turn the motor around.
“Where is she?”
Spinning around, I stare at the last man I expected to see. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I bark at Cal, my relief fading rapidly. “If Arianna’s not with you, then where is she?”
“I texted her the code and said the car was ready, but she didn’t show. She still hasn’t. I thought she must still be with you.”
My blood curdles and pools somewhere deep inside my feet. I swing to Del, my eyes like burning pits. “Well?”
“She received the code!” Del gasps. “I saw it myself! She showed me the fucking text! It said ‘4292. Back door now.’ I walked her to the car! I...”
“But that wasn’t what I messaged!” Cal’s rugged face is as disturbed as mine.
I face Del. “Who. Was. In. The. Car?”
Oscar tugs my arm. “Red...”
“I said, Who. Was. In. The. Car? Whose fucking car did Arianna get in?”
Del blinks, hesitating. “A blacked-out, armored car like you requested. I didn’t... I didn’t check who was in it. I just opened the door. Who else could turn up and send that code? It doesn’t make sense. I...”
I pull at my hair. If Cal is here, but Arianna isn’t, then...
My fist connects with the wall for the second time, but my urge to smash the place to ruins is interrupted by my phone dinging with yet another notification.
[Unknown number]
17 Nov 07:30.
... You lost ...
The dull ringing in my head gets louder until it clamors at a deafening volume. I stare numbly at my mobile for a further few seconds.
The room is deathly silent. Everyone knows something is very wrong.
But it’s worse than that.
Looking up, I focus my gaze on the men around me. “They’ve got her. The Bristonis have Arianna.”