Chapter 55
‘There’s no one here,’ a voice said. Deep, male.
Meg waited for a reply, but none came. There was rattling—a door opening?—then a clunk. Meg moved her head, trying to see through a small gap, but the angle was wrong. Had he gone inside?
Moments later, she heard the voice again.
‘I don’t know where she is!’
She moved again, steady, slowly, and inhaled sharply, catching a glimpse of Dean Morgan with his phone to his ear.
‘Dunno. Shit!’
There was a tinny sound. The Coke can against the concrete? Had he found the tracker?
‘That bitch hid the—’
A pause.
‘Someone’s coming. I gotta go.’
Meg heard footsteps.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Dean said. She could see him now, through the gap, looking towards the newcomer, who was frustratingly out of sight. Was it Pete?
Dean walked towards whoever he was speaking to.
She strained her neck and got a glimpse of Georgie.
What the hell was she doing here? Meg had confided in her the night before, sharing her plan to bring the Ashworths down, and Georgie had warned her against it, but Meg didn’t think for a second she’d follow her here. What was she thinking?
‘Where’s Meg?’ Dean said.
Meg pulled her phone out and started filming, a tiny sliver of vision.
‘You tell me,’ Georgie answered. Her tone was sassy, but there was a subtle tremor in her voice.
He lunged towards her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her in front of him so he had her in a lock, his forearm across her throat.
‘Where the hell is she?’ he said, again. ‘She must be here somewhere.’
‘I don’t know,’ Georgie whimpered.
He pulled his arm tighter. She let out a loud sob as he walked her back towards the building, out of Meg’s line of sight. Then there was the clunk of the door.
Meg held her breath. A moment later, the door opened and Dean came out alone.
He put his phone up to his ear. ‘It wasn’t her. … Georgie Baxter. … I don’t know! I locked her in a cupboard! … I didn’t sign up for this shit, Hugh. I’m out.’
He pushed his phone into his pocket and ran.