Chapter 43
Kaiden put his eye to the spy hole and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Mika’s face and that she was alone. He pulled the chain off the hook and opened the door.
‘I know, I’m early,’ Mika said apologetically. She entered the hallway and walked through the flat as though she’d been there before. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just … you know what, never mind.’
‘No that’s—’ Kaiden gasped as his attempt to close the door was blocked by a black, mud-encrusted trainer. He looked up to see a gloved hand grip the door and push it back. Kaiden stepped back into the narrow hallway as Don, his face barely visible under a black hoodie, closed the door.
‘Sorry, I should have told you Don was coming,’ Mika said. She stopped at the open door that led to the balcony. ‘You’re extremely lucky to have a view like this. Stunning.’
‘Yeah, it is pretty spectacular,’ said Kaiden, joining Mika on the balcony, keen to get away from Don whose hot breath he could feel on his neck when he’d followed him into the living room.
He picked up the bottle which he’d left on the patio table and drank quickly in an effort to settle his nerves.
Mika turned and faced Kaiden. ‘Ever since you called me this afternoon, I’ve been trying to work out why you want to see me,’ she said. ‘I thought maybe you’d changed your mind about leaving us, which would have been fine, but then I got a message from Don.’
Kaiden watched as Mika took her phone out of her jacket pocket. She tapped the screen a couple of times.
‘Take a look,’ she said, holding out her phone.
Kaiden cleared his throat, put down his beer and took the phone from Mika’s outstretched hand.
The fermented liquid travelled back up his throat, making him gag when he saw the photograph.
It was him, sitting on the bench opposite Greenwich police station, where the Serial Crimes Unit was based.
He swiped right. A photograph of him walking towards the building with Ezra.
He scrolled down and saw screenshots of his pinned location on Google Maps.
The first taken at 13.02 on Wednesday afternoon after he’d left his office near Cannon Street station and taken the train to Greenwich and walked to the police station where the SCU was based.
His finger had hovered on the bell for a few seconds before he’d chickened out and returned to work.
The second pinned location was taken an hour before he met Ezra.
Kaiden shook his head vehemently. ‘It’s not what it looks like,’ he insisted.
Mika snatched her phone back. ‘Are you telling me that it doesn’t look like you went to the police twice?’ she asked with genuine curiosity. ‘Don saw you walk off with the black boy. What did you tell him?’
‘Nothing. I didn’t tell him anything.’
‘So, you gave him something?’ Mika asked, her words tripping over each other as she spoke more quickly and furiously. ‘Information about Iron Shadow. About our cause?’
‘No, the detective. She asked me to come in for a voluntary interview about the hacking of Soteria’s system. I thought it would be a good thing, I could see where they—’
‘Why on earth would they ask you?’ Don spat. ‘You told us that—’
Mika raised her head and tutted. ‘I am an idiot. They were always talking to you. You’re the boss at Soteria.’
Kaiden nodded.
‘I was honest with you. Let you in. I feel betrayed. Don’t you feel betrayed Don?’
‘He’s grassed us up,’ said Don.
‘No, I didn’t … I wouldn’t,’ said Kaiden.
‘What did you say to that boy?’ asked Mika.
‘Nothing. I didn’t … you can trust me.’
‘He’s talking fucking bollocks,’ said Don.
‘Obviously, ’Mika said with a smile. She left the balcony.
‘Mika, please. Let me—’
Kaiden stumbled back as Don’s fist connected with his face, his nose breaking instantly.
He screamed out as Don grabbed him by his shoulders, spun him around and punched him in the face again.
Kaiden fell heavily against the bookcase and slid down to the floor.
He felt warm blood drip down his face. Through his blurry vision he saw Mika pick up his mobile phone from the dining table.
‘No,’ Kaiden groaned as Don grabbed him by his feet and dragged him out towards the balcony.
He twisted his body and grabbed the door frame.
He screamed out, praying that his voice would be heard above the sound of drum and bass escaping from his neighbour’s window.
He cried out for a second time as Mika kicked his hands repeatedly until he let go.
Don released Kaiden’s legs and there was a crash as he kicked out.
Kaiden’s foot connected with a large monstera plant, toppling it.
He tried to get up, but Don pushed him down and punched him for a third time.
Kaiden’s head spun as waves of concussion seeped into his brain.
Don grabbed him by the waist but Kaiden was too weak to fight his way out of the macabre embrace.
Don groaned and lifted him onto the balcony wall.
There was a fleeting moment when Kaiden’s eyes caught a plane crossing the night sky as the crescent of the new moon rose in the east and fire engine sirens played a dying symphony on their way to an emergency.
He stretched out his hand, his fingertips brushing against the balcony wall as Don pushed him over.
Kaiden screamed. The air whipped around his face as he thrashed him arms, willing himself to fly.
He didn’t hit the ground straight away. His neck connected first with the edge of the large communal wastebin and broke instantly.
Kaiden was dead before he hit the cracked concrete.