CHAPTER 50

  ‘I’m scared,’ said Ollie. ‘The man might hear me.’ Ollie was sitting on the couch, facing her. Laura had wriggled into a sitting position with her back to the headboard.

  ‘He’ll be watching the game on television,’ she said. ‘All you have to do is move very slowly. You don’t have to jump, just shuffle your feet very slowly.’

  ‘Can’t we just wait, mum?’

  ‘We need to do this, Ollie,’ said Laura. ‘Are you sure you can’t cut the tape yourself?’

  His eyes brimmed with tears. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Laura forced a smile. ‘It’s okay, don’t worry.’

  Ollie had managed to get a pair of nail clippers from the bathroom. It had taken him ages and he had got back to the couch just seconds before the man in the ski mask had come into the room. Ollie had been clasping the clippers in his hand and the man hadn’t seen them. When the man had gone back downstairs, Laura had asked Ollie to try to cut the tape around his wrists with the clippers but he just hadn’t been able to do it. ‘I’m useless,’ he said.

  ‘You’re not useless, honey,’ she said. ‘You did really well to get the clippers, now all you have to do is get them to me.’

  ‘But I’m scared I’ll fall over.’

  ‘You won’t, not if you’re careful,’ she said. ‘You’ve got great balance. You know you have. Now stand up. Nice and slowly.’

  Ollie bit down on his lower lip and he slowly stood up.

  ‘Good boy,’ said Laura. ‘Now shuffle over, very slowly. Bit by bit.’

  Ollie nodded. He began to swing his feet from side to side, inching forward using his toes to dig into the carpet.

  ‘Good boy,’ said Laura. ‘You can do it.’

  CHAPTER 51

  Ray found the box mid-way down the corridor on the second level. The name CK LEE was typed on a card and underneath it three Chinese characters, He grabbed the handle and threw open the door. There were four men in the entertainment box, all Chinese. Two of them were obviously heavies, big men in leather jackets and jeans, the other two wore suits. The heavies were standing by a buffet table covered with dishes of Chinese food and bottles of spirits and beer. The two men in suits were watching a large screen television. Ray glanced at the screen and saw that United were winning 1-0. That wasn’t good news. He slammed the door shut behind him. ‘Which one of you fuckers is CK Lee?’ he shouted.

  The two men in suits turned to look at him, their mouths open in astonishment. They were both in their sixties, one with glasses, the other shorter and almost bald. They were both holding balloon glasses.

  ‘Which one of you is CK Lee?’ he shouted, louder this time. ‘I won’t fucking ask again.’

  Both men looked towards the outside area where there were three more men, all Chinese. One of them stepped into the room. He was in his fifties, tall for a Chinese and wearing a black suit. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything, the two leather-jacketed heavies moved towards Ray. One of them was reaching inside his jacket so Ray went for him first, punching him in the face. The man’s nose spurted blood as he staggered back and slammed into a table laden with plates of Chinese dumplings.

  The second heavy kicked Ray, his foot slamming into his back. Ray lost his balance and he fell forward. The first heavy took the opportunity to pull out a gun from a shoulder holster, a Glock by the look of it. The man swung the gun around but before he could point it at Ray, Ray had a hand on the man’s wrist. He twisted the hand down and then quickly jerked it up, feeling the bones crack. The man yelped in pain and the gun fell from his nerveless fingers. He clawed at Ray’s face with his free hand, his fingers curled like talons and Ray swayed backwards to avoid the blow, then he grabbed the man’s wrist with both hands and swung the arm around in a circle, bringing the man crashing to the ground. There was a popping sound as the shoulder dislocated. Ray released his grip on the man and stood up just as the second heavy moved towards him, holding a bottle of brandy above his head. Ray blocked the arm with his left forearm then stepped forward and thrust the palm of his right hand under the man’s chin. The man’s head jerked back and Ray followed it up with a slash across his throat that left him gasping for breath. The man dropped the bottle and sank to his knees, clutching as his throat, his eyes bulging from their sockets. Ray punched the man on the side of the head to make sure and he slumped to the ground.

  Ray turned to face the men in suits, who were huddling against the wall by the television. ‘Which one of you is CK Lee?’ barked Ray.

  One of the men started gabbling in Chinese and Ray held up a hand to silence him. ‘Do I look fucking Chinese?’ he said. ‘Speak fucking English.’

  ‘They don’t speak English,’ said a bald Chinese guy in a black suit who had stepped into the box from the outside viewing area. He bent down and picked up the gun and pointed it at Ray’s chest.

  ‘Are you Lee?’ asked Ray.

  ‘I’m the one with the gun so I should be the one asking the questions,’ said the man. ‘Who are you?’ The two Chinese heavies who had been sitting outside were now standing behind Lee looking menacing. Or at least they were trying to. Ray wasn’t fazed by them in the least. Looking menacing and actually being menacing were two different things.

  ‘Gabe Savage’s brother, I’m here to get his wife and kid back.’

  Lee grinned showing greying teeth. ‘That doesn’t seem to be working out well for you, does it?’

  Ray nodded at the gun in Lee’s hand. ‘You think that’ll stop me?’

  ‘It seems to be working so far.’ Lee chuckled and pointed the gun at Ray’s face. He spoke to the men in suits in Chinese and one of them put up his hand and turned up the volume of the television. A commentator was excitedly describing what was happening on the pitch below. Chelsea were on the attack. The volume was almost deafening and it was clear from Lee’s eyes that he was determined to shoot. Ray knew that he had less than a second to react. Lee was a good six feet away from him, too far for a kick or a punch so he had to move but as he sprang forward the door to the box opened to reveal a waiter holding a tray of Chinese food.

  Lee hurriedly put the gun away then rushed towards the door. He collided with the waiter and the tray went flying as he staggered backwards. Dumpling and noodles splattered across the carpet as the tray clanged against a chair. Lee hurtled out of the door. Ray rushed after him but his foot slipped on a dumpling and his knee twisted awkwardly. He ignored the searing pain that shot through his leg and headed for the door

  A hand grabbed his arm and Ray turned and thrust his elbow into the face of the Chinese heavy who had grabbed him. The nose cracked and blood spurted down the man’s face. Ray chopped him across the throat with the side of his hand and the man released his grip on Ray’s arm. The second heavy was stepping into the box so Ray grabbed the man with the bloody nose and threw him across the room. The two men collapsed in a heap on top of the waiter. Ray ran out into the corridor.

  CHAPTER 52

  Chelsea had the ball and were getting ready to make their move. One of their forwards made a break for the United goal but Michael Devereau was on him, as close as a shadow.

  Johnnie Reid lunged at the ball and managed to get his foot to it and it skidded across the grass towards Fernandez. The Argentinian trapped it, turned, and headed towards the Chelsea goal. At the same time Babacar made his move, feinting left and breaking right. The defender marking him was wrong-footed and Babacar was on his own. Before he could shout for the ball, Gabe yelled at Reid. ‘To me, Johnnie!’

  Reid hesitated, saw that Babacar was unmarked, but then Gabe shouted again and Reid chipped the ball to him. Gabe ran with it, tapping the ball from foot to foot. He spotted a gap to his right and he went for it. Babacar had crossed across the penalty box and was now on the left of the goal, frustration etched into his face. He was being marked again and as Gabe looked over he saw the defender grabbing Babacar’s shirt.

  Gabe drew back his right foot and sent the ball curving through the air towards the goalmouth. Babacar moved to intercept it but the defender yanked him back and the goalkeeper beat him to it, snatching the ball from the air, taking a step and kicking it high and hard towards the middle of the pitch. Babacar appealed to the referee but the referee was already running after the ball. Babacar glared at Gabe and threw up his hands. Gabe ignored him and jogged towards the centre of the pitch.

  CHAPTER 53

  Ray ran down the corridor, arms pumping, his rapid footsteps echoing off the walls. Lee was at the far end, heading for the stairs. When Ray reached the end of the corridor he couldn’t see if Lee had gone up or down. He listened but all he could hear was the roar of the crowd. He knew he had to make a decision. In times of danger people tended to go up, he knew that, but he also knew that all the exits were down. He headed down the stairs. He took a quick look along the corridor on the first level. There were stewards there and a couple of guys in suits heading for the toilets but no sign of Lee. Ray ran downstairs to the ground level.

  Two female stewards looked at him inquisitively and Ray slowed to a walk. ‘You okay, sir?’ asked the elder of the two stewards, a heavyset brunette with her hair tied back.

  ‘Looking for one of our clients,’ said Ray. ‘Chinese guy in a black suit. Bald, sixties maybe. He’s supposed to be in our box but I think he’s got lost.’

  ‘You just missed him,’ said the steward. She pointed down towards the toilets. ‘He went that way just now.’

  ‘Did he go in the toilets?’

  The woman shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Ray. He jogged in the direction she’d pointed. A roar went up from the pitch, followed by a massive collective groan and catcalls. A whistle blew.

  As he turned the corner he saw Lee. He had his hand inside his jacket, concealing the gun. There were several stewards hanging around and CCTV cameras everywhere. Ray headed towards him. Lee hurried away, past a stall selling pies, then turned into another stairwell. There was a sign above it that read EMPLOYEES ONLY. By the time Ray got to the stairwell, Lee had gone through a door with another sign on it, this one saying MAINTENANCE TUNNEL. Ray grabbed the handle and pulled open the door. Beyond was a concrete-lined tunnel that ran under the pitch, allowing access to the irrigation and drainage systems. A line of fluorescent lights ran down the middle of the tunnel, flooding it with a clinical white light. There were pipes criss-crossing the roof and running down the sides. Lee was about fifty feet inside, hurrying as fast as he could. Ray let the door close behind him and started jogging down the tunnel.

  CHAPTER 54

  Laura smiled encouragement at Ollie. ‘Come on, honey, you’re almost here.’ Ollie was about three feet from the side of the bed she was sitting on. There were tears of frustration in his eyes and he kept looking fearfully over at the door. ‘Keep looking at me, honey. Just look at me.’

  ‘My feet hurt,’ he whispered. ‘My feet hurt so much.’

  ‘I know they do, honey,’ she said. ‘But try to think like Daddy. Every time he goes out on the field to play, his legs hurt. You know they do. But he pushes himself and he gets through. You can too, honey. I know you can.’

  Ollie smiled. ‘Okay.’ He started moving again, an inch or so at a time. His toes clawed into the carpet, he shuffled forward, and then he relaxed. It had taken him more than ten minutes to move a few feet, but he was making progress and the carpet was muffling any sound.

  She kept her eyes fixed on his as he slowly made his way towards her. ‘Good boy,’ she whispered. ‘I’m so proud of you.’

  It took another five minutes of inching towards the bed before he was close enough and she told him to turn around and put the clippers on the bed. It took him almost two painful minutes until his back was to her. She could see the clippers in his right hand.

  ‘Okay, honey, just lean back and toss them onto the bed.’

  ‘I can’t, mum, I can’t.’

  ‘Yes you can, honey. You can do it.’

  He drew back his hand and flicked it and the clippers arced through the air but they fell short, hit the side of the bed and fell onto the carpet. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ he said. Tears ran down his face. ‘I’m so stupid.’

  ‘No you’re not,’ said Laura. ‘You’re very clever and you’re very brave. There’s no need to cry. Look at me, honey. Come on, turn and look at me.’

  He did as he was told and slowly turned around.

  ‘Look at me, honey,’ said Laura.

  Ollie raised his eyes and blinked away his tears. Laura ached to be able to hug him and kiss him and wipe the tears away but that wasn’t an option. Ollie had to get a grip on himself because he was their only hope.

  ‘Listen to me, honey. It’s going to be all right, I swear. We’ll be home and Daddy will be there and everything will be okay.’

  Ollie nodded tearfully. ‘All right.’

  ‘Here’s what you need to do, honey, okay? Very carefully go down on your knees. Then sit down. Be quiet. Be very quiet. When you’re sitting down you’ll be able to reach the clippers. Then you stand up again.’

  ‘I’m scared, mum.’

  ‘I know you are, honey. But you can do this. I know you can.’

  CHAPTER 55

  Ray reached the halfway point of the maintenance tunnel. Lee was sixty feet away, jogging and breathing heavily. There was an electrical junction box on the wall with a sign that said – WARNING ELECTRICAL HAZARD. Leaning against it was a long-handled wooden brush. Ray grabbed it as he went past.

  Lee stopped and turned to face Ray, pulling out his gun. He pointed it at Ray. He held it with one hand and it wavered as he tried to aim at Ray’s chest. ‘What do you want?’ he asked.

  ‘I told you what I want,’ said Ray. ‘Gabe’s family.’ He walked towards Lee, swinging the brush. ‘Where are they?’

  Lee pulled the trigger but the shot went wide and ricocheted off the wall near Ray’s head. Ray ducked even though ducking would have done no use at all if the gun had been on target. Ray guessed that Lee wasn’t used to handling guns, which was handy. But even a shit marksman would eventually get lucky in the confines of the tunnel.

  When he realised he’d missed, Lee turned and started running and Ray figured that was a mistake. Lee must have realised by now that Ray wasn’t armed, his best option would be to just walk towards Ray and shoot him. Not that Ray was complaining; he was more than happy to have Lee running away from him.

  Lee was obviously a man who was used to getting others to fight his battles whereas Ray’s background was more hands on. Ray was younger and fitter and was no stranger to physical violence. Ray was gaining on Lee but the man was still thirty feet or so ahead of him when he stopped and turned and brought up the gun. Ray kept running and threw the brush. It span through the air and Lee fired wildly, the bullets hitting the ceiling in a shower of sparks. The brush hit him on the shoulder and Lee pushed it away, cursing. It clattered to the floor.

  Ray was still running and by the time Lee had steadied himself Ray was just a few feet away. Lee’s eyes were wide and his hand was shaking but his finger was tightening on the trigger. Ray dropped down and slid the last few feet, his right foot catching Lee’s left ankle. Lee fell and Ray rolled out of the way. As Ray pushed himself up, Lee was on his side, the gun still in his hand.

  Ray used the wall to steady himself as he got to his feet. Lee was gasping for breath, stunned from his fall. Ray stamped down on the man’s wrist and Lee’s hand opened, releasing the gun. Ray kicked it away.

  Lee lashed out with his foot and caught Ray behind the knee and he lost his balance, falling against the wall. By the time Ray had straightened up, Lee was standing in the middle of the tunnel, gasping for breath and holding the brush in front of him like a broadsword.

  Ray couldn’t help grinning. ‘Seriously?’ he said. ‘You’re giving me the brush off?’

  Lee frowned, not understanding. He faked a blow to Ray’s head but Ray stood his ground. Lee lashed out again, harder this time, and Ray swayed back. Lee drew back the brush for a third time and Ray rushed him, grabbing the pole with his left hand and thrusting his right palm up under Lee’s chin and forcing his head back. Ray kept his momentum going and slammed Lee against the tunnel wall. The brush slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor. Ray drove his knee into Lee’s groin and Lee howled in pain. ‘Where’s Laura?’ shouted Lee. He grabbed him by the lapels, swung him around and slammed him against the other wall. Lee clawed at Ray’s eyes and Ray let go.

  Lee put up his hands and took a fighting stance, but he was clearly hurt and exhausted.

  ‘Are you fucking serious?’ asked Ray. ‘You want to fucking fight me? I’m younger, stronger, fitter and I’ve been doing this for years. Stop fucking about and just tell me where they are, or I swear I’ll kick the living shit out of you.’

  Lee lashed out with his right leg but he was slow and there was no power behind the blow. Ray caught the leg easily and held it, forcing Lee to hop back, arms flailing. Ray punched Lee in the face, keeping a tight grip on the leg with his left hand.

  ‘Where is Laura? Where’s the kid?’

  Lee’s nose was bleeding but he didn’t answer. Ray punched him again. And again.

 

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