Laura looked over at the door as it opened, her heart pounding. It was the same man who had given her water earlier. He was holding his gun and she swallowed nervously, her mouth so dry that she almost gagged. ‘Is everything okay?’ she asked. Was the game over? Had United won? Was he there to kill her and Ollie? She had cut through most of the duct tape but her wrists were still bound.

  ‘It’s half time,’ he said, walking over to Ollie.

  ‘What’s happening?’ asked Laura.

  ‘It’s a draw so far,’ he said. ‘One-one.’

  Laura didn’t know what to say.

  ‘You better hope your husband does as he’s told,’ said the man. He stood over Ollie and checked the duct tape around the boy’s ankles. Then he rolled Ollie over and looked at his taped wrists.

  Laura’s breath caught in her throat. If he checked her bonds he wouldn’t fail to notice that she’d been cutting away at the tape. The man straightened up and walked towards her. ‘Can I have some water?’ she asked.

  ‘I gave you water before.’

  ‘I need more,’ she said. ‘My mouth is so dry.’ She coughed, hoping that would prove her point. She needed to distract him, to stop him turning her over and looking at her wrists.

  He sighed, then picked up the bottle of water from the bedside table. He put down the gun, unscrewed the cap and held the bottle to her mouth. She drank slowly until he took the bottle away. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

  He put the bottle back on the bedside table and picked up his gun.

  Laura squeezed the clippers in her right hand. There was no way he would fail to spot them if he rolled her over.

  ‘I need to use the bathroom,’ she said.

  ‘That’s impossible.’

  ‘I need to pee.’

  He shook his head. ‘Pee on the bed,’ he said.

  ‘I can’t do that.’

  He shrugged. He walked to the foot of the bed and tugged at the duct tape around her ankles.

  ‘Please, just help me to the bathroom.’

  ‘I can’t do that without untying you and I’m not going to untie you.’

  ‘Please,’ she said. ‘You don’t have to untie me, just carry me to the toilet.’

  ‘The game will be over in forty-five minutes. You can wait.’

  ‘That’s what I’m telling you. I can’t wait.’ She paused but it was clear the man wasn’t convinced. ‘Is this your house?’ She pressed him when he didn’t answer. ‘It’s not, right? If I pee on the bed, the owner’s not going to be happy, is he?’

  ‘It’s forty-five minutes. Not even an hour.’

  ‘I need to pee now. Or at least put a towel under me.’

  ‘A towel?’

  ‘From the bathroom. Put a towel under me so that the bed won’t get wet.’ Getting him to put the towel under her was a risk, but with any luck he’d be so busy doing it that he’d forget about checking the duct tape.

  The man muttered under his breath, and walked over to the bathroom.

  CHAPTER 71

  Ray got back into the car and started the engine. He looked ahead and checked the mirror to make sure there was no traffic in the vicinity, then he put the car in reverse. He pressed the button to lower the passenger side window and did the same with the driver’s side. The two heavies were watching through the gate and he waved at them. ‘Thanks guys!’ he shouted. ‘You have a great day.’

  They stood impassively. Leather Jacket’s right hand was patting his stomach. Long Coat’s right hand was clenching and unclenching.

  Ray started to reverse slowly, steering with his left hand as he reached for his gun with his right. He swung the wheel and pulled into the driveway, hoping that the heavies would assume he was just reversing so that he could drive back the way he’d come. He watched them in the rear view mirror. Long Coat was saying something to Leather Jacket. Ray straightened up the Range Rover, took a quick look left and right, then slammed on the accelerator. The engine roared and the car shot backwards, smashing through the metal gates. Long Coat dived to the left of the car and Leather Jacket broke right. Ray hit the brake as he brought his gun to bear on Long Coat. As the man got to his feet he reached into his coat and started to pull an Uzi on a nylon sling. Ray fired twice and both shots hit the man in chest and he went down.

  As Ray looked to his right he saw Leather Jacket pull out a handgun. Ray hit the accelerator again and the car leapt back as the man fired. The shot went over the bonnet and the man was swinging the gun back towards Ray as Ray brought his gun across his body and pulled the trigger, firing through the open window and hitting the man in the throat, more by luck than judgment. Blood spurted down the man’s chest and he staggered back, arms flailing.

  Ray reversed another few metres down the driveway, then climbed out of the car. He hurried over to Leather Jacket. The man was clearly dead, his eyes wide and staring. Ray picked up the man’s gun, a Smith & Wesson, and put the safety on before tucking it into his belt, then he dragged the man across to the gatehouse. He pulled the man inside. There was a sofa and a small table with two chairs and a window overlooking the gate.

  Ray dumped the body on the floor and then went out to get Long Coat. Long Coat was also dead, one of the shots had gone through his heart and he had bled out in seconds. Ray pulled him into the gatehouse, then picked up the man’s Uzi. He checked the magazine. It normally held 25 rounds but from what he could see through the slits in the side there were about half that. He slotted the magazine back in place and started running towards the house. He had no idea how many others there were inside, but he was sure they would have heard the shots and would be expecting him.

  CHAPTER 72

  Kang came out of the bathroom, holding a towel. He had heard a loud crashing noise and what sounded like gunshots. He dropped the towel on the bed and hurried over to the window. He peered through the blinds but the bedroom was at the back of the house and all he could see was the rear garden. He hurried over to the door. ‘What the fuck is happening?’ he shouted downstairs in Cantonese. There was no answer. ‘What the fuck’s going on?’ he shouted. He moved cautiously along the hallway, looking down the stairs.

  Huang appeared, holding his Uzi. ‘There were shots, at the gate.’

  ‘Get out there and find out what’s happening?’

  Huang nodded and rushed down the hall to the front door. Kang looked behind him at the bedroom door, unsure whether to go down or stay with the hostages.

  CHAPTER 73

  There was a flight of black marble stairs leading up to the front door but Ray ran instead to the side of the house. He knew he had made the right call when within seconds a heavyset Chinese man ran out holding a handgun. The man stood at the top of the steps, looking towards the front gate and frowning when he saw the Range Rover. Ray whistled softly and when the man turned, Ray shot him twice in the chest with the Uzi.

  The man collapsed in a heap and his gun hit the floor. The man was wearing a jade ring, a match to the one that Ray had seen in the screenshots Gabe had sent him. He smiled. That was a good sign, a sign that he was on the right track. Ray moved around to the front of the house just as two other men came running out, both holding handguns. Ray fired a single shot that blew away the face of the first one, then put two shots in the chest of the second man. They were both dead before they hit the floor.

  Ray’s ears were ringing from the shots as he stepped into the house. He listened intently, moving his head from side to side as he moved across the tiled floor. He heard footsteps to his left and a man appeared with a Glock. He was moving fast and Ray kept his finger on the trigger, spraying the man with bullets until the magazine emptied. The man flew backwards and fell over a sofa, smearing it with blood. Ray dropped the Uzi and pulled the Smith and Wesson from his belt as he moved into the room. A big screen television was showing the United-Chelsea game, with Chelsea scoring. It was a replay, Ray realised. Half time. Ray saw the score – 1-1 – and grimaced. The room was empty but there were four brandy glasses on the coffee table. Four glasses and so far three heavies. That left one unaccounted for. He turned and went back into the hallway.

  CHAPTER 74

  McNamara looked at his wristwatch and blew his whistle ‘Two minutes, guys,’ he shouted. Gabe was sitting in front of his locker, holding an energy drink. McNamara went over to him. ‘You okay, Gabe?’ he asked.

  Gabe shrugged. ‘I know you’re pissed off at me,’ he said.

  McNamara sat down next to him. ‘I just know you can do better, that’s all. You were the obvious choice for acting captain, but maybe you didn’t need the pressure.’

  Gabe sipped his drink. There was no way he could tell McNamara the reason for his lackluster performance.

  ‘You just need to focus, Gabe. It could be a lot worse, we could be going out there one –nil down. A draw is like starting afresh. Go in with the right attitude and we could be 2-1 up in no time.’

  Gabe stood up and tossed his bottle into a bin. He nodded at McNamara and headed out to the corridor where the Chelsea players were already filing out of their changing room.

  CHAPTER 75

  Ray looked up the stairway and listened. All he could hear were the commentators on the TV in the room behind him. He realised he hadn’t checked how many rounds were in the Smith and Wesson’s magazine. He wasn’t familiar with the model and he figured it could hold anywhere between eight and twelve. He didn’t want to take the risk of ejecting the magazine so all he could do was to hope for the best.

  He moved across the hallway to the room opposite. He eased the door open then moved inside quickly, moving the gun around, his heart racing. It was a book-lined library and it was empty.

  He moved back into the hallway. At the far end was a single door. Ray held the gun with his right hand, barrel pointing at the ceiling as he opened the door with his left. It was a large kitchen with gleaming white cupboards, stainless steel appliances and black marble worktops. A man was sitting at an island in the middle of the kitchen, his back to Ray, nodding his head back and forth to whatever he was listening to on Beat headphones connected to an iPhone that was on the work surface. Next to the iPhone was a Glock, similar to the one he had in his holster.

  Ray scanned the kitchen but there was no one else there so he upended the Smith and Wesson and slammed the butt down against the back of the man’s head. He slumped forward, his head smashing into the island. Ray hit the man again to make sure, then tossed the man’s gun into the sink. He went back into the hall, stopped and listened again for several seconds, then went slowly up the stairs.

  CHAPTER 76

  The referee blew his whistle and Chelsea sprang into action. The captain kicked the ball across to the forward on his left, he kicked it back and a Chelsea midfielder sprinted with the ball towards the United goal. He didn’t get far; Wood tackled him and sent the ball skidding across the grass to Gabe. Gabe tapped the ball to Moretti. The Italian turned to kick the ball towards the United goal but he turned back, feinted left and went right, catching Chelsea by surprise. Before they realised what was happening, Moretti was haring down the right wing. Babacar was running in parallel. Gabe hung back as Babacar shouted for the ball. Moretti’s pass was perfect, low and fast and straight in front of Babacar.

  A Chelsea defender tried to tackle Babacar but the striker shook him off. Gabe saw a gap in front of him but he didn’t go for it. He ran to the right, towards where Armati was being closely marked.

  Babacar had two defenders in his way so he chipped the ball to Moretti. Moretti caught it on his chest and immediately kicked it across to Fernandez who was making a run down the centre. Gabe ran with Fernandez and called for the ball. The Argentinian ignored him and flicked the ball to Moretti. Moretti headed it across to Babacar who did a flying kick that sent the ball hurtling towards the Chelsea goal. The keeper was wrong-footed and leapt across the goalmouth, arms outstretched. He managed to touch it with his right hand and tipped it over the crossbar before crashing to the ground.

  The crowd roared its disappointment. Gabe ran to take the corner kick. Jason Wood had the ball but Gabe took it from him. ‘I thought I was doing the corners,’ said Wood.

  ‘Change of plan,’ said Gabe. He didn’t look over at McNamara, knowing that the coach wouldn’t be happy. They’d been practising with Wood’s corner kicks for the best part of a month and Wood was right, that was his role. But Babacar was on fire and the last thing Gabe wanted just then was for United to go 2-1 up.

  Wood shrugged and jogged over to the penalty box. Babacar said something to Wood and then stared over at Gabe, clearly wondering what was going on.

  The keeper was shouting instructions at his defence. Maplethorpe and Devereau jogged up to within a few yards of the penalty box but were immediately closely marked. Gabe took a few steps back, looked over at the goalmouth, then ran and kicked. The ball went high and curved towards Babacar but it was on his wrong side and though he managed to get his head to the ball he couldn’t do anything but nod it towards Devereau. Devereau was shouldered by a Chelsea defender and another Chelsea player captured the ball and headed for the United goal.

  Babacar glowered at Gabe but Gabe ignored him and jogged up the pitch. He heard McNamara calling his name and Gabe looked over at him. The coach held up his hands and bunched them into fists. ‘What was that?’ McNamara yelled.

  Gabe looked away and carried on running.

  CHAPTER 77

  Ray reached the top of the stairs. There was a hallway running left and right and all the doors he could see were closed. He gritted his teeth in frustration and took a quick look at his watch. It was just after four. The match would have restarted by now. He was running out of time. He looked right, then left. He wasn’t even sure that Laura and Ollie were upstairs, if they were in the house they could just as easily be in the basement. He took a deep breath as his mind raced. He could go through the rooms slowly and methodically, but that could take forever. Fast and furious would be more dangerous, but it would get the job done quicker. He turned left, grabbed the handle of the door closest to him, and threw it open. It was a bedroom and by the look of it the bed had never been slept in. The bed linen was pure white and there were framed seascapes on the walls, but it was as cold and lifeless as a furniture shop display. He pulled the door shut and tried the second door. Another bedroom. This one with Oriental furniture and wallpaper with a bamboo design. It was as soulless as the first room, and just as empty. Ray pulled the door shut. As he turned to walk down the hallway he heard footsteps on the stairs. A Chinese heavy with a handgun appeared. He had a plaster across his nose and Ray recognised him from the Chinese gambling den. The heavy brought his gun to bear on Ray but Ray was quicker and put two shots in the man’s chest. The man fell back against the wall and slumped to the floor.

  CHAPTER 78

  Moretti was making a run down the left wing. He’d found himself unmarked and called for the ball from Devereau. Devereau’s cross had been perfect and Moretti managed to run well into the Chelsea half before he met any opposition. He flicked the ball to Wood in the middle of the field, and Wood chipped it to Gabe. Gabe trapped the ball and looked around. Babacar was just outside the penalty box, but he was closely marked. Armati was unmarked, off to Gabe’s right. He heard Fernandez shout his name and looked over his shoulder to see the Argentinian making a run. Gabe kicked the ball towards him but he put sidespin on it making the ball difficult to trap. Fernandez managed to get the ball under control but he had to slow his run and one of the Chelsea midfielders took the opportunity to get in front of him and block his way. Fernandez tried to get by but he was tripped and sprawled on the ground.

  Armati and Wood appealed for a foul but the referee ignored them. The ball was scooped up by one of the Chelsea midfielders and kicked towards the United goal.

  Fernandez got to his feet, shaking his head in disappointment. Wood clapped him on the back and the two men jogged towards the United penalty box. Gabe followed them.

  Chelsea kept on the pressure, probing the United defence, then one of their strikers took a blistering shot that hit Mancini in the back and cannoned into the net. Ronnie Watts had no time to react and all he could do was stand on his line shaking his head in disgust. It wasn’t Mancini’s fault, it was pure bad luck, but the Italian sank to his knees and held his head in his hands.

  The Chelsea fans were cheering wildly but they were pretty much drowned out by the jeers and catcalls of the United supporters. Gabe stood close to the centre spot and looked up at the scoreboard. 2-1. Gabe took a deep breath. He took no pleasure in losing, but at least it meant he had a chance of seeing Laura and Ollie again.

  CHAPTER 79

  Ray reached the door at the far end of the corridor. He put his ear to it, heard nothing, and twisted the handle. As he pushed the door open a bullet thwacked into the wall by his head. He dived to the side, rolled over and came up with the both hands on the Smith and Wesson. A man wearing a black ski mask was standing next to Laura. Laura’s hands were behind her back and her ankles were bound with duct tape. Ray kept the gun aimed at the man’s head but he relaxed his finger on the trigger.

  The man shoved the barrel of the gun under Laura’s chin. Her eyes were wide with fear. ‘Drop your gun,’ said the man. Ray recognised the tattoo on the man’s hand. It was Teddy Kang.

  ‘Throw down your gun or I’ll put a bullet in her head,’ said Kang.

  ‘There’s no need for this, Teddy,’ said Ray.

  The man stiffened. ‘Who the fuck are you?’ he said.

  ‘It doesn’t matter who I am,’ said Ray. ‘But I know who you are. Teddy Kang, CK Lee’s enforcer. A red pole.’

  ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘I just do. And you have to know that this is over now. I know who you are; no matter how this pans out you’re in deep shit.’

 

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