‘Try her on the radio,’ said Sharp.
‘I can’t.’
‘What? Why not?’
‘My radio wasn’t working when we tried to call you for back up, so Hunter gave me hers.’
Sharp stopped dead in his tracks. ‘She did what?’
‘The radios are useless, guv. Hers didn’t work either, and like I said – she didn’t want to switch on her mobile phone because of Harrison’s orders. She didn’t want to alert Demiri or anyone else to us being here.’
Sharp peered along the road to where the vehicles were powering towards them.
‘They’re not going to get here in time.’
He began to run towards the groyne posts, the rest of them ignoring his orders to fan out and instead following in his wake.
As he ran, Gavin knew he’d never forgive himself for leaving Kay behind.
He should have stayed.
He should have insisted on accompanying Webster instead, while Kay sought help.
He should have—
‘Stop it, Piper.’
Sharp’s words cut through his thoughts.
‘Guv?’
‘Stop blaming yourself. You were given a direct order by a superior officer. You acted on it.’
‘I was wrong.’
‘No, you weren’t.’
‘Sharp!’
Gavin slowed to a walk as Harrison staggered towards them, breathing heavily.
The DCI held up a hand to shield his eyes from their torch beams. ‘Any sign of Hunter?’
‘Nothing. Why didn’t your comms team check the radios were working properly?’
Harrison frowned. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the radios.’
Sharp narrowed his eyes, but jerked his thumb over his shoulder. ‘Hunter was meant to be heading that way.’
‘What about Demiri?’
‘Haven’t seen him yet, either.’
‘Who the hell is that?’
Gavin spun round at Cary’s voice, in time to see a shadowy figure lurching across the sand, away from the direction of the groyne posts.
‘Webster,’ he growled.
Movement to his left caught him off guard, and then Barnes was sprinting up the beach towards Webster, clearing the space between them with surprising speed for a man of his size.
They all followed, Gavin leading the way, but he didn’t make it in time.
Barnes launched himself at the man, sending the two of them tumbling to the sand.
Webster cried out, then wiggled out from under Barnes and began to crawl away.
Barnes reached out and grabbed hold of the man’s ankle, using his weight to pin Webster down while he scrambled to stop him escaping.
‘Barnes, no!’
Barnes ignored the shout from Sharp. He wrapped his fingers around the man’s coat and shook him.
‘Where is she? Where’s Hunter?’
A hand grabbed his shoulder and hauled him off Webster, a low voice in his ear.
‘Hey,’ said Gavin.
Barnes shrugged his shoulder to loosen the younger detective’s grip, and glared at Webster, who was still lying on the sand, his eyes gleaming in the light from their torches.
Suddenly, a piercing scream cut through the darkness.
Carys whimpered at Sharp’s side.
‘What have you done with Kay?’ said Gavin.
The old man cackled.
‘You’re too late. Demiri has her.’
Chapter Fifty-Four
Demiri’s white hair blew wildly around his weathered features, his black eyes blazing a second before he spat in Kay’s face.
‘You think you are better than me, don’t you Detective Hunter?’
He shifted position, his legs straddling hers as he ran his eyes over her body. ‘You insult me. You underestimated me. You’re too stupid to ever comprehend the power I command. The people who answer to me.’
Kay took a deep breath and closed her eyes a moment before he thrust her under the waves once more.
The back of her head hit the closely packed sand, knocking the breath she’d been so desperate to hold out of her.
Tears pricked her eyes as she raised her right hand and reached out blindly. She scratched Demiri’s face, trying to work out where the man’s eyes and nose were – soft, easy targets in a normal defensive situation, but impossible while fighting underwater.
A tightness in her chest began to grip her – a sudden urge to open her mouth and seek out oxygen, but her instincts were screaming at her that to do so would mean certain death.
Suddenly, she was hauled upwards once more, and the cold fresh wind slapped her face a split second before Demiri’s fist punched her in the stomach.
He let go of his grip on her stab vest, and she tumbled onto the wet sand, gasping, her belly on fire.
Her vision began to weaken, black spots appearing at the edges of her line of sight.
‘I think that’s enough fun for one day.’
Demiri’s voice sounded close by, and Kay rolled over onto her stomach and tried to raise herself on shaking legs.
She collapsed, breaking her fall with her good arm, and began to crawl away, shocked by the sound of her own sobs.
She didn’t want to die.
Not now.
Not here.
Not like this.
Her arm was swept out from under her, a brutal kick that sent her sprawling onto the sand, and then he was dragging her towards the waves once more.
‘No. Please.’
She dug her heels into the sand, trying to slow him, and slapped at the hands that held her vest.
She spat sand from her mouth, her breath escaping in wheezing, ragged gasps.
Her heart beat painfully and she stared in terror as the water drew nearer, unable to escape the clutches of the man who held her.
He stopped at the water’s edge, and looked down at her, contempt filling his features.
‘Time to die, Detective Hunter.’
‘No – wait!’
Pain shot through her body as Demiri’s weight landed on her, his hands moving from her vest to her throat as the water covered her face.
A roaring filled her ears, and an ache filled her heart as she wondered fleetingly which of her colleagues would have to inform Adam of her death at the hands of a man she had been hunting for nearly two years.
She could sense the exhaustion overwhelming her, a tiredness that was becoming too tempting to ignore.
Her lungs burned with the effort to hold her breath, her throat crushed within Demiri’s grip.
A sound reached her ears – a muffled crack that pierced through her thoughts, and then the weight on her chest was gone, and she welcomed the darkness that engulfed her.
Chapter Fifty-Five
The
