“Know what. Is there something else going on?”
“Listen. Take heed of what I say. I’ve put this together for my own reasons. You’re getting paid more for a few days of work than you can make in a few years so do as I say or else.”
The girls can't help but overhear. Even at their young age, they've had to deal with all types. And their intuition is telling them they should be very afraid of this man.
Chapter Twenty-Three
There are four men in the kidnapping gang.
The mastermind calls himself Mr Gee. His partner and second-in-command is Chris.
The hired help are Kronid and Dragos.
Mr Gee has told them the plan is to demand a ransom of one million pounds to be paid in forty-eight hours.
He says the parents have plenty of money and can afford to pay. Once they have collected the ransom, the girls will be dropped off at a remote location and their parents told where to find them.
This seems strange to Kronid as the day of the drop off is a Saturday and banks don't open on a Saturday. However, Mr Gee and Chris seem to be highly knowledgeable. Perhaps they have inside information and know the family keep a lot of cash in the house?
Like thousands of his fellow countrymen, Kronid moved to the UK in search of a better life and soon found out the streets are not paved with gold as he had been told.
And everything is so expensive. He works long hours doing two jobs but never seems to have any money left. Whatever he does, it always seems like things just don’t work out as he expects them to.
Then he met Chris who told him he was looking for someone who wanted to make a lot of money fast and didn’t care what they had to do. Kronid decided this could be his chance of a better life. He agreed, not really knowing what he was getting in to.
Now he is involved in the kidnapping of two girls. He has been promised he will be paid one hundred thousand pounds. Not bad for simply babysitting two young girls for a few days.
And he knows exactly what he is going to do with the cash. His plan is to return home and open a little coffee shop. He worked in several before coming to England.
Kronid is a kind gentle laid-back person who rarely gets upset. He doesn’t care as long as he gets his share and nobody gets hurt.
On the other hand, Dragos is bad news. He doesn’t like people. He barely tolerates them. He’s a dangerous man, not long out of prison for attempted murder and assaulting a police officer.
If something gets in his way, he will smash right through to the other side. He is angry and frustrated. Especially now, guarding these two young sexy girls.
Given half a chance, he could teach them a thing or two, except he has been warned he won’t get paid if he interferes with them. For the moment he is prepared to wait but he knows his chance will come and they will get what’s coming to them.
He is a friend of Chris and knows things that Kronid doesn’t. He believes he is superior to Kronid.
The four men are standing in what was formally an old car repair workshop on Tennis Court Road, which has been empty for several years. Chris seems to know the place quite well.
It consists of three parts. The area in the centre where the men are standing is about twenty-five feet square.
The centre section has been fitted out with an old sofa, an armchair, and a TV. Along the front wall are a sink and fridge. In the corner are two inflatable camp beds. At the rear is the entrance door leading to a spacious yard.
To one side there is an office, where the girls are being kept locked in. Next to that are the toilets. The door to the ladies is from the office. The entrance to the gents is from the central area.
The other side of the central area leads through to the old repair shop with a deep inspection pit used by the mechanics to check underneath the vehicles.
Mr Gee is addressing the hired help.
“Take heed of what I say. Other than to give them food, you don’t go into that room. You don’t speak to them or do anything until we’ve got the money. All you have to do is keep an eye on them. Kronid is in charge of giving them food. Watch TV or play cards or something. They should only be here for a few days. I don’t want anything to upset our plans. Those girls are worth a million pounds. Understood?”
Kronid and Dragos nod.
“I know we’ve gone over it before, but one last time so you are totally clear. I’ll make the call to let the parents know we’ve got them. We give them forty-eight hours to find the cash. Once they’ve made the drop off we’ll come back here and split the money up as agreed. After that, we go our separate ways and disappear. If you do something stupid and get caught, that’s up to you. You keep your mouth shut. Chris and I will take the girls to a remote location. One hour later, I will phone the parents and tell them where the girls are. That clear?”
Kronid and Dragos nod again.
“Right. It’s five o’clock. We’ll leave the Merc parked at the rear. It can’t be seen from the street. Right now we need to dispose of the minibus. It will stand out if we leave it here. And besides, it contains DNA evidence. Chris and I have a way to dispose of it. Then I’ll phone the parents and tell them the good news. I’m sure they’ll be delighted to hear from me.”
Mr Gee gives out a chuckle.
He is thinking, If the parents are frightened after
