‘Who are you?’
The man asking the question was obviously the leader of the group sent to take Autumn. He was tall, dark-haired, olive-skinned, clean-shaven, and wore khaki fatigues over which was a yellow and black shawl. As-Wana’s ‘uniform’.
There were four others in the room: the usher, two identical-looking men who had to be brothers, and the guy he’d shot. He’d drawn to kill him, but Nathan had beaten him to it. It could have gone one of two ways. It might have triggered a blood bath, or it could start negotiations. So far he was still breathing.
‘I’m Nathan Regan, Autumn’s partner. I run an international software company called Drive.’
‘Kill him!’ the leader ordered the usher.
‘No! Nathan! No! Please!’ Autumn screamed, struggling to move from her position on the floor.
The usher lifted his gun.
‘All right! All right! My name’s Nathan Regan. I was employed as a bodyguard to protect Miss Raine, Autumn.’
‘You work for the British government, like her mother,’ the group leader surmised.
‘No, I work for myself.’
‘You say you are employed. Who employs you?’
‘I work freelance.’
He didn’t have much time, but neither did they. In no more than a few minutes, the police would be here, responding to the noise and the gunshots. He just needed to drag this out, let them waste a bit of time, until they had no choice but to take him. Curiosity would hopefully get the better of them.
‘We should go,’ one of the brothers suggested, looking at his watch.
‘Yes, we should go. Asif, kill him,’
‘No!’ Autumn screeched.
A primal, gut-wrenching sound came out of her mouth. Nathan swallowed and closed his eyes, waiting to hear the click of the gun as it pressed against the back of his head.
‘Wait! He has information,’ Autumn yelled. ‘Don’t kill him! He has information, government information, he told me. You told me!’
‘Don’t listen to her. She’s lying,’ Nathan responded.
‘I’m not lying! I swear! He told me! He, er, used to work with someone called… Nigel someone… Nigel… Nigel Farlow!’
Nathan chanced a look at the group leader and saw that the name dropping of an infamous ex-colleague and double agent had done the trick.
‘Fucking hell! You stupid bitch!’ Nathan yelled.
The leader checked his watch. ‘Asif,’ he ordered, ‘get him a hood and get them both in the van. We have to move, now!’
‘What have you done?! Stupid, stupid bitch!’ Nathan ranted as he watched Autumn being hauled to her feet.
As the hood was pulled over his face, he let out a breath of relief and smiled to himself. She’d waited until exactly the right moment and saved his life, just like he’d told her she could.
*
‘Are you okay? Did they hurt you?’ Nathan asked, as soon as they were locked in.
It felt surreal, being herded into the back of a van, wearing a hood over your face with your hands tied. Had anyone seen them being taken from the back of the church? Where did Tawanda think they were? Could they get in touch with her somehow? She would be so worried.
She shifted on the benchseat, trying to make herself a little more comfortable. From the projection of his voice, she gauged Nathan was opposite her.
She couldn’t see anything, but she could smell fish. Of all the vans for her to be stuck in, it had to be one used to transport fish. She hated fish, and now she was walking their walk, albeit alive.
‘I’m okay, I think. I hit my elbow on the floor. I’m okay, I mean, I’m here and you’re here and we’re in a fish van,’ she stated, her voice wobbling with emotion.
‘We can’t talk here,’ Nathan told her.
‘I know.’
‘You are so brave,’ he whispered to her.
A shiver ran through her body. ‘I’m terrified.’
The van shook slightly, then she felt him sit down on her bench, shifting himself up until he was next to her. His thigh pressed against hers and she closed her eyes and drank in the warm feeling and reassurance the touch gave her.
‘It will all be over soon,’ he reassured.
She wished she could see his face. What if she never saw his face again? What if they never got to take the hoods from their heads before the end… whatever end it was. She might never get to look into his eyes again, or touch his mouth with hers.
Unable to hold it in any longer, she let out a sob and bent forward, trying to rest her chest on her knees.
‘Listen to me, Autumn. You have to stay strong. You mustn’t let them see you weak or they will play on it. You can do it. I know you can. You don’t think you’re a strong person, but I’m telling you, you are.’
‘You’re just saying that to make me feel better. I’ve seen films, you know. The big, strong, sexy soldier looks after the weak, vulnerable heroine and tells her she could rule the world with nothing but a lip gloss and a supermarket loyalty card if she put her mind to it.’
‘Humor in these situations is essential,’ he told her.
‘I want to see your face. I can’t see anything. Are we both trussed up like Jason in Friday the 13th Part Three?’
‘Sack present and correct.’
‘Where do you think they’re taking us?’
‘I don’t know,’ he told her, ‘but wherever it is, as soon as this van starts up, I want you to count.’
Thirty-Four
She’d counted to 3584 before the van came to a halt. She had to add an additional number to bring it up to five. The fact they had stopped scared her more than the not knowing where they were. Stopping meant something new was going to happen, and as she still had her hands bound and a sack over her head, it wasn’t likely to be good.
‘It will be okay,’ Nathan reassured, as if reading her thoughts.
She felt him leave her side and move back over to the opposite bench.
‘Three thousand, five hundred and eighty-five
