“Finn, my name is Callum,” I said in a reassuring voice. “I’m an Inspector with the Inverness Police. I’m here to take you home. Okay?”
Finn nodded. It was a tiny gesture, barely noticeable.
“What the hell, Lena?” Fletcher snapped, unable to contain herself any longer. “You’re with them? We trusted you. You looked us in the face and told us you didn’t know where Finn was. You went to Ainslee’s house to comfort her while you knew exactly what had happened to her son! Who does that? Callum even asked you out, but I guess you had no trouble leading him along, huh?”
I sighed. You didn’t need to announce that to the room, Fletcher.
“You’ve been keeping tabs on us for these people, haven’t you?” Fletcher continued. She’d shot to her feet at some point, knocking the chair over, and Lena’s ex had his hand on the gun in his belt. “How do you sleep at night?”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t even look at Lena.
Her ex smirked. No doubt he’d had a hand in all this.
“Let me explain,” Lena pleaded, but Holden cut her off.
“No need for that,” he said smoothly. “DI Fletcher, delete the recording, and we’ll give you the boy.
“Give us Finn, and then I’ll delete it,” she countered.
I glanced at Lena. Her eyes begged me to understand, and I found that I did. Her note still weighed heavy in my pocket, and it told me enough. Sometimes, people just got tangled up in bad shit and couldn’t figure a way out of it. I nodded to her, and relief flooded through her body, noticeable only to me. I flicked my gaze to her ex, wondering when the other shoe was going to drop. If someone was going to shoot first, it would be him.
“Place your phone on the table,” Holden said. His expression had grown stony. “Ms Taggert will walk Finn over, I’ll watch you delete the video, then you take your people and go.”
“Do it, Fletcher,” I said quietly. We’d secure Finn first, and then we’d get Haruto. One thing at a time.
She grumbled something under her breath but placed the phone on the desk screen side up. Holden beckoned Lena forward with two crooked fingers, and she gently nudged Finn forward. I stood, stretching out a hand for him to take, but before I could, the picture window flew open, letting in a blast of cold air, and then a man with orange hair tumbled into the room with a shout, legs giving way as he hit the ground.
Lena pulled Finn back protectively as her ex went for his gun. A second later, the dresser barricading the door tipped over and hit the ground with an ear-splitting crash, spilling its contents across the floor. Five of Holden’s employees leapt through the opening. Two slipped on the round baubles scattered across the floor and brought a third down with them. Sarah, still bleeding, and another woman hung back, helping their comrades back to their feet.
I lunged at Lena’s ex, but he shoved his gun in my face, and I skidded to a halt, throwing my hands up. Behind him, Lena gasped, covering her mouth. “Don’t even think about it,” he snarled.
MacGowan staggered upright, panting and red-faced. “Holden!” he yelled. “Where’s my son?”
He rushed the desk, but Lena’s ex intercepted him, shoving past me to ram MacGowan with his shoulder, sending the smaller man flying across the room. MacGowan hit the wall and slid to the ground, dazed. The five goons at the door finally disentangled themselves and drew weapons, though Fletcher and I were standing too close to Holden for them to shoot. Four of them, minus Sarah and her injured shoulder, ran at us, hoping to get the upper hand through sheer numbers.
Fletcher and I picked up her fallen chair and threw it at them, taking a man with his hair in a ponytail out for the count. The tallest of the remaining three swung his fist at me, and I ducked, stepping inside his reach so I could drive my shoulder into his stomach. Even as the air rushed from his lungs, he brought his elbows down on my back. I grunted in pain and tried to pull back, but the man came with me, shoving me while I was between steps so that I lost my balance and slammed into the wall near where Lena stood.
I didn’t have time to spare her a glance. A curly-haired woman joined Tall Boy, and the two tried to squash me against the wall. I kicked his knee, heard a sickening crunch, and he collapsed with a scream. I grabbed Curly’s outstretched arm and spun her in a circle, releasing her, so she staggered back towards the centre of the room. She narrowly avoided colliding with the man Fletcher had just punched in the nose.
I ran forward, intending to jump over Tall Boy where he writhed on the floor, but he grabbed my foot while I was in the air and I crashed to the ground beside him. I kicked at his fingers until he let go with a pained cry, but as I rose, the man we’d hit with the chair wrapped his arm around my throat from behind, cutting off my air supply.
I clawed at his arm, but the wool of his jumper protected him, and a few black spots danced before my eyes. Fletcher noticed my predicament and shoved her opponent out of my way to rush to my aid, but a voice cut through the chaos before she could get two steps.
“Enough! Stop, or I shoot!”
Fletcher froze, shifting to the side as she turned around so I could see Lena’s ex with his gun to MacGowan’s head. The thief’s nose was bleeding, and there was a bruise blooming on his
