Minty’s stomach lurched as he recognised the man.
Olezka. He was the man in charge. He was the man who had first approached Minty and offered him more money — more than he had ever imagined — just to accept a few parcels. And the man who, when Minty planned to leave, told him what would happen if he did.
Minty tried to swallow. His tongue lay thick in his mouth.
Olezka lowered the gun and squeezed the trigger. The silencer muted the gunshot to a rumour of conflict elsewhere. Olezka’s strong arm handled the recoil in practised efficiency. The next thing Minty heard was a cry from Borya. The noise echoed fitfully around the concrete and out into the night.
The hissing bullet had grazed the outside of Borya’s left thigh. Borya dropped to his knees, clutching the wound with his left hand.
“Push your gun across the floor now,” Olezka said, his voice little more than a whisper. The gun was now levelled at Borya’s head. “The next shot will not be so kind.”
Minty stared at the man. This was not supposed to be happening.
Borya swore and fished his gun from beneath the coat. Holding it by the muzzle, he placed it down on the concrete. He took deep, ragged breaths. He breathed through the pain.
“This way.” Olezka indicated with his free hand.
Borya shoved the gun across the concrete as directed. Minty glanced down at it. It wasn’t far away but would be useless without a steady and experienced hand to fire it.
Across Olezka’s thick lips, he saw the beginnings of a smile.
68
Allissa looked down at her phone as the taxi pulled up a dark, tree-lined road. The blue dot was now just a few hundred metres away. The taxi turned a corner and slowed. Its sharp headlights scanned the woodland on either side of the road.
Allissa looked out into the darkness and wished she’d brought a torch. The light from her phone would be no match for the uninterrupted darkness here. Two cars parked on the road ahead came into view. Both were dark and appeared empty. One was a black Rolls Royce and the other was something red and sporty.
According to the blue dot on Allissa’s phone, Leo was in one of those cars.
Allissa pulled some notes from her bag and counted them out for the driver. She barely registered how much the journey cost.
Allissa got out, the taxi spun on the narrow road and began to descend. She suddenly felt very alone in the soundless woodland as the brake lights disappeared.
Over the last few months, Leo and Allissa had been in many challenging and terrifying situations. At the time Allissa had done what she needed to get them out safely. She felt that, around Leo, she had become a braver version of herself. It was as though he inspired her to be courageous. He gave her a reason to be bold.
Switching on her phone’s light, Allissa began climbing towards the cars. The silver trim of the Rolls Royce sparkled. Standing a few feet away, Allissa looked again at the map. Using two fingers, she zoomed in. According to the app, Leo was inside the red car. At least his phone was.
Allissa walked around the car. The small light from her phone washed the interior in a ghostly glow. It looked empty.
“Leo, you in here?” Allissa whispered. No reply — of course there was no reply.
Allissa peered through the back passenger door. The car looked empty from here.
Allissa tried the door. It was locked.
Moving back to the front passenger door, Allissa tried that too. Locked as well.
Allissa bent and peered in through the passenger window. The glass was covered with something. Allissa couldn’t work out what it was in the weak light from her phone.
She moved to the front and looked through the windscreen.
It took a few moments for Allissa to realise what she was looking at.
Bile bubbled in her stomach, making her retch. Allissa stepped away from the car, her hands covering her face.
There was a dead body in the driver’s seat.
69
Allissa ignored bubbling nausea and rushed around to the driver’s door. Panicked thoughts of Leo raged through her mind. It couldn’t be him. It just couldn’t be.
Reaching the driver’s window, Allissa peered inside. The glass was down. The front of the car was a mess.
It was a woman. Her dark hair was matted with blood and her chin sank towards her chest. It wasn’t Leo.
Allissa stepped back and took a deep breath of the cool woodland air.
It wasn’t Leo. She didn’t know who it was, but it wasn’t Leo.
Allissa felt another wave of sickness and turned away from the gruesome scene.
What was Minty involved in?
A dead body in a car in this remote woodland.
Allissa looked back at the car. The body seemed obvious now she knew it was there. The windows and upholstery were spattered with blood. Allissa was no expert, but it can’t have happened long ago. The blood on the glass still looked fresh.
But Leo’s phone was in this car too. At least that’s what the location app told her.
Maybe he was in the…
Allissa spat the acidic taste from her mouth and walked to the back of the car. There was only one more place he could be. The boot. She needed to check the boot.
Allissa found the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. Locked. She banged on the top and listened. If someone was inside, maybe they’d try to bang back.
Allissa’s sense of dread grew further. She needed to look inside.
Allissa went back to the driver’s door and looked inside for the keys or the boot release switch. She tried to ignore the body.
Blood pooled into the leather and dripped onto the floor.
The car keys hung from the ignition.
Allissa forced herself not to look at the body as she reached in and slid out the keys.
The dead woman’s keys felt cold.
Allissa straightened up and walked to the back of the car. She pressed a button on
