Page 118 of Little Children

Bryant frowned. ‘We need to go and get our vehicles at the end of the road so we can pick up the vans when they leave. There are going to be another thirty or more vehicles leaving at the same time. We need the registration numbers of every one of them.’

‘Got it,’ Stacey said.

Adil and Ashworth nodded their understanding.

‘Two more things, directly from DI Stone. You,’ Red said, pointing at the reporter. ‘None of this gets shared with anyone. Got it?’

He nodded his understanding. Bryant was pleased to see that the man appeared to have grasped the importance of what he was now a part of.

‘Last thing,’ Red said, turning his way, ‘your boss is going to try and communicate with you from the back of the van, but if there’s any chance you’re going to look suspicious, you have to back off.’

Bryant’s instinct was to argue with the instruction, but he knew that the guv’s priority was to find the other boys. If the people in the van suspected they were being followed, there was every chance they’d divert, and then they’d be lost forever.

‘Got it,’ Bryant said grudgingly.

‘Okay, folks, we really haven’t got much time. Everyone get into position.’

Bryant headed for his car with Penn in tow.

The plan was a good one, but one that would worry him less if they were part of a task force that included an additional twenty officers.

Only then would he be happy with the risk the guv had taken.

Seventy-Eight

Kim wasn’t sure how much longer she could tolerate the stench.

Red had helped her gain access to the back of the van, where she’d found a musty dark blanket she could cover herself with. She had pushed herself to the furthest point away from the doors to avoid being detected once they were opened.

Once positioned, she’d realised how her absence would appear to her team, so she’d fired off a quick message to her colleague to assure him all was well. She didn’t need Bryant doing something rash that could jeopardise the only plan she’d been able to come up with.

After sending the message, she lay perfectly still beneath a blanket that was suffocating her. The smell of body odour, blood and urine was making her feel nauseous, but she couldn’t chance peeping her head out.

The silence surrounding the van was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on gravel and something being dragged.

Suddenly the doors were thrown open.

‘You can wait in here until we’re done,’ said a female voice.

Kim dared not breathe as someone was shoved into the van before the door was slammed shut again.

She kept perfectly still for a minute, having learned one important detail. The small amount of light escaping from the venue wasn’t enough to reach all the way inside to where she was lying. It would give her a fighting chance.

The boy who’d been thrown inside had moved to the right-hand side of the van. She could feel his closeness. If he edged any more to the right, he’d be touching her feet. She heard what sounded like snuffling, as though the boy had a cold. It took her a moment to realise it wasn’t a cold. He was trying to choke back tears.

She held her breath, trying to decide the best thing to do. If she remained silent, he could discover her at any time. Not good if the kidnappers were back when that happened.

She had no choice but to take a chance.

‘Lewis?’ she whispered.

He cried out in fright and pushed himself back against the metal of the van as she removed the blanket.

She’d called it right. Huddled against the back doors was the boy who had been on her mind all week. He looked absolutely petrified.

‘It’s okay, Lewis. I’ve been looking for you,’ she said, moving towards him slowly.

She shone her phone at herself, praying he could tell that she was one of the good guys.