Page 51 of Parker

Chapter forty-one

Joel maybe he forgot his key. I walk over to the intercom to check who it is. No more risks. I’ve learned from my mistakes.

“Hello?”

"It's me," Sophie answers, and I immediately hit the entry button.

Looking out the living room window, I see her walk briskly up the driveway.

That’s strange. Where’s her car? Her eyes are locked on the house, but every so often, she quickly looks around, as if she’s scanning for danger.

Her movements are twitchy, almost those of a deer being stalked.

Maybe the security guards make her uneasy.

I step out on the porch to greet her, and she runs into my arms.

“Soph,” I whisper, concerned. “What happened? Come inside, let’s get you warm.” She shakes violently as tears run down her face.

“Where’s Evan?” she demands, her voice vibrating with fear.

“Imelda has him. They’re with Boyd. They wanted to give me a day to myself. Honey, tell me what’s wrong?”

“He came to the shop,” she stammers. “Looking for you and Evan.”

“Who did?” I ask, confused.

“Drayton,” she whispers. “That’s who he said he was. He was huge, Nicky, with the tattoos and broken teeth like you described.” My entire body chills. “He said you and him had an agreement, but you hadn’t kept up your end of the deal.”

“An agreement?” I snap. “What did that bastard say?”

“You were his insider in the Parker family. You were leaking information to him for years. Helping him set up this takeover.” She lowers her voice and looks around the room. “Are there cameras in here?”

“No, of course not. Tell me what he said, Soph. Exactly.” Dread curdles in my gut. My fingers tighten into fists. That bastard is back. She hands me a piece of paper, a surveillance photo of Imelda pushing Evan in his pram this morning. “Where did you get this?”

“He gave me it with a message. This was taken today on their morning walk. He told me she will take him for a walk again at six this evening. That’s what she always does.” Her face twists as if in pain. “When they do, Evan won’t make it home unless you do as he says.”

My heart freefalls, and I reach for my phone.

“No,” she squeals. “Joel can’t know.”

She’s speaking through sobs, barely holding it together.

“What does he want?”

“We need to be at this location by five. Just us.” She passes me a scrap of paper with some coordinates scribbled at the center. “If there is a hint of security, he’ll give the order; the team watching Evan will pounce. He wouldn’t tell me anything else.”

My mind whirs. Images of my baby being dragged from his pram flood my vision. I won't let that happen.

The coordinates lead to a disused shipbuilding warehouse in Govan, located near the river. The company went bust years ago. No one has yet bought the building.

“Did he say anything else?” I prompt Sophie. “Are we to bring anything?”

She shakes her head.

“Just to be there at five. No security. No funny business.” She whimpers again. “What are we going to do?”

Worry lodges in my throat. Joel will be furious if I go to the rendezvous without telling him. I have no idea how to leave the house without alerting my constant security.

“We go,” I say with as much conviction as possible. “My son will not be used as a pawn in this twisted power play.”

My friend’s terrified eyes hold mine.

“We’ll need your car.”

She nods.

“There are weapons upstairs.”

I sprint for them, and she follows silently.

Joel gave me a gun to put in my bedside drawer when we married.

It should still be there. He knew having a weapon made me feel more comfortable.

I’m relieved to find it where it was left years ago, untouched.

Picking it from its resting place and placing it on the bed, I move to the wardrobe and pull the doors open.

Inside are various bats and knives—my man is always prepared for war. Sophie gasps.

“I’m married to a mob leader. We have enemies.”

“But you’re not married anymore,” she argues.

“In this world, it’s the action not the paperwork that counts,” I reply, then continue to search the available weapons. “You don’t have to come with me.”

“Nicky, I’ve changed my mind. I think we need to tell someone.”

“No,” I bark. “That’s what he wants me to do. To run and tell Joel so he rushes there to be slaughtered. I won’t sacrifice my husband.”

“But you’ll sacrifice yourself?”

“He won’t expect me, and he won’t hurt me. He needs me to lure Joel there,” I explain. “Soph, I’m doing this, with or without your help. If you tell Joel behind my back, we’re over. You need to trust my instincts on this.”

Her face falls, then she cradles her head in her hands, like she’s at a complete loss with the situation unfurling around her.

I want to comfort her, but there’s no room left for softness.

Guilt bubbles in my stomach. My beautiful, loyal friend has been dragged into this.

It’s nothing to do with her, and now she’s expected to accompany me into the darkness.

“I can’t lose you, Nicky. You’re my best friend, and I’m scared. But I trust you,” she whispers, then throws her arms around my waist. “What do you need me to do?”

***

Sophie wanders away from the house and down the drive. She turns halfway to the gate and signals that she’ll call me like we planned. I wave enthusiastically in farewell. The guards can’t know anything is amiss.

It’s 3:27 pm.

I collect my rucksack I packed earlier with the gun, a few small knives, and a short-handled bat. The winter temperatures mean I can dress in long black leggings and a jumper without raising suspicion. Over the top, I pull on my thick winter coat.

Our garden is walled at the rear and backs onto wasteland where people walk their dogs.

The boundary has CCTV, but I know there is a blind spot in the rear corner.

The wind catches the camera, often moving it off-center.

It happened again during a storm the other night, and it hasn’t been fixed. I check the app on my phone to be sure.

Sophie’s voice rings out at the front of the house, laughing loudly as she chats with one of the guards. My phone buzzes with a single word.

Now.

Carrying a laundry basket to the line, I begin pegging up sheets as my cover. My route takes me to the blind spot. The wall towers above me, but an old coal store offers an opportunity to climb. I grab my bag and scramble up, scuffing my knees on the old brick in the process.

My muscles scream as I haul myself up. The weight of the rucksack drags on my back. My core still isn’t strong after my C-section. Pain bites down my side, but I grit my teeth. This is for Evan. For my family.

Standing precariously on the ancient roof of the store, I go up on my tiptoes and can just see over the wall.

The coast is clear, apart from two security guards who are looking the other way.

I hesitate. One sudden glance, and this all unravels. My stomach turns over. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. But also, the most necessary.

Momentarily, a feeling of guilt washes over me. Joel will kill them if something happens to me because they allowed me to escape.

Sophie’s car waits fifty meters away on the curb.

An old, red Renault Clio with more bashed areas than not.

If Sophie drove to the front of the house, I would’ve been questioned as to where we were headed.

Attempting to leave my home like a prison break was the only option to get away unseen, and even then, it’s unlikely with Joel’s security.

Checking again that there are no eyes on me, I use all my strength to pull myself up and drop down to the other side. I hit the ground hard, the force jarring my knees. No time to check for bruises, I sprint. Sophie throws open the passenger door from the driver’s seat.

“Hurry up,” she screams.

Shouts erupt behind me. “She’s over the wall!” Boots scramble on gravel.

Diving in, I slam the door shut. Sophie’s foot hits the floor. In the mirror, two men dressed in black are pulling their phones from their pockets. We need to be quick.

“Give me your cell.” Sophie hands it over without question.

I take out the SIM, snapping it before tossing both phone and SIM out of the window. Joel can track anything. No doubt, my own phone is vibrating madly where I left it. I can almost hear it screaming my name. Will Joel ever forgive me? If I die trying to protect us, will he hate me?

I glance at my watch.

“We need to lie low for thirty minutes,” I say. “There’s a park just up here. Pull into the parking lot.” Sophie does as I ask. “Over there, behind that building, stop there. We can make the rest of the way on foot. It’s only about ten minutes away.”

The car pulls to a stop. She kills the engine.

We sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts. Part of me wants to pray, but the words don’t come. I just hold tight to rage and love. This isn’t a plan, but it’s the only shot I’ve got.

4:47 pm shows on the car’s clock.

Releasing the car handle, I open the door and step out under the darkening Scottish skies. Sophie does the same. We hide behind the disused toilet block and empty the contents of our backpacks on the ground.

I give Sophie the knives and the bat. She stuffs the blades into her deep pockets and hides the bat in her jacket. My pocket holds our only gun and the other a knife. We pull our baseball caps low and then march toward whatever comes next.

***

The industrial area is deserted on a Friday evening. Our destination sits in what must be an acre of barren concrete, a huge rectangular building with broken windows and graffiti.

We stop at the open metal gates, rusted in position.

“Let’s get this over with,” I hiss under my breath.

“You’re serious?” Sophie whispers. “We’re just walking in? That’s your plan? They could shoot us on sight.”

“We followed the instructions. No backup. Just us. He won’t kill us immediately—he needs me alive.

” I keep my voice steady. “Hopefully, he comes close enough for me to shove this metal into his ribs.” I pat the weapon concealed in my coat.

“They already know we’re here. If you want out, go now,” I tell her.

“I’m here to protect my family. This is my fight, not yours. ”

For a moment, I think she might bolt, then she takes my hand. And I’m grateful all over again for my best friend.

Then together, we walk toward the warehouse.