Page 29

Kelcie

I’m sat finishing up the next week’s schedule, glad that Gabriel has relaxed since we found out that Williams and Dale seemed to be plotting something together.

But it’s been weeks now and nothing has been found.

Williams attends her bookings and hasn’t been seen with Dale since the night he was refused entry.

I was only planning on being about twenty minutes but notice that an hour has passed.

It’s unlike Gabriel not to call if I am late, I go to call him when Anders storms into the office.

The expression on his face instantly has me concerned.

“Anders?”

I only speak his name, but in a manner that it’s questioning what has him disturbed.

“Your driver.”

He pauses.

“Anders!” I snap.

“He’s been found, beaten, badly.

Managed to tell us that they have taken the car.”

“Gabriel?” I retort.

“I’ve tracked his phone, it was dumped not far from here.”

I instinctively move and check the cameras.

“They turned right at the end of the back street.”

My brows furrow together, and my eyes tighten, knowing that wasn’t the way he was going.

I look at Anders, take a deep breath, and control the thoughts racing through my mind.

“Can we locate him?”

“We had a tracker put in the car a few weeks ago, Boss.”

Anders replies.

“It’s on the system.”

Pulling it up I can see that the car is not far from The Manor, but stationary.

What the fuck, why would whoever have him take him there.

Anders walks around to me looking at the screen and noting my expression.

“It’s not The Manor he’s been taken to.

It’s the woods.

Some areas have facilities like the basement rooms in The Manor.”

Anders’s words are flat.

I snap my head around to look at him remembering my visit there.

“Not everyone has authority to use The Manor.”

He’s answering my questions before I can ask them.

“But the woods, they’re public domain.

I’ll take David and a couple of men and get him.”

He says as he starts to walk out of the office.

I can feel my blood starting to boil, the sensation that has quickly engulfed my entire body has me take another deep breath.

I open the desk drawer and pull out one of Gabriel’s guns that he keeps there.

“Anders,”

he turns back to me, glances at the gun and raises an eyebrow.

“I’m coming.”

“Boss,”

I cut him off before he can continue.

“Non-negotiable.”

My words are sharp as I subconsciously check that the weapon is loaded, and the safety is on before I slip it into the waist of my skirt at my lower back.

“Let’s go.”

I purposefully walk towards him, and he lifts his chin slightly nodding his agreement before stepping off and holding the door for me.

We walk out the back of the bar and David and some of his men are already waiting in cars.

David approaches us.

“Two men have gone ahead on bikes, they are going to check out the locations that we know have been used in the past.”

We climb in the car, and one of David’s team looks at me and then at Anders.

“Drive.”

I demand, clearly not to be challenged.

It feels like time has stood still, I don’t allow my mind to run away with what could be happening.

About twenty minutes pass and a call comes through the cars Bluetooth, it’s David.

“We’ve got his location.

He’s in a bunker, one that’s been prepared for situations that would usually be in our control.

I’ve sent you a pin.”

“How many?”

Anders asks.

“The four outside have been dealt with, unsure of inside.”

“Tell them to hold outside.”

“Understood.

Anders, they were O’Connell’s men.”

As soon as I hear his name the anger sweeping through my body heightens.

I should have killed that prick at the first opportunity, I hear Anders mumble.

Anders looks at the driver, who pushes his foot down and starts speeding his way through the traffic to make it to the open roads towards The Manor, but it doesn’t stop it feeling like time has stood still.

‘The location is roughly a mile and a half into the woods, we will go in and bring him back to The Manor to clean up.”

“I will be with you.”

Again, my words are curt making it clear my decision is not to be questioned.

Anders tells the driver to get as close as possible in the car.

As I step out, I can feel the heels of my shoes slightly sink into the ground and Anders looks at me with an eyebrow raised.

I stare at him and nod to start walking, to which he gestures to the bikes which the car pulled up next to.

I climb on behind Anders, and David and one of his men climb on the other.

The anger burning in me keeps my senses intensified as we quickly weave through the woods arriving at David’s men a lot quicker than if I walked.

The sun is starting to set, and being this deep in the woods means that we are losing light fast.

I can smell the trees, dirt and metallicness of old stale blood.

David’s men look at me with the same concern as the other did.

“Situation.”

I ask bluntly.

They glance over at Anders who nods for them to proceed.

“The four men that were guarding have been dealt with, they were O’Connell’s men.

We’ve kept one alive, he’s tied up to a tree and gagged.”

He responds with a smirk on his face.

He continues to tell us that they got one of the others to look into O’Connell again but there has still been no sight of him since the boat incident, but also still no body.

“Any thoughts on inside?”

David asks.

“Unsure of the manpower, but it can’t be a large number, these ‘units’ tend to only have a couple of rooms at the end of the corridor.”

I try and think about what the next steps should be but can’t clear my mind from wanting to get to Gabriel.

“David and I will lead, you follow,”

Anders nods to me, “two follow behind you and two stays put out here.” His words are direct, and I take a step forward ready to follow them into whatever hell is residing in there.

Anders forces the door open, it’s a dark forbidding path that slopes down, the walls are supported with wooden sleepers, lights hanging from the top with the wiring exposed.

It’s restricting width not allowing you to walk more than two abreast.

With the size of Anders and David, they need to walk with one slightly behind the other.

I follow behind them, they have their guns raised and ready as do the two men behind me.

The deeper we go, the more ominous it becomes, I keep my chin held up waiting for something or someone.

We reach a dead end with a door to the right, Anders looks back at me and I step to the side of the door, behind David, one of the men stays behind me and one steps behind Anders so that we are all flanking the door.

We stay silent, I can hear voices coming from inside the room.

I close my eyes so I can concentrate on them.

I can hear two clear voices, they are irate with each other.

Anders, David, and the two men gesture to each other, but I can’t work out what they mean.

Anders puts his hand out low, meaning for me to stay put.

David leans his shoulder and forces his way through the door with ease, instantly shouting at the men in the room directing them to put down their guns, Anders is beside him.

“Shut the fuck up and put the gun down.”

Anders repeats, his words are sharp and intense.

The men are all screaming at each other to put guns down, none of them giving up.

The two men in the pathway with me remain silent, listening, waiting for something.

I close my eyes once again focusing on the voices, imagining where they are.

I can hear that David is on the right of the room, and so is Dale, his shaking voice giving him away.

Anders is further away on the left with an older man, I think it’s O’Connell.

I remove the gun from my waistband and click off the safety.

I go to peer around the doorway and as I do, David’s man behind me pulls me back but not before I see Gabriel tied to a chair, duct tape across his mouth, bleeding.

I spin mouthing to him to back the fuck off.

I step through the doorway, gun raised, immediately pulling the trigger, shooting Dale, and hitting him in the neck.

The gun I’m using doesn’t have a silencer making the shot ring out.

David and Anders look at each other both thinking the other has pulled their trigger.

Dale is on the floor choking on his blood as he grips his neck trying to stop it flowing from him.

I turn my gun on O’Connell, who is now staring at me.

Anders still has his gun pointed at him too.

“I suggest you lower your gun, Mr O’Connell.”

I state.

He places it on the table that’s next to him, which I now notice has an array of tools on it.

Anders moves closer to him keeping his gun pointed at him.

“David, untie him.”

I demand, my eyes locked on O’Connell whilst Dale finishes bleeding out.

David cocks his head, making a slight frown in an impressed expression.

He puts his gun away as he moves to untie Gabriel, as he does, he calls in his men to drag out Dale.

David rips off the duct tape before proceeding to untie him.

Gabriel looks at me, and I at him, keeping my gun on O’Connell.

“Hey Baby.”

I say, as I subtly smile at him.

“Hey Bonnie,”

his reply makes me smirk.

My eyes lock back on O’Connell as Gabriel begins to rise off the chair.

“Anders, tie him up,” I demand.

“With pleasure, Boss.”

It’s only now that I realise that he’s been addressing me as Boss.

He pistol whips O’Connell across his face causing him to lose his balance and grunt in pain.

Grabbing his collar, stopping him from falling completely he drags him over to the chair and ties him up.

Grabbing his chin, he lifts his head and goes to place the tape over his mouth.

It’s only now that I lower my gun.

“You can leave that off, I’d like to hear him scream.”

My words getting O’Connell’s attention.

“Fuck you,”

he spits out, blood spraying out with his words.

I smile menacingly at him.

Gabriel is now standing next to me.

I turn looking at him still smiling which he returns.

I walk over to the table and find a knife similar to a hunting one.

Picking it up, I hold it up showing Gabriel.

“Want to play Baby?”

I ask him.

He huffs out a sigh with a smile.

“I would love to.”

His response igniting a feeling I have never had before rush over me.

A feeling of pure power and control.

“Anders, David, thank you for your assistance.

We will be out shortly. Maybe.”

Gabriel informs them.

“Boss,”

they both respond at the same time as they turn and leave the room, pulling the door closed but leaving it slightly ajar as they go.

I walk over to Gabriel passing him the knife.

“Do it slowly,”

I laugh the words out thinking of the first time I saw him take someone’s life.

“But let’s not kill him straight away.”

He pulls me close to him, his arm wrapping around my lower back, kissing me passionately he takes control of me, and I follow naturally, I’m still holding the gun and he the knife.

“Are you fucking kidding me.”

O’Connell screams out.

Gabriel stops the kiss and lifts my chin with the tip of the knife, smiling.

“My little Diavola, you’ve travelled to the depths of hell with me, gracefully.

I will slice every inch of skin off this peace of shit so that you can hear him scream until your heart is content.

If you would like to play too, pick your toy of choice.”

He leans back in kissing me softly before I walk over to the table examining what ‘toys’ are available and make my choice.