31 Days of Autumn (35 page)

‘Mrs. Davenport?’ he enquired hopefully. I
shook my head and he grimaced. ‘Christ, James, are you ok?’

‘I’ve had better weeks,’ James replied. ‘I need
to apologise to you, Dean. I’m so s…’

‘Mrs. Davenport’s still in danger, she takes
priority over everything else right now,’ interrupted Andy. ‘Roberts, for
Christ’s sake, get James some pain relief and get him patched up before he
passes out. I need every last scrap of intel from him if we stand a chance of
finding her out here.’ He beckoned the majority of the team inside, leaving
some to watch the perimeter.

‘My fault, but I’m ready now,’ called James,
brandishing something in the air with a triumphant look on his face. ‘Oliver,
I’ve got what I promised.’

‘Sausages?’ Oliver asked, lifting his head from
my chest, a small smile spreading across his dirty face.

‘Sausages,’ James grinned back. ‘But I’m not
sure I’m in a fit state to cook them for you. How about you ask your dad?’

‘Let's get you cleaned up first, young man,
then I’ll do you a sausage sandwich, ok?’ I suggested, in desperate need of
something to distract me from the thought of Ellie right now.

‘Yes, please. I’m thirsty, too.’

‘I’m sure we can get you some water,’ I nodded,
heading over to the kitchen. I stopped and looked down at James, clutching the
pack of twelve Irish Richmond Sausages, looking like he’d just won the lottery.
The poor guy was a complete wreck, but all he was thinking about was making my
son happy. In an instant, I let go of my anger at him for leaving Ellie behind.
This mess wasn’t his fault, he’d put his life on the line to protect my son. He’d
never have left her unless he had no other choice.  ‘Make sure you fix him, I
want him back as good as new,’ I ordered the guy who was setting aside an
assortment of creams and bandages from his medical kit. ‘He’s important to me,
he’s a hero because he just saved my son’s life. Thank you, James. I’m not in
the right frame of mind right now to form the words that will express just how
grateful I am to you. Is there anything I can do to help right now?’

‘Other than letting my wife know I’m alive, if
not well, you can get cooking. Oliver and I haven’t eaten for nearly twenty-four
hours and I’ve had quite the work out for an old man.’

I smiled as I took the pack off him and got
Oliver some water, which he guzzled down. I was shown to the bathroom and stripped
Oliver, then put him in the empty bath. I used the shower head attached to the
taps to wash his hair and get all of the grime off his skin. I checked him
over, making sure he wasn’t bruised or injured in any way, but he told me that
he wasn’t hurt, just hungry. He started crying again when he told me that Ellie
was hurt and that he missed her and wanted me to make her better. I wrapped him
in a towel and hugged him again. It was so good to finally have my arms around
him, but I wouldn’t be truly happy until I had my arms around Ellie, too. Andy
had acted fast when he’d received the call to say that Oliver’s tracker had
come online. He’d managed to pack a bag with some of Oliver’s and Ellie’s
clothes, so I dressed him in his black jeans and a warm, cream cable jumper. He
looked like Oliver Davenport again, instead of a homeless street urchin. I took
him back to the kitchen to make his sandwich and listen to what Andy and the
team had planned for us to get Ellie back.

I reminded them that the deadline for my final
payment was at ten a.m., which was approaching fast. Every single man in this
small cottage agreed with Andy when he told me that I wasn’t to pay a penny.
Their logic was that if Ellie was still alive, the minute they had the rest of
the money, she’d be of no further use to them anyway. By not paying, if they
were greedy enough to want more than the amount I’d already paid, they’d likely
carry out their threat to inflict pain on her until I paid up. The thought of
her suffering like that was agonising, but I knew in my heart that they were
right. Whatever decision I made, I was playing Russian roulette with her life.
Even if her captors tortured her, and offered another deadline, it could buy us
enough time to get to her and save her. The question was whether she’d ever
forgive me for letting it happen and not allowing her to die a quick death,
like poor Jenny had. Right now, I couldn’t think of Ellie. I could be making
decisions based on what she’d want, when she wasn’t even alive anyway. If I
lost her, I’d have to live with that for the rest of my life. I had to be
selfish and think about how that would affect me, and in turn our children,
because I wasn’t ever going to get over her and they’d have to live with my
grief just as much as I would. I had to know that I’d done everything I could
to give her the best chance of survival as I tried to save her. It didn’t stop me
throwing up as the deadline came and went and I sat back and did nothing.

Now it was time to make a decision. James had
told us that we had a good day’s hike ahead of us to get to Ellie’s location.
Based on his observations that there had been five men for the initial
abduction, one who had remained in the back of the van, then only four who had
tended to them in the bunker, a best case was that only two men stood between
us and Ellie, a worst case … we had absolutely no idea. There was a clearing
around the cottage, large enough for a skilled pilot to set down, but we
couldn’t risk alerting them to our presence. My dilemma was that James needed
urgent hospital care if he wasn’t going to lose his leg. Roberts had done his
best, breaking one of the wooden dining chairs to use the legs as makeshift
splints, but James would need it operated on as a matter of urgency. They’d
made a stretcher out of a metal framed single bed and the wooden slats, and
some of the team were ready to take him back to the two waiting helicopters.

 James had confirmed that Charlie, the man he’d
fought and Andy had killed, was the one who’d shot Jenny. So Andy told Dean
that he had no more reason to be here and needed to take James, Oliver, and I
back to London immediately. Dean argued, saying regardless of Charlie pulling
the trigger, this Alfa was the one in charge and he was equally culpable. He
wanted to see him captured, or killed, and to see where Jenny had died. I was
completely torn. Half of me didn’t want to let Oliver out of my sight again,
half of me needed to be there when we found Ellie, dead or alive. Bringing
Oliver along on a rescue mission wasn’t an option. He’d be better back home,
with his brother and sister and people he loved. He’d feel safer. Andy, Dean,
and I started shouting over each other, unable to agree what to do.

‘Shut the hell up,’ bellowed James
uncharacteristically. ‘You’re like bickering teenagers. You’re grown men, act
like it. I made a promise to Mrs. Davenport that I’d go back for her and I
can’t fulfil that, which makes me angrier than you could ever imagine. I had
two women under my care and I’ve failed both of them. I need you all to man up
and work together. She
needs
you. Every second you argue, you’re putting
her in more danger, me too. If I die from a broken leg because you couldn’t
agree on a plan and get me to the hospital fast enough, I’ll come back from the
afterlife to kick your arses every bloody day until you join me there.’

‘Well said, Smithy,’ Roberts nodded. ‘We need
to move him now.’

‘
I’m
making a decision for you all,’
James said forcefully. ‘Mr. Davenport is going to move forward on foot with most
of the team to find his wife. You have two guys protecting the helicopters
where you landed, right Andy?’

‘Yes,’ Andy confirmed.

‘Ok, then Dean can carry Oliver, while Davison
and Richards carry me on the stretcher you made. Davison can fly Oliver and I
back to London in the smaller helicopter. Dean, as the most skilled pilot, can
wait with your two guys for a signal to extract you all from that small
clearing when you have Mrs. Davenport. I
will not
accept any deviation from
this plan. So grab your gear and get moving.’

‘You heard the man,’ Andy agreed. ‘We’re going
around in circles, let’s move out.’

‘Thank God,’ I uttered, relieved that we were
finally ready to go. I reached out and grabbed James’s good hand, shaking it
with a nod of gratitude, then went to pick up Oliver, who was watching
television, dwarfed by the leather armchair he was curled up in. ‘Daddy’s going
to find Mummy for you, Ollie. Dean’s going to take you back to a helicopter and
Davison here will fly you and Uncle James home, ok?’

‘I want to come with you, Daddy,’ he moaned. ‘I
want to see Mummy.’

‘I know you do,’ I sighed, my heart breaking to
leave him. ‘But Jonas and Eva are waiting for you at home. I’ll be there soon,
ok?’

‘Is Jenny there? I miss her, too,’ he sighed. I
scrunched up my face and looked over at Dean. Painful as it was, Dean was an
adult, he could understand what had happened. What was I supposed to say to
Oliver?  I couldn’t lie and say she was, as he’d be upset and keep asking when
she was coming back.

‘Oliver,’ Dean said softly, dipping his head to
look Oliver in the eye. ‘Jenny couldn’t stay, she had somewhere she had to be,
but I know that she’s already missing you and if she had a choice, she’d be
waiting for you at home right now.’

‘When’s she coming back?’ Oliver asked, his
face falling. I had to look up at the ceiling for a moment. I had no idea how
Dean was holding it together right now.

‘I can’t answer that, but you know that even if
she can’t come home, you can see her anytime that you want. All you have to do
is close your eyes and picture her and she’ll be there. She loves you very much
and you know who else loves you and is waiting at home for you right now?’

‘Who?’

‘All three of your Aunties, Brooke, Molly, and
Summer, as well as Uncle Lucas, Jonas and Eva, and little Logan too,’ Dean
nodded, then looked up at me.

‘I bet even Grandma, Grandpa, and Magda will be
waiting for you too, Ollie,’ I added. ‘Don’t you want to see them all?’

‘So badly,’ he moaned.

‘Then go with Dean and James for me. I’ll be
home before you know it.’

‘Promise?’

‘I promise.’ I squeezed him tightly and kissed
him. He flung his arms around my neck and hugged me just as hard. ‘Thank you,’
I whispered, looking at Dean. He nodded and held his arms out, so I handed
Oliver over.

‘Do me a favour?’ Dean asked.

‘Anything,’ I confirmed.

‘Make sure he suffers, because I have a feeling
Andy’s not going to let me do it when I get there.’

I nodded and quickly headed out to join Andy,
as a scout moved ahead and the rest of the team fanned out. He went to say
something, but I cut him off with my finger as my phone rang an alert and I saw
I had an email from Ian.

‘For Christ’s sake, turn it off. You may as
well stampede the bunk house on a herd of elephants with a megaphone to announce
our arrival,’ Andy bit, rolling his eyes at me. I was about to turn it off when
I noticed Ian had marked it as urgent, and the subject was “Damien Daniels identified.”
I opened it to find that they’d managed to retrieve some of the photos Jess had
taken of him, that he’d had someone go to great lengths to delete from her
phone and iCloud account. I opened the attachment and waited for the photo to
download.

‘Jesus,’ I muttered as I saw his face come into
view.

‘You recognise him?’ Andy asked, frowning as we
both stared at the dark-haired guy looking back at us with a smile.

‘Yes, I know exactly who this is, but his name
isn’t Damien Daniels.’

‘You’re telling me
Ian
didn’t know this
guy was operating under a fake identity?’

‘Pretty impressive to fool him, huh?’ I nodded,
glaring at the face looking up at me from my screen, anger coursing through my
veins. If Andy didn’t get to him first, I was going to kill the arsehole
responsible for all of this suffering myself.

Friday 18
^th
September

Ellie

I’d managed to drag James’s old mattress across the
room and flip it over on top of mine. I couldn’t seem to get warm, so figured
that sandwiching myself between them should help. I reached up and touched my forehead.
It was clammy, I felt dizzy, and I knew that I had a temperature. That, and the
fact that the pain from my gunshot wound seemed to have got worse, told me that
my leg was infected. I seriously doubted Alfa or Charlie would give a shit, if
they ever came back to check on me. When I’d come around after Alfa had gassed
the room, then knocked me out, I’d found that I’d been locked back in, but, as
if he hadn’t tortured me enough, he’d left the bodies of his accomplices in here
with me. I had no idea how long I’d been left alone down here, but no one had
been to check on me, or bring me any food or water, for a very long time.

I hobbled over to use the toilet and remembered
the pocket knife I’d hidden. I lifted the seat and saw it was still there,
lying at the bottom of the dirty bowl. I didn’t really have a choice if I
wanted it, in the event that I needed to protect myself, so it seemed I was
going to have to put my hand in and pull it out. I looked back over at the
bodies that were still lying exactly where James had killed them. Delta’s
clothes were covered in his congealed blood, as was the floor around him, and I
gagged as I looked down at it, quickly averting my eyes. There was no way I
could touch him, and I seriously doubted that I’d ever be able to look at red
jelly ever again. I headed over to Bravo, dragging my leg behind me. James had
taken his jumper, but his combat trousers would do. I cursed when I realised
that rigor mortis had already set in, there was no way I had the strength, or
the stomach, to break his bones so that I could straighten his legs. Instead, I
focussed on his black long-sleeved top, using my dirty, chipped nails to claw
at the stitching on the shoulder. I shivered and avoided looking at his glassy,
staring eyes that seemed to follow me wherever I went in this claustrophobic
space.

It took me some time, but I managed to rip one
of his sleeves off and knotted the cuff to form a rough glove. When I saw he
was wearing a magnetic bracelet, I shook my head. All of that effort and he had
exactly what I needed, and it was a far more hygienic option. I pulled it off,
then stripped out a set of laces from his boot. I looked back at him as I bit
my lip. James had broken his neck, so there was no blood anywhere and he was
still wearing his balaclava. I figured I could rip that as well and make myself
a hat. I always reminded Dan to wear his in winter, as most of the body’s heat
was lost through the head. I stripped it off him, not looking at his face. I needed
him to remain a faceless mercenary for hire. I didn’t want to see what he
really looked like, that would make him real. He might have a kind face, maybe
not, but he’d look real enough to remind me that he was someone’s son, maybe
even a boyfriend, husband, or father, and that image could never be unseen
again. It was easier to distance myself from the guilt of his death if he
stayed faceless. I ripped from the eyeholes until I had a version of a tatty
beanie and put it on my head, pulling it down.

I made my way back to the toilet and tied the
shoe lace to the magnetic bracelet, then went fishing, managing to pull the
knife out without sticking my hand in the squalor. I used the glove I’d made to
hold it as I went to clean it under the tap. I cursed to find that I had no
water. I tried the other tap, just in case, but there was nothing. I just
stared at the empty sink as it dawned on me that the water supply had either
run out, or it had been deliberately turned off. Had they seriously just
barricaded me in here to die? The thought made me shudder, but oddly, I wasn’t
scared anymore. After seeing what they did to Jenny, I was oddly resigned to my
fate. Even if Dan met all of their demands, I couldn’t ever see a man like Alfa
freeing me. If Dan couldn’t find me, my death was inevitable and there wasn’t a
damn thing I could do about it. I licked my dry lips. Not only did I not have
any water now, but I’d not eaten anything since the set of sandwiches before
the ones they left when James escaped. I’d let him take my share, thinking that
they’d continue to bring me some. The battery LED lanterns that they’d left us
with were dying as well. I was now down to one and was surprised it hadn’t
already packed up, so it wasn’t going to be long before I had no light either.
I looked back at the toilet as I cleaned the knife with Bravo’s shirt sleeve. Was
I that desperate to live that I’d drink from a dirty toilet bowl? I shuddered. Right
now, however dire my fate seemed, I wasn’t desperate enough.

A light bulb went off in my head. The bowl
might be dirty, but the cistern would have fresh water inside, if you could
call it that. I folded the knife shut and tucked it down under my jumper to
nestle between my breasts, where it hopefully wouldn’t be seen or found. I then
lifted the cistern lid. If I wasn’t so dehydrated, I’d have cried. Alfa
obviously had turned off the water, then returned to flush the toilet out of
spite. I looked up at the camera to see that the chewing gum I’d stretched over
the lens had either been removed, or the camera had been replaced. As angry as
I was at the thought of them sitting in that warm dry bunkhouse watching me
suffering, assuming they hadn’t already packed up and left me here, a part of
me was grateful. The thought that Jenny and I were going to be raped had
crossed my mind on many occasions. I’d rather go out like this than to have endured
that. Thank God the toilet and sink weren’t in line of sight of the camera. If
they were still there, they’d have no idea what I’d just done. I had a pee,
grimacing to be unable to wash my hands, and from having to force myself not to
flush, then made my way back to my bed, taking the last flickering lamp with
me.

I sandwiched myself between the two mattresses,
wincing at the weight of the one on my leg. I thought I’d experienced hell when
I lost my parents, when Matt and Zac had treated me so badly, or when I was
separated from Dan. But even living like this, dying like this, was a walk in
the park compared to the pain of not knowing if Oliver was safe, or the
knowledge that I might never see my friends and family again. I didn’t want my
two babies growing up never remembering me. Oliver was so young, even he would
forget me in time. If I’d been diagnosed with a terminal disease, it would have
been bad enough, but I’d have time to enjoy my remaining days with them, to
write them letters, to do videos to be given to them on important days in their
lives. I’d be with them in spirit for their birthdays, their graduation, even
their wedding days. I’d have hugged them for longer, kissed them more, told
them that I loved them and how precious they were to me on the hour, every
hour. They’d never have had the chance to forget me. I hated that these men had
taken that away from me, from my children. That was the most crippling torture
they’d made me endure.

I put my hand down the front of my jumper,
pulling out the two lockets I was wearing. I had to look again, one last time,
before I was plunged into darkness. I opened my mum’s locket and smiled as I
looked at the picture of her and my dad and the one of Dan. I missed him so
much. I’d give anything to feel his strong arms around me right now. I just
hoped he’d seen that recording when Alfa shot me, where I’d told him that I
loved him and gave him my blessing to move on. The thought of him with someone
else was agonising, but I’d rather he have someone in his life to look after
him, and for my children to grow up with a new mother who could give them all
of the love, affection, attention, encouragement, and support that I would have
done. I kissed both photographs and snapped the locket shut, then picked up the
other. It had been one of my wedding presents from Dan. He’d had it designed to
perfectly match my mum’s, with one exception. Set into the engraved front was a
heart shaped emerald. I took a wobbly-lipped inhalation as I looked at the
pictures inside. One was of Oliver sitting on the floor, his arms around Jonas,
who was sitting between Oliver’s legs. The other was of Eva, lying on her back
looking up at the camera. All three of them were giggling. Dan had been pulling
funny faces to make them smile as the professional photographs had been taken.

‘No,’ I croaked as the light started to dim,
taking my last consolation with it.

I needed more time with them.

I needed forever with them.

‘I love you, all of you, never forget that, no
matter what.’

I was plunged into darkness, with nothing but
two corpses for company, ones I was likely to be joining very soon. If Alfa or
Charlie came for me, I decided I was going to go down fighting, using this
knife, because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Dan would be doing
everything in his power to fight for me. I owed it to him to fight just as hard
to try and keep myself alive.  But if no one came for me, at some stage I’d
have to consider whether using the knife to cut myself and bleed out would be a
more preferable and faster way to die than starving to death.

I could hear Dan’s voice. He’d found me! He was
kissing my face and telling me that he loved me, before he lifted me into his
strong arms. I whispered his name and cried as I saw a brilliant white light
rapidly approaching me. I wasn’t in Dan’s arms and I wasn’t dreaming. I was
dying. This was what heaven looked like, bright and blinding but oddly
comforting. I could even hear the sound of hundreds of angels’ wings moving
through the air. I didn’t want to give up, I didn’t want to leave all of my
loved ones behind, but I was so tired of fighting to live without hope. My
tears dried up as I accepted it was over and I suddenly felt at peace. All of
my fear melted away, all of the horror of the last week was replaced by a
feeling of comfort, of being surrounded by love. I wondered if that’s what my
parents and Jenny had seen and felt in their last moments. I liked to imagine
it was.

I smiled as I realised that I was going to get to
see them again. Soon.

Damien
Daniels

I screamed, I actually screamed like a
frightened little girl, when Alfa stormed into my bedroom, grabbed the neck of
my jumper, and dragged me into the lounge. He threw me down into a chair and
shoved my laptop at me. He’d been furious yesterday when the extra money hadn’t
turned up and had paced for hours, with me cowering in the corner wondering
what was going to happen. I’d convinced him to take the risk of waiting a final
twenty-four hours by telling him that the deadlines he’d set really hadn’t been
realistic for the amounts of money he was expecting Davenport to liquidate.
He’d locked me back in my room and had spent hours booby trapping a perimeter
around the cottage in the event that James had made it out alive and sent the
police in after us.

‘Check again,’ he barked as he stood next to
me.

‘You need to go and stand on the other side of
the room.’ I cringed as he glared at me and braced myself for a punch in the
face.

‘No, check.’

‘No,’ I retorted, my hands shaking as I stood
my ground. ‘I’ve had nothing but time to think since yesterday. I’m not totally
stupid. I sign in with you standing next to me, then you don’t need me anymore.
You have access to my bank account, which already has a guaranteed twenty
million. Seeing as though Charlie hasn’t come back, I’d say that something has
gone horribly wrong and he’s dead too. I’m sure that’s your plan for me the
minute I’m logged on. Even if Davenport hasn’t paid the remaining ransom, you’d
get to walk away with the exact share you were going to get in the first
place.’

‘Not quite as stupid as I thought you were,’ he
replied in a droll tone and started walking down to the other end of the table.