Breaking the Circle (25 page)

‘Maya?’

Maya checked to see if Sonja was within hearing. ‘Yes.’

‘I am sorry,’ Kay whispered. She pulled away, grasping at Maya’s hands. ‘You are a kind friend. I do not repay you well.’

‘Don’t worry. It’s OK,’ Maya said.

‘No, it is not OK. You come to the club, you want to help me, try and get me safe.’ Her voice broke. ‘I was stupid.’ She swallowed and spoke more loudly as she struggled
to get her words out. ‘But I tell Zac, run, go! That was good, yes?’

‘Very good,’ Maya said. ‘But shush. Sonja’s coming.’

And, with a heavy heart, Maya put her arm around Kay’s shoulder and started to walk her towards the warehouse.

Just before Sonja caught up with them, Kay stopped. ‘If they kill me,’ she whispered. ‘Take me home, take me back to Kosovo.’

A deep shiver ran through Maya. ‘Nobody is going to kill you,’ she said. ‘I won’t let them.’

Then she saw that Sonja had a gun.

* * *

The wide warehouse doors were closed and bolted. Sonja knocked on the inset door and, when it opened, she pushed Kay and Maya inside. Most of the floor space was taken up by
the tulip van, so they had to skirt round it. Sonja ushered them to the left hand side, where Stefan and Ginger stood talking to one of the men from Amsterdam.

‘Sit her down there and wait,’ Sonja told Maya, gesturing with the gun to an old sofa pushed up against the wall. ‘Just keep her quiet till they’ve finished their
business.’

Obediently, Maya guided Kay down onto the sofa and sat beside her. She watched as Stefan placed a bag on a work bench and inched closer to the edge of the sofa so she could hear what he was
saying.

‘Two thousand to get rid of the two of them.’

‘And one for the body,’ the Dutch man said. ‘Three thousand euro and it’s a deal.’

‘Done,’ Stefan agreed, shaking the man’s hand.

‘What about the new girls?’ Ginger asked.

‘They’re in the van. We leave them where they are until we’ve sorted the money,’ the Dutch man said. ‘Come on, let’s move it.’

Stefan nodded and pushed the bag towards the Dutch guy, who unzipped the top and lifted out a wad of notes. When he set about counting the money, Maya put her arms round Kay and held her
tightly.

With growing fear, she watched the men; if Simon hadn’t understood her message, if the police weren’t in place, could she just watch as Kay was driven away?

As far as the gang were concerned, everything was going to plan. At the back of the tulip van, boxes were being ripped apart. Terry and his men were extracting the drugs from the false bottoms
and placing them in new containers. Stefan walked over to them and began checking the drugs, cutting open a few random packets and tasting the powder on his tongue.

‘Good stuff?’ one of the Dutch men shouted.

‘So far,’ Stefan replied.

Maya heard the men talking in Dutch. One of them picked up the bag containing the money and went over to Stefan and his gang.

‘We have to go,’ the Dutch boss said. ‘We’ll unload the girls and get out of here.’

Every muscle in Maya’s body tensed. She couldn’t let this happen. She put her arms in front of Kay and leaned her body protectively in front of her.

‘Don’t,’ Kay whispered, putting a hand on Maya’s arm. ‘Do not upset them.’

Maya turned and looked into Kay’s golden eyes. ‘I can’t let you. . .’ Maya started to say, but a voice from the back of the warehouse cut across her.

‘Police! Drop your weapons.’

For a split second everybody froze, then Stefan and Ginger dodged behind a pile of boxes and started firing towards the dark shadows on the top of the stairs. One of the Omega gang crawled
forward, using a piece of metal as a shield, but he was picked off, rolling over and clutching at his shoulder. A bullet ricocheted off a brick pillar near the sofa and Maya slid to the ground,
pulling Kay down with her.

‘Drop your weapons!’ the police order came again.

‘Under there,’ Maya whispered to Kay, pointing to the tulip van. ‘Now!’

She tugged at Kay’s dress and squirmed forwards. A bullet cracked the air. Instinctively, Maya dived under the van, wriggling sideways to make room for Kay. But Kay didn’t join her.
When Maya turned to look, she saw her lying on the floor a few metres away, holding a bloody shoulder.

Desperate to get to her and haul her to safety, Maya started to crawl out from under the van, but a sudden flash of movement stopped her. A barrage of shots rent the air. Ginger was running
towards the van, shooting at the police and they were replying. Chips of concrete and brick flew, a bullet smashed the exhaust pipe near Maya’s head. Gasping and choking, she rolled back,
taking cover again underneath the chassis.

As she lay shaking with fear, she glimpsed Ginger’s feet running along the side of the van. Above her, the chassis shook, the engine started. More shots came from the police, one of the
back tyres burst. The engine throbbed louder.

He can’t go anywhere, Maya thought, the warehouse doors are shut.

But, above her, the engine revved.

A terrified Maya sucked in her breath as the undercarriage scraped her head. Her nose was filled with fumes, her mouth full of dirt and her wig torn off. The van crashed forwards, splintering
the doors, and Maya was left exposed in the middle of the floor, her dark hair tumbling around her shoulders.

Bullets zinged over her head towards the fleeing van. In a desperate act, Maya raised her arm.

‘Don’t shoot,’ she shouted. ‘I’m Maya Brown.’

The police stopped shooting. In the brief pause, Stefan stared out over the workbench. His eyes widened when he saw Maya, then he raised his gun.

Her reactions were like lighting – in one fluid movement she sprang up and ran for cover, dodging behind a brick pillar. A couple of shots from Stefan hit the brickwork, throwing up a
cloud of dust. As she crouched, coughing and trembling, she heard a loud bang outside and, peering through the splintered doors, she saw the tulip van had crashed into iron bollards on the side of
the canal. Ginger lay slumped over the steering wheel, the windscreen had been smashed by bullets and was spattered with blood.

Maya’s heart lurched with pity as she thought of Annika and the girls trapped in the back of the van. They’d be terrified. But the person who needed her help most was Kay. She was
still lying on the floor, blood soaking the ground underneath her. It would only take a few seconds to reach her, but she knew Stefan, behind the workbench, would be ready to shoot as soon as she
moved.

I have to risk it, Maya thought. Kay needs help urgently.

She was contemplating shouting and asking the police for cover, when somebody else had exactly the same idea.

‘Cover me,’ Stefan yelled to his men.

Then, rattling off a couple of shots towards the back of the warehouse, he dodged out from behind the workbench, stooped down and hauled Kay to her feet.

‘I’ve got the girl!’ he shouted. ‘Don’t shoot!’

Maya could only watch helplessly while Stefan backed out of the warehouse, using Kay’s body as a shield. Kay was like a rag doll in his arms, her chest and shoulders covered with blood.
Slowly and cautiously, Stefan started to move towards his car, but the police were ready for any getaway attempt. Armed officers began to crawl into position, training their guns on him.

Sensing the danger, Stefan changed direction. One of his gang dodged out of the open door, rattled off some shots towards the police guns, then fell back. It was enough distraction for Stefan to
reach the tulip van. Walking backwards, he dragged Kay to the van and wedged her behind the van door, while he pushed Ginger to one side. Then he hoisted Kay up and held her in front of him while
he started the engine.

More shots blasted towards the police from his gang. Maya saw Kay pressed up against the window screen like a crazy mascot. In a raging fury, she shot forward as Stefan drove off. He was heading
away from the police down the opposite end of the towpath.

‘I’m Maya Brown, Maya Brown,’ she screamed as she rocketed forwards. ‘Don’t shoot!’

Keeping her head low, she ran to Stefan’s car, opened the door, started the engine, accelerated hard and set off after the tulip van.

Stepping on the gas, she pushed the car to its limit. This end of the towpath was stony, and the car bounced and bumped over rough ground. She desperately tried to keep it on track and then
ahead of her she saw the tulip van veering wildly. It was tilting to one side; the punctured tyres were deflating rapidly. As she got closer, she heard a horrible grinding noise and the van slowed,
slewing towards the canal.

It hit a pile of gravel, skidded sideways and came to a halt with one back wheel over the canal side. The doors opened and Stefan jumped out, pulling Kay with him.

Maya screeched to a halt, opened the car door and started to run after them, but a crack of gunshot had her running for cover. She zig-zagged towards a half-demolished building. At the same
time, a police car came racing down the towpath behind her.

Stefan fired two more warning shots, then took cover behind some trees at the water’s edge.

‘Stay back,’ he shouted. ‘Or the girl goes in the water.’

Maya heard a rustling noise behind her and turned to see two police marksmen climbing over a low fence. They were moving towards her to take shelter in the old building. From behind the pile of
wood and rusty iron girders, the cops shouted to Stefan, asking him to throw down his weapon.

‘You’re surrounded. You cannot escape!’

Then there was silence. The air shimmered with tension. Glancing behind her, Maya saw another police marksman sliding towards her hiding place, his rifle at the ready. At the other side of the
canal, she spotted two officers inching closer. Stefan saw the danger and pulled Kay flat to his body.

A click came from a gun close to Maya.

‘Don’t,’ she whispered. ‘Please don’t. You might hit Kay.’

Stefan moved to the water’s edge, dangling Kay over the canal. ‘Come any closer and I’ll shove her in.’

It was a desperate attempt and Stefan knew it. There was no way out for him. He sent two shots towards Maya’s hiding place. Wood and plaster exploded. Maya dodged down, her heart
hammering. When she dared to raise her head again Stefan yelled something she couldn’t catch and then he stepped forward and heaved Kay into the water.

Desperate now, he ran straight for the building, firing shots in all directions. Maya crawled round a pile of shattered wood, heard the police shooting back, then stood up and raced to the canal
side. With one swift movement, she leapt and dived in.

The water was icy and thick with weeds. She took a deep breath and swam down. It was difficult to see through the murky water, but she spread her arms, feeling through clinging fronds. Her
fingers grasped a waving arm. Kay was rising to the surface. Maya pulled her upwards and then caught her gently round the neck, raising her head above the water. Kay coughed feebly while Maya
pulled her to the side. Kay’s mouth flapped open and she gasped and choked.

At this point on the canal there was no bank; the sides dropped down sheer and there was nothing to grab hold of. Maya gulped in a big mouthful of air and shouted. Her eyes scanned upwards,
hoping for some help, but all she saw was sky. Holding Kay’s limp body, it was hard to keep afloat and it was deathly cold – her hands and legs were going numb. She tried to wedge
herself against the side, but it was too slippery and she went under. Fighting to surface again, there was a splash beside her and suddenly an extra pair of hands supported Kay’s body.

‘It’s all right. I’ve got her,’ a man’s voice said.

Maya felt the weight of Kay float away from her. She was vaguely aware of other help arriving and she clung onto a rope that hauled her up onto the canal side.

She staggered to her knees, shivering and shaking, and saw Kay laid out on the towpath, her face deathly white. One of the uniformed men started CPR and Kay coughed and choked, spewing up canal
water. Then she went rigid.

‘She’s in shock. Where’s the ruddy ambulance?’ one of the uniformed men shouted.

Maya threw her body over Kay’s, rubbing her hands over her skin, trying to get some warmth into her. With a flood of relief, she heard, then saw, an ambulance coming towards them and in
moments paramedics were by their sides, wrapping them in foil blankets. Practised hands tended to Kay, while Maya sat on the path, the warmth beginning to seep back into her limbs.

‘Stefan, did he get away?’ she asked one of the cops.

‘Not likely,’ he replied, pointing.

She stood up and saw Stefan, sitting holding a bloody leg. His shiny suit trousers were torn and bloodstained and he was rocking backwards and forwards, groaning in pain and cursing everybody
around him.

When Kay was being loaded into the ambulance, one of the paramedics asked Maya to ride with them.

‘You should come with her,’ the woman said. ‘You need to be checked over.’

Maya shook her head and went to Kay’s side.

‘I can’t come with you, not now,’ she said. ‘But I’ll come as soon as I can. Promise.’ She looked back up the canal side to the tulip van. ‘The girls
are in there. They’ll be so frightened. I have to see if they’re all right.’