Fractured (Dividing Line #4) (24 page)

Rachel nodded. “Yes, unfortunately I do.” She was shaking badly and her heart was racing. After everything she’d been through that had been the single most terrifying moment of her life. “Where’s Nick?”

“I don’t know,” rasped Beth, a tear sliding down her face. “We went to Plymouth, that’s where Alex found us. He went out for supplies and never came back.”

“No talking,” snapped Gus.

It was a relief to Rachel when anger coursed through her and the shaking subsided. “You don’t get to speak to us you piece of shit.”

“What did you say?” he said, advancing on her.

“Move back boys,” Rachel told them.

They obeyed, their eyes locked on Gus, ready to defend her should the need arise.

Beth was heartened when Rachel got to her feet and squared up to Gus. She’d been afraid Alex had pushed her beyond breaking point but now she was the old Rachel, her eyes jet black and Gus didn’t have a clue what he was dealing with.

“Sit down you silly cow before you get…”

He didn’t get to finish the sentence because Rachel’s forehead slammed into the bridge of his nose and he went down, out cold.

“Alfie, find his phone,” she whispered.

Almost gleefully the boy searched his jacket pockets and produced a mobile phone. Rachel tried to calm herself and remember Mikey’s phone number. She couldn’t call Ryan’s mobile, it had been lost in the fire. Finally it came to her and she recited the number so Alfie could type it in then he held it to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Mikey, it’s me.”

“Oh Rachel, thank God. Are you alright?”

Before she could reply she heard someone shout
give me that
then Ryan’s voice came on the line. “Rachel?”

“It’s me.”

“Christ it’s good to hear your voice Babe. Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m okay. I’m in Manchester in some shitty run-down house.” She looked to Beth. “Do you know where we are?”

“Somewhere in Moss Side.”

“I heard that,” said Ryan. “We’re still an hour away.”

“Beth’s here with the kids. They’re okay too but we don’t know where Nick is. I think Alex is getting ready to move us.”

“Can you keep hold of this phone? We can try and track the signal.”

“I can leave it switched on but I’ve got to put it back in Gus’s pocket, he’ll come round any minute.”

“That’s my girl. Just hang in there, we’re on our way.”

“I think he’s going to separate me from Beth and the kids.” She thought over what Alex had almost done and feared what he had planned for her next. She struggled not to reveal her fears to Ryan, it would only drive him crazy and she needed him focused. “I’ve got to go, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Swallowing back her tears she nodded at Alfie, who hung up. “Put it back exactly where you found it.”

He slipped it back into Gus’s inner jacket pocket and looked up to her for approval.

“You two are such clever boys,” she told them fondly. She was distracted by a groan from Gus. “Quick, he’s coming round. Beth, make a grab for his gun.”

Eagerly she leapt up and knelt by his side. The weapon was tucked into the waistband of his trousers.

“Don’t actually take it,” she told Beth.

“Why not?”

“Even with a gun we couldn’t get past them out there and one of us might end up getting hurt. This way he doesn’t know we used his phone and it stays switched on so Ryan can track us.”

Beth’s eyes filled with fire as she roughly shoved Gus onto his side. Before she could grab the weapon he finally came round and jumped up, drawing the gun. “All of you sit down,” he yelled, swaying slightly.

Alex burst in. “What the fuck is going on now?”

“She head-butted me,” he replied, nodding at Rachel.

“Is that all? At least she didn’t knock you out.”

Gus appeared to be on the verge of confessing then decided it wouldn’t be wise, to Rachel’s relief.

“You’re coming with us,” Alex told Rachel.

“Are we going too?” said Beth.

“No.” He pulled Rachel to the door. “Let’s go.”

“No,” said Beth, pulling her friend back. “She’s staying with us.”

“Let go you daft cow.”

Rachel grimaced as she was pulled one way then the other, Alex’s fingers digging painfully into her arm.

“You’re not taking her,” said Alfie, wrapping his arms around Rachel’s waist while Archie pulled at her leg.

“Get off,” roared Alex, pushing the boys away and pulling her to him. Beth threw her arms around Rachel’s neck. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” she managed to call as she was carried out to the car by Alex, straining to keep Beth and the kids in her line of sight. Another group of faces she loved that she’d probably never see again.

CHAPTER 27

They didn’t drive far thank God because at least that meant she was still in the city. Gus was driving so Ryan could still track her. Col had stayed behind with Beth.

The area they stopped in was affluent so she was confused when they pulled down a quiet alley and she was taken through the back door of a building she’d never seen before. Rachel was surprised by the interior; it looked nice, classy even with wood panels, thick carpet and expensive décor. The corridor was long with lots of rooms leading off it. Was it a hotel?

They entered one of the rooms, which was sumptuously decorated with a king-size bed, wardrobe and its own private bathroom with a big hot tub.

When she was tossed onto the bed she was afraid he was going to continue where he’d left off, but he just glared down at her.

“Where am I?” she said.

“A special little place of mine that not even Mikey knows about. No one does so they’ll never find you.”

“And what happens here?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” The door opened and a tall redhead entered the room. She was very beautiful but her face was hard and cold, detracting from her beauty.

“Who’s she, your bit on the side?” said Rachel.

“Danielle works for me, that’s all. She’ll prepare you.”

“For what?”

“You’ll see. A slag like you will probably enjoy it.”

“What are you talking about? What goes on here?”

Alex called in two gorillas in suits, who were obviously the building’s security. They held her down while the tape was cut from her hands. The moment she was free she fought but she was no match for them and they cuffed her hands to the bed frame. Rachel watched as they hung the keys on a hook over the bed. Then they left but Alex stayed behind to watch as Danielle produced a pair of scissors and cut her clothes from her, leaving her in only her underwear and stockings. Rachel was no longer in any doubt as to what this place was. She was in a high class brothel.

Danielle nodded at her approvingly. “She is beautiful, she will be popular, especially with these,” she said, her fingertips brushing her stocking tops. “She will bring in much money.”

“What’s that accent?” said Rachel, struggling against the cuffs, rage building up inside her. “Polish? Russian? I bet you’re not here legally. What are you running Alex, a human trafficking operation?” Her eyebrows went up when he didn’t reply. “Oh I’m right. You already said Mikey doesn’t know about it, which probably means Frankie doesn’t either. He’s going to chop you up into tiny pieces for this. You too, bitch,” she scowled at Danielle, who recoiled from the anger in her black eyes.

“Say what you like Rach but I’m not the one cuffed to a bed.” Alex pulled open the wardrobe door to reveal an array of horrific implements. “Danielle, send in Sheridan first, really throw Rachel in at the deep end. Then send in Marcus after, he likes them beat up.” He leaned over her, running his hand over her breasts and down her stomach, ending between her thighs. His grip tightened and she grimaced. “You will be completely broken before I eventually kill you.”

“And Ryan will kill you.”

“How’s he going to do that? He’s just a legitimate businessman now, he doesn’t have the power he used to. He will lose and I will kill him too.”

“No power? Remember what his brother did to you on his own? Imagine what they’ll be capable of together.”

“He doesn’t have a fucking clue where you are but don’t worry, I’ll make sure he finds your body, what’s left of it anyway. When he’s a broken man I’ll finish him. Then I might bring Leah to live with me.”

“She hates you, just like your own sons.”

His eyes lit up with rage and his hands went around her throat and started to squeeze. Her legs kicked and thrashed but he refused to let go.

“Sheridan likes to do that to them. They will be disappointed if someone has got there first,” said Danielle coolly.

Alex released Rachel and straightened up. “You’re right. You’ll only die Rachel once you’ve made me a nice pile of money.” With that he left, slamming the door shut behind him.

Katia was waiting for him in the corridor.

“That bitch makes me fucking furious,” he seethed.

She hugged him and he kissed her hard.

“Soon she will be gone and she won’t bother you again,” soothed Katia. “Do you want me to see to her?”

“No, let Danielle do it. I don’t want her seeing your face, just in case things go wrong. I don’t want her to be able to identify you.”

“It won’t go wrong.”

“Don’t underestimate her. I hate to say it but she’s very smart and her husband is resourceful.”

“You think she will try to escape?”

“Yes, if given the chance and if she identifies you to Ryan he will kill you, it won’t matter to him that you’re a woman. When it comes to Rachel he’s completely ruthless and I’m not risking losing either of you,” he said, pressing his hand to her abdomen.

Katia kissed him again, practically purring with pleasure.

“I’ve got to go, I need to deal with Beth and the kids.”

“What are you going to do with her?”

“I’m taking them all home.”

Katia was furious. “What? You said you were going to get rid of her.”

“I can’t yet, my boys are pissed off enough with me as it is.”

She pouted and folded her arms.

“Don’t be like that,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. “It’s only until I get my boys back. That bitch in there did a good job of turning them against me. When I’ve got their trust back Beth will have a car accident or suffer a mystery illness then we can be together.”

“You really mean that?”

“Yes, I swear. I want you and all my children together.”

She beamed up at him. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Now remember, don’t go near Rachel. Send in the girls who don’t speak English to deal with her because she will try to convince them to help her escape and no one kills her but me, don’t let Sheridan get carried away. Is the camera set up?”

“Yes, it’s hidden, no one will see it.”

“Good because I want to see her get what she deserves.”

Neither of them realised an appalled Stephen Strang was listening from the next room.

DCI Taylor returned to the police station, stormed through the line of officers wanting to speak to him and strode into his office, slamming the door shut behind him. The pride and exhilaration he’d experienced after standing up to Alex Maguire had quickly evaporated to be replaced by real fear. What would he do to him now? Alex was a man not to be crossed and who had never made an idle threat in his life. Taylor had the sneaking suspicion his position wouldn’t protect him from the wrath of such a mental case.

He slumped into the chair behind his desk and took out a bottle of scotch and a glass from the bottom drawer. He knocked back a shot of Glenfiddich, which soothed his nerves a little. He hated himself for getting into such unmanageable debt, for losing his family, for succumbing to Alex’s demands. He also hated himself for being such a cliché; a divorced, hard-drinking bent copper.

“What an arshole,” he sighed, not really knowing whether he was talking about Alex Maguire or himself. How had his life come to this? To make matters worse, he hadn’t the first clue how to make it better. Briefly thoughts of eliminating Alex once and for all entered his head but he hastily pushed the idea away, recalling Superintendent Benton’s spectacular fall from grace, leading to him committing suicide in prison. No one had swallowed that verdict, they all knew he’d been murdered on the say-so of either Alex Maguire or Ryan Law. As there had been no proof they’d been forced to pronounce a verdict of suicide. If he did take the law into his own hands the only thing he could expect was the same fate as Benton. He had to be smarter but if he brought Alex down the legal way he’d make sure his payments to Taylor came to light, there was no doubt about it. There was no way Alex would go quietly. No, he had to find a middle road where Alex wouldn’t be arrested and be free to reveal his dark secret but where he was permanently neutralised. It would be best for everyone if Alex was assassinated by his own kind. Somehow he had to incite Alex’s death. The way Alex was going it was bound to happen anyway but Taylor preferred it to be sooner rather than later.

Taylor downed another shot of scotch before shoving the bottle and glass back into the drawer and stuffing half a packet of mints into his mouth. There was currently an ongoing investigation into the activities of the Lucifer’s Shadow MC, which were becoming a real pain in the city’s collective arse, especially their feud with the Angel’s Wrath MC. A group of his colleagues had been looking closely into Lucifer’s Shadow’s dealings and had been dismayed to find out that they’d recently started doing business with the Maguires. They couldn’t understand why such a powerful organised family would have anything to do with that bunch of morons. Angel’s Wrath would have been a much more logical choice because Dane Black, despite his theatrics, was a very astute businessman. They’d come up with two theories; either Alex had opened up another drug distribution line through Lucifer’s Shadow - but Taylor couldn’t see why he’d need their help - or they were just hired muscle and something big was coming. Alex was making sure he had plenty of back-up because he felt threatened. None of the other firms he was aware of had the power or the balls to take him on, which meant the threat was coming from the inside, either Mikey Maguire or Jez Law. His money was on Jez, there was a long history of antagonism between the Laws and the Maguires, in fact every officer in Manchester was amazed their truce had lasted as long as it had. Rachel’s marriage to Ryan had cemented the alliance but now they were in Devon things had changed. Taylor himself had seen how deranged Alex had become so he could imagine what a nightmare he must be to work with. What if Mikey was sick of bearing the brunt of it? Alex’s wife had obviously had a gutful because she’d done one. With a bit of luck Taylor hoped he wouldn’t be very high on Alex’s list of priorities. Still, he couldn’t afford to be complacent, not when he was dealing with such a formidable opponent. He’d keep a close eye on the activities of Alex Maguire and all his known associates and choose his moment - and his ally - carefully. The king had to die.

Riley hung up his phone and sighed. “My friend can’t track that phone, it’s untraceable.”

“Oh hell,” sighed Ryan, struggling to keep the fog of panic at bay. “Rachel said she was in Moss Side.”

“She said she thought she was in Moss Side,” corrected Jez.

“It’s all we’ve got, we have to go with it,” snapped Ryan. “She also said she was in a house. What properties does Alex own there?”

“He’s got houses all over the place,” said Mikey, “but I’m not aware of any in Moss Side.”

“Get onto your contacts. If it’s part of his legitimate business it’ll be in his own name,” Ryan told them, punching numbers into his new phone. He might have been out of Manchester for a while but he still had his contacts.

They drove around the Moss Side area hoping to see something or someone that could give them a clue as to where Rachel was being held while they made their calls, none of which helped.

Eventually Ryan could stand it no more. He ordered Mikey to stop the car then leapt out and proceeded to kick the crap out of a wheelie bin. The owner came out of his house to object then swiftly changed his mind and went back inside when he saw the look on Ryan’s face.

“Ryan cool it, this isn’t helping Rachel,” Jez told him.

“Where is she? We can’t find her,” he bellowed, snatching up a glass bottle that had fallen out of the bin and hurling it down the street where it smashed against a wall. After everything they’d been through with the Jordans this seemed so unfair and he couldn’t stand it.

“Jesus, calm down or you’ll get yourself arrested, then how will you find her?” Jez took his brother by the shoulders and shook him. “Get it together, she needs you.”

Riley leaned against the car watching, understanding exactly how Ryan felt. He’d been there himself and he knew no amount of talking would help. The only thing that would make Ryan feel better was his wife back in his arms. He winced as he recalled how Zoe looked when Jasper White had finished with her and prayed Rachel didn’t end up the same way.

Inside the car Mikey’s phone rang and he answered but Riley ignored him. Ryan was starting to calm down but the anguish was still there in his eyes. Riley knew he couldn’t think or even breathe for the fear; fear that he’d fail her and that she’d pay with her life, fear that she was already dead. It was suffocating and it was the enemy, dulling your faculties and stopping you from thinking clearly. He winced and rubbed his shoulder. Escaping from the fire hadn’t done his gunshot wound any favours but he liked the physical pain, it temporarily dulled the emotional pain.

“I’ve got it,” yelled Mikey, leaping out of the car. “Stephen Strang’s called, he knows where Rachel is.”

Ryan snatched the handset from Mikey and pressed it to his ear. “Stephen, it’s Ryan.”

“It’s too late, he’s hung up,” said Mikey, taking his phone back. “I know the address he gave me, we have to go now.”

They jumped back in Mikey’s car, Ryan taking the front seat, leaving Jez to sit in the back with Riley. They regarded each other with dislike before turning their attention to the conversation going on up front.