Suddenly I am afraid. I have been running around playing at being detective without any idea of what was really going on in the shadows. Jake is not the gangster. This man is. I see it in his cold, pitiless eyes.
The door. I have to get to the door. ‘I’m not listening to this,’ I say as calmly as I can manage, and getting up, head for the door. My knees are trembling so hard I am afraid I will not get to it. Almost there. I’m there… But before I can pull it open, Mills’ big palm slams down on it.
I jump like a startled cat, a scream rattling in my throat.
‘You’re not dismissed yet,’ he murmurs so close to my ear that I rear back in terror. He smiles at me and a shiver runs down my spine. There is something truly chilling and frightening about this smiling side of him. He is almost unrecognizable. I can hardly believe it is the same person. ‘Back to your seat. I’m not quite finished with you.’
He is six feet plus and sixteen stone so my racing mind decides that it is best to placate him until I can think what to do next. I sit back down and watch him, frightened to my core. He goes to the window, takes his mobile out of his belt holder and dials. While he waits for his call to be answered he keeps his eyes trained on me. I think about running to the door, but I know I won’t make it. He is too fast. Too dangerous.
‘Things have moved faster than expected,’ he says into the phone. ‘I’m going to need some help with dispatch.’ A pause. ‘No, no disposal necessary this time.’ He listens again. ‘Yes. Right now! Don’t forget to knock three times, so I know it’s you, and don’t shoot you by mistake.’ He laughs.
Oh my God! Oh my God. I am a dead woman… I have dug my own grave by doing such a good job of losing my tail. If Mills has his way, I will disappear without a trace. I think of Jake and everything he means to me…. God! He’ll never know that I love him with all my heart. Oh God! I’ve been so, so stupid. What a mess I have made of everything.
Mills ends the call.
I need to think. I’m starting to feel out of control and hysterical. My mind tries to analyze the situation. Who has he called? Robin? Or maybe Tommy Saunders?
‘Who have you just called?’ I ask.
‘That should be the least of your worries, I would have thought, Lily.’
Hearing him call me by my first name makes a wave of nausea roll into my stomach.
‘You don’t have to get rid of me. I’m off the force, anyway. Just let me go and you’ll never hear from me again. I beg of you,’ I cry. By his disgusted expression I know I sound whiny and pathetic, but I don’t want to die. I want to live, I want to be with the man I love and watch our children playing in the meadows like Jake did on beautiful spring days.
‘Don’t be pathetic, Lily. We both know that’s never going to happen. There’s too much at stake for everyone concerned.’
Helpless and frightened tears run down my face. I start wailing.
‘All right, I’ll let you go.’
I stop and stare at him. He’s playing games. ‘You’re going to let me go?’ I know it is nonsense even as I say it.
‘Yes, if you call Jake and ask him to come here now. It’s not you I want.’
A strange kind of calm washes over me. There is not a single cell in me that can be persuaded to do that. I’ll never hurt Jake. Not intentionally.
‘I’d rather die than do that.’
Mills breaks into what can only be described as demonic laughter. All the hair on my arms stand. ‘That’s funny,’ he says, getting a hold of himself. ‘I’ll just have to call him myself.’
’You don’t have his number.’
‘No, but you do.’
‘I’ll never give it to you.’
He starts walking toward me. I go rigid with fear. When he is about two feet away he reaches into his jacket, pulls out a gun and, after calmly screwing on the silencer, presses the cold metal to my cheek. I emit an involuntary cry. ‘Tell me,’ he orders. My eyes swivel sideways and I stare at him in terror.
‘Tell me or I’ll blow your brains out.’
‘No.’
He swings his hand in a wide arc and cracks the barrel of his gun across my temple. The blow sends me flying off my seat onto the floor, pain exploding in my head. I lie sprawled and stunned under the coffee table as he yanks my bag from my clenched fists. Through a haze of pain I see him search for my phone. I try to stand but he presses the heel of his shoe down on my chest and grins down at me.
Warm blood streams down my face. I start mumbling and begging him, ‘No, please. Don’t bring him here. Leave him alone.’
He walks away from me with the phone to his ear. I feel like I’m losing consciousness, but I know that I must stay awake no matter what. I must warn Jake, if it’s the last thing I do. I hear him talking, but I can’t make it out through the excruciating pain. Mills is coming back toward me.
He stands over me and calmly presses his heel into my hurt temple.
I scream.
‘Is that proof enough for you or do I have to hurt her again?’ he asks into the phone. I clench my teeth to stop myself from crying out and try to listen to Mills’ side of the conversation. ‘That’s right. Get the key from under the mat and come in. Don’t try anything funny or bring anyone else with you, or you’ll be in time to see her skull explode.’
Mills ends the call and tosses my phone away. He then walks to the drinks cabinet and pours himself another brandy. He goes back to his chair and relights his cigar. He puts his gun in his lap and his feet up on the coffee table. He has assumed the same position I found him in. I hold my throbbing temple and remember my surveillance device. If I don’t make it I need his confession on tape. Perhaps someone else will find it and put this corrupt bastard away.
‘Why?’ I ask. ‘Why are you after Jake?’
He takes another mouthful of brandy. ‘Why? Why anything, Strom? Territory… Money… Power… And a gangster I can control.’
‘A gangster you can control?’ I repeat.
He watches the smoke rising lazily from his cigar. ‘You see, Lily, the real problem here is Eden. He’s a fucking dinosaur and there’s just no place for people like him in this industry.’
He takes a puff, blows out another plume of smoke and stares at me, his eyes dark and totally devoid of emotion. ‘The people I work with can’t have large swathes of prime real estate in the hands of someone like him. By running his clubs as if they’re part of a legit business operation he’s holding back progress.
I make a small sound of disbelief. ‘You mean Jake was telling me the truth! He really isn’t a gangster?’
‘Gangster?’ Laughter erupts from his mouth. ‘He’s fucking soft in the head. With him out of the way the clubs will be run the way they should be. With the right working girls, and our own security people controlling the flow of drugs there’s a fortune to be made.’ He shrugs. ‘I had a different timeline for our takeover, but with all your meddling and interfering you’ve pushed it forward. After today we’ll have it all.’
‘Just how do you plan to get away with this? You can’t simply make Jake and me disappear. There’ll be CCTV images of me and Jake coming here and questions that will eventually lead to you.’
Mills shakes his head. ‘My dear naive Lily. It will be my team and me who will be investigating. It’s really terribly simple and straightforward. Obviously, you discovered evidence of drug dealing. You came here to pass the information to me. Unknown to you your criminal husband followed you here. A gun battle ensued between him, my associate and me. Eden died. Unfortunately, Strom, you did too. Honorably in the line of duty. A real police hero. So young and good looking too – the papers will love it. We’ll award you a medal for outstanding services or something. Your parents will be quite proud of you. The public will mourn the death of a brave officer. Obviously I take the credit for the bust, and Eden, a notorious criminal, is forgotten very quickly.’
I feel my stomach shrivel up inside my body as I hear his voice lay out the future so confidently. But when I speak my voice is full of contempt. At least I will die knowing that Jake is not criminal. He was being set up.
‘I had you marked as the type of officer who retires on a nice pension in the countryside somewhere. But after today the only thing you will be looking forward to is a view of the inside of a cell for the remainder of your days.’
He laughs. ‘It’s kind of you to worry about my well-being when you’re about to meet your maker.’ He checks his watch.
‘Is Robin coming?’
‘You’re giving me a headache, Strom. I’d appreciate a bit of quiet until your husband and my associate arrive.’