Page 15 of Donovan Blake: Passion

“Done, boss,” the brute grunted.

“Listen carefully, Jimmy,” Craig began, leaning down and placing his face disgustingly close to his. “If you don’t come back with some decent stuff, or if I get a call from Oleg that you’ve done something stupid, your friend over there will be shot with a gun that has your fingerprints all over it. He’ll be dead, and you’ll be the killer. And don’t even think about trying to run from Oleg. No-one escapes us and you’ll be a dead man walking. Trust me, we have friends everywhere, and the police will be on your trail as well. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“On the other hand, if you’re a good boy and pull this off I might just take you on. You’ll have money, girls, even live in a decent flat in the city instead of that hovel you’re living in. You’ll be a junior recruit in a major organization. Does that appeal to you, Jimmy?”

“God, yes. It does, it really does,” he replied urgently, scarcely believing his luck. “I won’t let you down.”

“You get one shot. Don’t fuck it up. Okay, Oleg, time for you to go. Let’s see if the kid has what it takes.”

* * *

Crouched behind rocks and brush, Donovan and Phoebe had watched the scene play out. Now the heavily muscled gangster had removed Jimmy’s cuffs, jerked him to his feet, and was leading him out of sight.

“What should we do?” Phoebe whispered.

“First we need to warn Peter.”

Moving quickly and quietly they retraced their steps to the SUV and hastily climbed in.

“Call him from my phone and put it on speaker,” Donovan ordered as he started up the powerful engine and sped off.

“Hello?”

“Peter, it’s Donovan. I have bad news. Jimmy was ambushed and he’s on his way to Hawthorne Hall with a gorilla for company. They plan to steal as much as they can.”

“Oh, dear Lord. What should I do? Clear the house or—?”

“Take a deep breath and listen carefully. First, can you secure the gates?”

“Yes, that won’t be difficult. They already have heavy chains and padlocks around them, they’re just not used much.”

“Good. Then light up the house and lawns. Turn night into day.”

“I can do that too. We have floodlights through out the grounds for events.”

“Excellent. That will stop them in their tracks.”

“Thank you, Donovan!”

“Watch for them, and when they show put your shotgun through a window and start shooting. If you want me to come back I will, but the van is being driven into London and—”

“No, please continue to follow it. I can handle this.”

“If you run into any issues let me know right away, and if the local police show up tell them you’re on edge because of the stolen portrait and you thought you heard prowlers. Don’t tell them anything else.”

“Ah, yes, I understand.’

“Good luck, Peter. Let me know when it’s over.”

“Now what?” Phoebe asked as the call ended.

“I’m looking for a side lane or driveway…ah…there,” he exclaimed, abruptly slowing down and pulling off the road. “While we wait here for the van I’ll try to rescue that poor kid in the woods, then call Sam and let him know what’s going on.”

“How can you rescue him?”

“Just pass me that briefcase on the back seat,” he ordered, interrupting her. “You’re about to find out.”

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