Page 18 of Donovan Blake: Passion

“I found the art thieves playing Russian Roulette with some kid in the woods and placed an untraceable 999 call. ”

“I don’t understand,”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll explain later. Right now we have an opportunity to pick up one of the gang who probably knows a few things, but you have to act fast. Do you have anyone in the area?”

“I can have a team there in an hour.”

“Great, make it happen. I only have a first name. Oleg, and he’s with the kid who initially took the portrait, Jimmy Pike. The address is Bird Cottage, 5 Mulberry Lane. What the hell…?” he suddenly muttered, hearing the sound of an approaching helicopter low in the sky.

“Donovan? What’s happening?”

“I think the cavalry have arrived!” he replied, smiling across at Phoebe, and a moment later a line of black cars sped past them.

* * *

It began with a huge, bright spotlight shining down on the gang of thugs in the woods. As one of them shot off an urgent text to Craig, a bull horn ordered them to surrender. Though they scattered and ran through the trees the police had surrounded the area and they were quickly apprehended. When the officers reached Nigel they found him lying face down with his ankles and wrists cuffed, trembling and completely overcome.

CHAPTER TEN

The drive to the cottage had been nerve-racking and Jimmy wasn’t sure they’d even get there. Oleg constantly looked behind them, waving his gun around and muttering to himself. When Jimmy finally rolled to a stop in the lane, the thug ordered him from the SUV at gunpoint.

“Make me coffee and get me something to eat,” he demanded as they stepped inside. “Cheese? You got any cheese?”

“Yes.”

“Bread?”

“Yes.”

“Make me a cheese sandwich, but bring me the coffee first.”

“I only have instant.”

“I don’t give a shit.”

As Jimmy set his kettle to boil, though he was still shaking from the horrendous ordeal in the woods, he couldn’t believe his luck. He had a variety of drugs at his disposal, including Percodan and Melatonin. He didn’t know what would happen if he combined the two, but he was confident it would at least make the brute drowsy, and maybe even knock him out.

“Did you hear that?” Jimmy exclaimed, jerking his head around.

There hadn’t been a sound, but his ruse worked. The moment Oleg lumbered to the window, Jimmy snatched the bottle of Percodan from the cupboard and dropped three pills into an oversized mug.

“I don’t see shit,” Oleg grunted, glaring at him.

Muttering an apology, Jimmy spooned the coffee into the mug and poured in the boiling water.

“Cream? You got cream?” Oleg barked, settling down at the table. “I need cream.”

“I have very rich, thick cream. I get it from the dairy farm nearby,” Jimmy exclaimed, and though it was another lie he thought it might calm the savage beast. He was right.

“At least this shit hole has something. Make it half coffee and half cream.”

As Jimmy poured the water he could feel Oleg’s eyes on him. He was thinking the might have to settle for just the Percodan when Oleg’s phone rang.

“About fucking time,” Oleg grunted under his breath, pulling his phone from his pocket.

The bottle of Melatonin pills was on the counter and Jimmy seized the moment, hastily unscrewing the cap and adding several tablets into the coffee.

“Yeah, boss, I’m with the kid in his cottage,” Oleg declared. “He says those lights at Hawthorne Hall isn’t unusual. They did what? Fuck. Okay, okay. But maybe I should wait a couple of hours til things settle down. Okay. I’ll ring you back.”

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