Page 36 of Caught in the Middle

As the silver car opened. Oliver finally spoke.

'I'm sorry Lucy, but it's for the best.'

She span round to face him. 'What...?'

A man who appeared to be no older than Lucy got out, and nodded to Oliver.

'Hi, boss.' He took the duffel and swung it into the boot of his car.

Lucy couldn't think. She didn't want to. Suddenly, Oliver grabbed her hands and pulled her to face him.

'I'm sorry Lucy, I really am.'

'Oliver, I -'

'No, listen to me. I can't keep you safe anymore. I'm sorry.'

He let go of her wrist, dug into his suit pocket and pulled out an enormous wad of cash. More money than Lucy has ever seen in her life. He pressed it into her shaking hand. 'This is Austin. He works for me, okay? You can trust him.'

'But - aren't you coming with me?'

Oliver lowered his eyes and shook his head slightly. 'I'm sorry, Lucy.'

'What - where am I going?'

He paused and shifted his weight from foot to foot, like a school boy being told off.

'Barcelona.'

'Barcelona?!' Lucy cried, the gravity of the situation beginning to set in. 'Why?!'

'Everything you need is in that bag,' he noded over to the boot of Austin's car, 'you've got a forged passport, and that money should last you a good few months, and of course we'll send you more when it runs out. There will be a man waiting for you on the other end. You can trust him, I promise.'

'But, I don't want to go, Oliver, why are you doing this?'

'I'm sorry,' and that's all he could say.

A strong hand tugged on her hip, as Austin ushered her into his waiting car. She followed his lead numbly, and slid into the back seat.

'Wait,' she cried, 'are you going to meet me out there?'

Oliver walked over to his car, and reached for the door handle.

'Have a safe flight, Lucy.'

Before she could protest, Austin hopped into the driver’s seat and they were off, driving through the thick forest her and Oliver had driven through the night before.

She scrambled to look out of the back window, to get a glimpse of Oliver, but the clearing was fading fast, and before she knew it, it was just the nettle thorns and tree branches closing behind them.

She didn't know what to think. Everything in her, her hands, her face, her heart, felt numb. She sat back down in her seat, and clicked in her seat belt. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened - it was so quick. One minute she was waking up, excited to think that something was going on between her and Oliver, and the next, he was shoving her into a car bound for the airport.

But he was supposed to protect her.

Would she ever see him again? Would she even want to? She had so many unanswered questions, and this was the last thing she had ever expected to happen.

Anger suddenly rose up within her.

How fucking dare he.

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