Page 18 of Savage Warrior

He’s still grinning like a lunatic, and I’m not at all sure if he’s being serious or not. Best not to take the risk with Jack. I scoop up a pile of boxers and shove them in the bag.

The back of the Land Rover is stuffed with enough food and other supplies to fuel a modest invasion. Jack and Tony help me to cram everything in then slam the tailgate shut.

“I filled the tank up,” Tony announces. “Unless you go sightseeing, there should be enough petrol to get you there and back. Let’s hope so anyway. There’s nowhere within a hundred miles for you to fill up if you run out.”

“Holy fuck,” I snarl. “Whose bloody idea was this?”

“Never mind.” Jack slaps me on the back. “Just think of all that wild swimming and trout tickling. Bring us back a salmon.”

“Or a wild haggis,” Tony suggests.

“Fuck you.” I’ve heard enough, so I haul myself up into the driver’s seat before I take another swing at someone. I slam the door and close the window, then tap the three words Ethan gave me into the app on my phone. A few keystrokes later, and I have the Google Maps reference. And the distance to travel. Two hundred and twenty-three miles. Shit. Most of it on single-track roads. Jack wasn’t wrong about it getting dark.

I shudder and start the engine.

CHAPTER 6

Arina

I force myself to slow down, to walk normally and not attract attention. I leave the chaos of the van and the dead police officer behind me and make my way among the dozen or so cars parked here at this hour. The distant wail of sirens is becoming louder by the second. Soon this whole area will be swarming with British police, and it’ll be impossible to slip away quietly.

I’m caught in a beam of artificial light when the door to the cafeteria opens, and a couple stroll out. They pause to peer over in the direction of the fuss across the car park.

“What’s going on there?” the young woman asks, linking arms with her boyfriend.

He shrugs, following her gaze. “Search me? Do you want to go over and have a look?”

“No, we need to get going.” She tugs him away.

I slip into the shadow of the building to let them pass. They’re so close I could reach out and touch them. He points his key fob and clicks. A battered van emblazoned with the name of an electrical contracting firm on the side of it bleeps, and the lights flash. They jog towards it, and he opens the passenger door for her.

“Wait.” She pulls up short a few paces away. “I think I will use the loo after all. Just give me a minute…”

“Why didn’t you say when we were inside?” He sounds exasperated but resigned to the inevitable. “Go on, then.”

She scurries back the way she came, and he follows at a more sedate pace. As soon as they have both passed me for a second time, I creep from my hiding place. I’m so intent upon escaping unseen that I almost miss it.

The interior light in their van is still on

I pause, staring at the vehicle. If the light is on, that must mean he forgot to lock it again. A plan begins to form…

Could I…? Would it be possible to, maybe…?

I try the rear door before I lose my courage. It opens.

Haven’t I spent enough time already, huddled in the back of a van?

No, I reason, this is different.

But you don’t even know where they’re going…

Does it matter? As long as it’s away from here. And what choice do I have?

Convinced, I open the door just enough to allow me to clamber inside and close it behind me. A quick glance round reveals a toolbox, ladders, several huge rolls of cable, and a spare wheel. Not much in the way of comfort, but it will have to do. I scramble into a space behind the passenger seat and curl up small, just as they return and climb in in front of me.

I should have hidden further away, I realise too late. Towards the back of the vehicle. If I so much as breathe too loud they’ll hear me. But it’s too late now. The engine splutters into life, and we are moving.

I’d love to get some more sleep, but I don’t dare to. They could discover me at any moment, and I need to be ready to move. Fast. Our progress is slow, and bumpy. This vehicle has a top speed of about forty miles an hour and apparently no suspension to speak of. I’m black and blue and in agony from cramp by the time we exit the motorway and start out on the smaller roads.

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