Page 28 of Savage Justice

“Borys is my problem,” she snaps, pacing the room and stopping every few yards to glare daggers at me. “I’ll move. Again.”

“He’ll track you down. Again,” I counter.

“You can’t know that for sure. I’ll go abroad.”

I’m losing patience. “Molly, for fuck’s sake, get a grip. He won’t give up. He has plenty of money to throw at this. There’ll be another Dunbar, another Bairstow. He’s tried twice already.”

“Twice? What do you mean? What does Dunbar have to do with it?”

I realise she probably hasn’t connected the most recent attack to Lucy’s abduction so I fill in the blanks. “We’ve been doing some digging and we now know that Borys paid Dunbar to snatch Lucy. She was probably intended as a hostage, a swap for Noah.”

She pales. “Why would you say that? How do you…?”

“We hacked into his phone. It’s all there, the messages between Borys and him. Do you want to see?”

She subsides into a chair, shaking. “No, I… Oh God. I thought… I knew Borys was a devious bastard, but I never imagined he’d go after Lucy.”

“Well, now you do. He’s dangerous.”

“Yes, but…”

“But?”

“But… I can’t rely on you. I don’t even know you. I’m used to looking out for myself.” She’s crying now, making no attempt to stem the tears. “What am I going to do?”

“Let us help.” My tone has softened. “You don’t need to face this on your own. If not for yourself, then for Lucy and Noah.”

She manages a shaky nod. “I’ve no choice, do I? Okay, we’ll stay here. But I’ll pay you for our accommodation. I don’t need charity.”

“Whatever.” I’ll take what I can get as long as she accepts the reality of her situation. “Tony got some stuff for Lucy as well. Her PlayStation and some books. I’ll check with her what else she wants and arrange for that to be picked up, too.”

“She’ll appreciate that.” Molly gets to her feet again. “Ruth’s caring for Noah. I really should go and get him. And Lucy.”

“Lucy’s engrossed in a game of chess with Robbie. I saw them in the dining room when I came up. Noah’s sleeping. You’ve time to sort out your clothes. Or just take some time off.”

She shoots me a watery but wry smile. “You don’t have kids, do you, Nico?”

“No, but there are enough around here and at Caraksay for me to get the picture.”

She peers inside one of the black bags and pulls out a pair of jeans. “Caraksay? What’s that?”

“An island in the Outer Hebrides. Our headquarters.”

She folds the jeans and drags another pair out, folds them, too. “Isn’t this your base?”

“For some of us, yes. But Caraksay is where Ethan lives, and his family. It’s very remote. And very safe.”

“I see.” She starts stuffing her belongings in drawers.

“In fact,” I’m thinking aloud now, “it could be the best place for you. There’s no way that Borys could reach you there, even if he knew where you were.”

“You think I should move to the Outer Hebrides?”

From her expression, you’d think I’d just suggested she chew the head off a hamster. “You could do worse. I’ll have a word with Ethan.”

“I don’t think—”

My patience snaps. “For fuck’s sake, wake up and smell the sodding coffee. You’re not dealing with a normal, rational man. Borys is fucking mental. He’ll do anything to get what he wants. What more does he need to do before you get that through your skull?”

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