Page 15 of Marko

“Nope, that’s the problem. Our spies say that none of our usual enemies could have done it. They are all being closely monitored. Nobody knows where these guys have come from or who the Spanish guy is,” Miki said, the frustration and confusion clear in his voice.

“I’m not sure if it could be related at all but I just found a link between Mathieson and the MP. Turns out Timothy Evans-Hughes is the son of Ewen Hughes from his first marriage to a woman called Elizabeth Evans and so he and Mathieson are half-brothers,” I told him.

“Shit!”

He took a steadying breath.

“That seems a bit too much of a coincidence that we are attacked just at the time there is activity on the account and Mathieson’s brother has the woman’s bag grabbed, and you know Dad never believed in coincidences.”

“Yeah, and Dad was usually right. Seems way too convenient not to be related. I’m still not sure what the link is to Melissa Martin though, but I’ll find that out soon.”

“I’ll get the MP’s bodyguard questioned, and I think it might be time to put some pressure on Nigel Simpson again. I think he knows a lot more than he is letting on,” he told me before hanging up.

Hmmm. Suddenly having another enemy appear out of the woodwork when we had just discovered the link between the MP and Mathieson was too much of a coincidence, indeed. Maybe the half-brother was seeking revenge?

I emailed Josh to have him, and the rest of my guys, look into everything they could on the MP. He still had found nothing yet on Melissa. It was odd. There had to be some connection. Maybe I should just ask her outright. After all, if the MP had her bag grabbed, it meant he was after something he believed she possessed, and it suggested their relationship wasn’t amicable. Perhaps he was the one working with Mathieson and, if so, my Little Miss Pouty Lips and I had a mutual enemy.

Leaning my head back against the headrest, I gazed at her window. It was dark, and the streetlight nearest the van was out, which was why we chose to park here. The one closest to the building was also out, meaning the back of the building was in complete darkness. But something caught my eye.

Was that movement?

Peering out of the window, I tried to make out something in the dark. After a while, I thought perhaps I was wrong and settled back in the chair. But I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Ensuring the cab light was off, I quietly closed the van door and crept closer to the building.

CHAPTER 9

MELISSA

FRIDAY NIGHT – UP IN FLAMES

Something made me jolt awake. What was that? My heart raced as I lay listening intently.

At first, all I could hear was my breathing, but then a sound—a creak downstairs. Was it just the house settling or something more sinister? I held my breath, straining to hear. No, there it was again, a faint sound, like someone moving about downstairs. Shit, someone was definitely inside my home.

Moving quickly but quietly, I reached under the bed for my “to go” backpack. I slipped on the trainers kept beside the bed and grabbed a hoodie from the chair. Over my pyjamas, I threw on the hoodie and secured the backpack. Tiptoeing to the door, I cracked it open. A beam of light from a flashlight swept across the stairs, creeping upwards.

“Shit!” I muttered under my breath.

Rushing to the window, I opened it and tossed out a rope ladder my dad had rigged for emergencies. He’d always been prepared for the possibility of a getaway. Climbing down swiftly, I reached the ground just as a masked figure leaned out of my bedroom window. A knife whizzed past me, narrowly missing as I hit the ground hard. A heavy body landed on top of me, rolling us to the side.

Pushing against the weight on my chest, I tried to retaliate by aiming a headbutt at the masked intruder, but he moved just in time, my forehead glancing off his chin.

“Ooof!” he grunted.

“Melissa, it’s me, Marko!” he whispered urgently in my ear, and I froze.

Marko? What was he doing here?

“What’s going on?” he asked, getting up and tugging me with him further into the garden.

“Someone was in my house?” I said as he stopped under a tree and looked back towards my window.

Lifting his head, he sniffed the air.

“Shit, is that gas?”

Air whooshed out of my lungs as he pushed me hard up against the tree as the loud boom of an explosion assaulted my ears.

Debris flew through the air, and we ducked further under the branches, protected from the impact by the thick tree trunk and Marko’s body pressed tightly against mine.

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