Page 106 of All Mine
‘They’ve got their money,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘And they’ll get their interest paid in ashes.’ He nodded at the petrol pooling on the floor before slowly removing his box of matches from his jacket pocket. He shook them, in silent consideration, before tossing the pack to Barrel, who caught them one-handed.
‘I’m thinking I might take me a bonus,’ Toothpick said, his tongue turning the toothpick over and over as he stared at Isabella. ‘And that’s you.’
Chapter Fifty-Six
Etienne
The air was heavy with the smell of petrol and the echo of those words. They changed everything. Etienne had held back, thinking the police or fire crew would be there by now, but the street outside was quiet and the restaurant already trashed. When the money was confirmed, he’d thought for one moment that would be enough. But now, the look on that man’s face, the way he licked his lips as he leered at her. Etienne would not let them touch Isabella. Never while he had breath in his body would that man lay a single finger on her. He groped about him frantically for a weapon, something he could use to strike. His hand closed on the shiny metal handle of the fire extinguisher.
He watched her through the crack of the door, barely ajar, his heart in his mouth. She straightened her back, steeling herself.
‘No,’ she said.
Toothpick raised his eyebrows at her and smiled. His teeth were as pointed and yellow as a rat’s as he pulled a revolver from his inside pocket and aimed it directly at her chest.
‘Nobody says no to me,’ he said.
Barrel laughed and his whole belly shook, as if he were watching one of the funniest films he’d ever seen.
‘Maybe I’ll take myself a bonus afterwards too,’ he said, turning his sweaty face to wink at Gabi.
Isabella shot a glance at Etienne, and he silently lifted one finger in front of his face and turned it in a tiny circle. She blinked. God, he hoped she understood. Turn him around. Get his back to the kitchen door. He tightened his grip on the extinguisher and readied himself.
She sidestepped left and the thug mirrored her, moving one step closer to Etienne.
‘It won’t take long,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry, I can be sweet. . .’ He flicked his tongue in and out like a snake, balancing the match on it before tossing it back in his mouth.
Isabella took another step to the left.
Toothpick waved the gun at her and smiled, as though they were dancing. As if this was all part of the fun. Like he had all the time in the world. It was like watching a cat play with a mouse, knowing there was only one way the story was going to end.
Isabella took another step and the man followed, closing the distance between them. He was so close now and could grab her at any time. Isabella moved quicker again, darting to the left, and the man turned and lunged for her, his back to the kitchen. Etienne seized his chance and barged through the door so hard it flew back on its hinges, slamming against the wall. He hit the back of the man’s head with the fire extinguisher with such force that they both staggered forward and fell in a jumble of arms and legs. As they hit the floor, the gun went off.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Isabella
The noise of the gun reverberated in Isabella’s head and echoed around the decimated room. The smell of gunfire mingled with petrol and rum where the bottle lay spilled and dripping amongst the debris.
Isabella wasn’t hurt, but someone was moaning. She ran to Nonna, who was crouching on the floor, hands over her head. Gabi was standing over her like a lioness. They were both unscathed.
God, no, not Etienne. Her heart thumped. Was it Etienne? He lay flat out on top of Toothpick, and one them was bleeding. Blood bloomed across the floorboards from beneath them.
‘Etienne,’ she gasped and threw herself onto the floor beside him.
Etienne lifted his head, bleeding from something he’d hit on the floor. He crawled backwards off the man’s body and pushed himself to his feet. Isabella ran her hands over his chest, looking for blood but there was nothing. He wasn’t shot. He dragged her to him, away from the man writhing in agony on the floor, and she felt his arm around her like a life raft.
Toothpick moaned again, clutching his leg where blood was pumping through his jeans. He spotted the gun, forgotten on the floor, and made a last-ditch grab at it, but Isabella beat him to it by kicking it towards the corner. It skimmed away across the floor.
‘Do it now,’ hissed Toothpick at Barrel, ‘and then get me out of here.’ Barrel struck a match, and it hissed into life. He held it momentarily in the air to let it take hold. The flame spluttered into life.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The horror of it playing out around her like a film. Isabella heard her own shout and saw Etienne already diving for the fire extinguisher. The flame flickered taller, and Barrel tossed the match casually towards the petrol. It arced through the air, and Isabella’s shout rose to a scream of pure anger. This couldn’t be the way her dream ended.
Gabi took her moment. Crouching low before leaping upwards to grasp hold of one of the exposed timber beams across the restaurant ceiling, she used all her acrobatic training and strength to swing her legs backwards before flinging herself forwards, kicking the match perfectly with her pointed toe before it hit the ground. The impact of her foot kicked the flame clean out. Nonna flew in behind her and tipped the coffee pot on the dead match, just to be sure. Etienne put the icing on the cake by letting the fire extinguisher rip at the same spot.
Barrel had heaved Toothpick to his feet and they were lurching together to leave, leaving a trail of blood as they went. Sirens wailed as the emergency services closed in on the restaurant and by the time the two men had opened the door, the entire square was lit by the swirl of blue lights. Isabella saw the police outside rushing in to apprehend them. Walker was there too with his crew, parked in the middle of the square and aiming the fire hose at the restaurant frontage. How they all knew to be there, she couldn’t even guess.
Etienne went out to talk to them, leaving her standing alone for a second before Nonna and Gabi rushed to envelop her in family arms.
