Page 19 of Captive Hearts
Nine
Ashley hadn’t truly believed when she started, ugh,begging, that it would do much. Gina owed her jack. If anything, Ashley was up to her eyeballs in personal debt to Gina. But Gina had told her straight, Ashley had nothing to offer her that she wanted. So, she had to go deeper, tell her why it mattered. It had felt terrible to open herself up like that. Funny how it was so easy to tell the truths she saw each and every day. But this knowledge, the truth she’d lived her whole life with, she’d had to force it up. Like a bad tuna sandwich, up it came, this, the deepest, ugliest truth she knew. Even as she was talking, she felt it was a mistake. Why should Gina care?
Only, she did. Ashley could scarcely believe it. Gina was going to do this for her. This dangerous, stupid thing. Gina knew the risks, and she was going to do it. For her. Ashley couldn’t begin to process why, but it didn’t matter. She was too grateful to question it.
And now they were being strapped into actual Kevlar vests by a policewoman in aviator sunglasses who absolutely stank of badassery. She put the first vest over Gina’s clothing. ‘Do these things really stop bullets?’ Gina asked the woman.
‘Five times stronger than steel,’ she told her.
Gina didn’t seem any happier. ‘But what if he tries to shoot me in the head?’
‘Duck,’ the woman said, attaching the final strap.
‘Reassuring, thanks,’ Gina said.
The woman started to put a vest onto Ashley, while DI Conway offered something slightly more bolstering. ‘The reason we don’t usually wear Kevlar masks is that most people can’t get a headshot off at this range, not with a handgun.’
‘Most people?’ Gina asked.
DI Conway shook her head. ‘Honestly, it won’t come to that. Even the vest is overkill.’
‘You might want to rethink your choice of words,’ Gina told her.
‘Look, you’ll be two hundred metres from him, there’ll be half a car park between you. And this guy isn’t some pro. He’s a man who’s gotten hold of a gun somehow. There’s a big difference.’
‘I hope someone toldhimabout the difference,’ Gina muttered.
DI Conway turned to Ashley. ‘Are you ready?’
‘Will I actually be talking to this guy?’ Ashley asked, unsure what she hoped the answer would be. She was starting to feel just the tiniest bit nervous.
‘We’re not sure yet. All I know is that he said he wanted a news team to be present during our negotiations. But you’renotto address the man unless he speaks to you, is that clear?’
Ashley nodded. ‘Of course, yes.’
Gina gave her a look. ‘Is it?’
Ashley glared at her. ‘I just said,yes.’
Gina sighed. ‘I really hope so, Ashley.’
Ashley shrugged off the remark. She didn’t know why everyone was so concerned with her going rogue. She had every intention of doing as she was told. Ashley didn’t know if this guy would even speak directly to her, but that was fine. Just being there to capture the moment and then report on her observations afterwards, that would be enough. Though if hediddecide to talk to her, that would certainly juice the footage up. But she wasn’t about to go out of her way to get the attention of some madman with a gun in his hand. She wasn’t stupid.
Her phone rang. Work number. She killed the call. She’d speak to them in half an hour when she had pure gold to put on the teatime news.
‘OK, we ready?’ DI Conway asked Ashley and Gina.
Ashley felt her stomach flip over. But she ignored it. ‘Ready.’ She turned to Gina. ‘How about you?’
Gina shrugged. ‘Not at all. But let’s do it anyway.’
Ashley smiled without meaning to. She was thinking about that conversation she and Gina had had a few hours ago, about Ashley always being alone in the foxhole. Because right now, for the first time in a long time, that wasn’t how it felt. Reluctant as Gina was, she was doing this with her for no other reason than that Ashley had asked her to.
But anyway, it was time for Ashley to seize her destiny.
***
DI Conway raised the bullhorn to her lips. ‘Sir?’ The whole crowd of police officers - plus Ashley and Gina, stood behind the line of cops and cars, peeking through a small gap in the vehicles - cringed as feedback murdered their ears.
