Page 40 of Captive Hearts
‘Well…’ Ashley began. She looked like she was trying to find a delicate way to tell him there was a better chance that Santa Clause would get on the plane with him.
Gina considered telling him it could happen, but on balance, decided it would seem too obvious of a lie. ‘Youmightbe pushing your luck there,’ she told him from behind the camera.
Rick eyed the camera. ‘You think? I wouldn’t hurt her or nothing. Just a chat to pass the hours on the way to Azerbaijan.’
‘I dunno, man. I guess you can dream,’ Gina said.
Rick frowned. Then he shook off his gloom and shrugged. ‘Let’s see how this next bit goes. If it comes off alright, I might be in a better position to cut a deal. Oh, yeah, and you can stop filming now until the next call, Gina.’
Gina dropped the camera, catching a look from Ashley. She could read it without effort. Rick’s delusions about how this whole thing was going to play out had started off ridiculous and were growing more preposterous by the minute. He thought he was going to snag Kara Malone in the middle of his flight from a pizza restaurant car park that would take him to his new life in a non-extradition country. Doubtless, the hot reporter would fall in love with the handsome outlaw in the process.
He was losing it.
The phone rang.
‘Get the camera back on,’ Rick said, and Gina swung it back, framing up Rick and Ashley in a two-shot. Ashley picked up the phone, hitting speaker again.
‘Kara Malone has agreed,’ the detective was excited to tell them. ‘We’re setting them up now. Can we agree that at seven forty-five, the doors will open, and people will come out?’
Another look to Rick, another nod of agreement. ‘Yes, that’s agreed.’
‘Then we can talk more afterwards,’ the detective said and hung up.
‘Gina, cut it there, for now,’ Rick said. Gina thought the fact he’d started talking in industry language was quite interesting. She stopped shooting. ‘But keep your finger on the trigger for quarter to eight. I need you to be ready for the release. A game. Get it all,’ Rick said.
‘Why?’ Gina asked, dropping the camera. ‘I mean, Channel Seven is going to catch it from the other side.’
‘But they won’t see the way my hostages go out,’ Rick said mysteriously. Then he started laughing. Gina thought it had a demented quality to it.
***
Gina and Ashley were sat in the booth, alone. The other hostages were spread across several other tables near them. Everyone was watching the other side of the room, where Rick was having a little chat with the three people he was going to release, out of earshot. He had Gina’s camera next to his foot, taken from her a few minutes ago. Gina didn’t like him touching her camera with his big, meaty hands. He was manhandling her baby, after all. But whatever he was saying, he clearly didn’t want it shot.
‘He’s gone completely non compos mentis, you realise that?’ Gina whispered to Ashley out of the corner of her mouth.
Ashley nodded. ‘He’s had a taste of power, and it’s gone to his head. Classic.’
‘But what’s he going to do when he doesn’t get what he wants? I mean, it’s fucking stupid. He’s not flying anywhere.’
Ashley chewed the inside of her mouth. ‘I think we just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.’
Gina looked at Ashley. ‘How well this turns out, is gonna come down to you. You realise that, don’t you?’
Ashley’s eyes popped in horror. ‘What?’
‘You’re like his… lieutenant.’
‘I know. Not really sure how the hell that happened.’
‘But itdidhappen. You got his trust. He likes you. He thinks you understand him.’
Ashley shook her head. ‘It can’t last. I’m not… I’m gonna screw up.’
‘You haven’t so far,’ Gina assured her.
‘Luck.’
Gina wasn’t having that. Because somehow, in the middle of all this, Ashley, who Gina had been warned could piss off Gandhi, hadworkedthis guy. Whatever everyone had believed about Ashley’s bulldog tendencies, it wasn’t the complete truth. There was more to Ashley than even she knew. But she was about to. ‘Not luck.Yougot us to this point. Three people are going to walk out, four including that first lady, and it’scompletelydown to you. You kept him calm, reasoned with him, appealed to him using logic he’d understand,’ Gina told Ashley.
