Page 84 of Parker
My cheek throbs. My ears ring. Panic courses through every vein, but I feel nothing in my belly. Hopelessness swallows me whole. If I die here, I die with our son in my womb. And no one will ever know.
Please find me, Joel, before it’s too late.
Chapter thirty-eight
Parker Fashion House, Glasgow
Joel
“Boss, these guys are the best in the business. All of them are ex-military and have dealt with hostage situations in the past,” Boyd tells me as he reads down the list of names. “But they don’t come cheap. You’re looking at five hundred thousand for them to get involved.”
“Whatever it takes,” I growl. “Just get them home safe. Both of them.”
“I’ll give them the go-ahead and organize payment.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “Joel, we’ll do everything in our power to bring them home. But you must be prepared for the worst.” He sounds almost fatherly as he speaks. It’s a tone I’ve never heard. Loving almost. With that, he turns and lifts his phone to his ear, leaving me in my office to stew in my own thoughts.
Nicky is being kept in a backstreet brothel beside the River Clyde. The property used to be a privately run hotel until the owners borrowed money from the wrong loan shark. Theinterest kept mounting, so the financier took the building as payment.
We know there are ten bedrooms, and we believe Nicky is being kept on the top floor in room number 402. Guards are stationed at the entrance, then throughout the building, each one carrying a firearm and taser. But most are taking the time for some extracurricular activity with the girls who work there.
Boyd managed to grab a patron as he left the premises to flush him for information. They’ll be expecting us, so we need to be clever if we’re going to get her out alive.
***
“Midnight,” the man Boyd tasked to save my wife says. “We ambush at midnight. By that time, the men will be well-oiled, and the girls will be busy entertaining customers. Three of us will go in via the roof—there’s a skylight in the attic. We’ll be able to drop down unseen.”
I listen to this man I don’t know, who I’m trusting with saving the love of my life and my unborn child. He doesn’t look like a superhero.
He’s small and wiry, and his cargo trousers hang low on his hips, while his t-shirt is loose across his torso. His two companions are the exact opposite, tall and broad, with more muscles than a wrestler. I can’t stop picturing her. Alone. Hurt. Terrified. What if I get there too late? What if I lose them both before I even get to say sorry?
“Boyd, have your men stationed around the building. Once we’re in and on the top floor, we’ll confirm the situation with Nicky. When we have eyes on her, I’ll give you the signal to ambush. All ground floor windows and doors will be set to blow to allow you entry.”
Boyd nods. “Joel, you need to stay out of the way.”
“No, she’s my wife.” He holds his hand up to silence me.
“If we need you, we’ll call you in. I’ve got a better chance of getting Nicky out without you there. You’re too recognizable, and, I believe, the main target.”
I’d walk through a hail of bullets for her, and they’re telling me to wait in the shadows like a coward. It feels like betrayal. Every second I’m not there, trying to reach her, is a second she may think I won’t come.
“I’ll be outside, no further,” I tell him.
“No,” Boyd says, his tone calm but firm. “You’ll wait where I tell you to.”
I open my mouth to argue again as my mother comes to my side. She places her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it beneath her fingers in silent support. She’s not spoken since arriving, only listened closely to each word from Boyd. Her blonde hair is messy and twisted on top of her head in a knot. The velvet jogging suit she’s wearing is normally never seen outside her home.
The calm, collected Imelda has vanished, and in front of me is a grandmother, terrified for her family.
“Listen to Boyd,” she says softly. “He knows what they mean to you.”
Her voice stops me cold. Not because she’s right, but because I realize I’m the one losing control. I change tack.
“If you get eyes on that bastard Drayton, shoot to kill. No excuses,” I tell the men I’m trusting.
“Your wishes are noted. If we have the opportunity, we’ll take Drayton out,” he confirms. “Let’s get your family home.”
***
We congregate in an underground parking lot five blocks from the seedy hotel. This is where I’ll stay until I get the call to go to them. My mother sits beside me in the car and holds my hand.
