The Choice Read online

  ‘Well, today, we are gonna do something about that. You and I, my angel, are gonna pick the biggest, fattest diamond you fancy and show the world ya mine.’

  ‘A bit controlling, wouldn’t you say?’

  Mike shuffled so that he was face-to-face with Zara. He blinked as he took in her natural beauty. Her skin glowed with the freshness of the morning.

  ‘There is no man or woman alive that could control you, and you bloody well know it.’

  She gently kissed his lips and then pulled away. ‘No, Mikey, there isn’t because outside of me and you, there’s my business, and that’s when I’m the boss. But inside this house and outside of work, I might just let you take control.’ She winked. ‘Er, well, every so often perhaps.’

  ‘What, like this?’ he replied, as he rolled on top of her and grabbed at her underwear, ripping her knickers away from her. She looked at the passion in his eyes and felt her heart race. She loved the way he was so animalistic in the bedroom, and yet she could be just the same. She snatched the back of his head and pulled him close, biting his bottom lip.

  Disturbed by the phone ringing, Zara tried to pull away.

  ‘Leave it, babe.’

  ‘No, not today. We still have business to attend to.’

  Mike rolled off and stared up at the ceiling. She was right. Torvic and his granddaughter, Tiffany, were still tied up in the secret room at the back of the hangar.

  ‘Hello, what’s up?’ asked Zara, as soon as she answered the call.

  ‘Fuck me, Zara, the hangar. Torvic and Tiffany have gone!’ said Neil, her business partner.

  Mike could tell from the shock on Zara’s face that something was awry. He jumped up from the bed. ‘What the hell’s going on?’

  Instantly, Zara sat upright. She put the phone on loudspeaker so that Mike could hear. ‘You what? How can that be? The fucking room was locked. No one apart from us knows how to open it, and I have the … Oh shit, wait. Did I bring the remote with me? Hold on!’ She turned to Mike. ‘Where’s my jacket?’

  He bent down and picked up the padded jacket that had been thrown on the floor before they’d ripped each other’s clothes off in the early hours.

  She snatched it from him and searched the pockets. To her horror, they were empty. ‘Oh no! Damn it, I must’ve fucking left the remote there!’

  Mike shook his head and expelled air heavily from his mouth. ‘Fuck me!’

  For a moment, Zara looked at Mike and considered whether he viewed her as an idiot, because, right now, she saw herself as exactly that. After all they’d achieved last night, she’d blown it completely by leaving behind the bloody remote device that opened up the back room.

  Seriously agitated, Mike was running his hands through his hair and pacing the floor. ‘It’s all my fucking fault!’

  Zara was puzzled and gave an exaggerated frown. ‘How do you work that one out?’

  His face dropped in shame. ‘’Cos if I hadn’t distracted you so much before we left, you would’ve remembered the remote. Bloody hell, we were tired, you were tired. I should’ve let you finish up before I decided to propose and get all fucking soppy.’ He sighed heavily.

  ‘Mike, have a bloody day off, will ya? It wasn’t your fault. You’re right. It was a hell of a long night and shit happens. Now we need to get ourselves together.’

  There was silence as all three, including Neil, who was still on the phone, tried to take it in.

  ‘Neil, give me a minute. I’ll call ya back. I need to get my head around this.’

  She placed the phone back on the bedside table and turned to face Mike, who was now jumping into his jeans.

  ‘What the fuck d’ya think’s happened?’

  Mike was white-faced and angry. ‘I dunno, but we all need to meet up. I’ll call the lads. If that bastard is on the loose, then whoever set him free has more clout than us. Fuck me, we don’t even know who we’re dealing with.’

  Zara wrapped her silk robe around her naked body. She would have drooled over Mike in just his jeans and with his huge muscular chest on show, but not this morning. The fear of Torvic taking revenge shot through her like shards of glass. Her stomach churned when she thought of what she’d made Torvic do to his own son. The acid had burned the man’s skin from his bones. Jesus, she thought, what if he planned to do the same to anyone in her firm? Would she ever be able to forgive herself?

  Mike was now frantically trying to find his phone. His main concern was for Ricky, his son, who’d been recovering in hospital following Torvic’s son’s brutal attack on him. Ricky was supposed to be discharged at lunchtime.

  Mike was sweating profusely. He couldn’t let anything happen to Ricky – not now, when he had just been reunited. He’d lost contact with his son from the age of six, until meeting him unexpectedly in Maidstone Prison only months before their final release.

  In all that time apart, both Ricky and his father believed each other to be dead, so now they had an unbreakable bond, and Mike was buggered if he was going to let Torvic get his hands on him now.

  ‘Ring my phone, Zara. I can’t fucking find the poxy thing.’

  With her body shaking, she dialled his number; Mike pulled his phone from his back pocket.

  Zara rolled her eyes. ‘Babe, we need to calm down and think this through.’

  Mike didn’t answer her; he was calling the hospital. After a few minutes, he yelled, ‘Aw, for Christ’s sake, why don’t they bloody pick up?’

  ‘Mikey, seriously, you need to calm down. Call Ricky’s mobile.’

  Mike took a deep breath. She was right, of course. He really wasn’t being clear-headed.

  Ricky’s phone rang twice before he answered. ‘Dad, are you coming to pick me up? The doctor said I can go home in an hour’s time. They’re—’

  ‘Son, listen to me. Stay put and I will get Staffie to pick you up. Do not, and I mean do not, leave that hospital with anyone other than him.’

  ‘Dad, what’s going on?’

  ‘I ain’t got time to explain. Please, just do as I ask.’

  ‘Of course, Dad. No worries.’

  Mike sighed with relief. ‘Right, I’m gonna get the lads over here now and make a fucking watertight plan.’

  Zara raised her brow. ‘Er, no, we’ll meet at my house. It’s more secure. I have cameras.’

  Mike was about to demand otherwise but he was aware she was in charge. It was agreed and that was that. He bit his lip and nodded.

  Zara quickly pulled on her jeans, threw on a black jumper, and tied her hair back into a ponytail.

  ‘Let’s go. We’ll call the others on the way.’

  * * *

  Once Zara had reached the entrance to her long drive, she pressed the fob clipped to her car visor and the ornate metal gates opened. She drove slowly, surveying the land on either side of the drive, looking for anything that was out of place. The early morning dark clouds made the house in the distance appear eerie. It was dauntingly large and resembled a castle – just how her father had designed it. Paranoia wormed its way through her mind as she began thinking all sorts of crazy things. It wasn’t surprising though, after the previous evening’s events at the hangar. Knowing Torvic, he would seek retribution, so, in the cold light of day, anything was possible right now.

  As she peered in the rear-view mirror, she could see two cars behind her. Fortunately, she recognized them as Willie Ritz’s and Neil Lanigan’s vehicles. Lou Baker was riding shotgun with Willie.

  Willie and Lou stepped out of the car and made their way to Zara’s Range Rover, where they climbed in.

  Willie looked like Stig of the Dump, with his hair sticking up in all directions and his eyes heavy with brown rings.

  Mike shook his head. ‘State of you! Ya need to leave off that gear, mate. You look like death warmed up.’

  ‘Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, what’s the hold-up?’ He winked and gave a cheeky grin.

  Mike looked at Lou, who was the polar opposite of Willie. In his Hackett thr
ee-piece dark-blue suit and with his hair neatly cut and freshly shaven, he appeared groomed to perfection.

  ‘We’re not sure if Torvic or his men are already at the house.’

  Unexpectedly, Willie sighed, climbed back out of the car, and marched on ahead.

  ‘Oi, Willie, what the fuck are you doing, mate?’ called out Mike, from the open passenger window.

  Willie, in his long jacket and with his sleeves a tad too short, spun around. ‘It’s been pissing down all night. Wet mud will show any footprints.’

  Zara stepped out of the car on hearing Willie’s thoughts. She was followed by Mike and Lou.

  ‘He has a point. I haven’t had a chance to have the gardens around the house landscaped yet, so it’s all just soil. If anyone’s been up there, he’ll know.’

  They held back and watched as Willie wandered around, searching for clues to any intruders.

  Lou laughed. ‘Cor, blimey, he even looks like a Red Indian tracker. All he needs are a few feathers in his hair.’

  As they watched, Neil Lanigan and his cousin Shamus approached the house. They got out of their car and joined them. ‘What’s happening?’ asked Neil, in a less than confident tone.

  Zara turned and gave Neil a soft smile. For the first time, she saw the look of a worried man on his face. ‘Willie’s just checking for footprints. We want to make sure no one’s been up there.’

  Neil shivered and pushed his hands deeper into his pockets.

  His discomfort had Zara a little on edge. She didn’t like to have men around her who were nervous unless of course they were on the other side of her wrath. Yet the Lanigans were her trusted business partners, and even when she was held prisoner for five years by her brother Ismail and the Segals, Guy and Benjamin, they still kept her going concern in order, splitting every penny earned completely down the middle. She flicked her eyes to Shamus, who was now puffing furiously on a cigarette. As much as they were big, muscly Irishmen, both had soft faces with large, round, boyish eyes.

  Shamus was patting his cousin’s back. ‘I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Remember, I said to you last night, what if we are being fecking watched?’

  Neil nodded. ‘Aye, yer did that.’

  Still blaming herself for the cock-up, Zara felt sick. She looked from Mike and Lou, then back to Neil and Shamus. There was a marked difference in the men. Mike, Lou, and Willie were ready for battle; she could see in their eyes that they weren’t so afraid. On the other hand, Neil and Shamus looked like two rabbits caught in car headlights. She would have to make a plan that wouldn’t include the Lanigans – not this time – for she couldn’t afford any more mistakes, and their terrified expressions told her they would be more of a hindrance than a help.

  Willie, with his crooked smile, held up his thumbs. ‘No fuckers ’ave been ’ere.’

  Lou laughed. ‘Well done, Sitting Bull.’

  As Zara entered the house, she paused and listened. Her nerves were on end. She just couldn’t help but feel freaked out. It was all well and good having Torvic and his evil family tied up and tortured for information, but it was another thing knowing he was out there somewhere with multifarious plans for her firm and Mike’s. The revenge on her would be horrific, and the others who were involved last night wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably either – that was a given.

  Mike gripped her shoulders and whispered in her ear, ‘You’re safe with me. Go on, babe.’

  She continued on and into her father’s study where the monitor for the CCTV cameras sat on the desk.

  She quickly tapped the buttons to rewind the footage and watched to see if anyone had been on the property in the last twelve hours. All she could see were leaves floating in the air and the bows of the trees bending in the wind. No one, it seemed, had been near or by. She felt her tense shoulders relax. Glancing out of the window, she saw another car heading up the drive. Her eyes widened for a moment before she realized it was Mike’s brother Eric driving, and he had Lance with him. He was the man her father called ‘The Machine’, who she only recently discovered was called Lance Ryder and not Torvic. It took a while before her heart began to stop beating so fast. She left the monitor and went over to the bar. ‘Brandy anyone?’ she asked, as she turned to look at the five seated men.

  They all nodded. It was still early, yet, under the circumstances, no one objected, and they gratefully accepted the drink offered.

  The loud knock at the door had Mike on his feet. ‘I’ll let ’em in.’

  Eric’s appearance was in direct contrast to Lance’s. Much like Lou, he was clean-shaven and smartly dressed in a neatly pressed shirt and suit trousers. Lance, on the other hand, looked dishevelled, although his expression never gave anything away. He always wore a severe poker face. His long, thick, dark hair lay on his shoulders in messy waves, and his brooding eyes were almost unblinking.

  Once everyone was seated, Zara took her position behind her father’s desk. Neil and Shamus sat to her right, while Mike, Willie, and Lou sat to her left. Lance and Eric took seats across the desk.

  ‘So, tell us exactly what you found, Neil.’

  Her sudden change in tone brought everyone to focus on this slim, tall woman with the copper-coloured eyes. Her slender neck and tight jawline gave her an almost regal aspect.

  Lance was intrigued more by the intensity of her personality, which seemed to radiate charisma. It reminded him of one of his female commanding officers over in Afghanistan on his last tour of duty, years ago now. She was similarly built and a real firebrand when the mood took her – which was often.

  He hadn’t known Zara for very long. Yet last night, he’d watched her command her army with a cold, stern heart. He was dumbfounded by how the man they called the Governor – the head honcho behind the new drug Flakka – had been right under the noses of him and the special operations team.

  It was Zara who had managed to capture the monster. Her shrewdness and detailed planning would have put the Army to shame. Yet there was something more than that which had fascinated him. It was her ability to act so coolly and almost mind-read Torvic. How she’d sussed him out and then pieced everything together was sheer genius.

  ‘We got to the airfield and I said to Shamus that the back wall of the hangar looked ajar. So, as we drove nearer, we could see that it was actually wide open,’ said Neil.

  Zara nodded. ‘But the hostages had gone, so there was no sign that they’d been killed, was there?’

  Neil shook his head. ‘No. The chairs we had them tied to were where we left them, but the ropes had been cut and left on the floor. There was no blood or mess anywhere. They’d simply vanished.’

  Zara tilted her head to the side. ‘Was there a note left or anything or—?’

  Shamus interrupted. ‘No. Nothing. The place was as clean as a whistle. We had a good look around before calling you, but, honestly, it was as if the SAS had done a search and rescue.’

  Zara looked at Lance. ‘Any thoughts?’

  Lance glared around the room with his dark penetrating eyes. There was not a smidgen of niceness about him. She appreciated his composed demeanour and his straight-talking. Her father was right about him: his skills and strengths were to be respected. Ex-military, he was a lone wolf now, working for whoever paid the highest. Her father, of course, could afford the very best, and so, back then, Lance’s abilities had caught his attention.

  ‘I think we know who’s behind it. It’s this Barak Segal guy. That Torvic fella gave you his name under extreme duress, so we should turn our attentions to him.’

  Eric sat almost shoulder to shoulder with Lance; both were heavily built men. He cleared his throat to say something but immediately looked at his brother. He didn’t want to be shot down in flames for speaking out of turn, which was a habit he made all too often in Mike’s company. Yet, surprisingly, Mike nodded for Eric to talk.

  ‘Me, if I were Torvic, after last night, I’d be too shit-scared to try and take revenge. We all saw how terrified he was
of his granddaughter getting hurt.’

  Zara shook her head. ‘No, Eric, he would do what I would and that’s to get Tiffany far away, out of reach, and then come for us. And he knows we have a substantial united strength. He will take us down one by one. Probably, he’ll start with our families, our closest loved ones, because he’ll want to see us in pain. He’ll want us to be begging for forgiveness, like he was.’

  As she looked around, she could see the fear in their eyes. All of the men in the room now, no matter how big, hard, and ruthless they were, still felt the ultimate fear deep inside for their kids or their women getting hurt.

  Willie was fidgeting and rubbing his hands down the front of his trousers.

  Mike rolled his eyes. ‘Mate, ya need to stop using cocaine. We have to keep our heads straight.’

  Willie looked up and raised his brow. ‘Don’t you worry about me. I’m clear-headed, coked-up or not!’

  Mike was taken aback; Willie never got shirty, not with him anyway.

  Zara sensed the tension and put up her hand.

  ‘Right, listen up. For now, we need to get the kids away, and when I say away, I mean out of the country.’ Her father always sent her away when things got too hot. ‘What about Poppy and Brooke, Lance?’

  He nodded. ‘Well, I think you’re right. Arty and Liam seem to have sparked up a friendship with my girls, so I’d feel better if they all stayed together.’

  With Ricky on his mind, Mike got up from his seat. ‘I’m gonna check that Staffie’s with Ricky. Lance, can you organize flights? Lou, you call the missus and arrange for your lot to go today.’

  Zara knew only too well that until their families were safe, the men wouldn’t be able to get down to serious business. She had to take control and make decisions but what could she really plan? It had taken the police force, the special operations team, and the toughest criminals to hunt the man down, and it was more by luck than good judgement that she’d managed to suss out who he was. He was, after all, right under her nose. Now he was missing, and she knew deep down that it would take more than their combined skills to find the fucker again. Also very worrying was who had been watching them. If it was Barak’s men, or even Barak himself, she would sacrifice her own life if it meant she could metaphorically get her hands on him and kill him.