weren’t a real pilot!’ Ashley said.
‘I am a real pilot. How do you think I drove this thing in here? It’s not a Ford Cortina. Can’t just jump in and have a bash.’
‘Hang on, is she a cop or a pilot?’ Gina asked, baffled.
‘Both. But the plane thing’s a hobby. Got my license a couple of months ago, luckily. Professionally, I’m an armed unit officer. DI Hazel Kennedy, since you never asked.’
‘I’ll remember that name,’ Pete warned from the floor.
‘Shut it, you,’ Hazel said, she told Pete coldly. Pete was immediately cowed. Hazel looked back at Gina and Ashley. ‘This was always the plan. We don’t just let dickheads ride off into the sunset with a hundred large just because they hold a pizza joint up. Otherwise, everyone would start doing it.’
Ashley shook her head. ‘Glad to know there was a plan. DI Conway’s been fucking useless up to now.’
‘Oh, thanks,’ DI Conway said, opening the door. ‘Right, you two out first.’
Gina took a breath. It was over. It was all over.
But before she got out, she had to say something. She looked down at Pete, in every sense. ‘I’d like to say it’s been nice knowing you Pete, but you’ve been an absolute fucking nightmare.’ She clambered out of the plane.
‘Same to you, bitch,’ he called after her.
‘I thought you were a feminist, Pete,’ Ashley said as she climbed out next.
‘Fuck right off, Ashley. Right fucking OFF!’ was the last thing Gina heard as they stepped away from the plane.
‘Right, get to the cordon,’ DI Conway said urgently.
‘With pleasure,’ Ashley told her.
They began to walk across the car park, to a fading soundtrack of Pete swearing through the reading of his right to silence.
Gina found her hand reaching as they trudged to safety. But it didn’t have to travel far. Ashley’s hand was ready and waiting to take hers. She chanced a quick look at Ashley, but she didn’t seem relieved; she seemed shattered. As well she might. She’d come that close to a bullet in the head. She hoped to god that Ashley was going to be OK.
The police line was breaking up as officers started scrambling toward DI Conway and Pete, ready to wrestle him out of the plane.
But Gina didn’t want to watch that part. She just wanted to get the hell away from this car park. A young police officer ran to them. ‘Are you hurt in any way?’ he said.
‘I don’t think so,’ Gina told him. She examined Ashley. ‘Are you alright?’
‘I’m not hurt,’ Ashley said. ‘Can we just leave?’
The officer laughed. ‘Course you can’t! We gotta check you over.’
Ashley’s face creased in rage. ‘Don’t laugh at me, you little arsehole. I was just in a hostage situation, for the love of Christ!’
Gina felt immediately less worried. Ashley was still Ashley.
Twenty-Eight
The young officer, somewhat abashed from his dressing down, led them off to an ambulance, two paramedics on them immediately. ‘We’re fine, calm down,’ Ashley told her.
‘Just let them check us,’ Gina said.
‘God, fine,’ Ashley said, sitting down on a gurney and rolling her eyes as a paramedic started shining a light in her eyes. ‘Warn a girl before you blind her!’ Ashley complained. Gina chuckled.
‘Gina! Ashley!’ cried a voice, and they turned to see Sam, Tina, Greg, and Leanne standing at another ambulance across the road. ‘They’re OK!’ Tina cried, delighted. All of them ditched their paramedics and came running over.
Ashley stood to greet them, shaking off her paramedic. ‘Hey, guys. How you doing?’
Tina was the first to grab ahold of Ashley. It was a hug of such deep emotion that Ashley, never really a big hugger, had to let it happen. Then more arms grabbed on. Greg, he dragged Gina in, then Sam. Leanne didn’t move. She just watched the group hug, her arms folded.
The hug eventually broke. ‘You did it. You got us out,’ Greg said. ‘You’re both my heroes.’
‘Yes, like actual Marvel heroes,’ Sam added.
‘Wonder women,’ Tina said, her eyes shining.
Ashley had no response to any of this. Gina appeared equally thrown. ‘Look, it’s… Don’t… I didn’t do it for thanks, so…’ Ashley muttered.
‘This worked out pretty well for you, didn’t it? Got a great story out of it,’ Leanne suddenly said.
Everyone eyeballed her. Ashley was past caring because she meant what she’d just said. She’d done this because she’d done it. Not for praise. Just because. But Greg, Sam, and Tina looked appalled. ‘What the actual fuck is wrong with you?’ Sam asked her.
‘What, because I’m not licking their