and saw the weak light of the moon casting flickering half-shadows of branches and leaves through the open front door on to the smooth parquet floor.
Where’s Mike?
He turned to the right. The hallway led to the rear of the house and Jill’s sun lounge. He wondered if they were gathered back there. If they were he’d be bloody worried - leaving the front door unguarded like that?
A dozen light, soundless steps down the hall and he stood in the doorway. His eyes, now more accustomed to the dark, couldn’t pick out any shape that might be someone standing guard.
‘Hello?’ he whispered. ‘Anyone awake?’
There was no reply and, with a shudder of realisation, he knew something must have happened. His hand reached for the gun tucked into his trousers. He felt some small comfort sensing the rough carbon grip of the handle.
Then he sensed the draught of movement behind him.
He whipped round, the gun raised and ready to fire.
‘Shit Dad! It’s me!’ Leona whimpered.
He exhaled. ‘Christ, Lee, I nearly blew a hole in your head.’
She smiled and shrugged. ‘Sorry,’ she whispered. ‘What are you doing up, anyway?’
‘I can’t find Mike and his guys.’
Her mouth dropped and her eyes widened. ‘Oh God!’ she cried a little too loudly.
He raised a finger to his mouth to hush her.
There can’t have been a fight. Surely any shots fired would have awoken us all? They’re out in the front garden, checking something out, maybe?
He took a step into the hall again and his foot slipped in something. He looked down and noticed a dark mat on the floor.
‘You bring a torch?’ he whispered.
Leona nodded.
‘Shine it on the floor.’
She switched it on, and instantly recoiled at the bright red pool at their feet.
‘Oh shit!’ she hissed.
Andy grabbed the torch from her and panned it around the sun lounge. The beam picked out one of Mike’s men curled in a foetal position behind the wicker armchair beside them.
They’re here!
‘Get behind me!’ he whispered into her ear. He snapped off the torch, turned and headed up the hallway again, towards the lounge; slow, cautious steps, his gun arm extended, sweeping with quick jerks from one side to the other.
Andy knew there was only one course of action to take. Grab Jenny and Jacob, get out of the house, and run, and run . . . and keep running. He swung his aim up the stairs, a dark abyss that could be hiding anything.
They reached the open doorway to the lounge. He could hear Jacob stirring, no longer the even rasp of rest, but short tremulous gasps.
‘Jenny we have to leave now,’ he said, quietly snapping on the torch again.
The halo of light fell on Jacob, standing. A dark forearm was wrapped across his narrow shoulders, and above the tuft of blond hair he saw the dark face of a man, smiling mischievously. The tip of a long, thin-bladed knife was pressed into his son’s pale neck, creating a dimple that threatened to burst blood if another gram of pressure was applied to it.
Jenny was on her knees, on the floor, rocking, too frightened to cry, too frightened even to breathe.
‘Lose the gun, Andy Sutherland,’ the man said calmly.
Andy kept the weapon trained on him.
You drop the gun and that’s it for bargaining.
‘I won’t do that, mate,’ Andy said.
Jenny turned to look at him. ‘What? Andy! For fuck’s sake! Drop the gun!’
He hushed her with a wave of his hand. ‘I can’t do that Jenny. If I do that, we die.’
The man smiled. ‘Your husband’s being quite sensible under the circumstances, Mrs Sutherland.’
He looked up at Andy. ‘We can talk for a bit anyway. I think I’d like that. You can call me Ash, by the way.’
He’s in no hurry. That means . . .
‘The others?’ Andy nodded towards the front door. ‘They’re out there somewhere . . . dead?’
Ash nodded. ‘Just a little too keen to try and take me alive.’
‘So, this is all about what my daughter thought she saw, right?’
‘What we know she saw. You see, this lovely young lady,’ he said gesturing with his knife-hand, a flick of the wrist that took the blade away from Jacob’s throat for a moment, ‘knows enough to be very dangerous. When things start sorting themselves out again—’
‘You are mightily fucking mistaken,’ Andy sneered, ‘if you think things are going to sort themselves out.’
Ash cocked an eyebrow.
‘What? You thought it would?’ he asked, genuinely incredulous.
‘They will ensure the oil flows again, when the time’s right.’
Andy shook his head and