Sangre De Toro (Old Draft - Now Published!)

Chapter 39 - What Friends are For

'He's not going to protect you now. And you know what? I don't think he wants to, he's got what he needed from you, that's why he's not getting you out of trouble. I think he got fed up,' Dominguez said coldly, hoping, praying something would break.

George looked like he was going to cry.

'Everything you've done for him, and he couldn't keep his side of the bargain. Everyone knows. It’s over. He's not coming to save you.' George stared down at the table.

'I heard that sick bastard kidnapping my best friend. Tell me where he's gone. You think things are bad now? If something happens, if he hurts Rita, then, trust me, I'll make your life worse than you can even imagine.' Dominguez's voice dropped, thick with the barely concealed threat.

'He's gone,' George's voice was a barely audible whisper.

'Gone where?' Mansouri regained some of his composure. He looked visibly ill from seeing the pictures. When George did not reply, he shouted, 'Gone where, where's he taking her you fucking -'

'He's left. He's leaving Spain, he's going back to England. Are you happy now,' George said miserably, tears pooling in his eyes. Dominguez wasn't sure whether to believe him. He just wanted to save his own skin.

'How's he getting there, driving, what?' Dominguez said, sending out an alert on the national police app with his phone.

'He took Lord Owenstoft's car,' George gulped.

'So he's driving, through France I guess?'

'Of course not, he's flying! He'd never take the channel, that's for peasants!' George snapped, then stopped himself, looking mortified. He clapped a hand over his face, his eyes wide with terror. These fucking guys, Dominguez thought.

'Peasants? Are you fucking serious?' Mansouri laughed in disbelief.

'I can't say any more, I can't, I've said too much, he'll kill me,' George sobbed, holding the table to keep himself steady.

'Oh, will he? Really? Because rest assured – ’ Dominguez started saying, then stopped himself, standing up abruptly. The lawyer began to protest. He didn’t want to hear it.

'I can't carry on, Abdul, if I spend another minute I'll do something I regret - interview paused at 20:52,' he swallowed, walking out the door and slamming it hard behind him.

'Laurentia, good to see you,' he said as the young woman wrapped her arms around him. Her shell-shocked, wired look showed that long bath he’d ordered her to have had never happened.

'I came back to work as soon as I heard,' she said, looking dazed and shocked. Standing beside her was the woman from Madrid who’d replaced Flavia, he couldn't remember her name, Carmen or something. She was Black, about a foot taller than him, with glasses and long braided hair.

'I can take over from here, it's OK,' she said, hugging him. Her name badge said Catalina, not Carmen. Oh. Dominguez nodded dumbly and blinked back tears.

Moments later, Mansouri emerged too.

'Don't you think you should get some rest, you two, there's several teams of officers on this. Dixon's presumably got her weapon, he's a dangerous psychopath-' Catalina said, concerned. It was the last thing Dominguez felt like doing.