On Fire

Unexpected Revelations

"Dec.. are you okay.. what happened!!!??"

Dec held his hand up to silence her "wait... I could hear someone banging"

Ali: " What? Someone's inside?"

Dec: "It's muffled. Maybe from the bathroom?"

Ali: " We should call the police Dec, what if its Samuel..."

Dec didn't wait for Ali to finish as he unlatched the door and entered

Ali: "Dec!!!!"

He went straight to the attached bathroom from where he could hear urgent banging

Ali: "Dec... please "

Dec slowly approached the door and listened for the voice but all he could hear was someone hitting the door in frustration and maybe anger.

Dec slowly held the latch of the door, signalling Ali to move away to protect her from whatever trouble they would have to face. He cautiously unlatched the door, waited for it to open and said with a trembling voice "I have unlatched it... come out..."

He was taken aback when the door was pulled back in urgency and the body behind it jumped out in joy " Decky..."

Dec felt relief and joy flooding inside him as he watched his friend looking at him in gratitude

Ant!!

Dec lunged at him and hugged him hard "Ant!!!"

Ant: "Oh.. O Man.. Decky.. what happened ?" He returned the hug with a slight frown.

Dec: "Ant!!..why are you here and not in your room? " he asked slightly leaning away from the hug but hands around each other.

Ant : "I went there first Dec, but there was no water in the shower or the faucet. So I came to your room to get fresh. But as I changed and tried to come out, the door was locked. My phone was outside and I had no way to contact anyone and.."

Dec: " Your phone is with Samuel now"

Ant: " What?!!"

Dec explains to him everything and frown as emotions flip through Ant's face, at last deciding on fear. Ant suddenly moves closer to hug him to his chest "Thank god you thought that Decky.. Oh god!! If you had fallen for it.. he might have set this all up to trap me in here and get you alone "

Dec: "Maybe.."

Ali : " You are right Ant.. now that we know you are safe, let's wait for cops to call us"

Ant nod at Ali and place a hand around Dec's shoulder pulling him closer.Dec knew Ant well enough to realise the reason behind that sweet gesture.

Dec: "Stop worrying Ant.. all these will be over in a minute"

Ant:"I don't know Dec.. What's happening.."

Dec pulled him closer and hugged him tight "What all had to happen.. happened.. lets hope the cops would reach Samuel before he can do anything more"

Ant just nodded and shut his thoughts as possible scenarios of what could have happened passed through his mind

******

As they were exiting the room, Alph came to them. "Mr Donnelly..! Mr McPartlin, good thing that we found you"

Dec: "Inspector, did you get him?"

Alph: "We did. He was hiding in the prop room. The security he had planted helped him with that. We arrested him and the 20 workers he had planted to spy on you"

Ant: "20!??"

Alph: "Yeah!! man of resources he is. But not a good planner by the sight of things"

Ali: "Sir, so we could press the charges? "

Alph : "Mr Cowell did it already and I will make sure that he won't trouble you further. Mr McPartlin, here is your phone" Ant takes it and frowns while he swipes through it. Alph turn to Dec

Alph: "Err Mr Donnelly.. I am glad you are okay... "

Dec: "Me?"

Alph: "Yeah! We just found something that made us think about your safety, more than anything else"

Everyone looked at him in confusion.But Dec knew what was coming, as Alph continued

"Samuel was not targeting Mr McPartlin. He was targeting You"

Ant felt his blood draining "What?How do you know that? What made you think.."

Alph: " After Mr Donnelly tipped us about the car Samuel had asked him to take, we searched it as part of our routine precaution and.... we found its break to be broken!!!! And also, thinking about the road you have to take to reach Mr McPartlin's house, you are really lucky to be here"

Ali suppressed a shocked sob and Ant flinched beside Dec. Dec just stood nonchalant as deep inside, he knew he was the target.This caught Ant's attention.

Ant: "Dec... you .. you knew?"

Dec looked at him in loss "I had a doubt. But no.. not about the car"

Ant felt deep gratitude for God for the first time in his life as he pulled the smaller man closer to him. He felt an odd sensation that there is more to happen than they had already gone through...

Alph's radio suddenly crackled and he turned to the corridors from where a small group of people was approaching them.

Leading them was two of Alph's men and amidst them, his hands cuffed to his front, was Samuel..

TBC