19:15 PM ~ Stonewall ~ Mr Green.
Lucas looked up at the Stonewall Restaurant with the note in his hand. Wind touched the hair around his face as he stepped through the front door. Lucas sat at the bar and ordered a shandy.
"Charlie, that coat is getting tatty." Lucas heard a female voice from behind.
"Ridiculous this old thing has still got life." Charlie replied.
Lucas smiled as the old couple bickered good heartedly.
Five minutes later the drink was paid for and Lucas prepared himself for the mysterious person who sent the note. Lucas looked around the restaurant, familes sat together eating from half empty plates and babies crying from around the corner. Waiters carried hot steaming food that caused Lucas stomach to stirr.
Perhaps I should order something to eat while I'm waiting? Lucas thought just as he heard a door open. Lucas could smell a cooked roast dinner, he turned around as it appeared and answered his inner question,
"Is that turkey, beef and chicken?" Lucas asked.
The beautiful waitress smiled.
"Yes, should I order for another?" She said.
"Yes please." Lucas said.
The waitress winked and walked around the corner. A few seconds later reappeared with a suggestive glance and then disappeared through the doors to what looked like the kitchen. Lucas adjusted his tie and grinned and asked to pay for the roast then spent the 10 minute wait admiring the pretty waitress.
Still no sign of the mysterious person. Checking his watch, an hour had gone by already. The empty glass sat there with the empty plate tounting Lucas, signing Lucas stood up to leave. Well he didn't know this person because whomever they are. If it was important this Mr green would be contacting again but for now Lucas should continue unpacking.
Leaving the polished and classy family restaurant behind with the carvy pretty waitress. The wind was stronger now then it was an hour ago. He could feel it bitting his face. An ally appeared to the right and in the middle was a jewellery shop that showcased a familiar diamond necklace.
Walking to the window, up close the diamond necklace showcased looked a true likeness to an old family jewel and £28,000 seems incredibly too cheap for it. Brows creased Lucas opened the shop door and looked around. The glass cabinets were filled with jewellery of diamonds, birth stones in errings, necklaces, bracelets. A crystal chandelier surspended from the ceiling in this small expensive shop.
The shop keeper wore a smart suit behind the counter.
"Could you tell me about that diamond necklace in the front window?" Lucas asked the man.
The shop keeper looked up from his eye glass as a whisp of white hair fell into his right eye. An old notebook sat open with loggin details of sales. Lucas frowned you don't see that often now he thought and in a jewellery shop selling high class diamonds theres no camera or computer?
"Yes we got that quite a few years back, however it was kept at the back, I've only just put it out. What do you want to know?" The shop keeper moved from the counter and approached the front windows. He unlocked it with a little key the size of a thumb.
"I'd like to know where it came from?" Lucas asked.
The smartly dressed old man slowly opened the glass door and took the necklace out and gently laid it down on the counter and waved Lucas to the door behind the counter. Looking around the small shop Lucas noticed the man was the only one to be seen.
"Is there an employee working with you?" Lucas asked starting to get annoyed with the lack of protection the guy has in this shop.
Walking through the doors the man took out an even older notebook than the notebook at the front.
"No, they have the day off. It says here a Mr Anderson gave it to me on the 03/10/2010." The old guy said.
Lucas frowned. Bloody old man, you sold her mansion, why did you sell grandma's prise possession as well? He scrawled.
Thats a family jewel.
"Thank you, I'll take it." Lucas said not wanting it to stay here any longer.
The old man looked surprised but was quickly pleased. The jewel was still on the counter, Lucas felt relieved. Someone could just come in and take it. With the diamond necklace wrapped and secure in a box and paid for, Lucas put it in his pocket and thought about giving the old man the corrected amount of money.
Lucas took out thousands more from his wallet and put it on the counter.
"The original price of this particular necklace is £1,000000." Lucas explained.
The old mans jaw dropped, his mouth opened and closed.
"Get cameras, security in place and a new computer, your shop looks like it can be burgled at any moment. Have a nice day." Lucas said as he shut the door behind him feeling better about himself.
The wind had picked up and the sky was now turning grey, water drops started falling like glass crystal balls. Lucas patted his head as thunder roared in the distance. Within the thunder was another sound, Lucas turned towards the ally and saw a tiny speck of light hit the wall. He approached the ally causiously as if a tigar was around the corner ready to pounce. Another sharp sound rocketed from the spark against the wall, and a smokey damp smell drifted to Lucas's nose as the rain increased.
He pulled out his phone as he reached the end of the ally just before the commotion. Turning off his light and he switched it to his camera showing his face instead of the ally. Moving the phone carefully to get a good angle without anyone seeing it in the corner, he hit record. Lucas watched the scene play out in the ally and nearly dropped his phone when a gun fired towards the wall in front of him.
The shot was fired from the opposite side and whoever was pulling the trigger was a bad shot, a black hooded clothed person stood to the side nowhere near where the gun was aiming. Lucas panicked thinking they were aiming for his phone and knew he was there but then the gun shots stopped.
The person stepped out of the shadow and took out from under their long coat an AK 47, aimed and fired towards the bad shot. The rain soaked Lucas's clothes and phone. As another shot fired to the wall this time, Lucas's angle was spot on and Lucas could see who was shooting from the other side. Four people with hand guns stood across the ally started shooting all at once hitting the lone black clothed person, the persons body bounced against the hit of the bullets until finally the person fell down on the floor not moving.
One of the shooters spoke.
"He didn't say the person was professionally trained, christ that took a long time and six of us were taken down." A high pitched voice said.
Another slighty high pitched voice asked.
"Do you think that actually killed him?" Worry evident in his voice.
"Two rounds of four pistals each hit him of course it did, lets collect our money." A new voice said.
Booted steps descended and then the four men disappeared from the screen just as the battery died. Lucas cursed as the phone slipped from his fingers and landed on the cold ground sounding like a firecracker. Lucas heard a click in his ear and immediately froze and started to shake, he lifted his shaking palms in the air.
The rain started spitting and through his fogged mind Lucas could hair a faint sound of heavy breathing, the person sucked in his breath and cleared his throat.
"You don't look like you're apart of that other lot." The man said.
He picked up Lucas's now wet phone and tried turning the screen on.
"Battery is dead." Lucas said in a defeated voice.
A foot step splashed in a puddle down the ally, Lucas turned towards the sound but ended up making eye contact with the person holding the gun point blank. With wide eyes Lucas sucked in a breath as the person pulled him away from the ally and pushed forward towards the jewellery shop and passed it. Male voices could be heard behind them but not close enough, the hooded person pushed Lucas in the second bush they came across.
"Be quiet pretty boy." The hooded persons voice Lucas could hear sounded much more feminine than he originally thought.
He looked intensely at the persons face and could only see rouge red lips, the gun pointed up and the persons hand was small. The men shouted and ran passed, one of them stayed behind looking around the back street. The gapes in the bush looked big enough to see through and Lucas worried about how black their own clothes were, he looked at the person again and heard deep breathing. He or she must of been hit Lucas thought, another thought entered his mind which he immediately acted on as the man was far enough away without hearing.
Lucas stretched out his arms in the narrow space around the person and laid down on top of them below the gapes in the bush. Face to face, Lucas heard a rasp and felt soft pillows against his chest and round curves that fit against his hips, his body responded automatically as the person wiggled under him.
Definitely a woman Lucas thought uncomfortably.
~~~
Jennifer felt his strong arms wrap round her and his body hold her down even wet and through his clothes she could tell how muscular his body was, she suddenly felt vulnerable even with the gun in her hand.
She wiggled.
"What are you doing! He could hear us!." She whispered sharply.
"Looks like you didn't notice the massive gapes in the bush." He said quietly to her ear, she blushed.
Damn it! You're meant to be a trained police woman Jennifer, in charge of the situation and now you're in bloody danger she said inside her head. The gun slipped from her fingers and she weakened under his body, the bruises from the gun shots throbbed painfully now. They both breathed in sync and tensed when the man walked directly passed them.
A car engine roared from the end of the street and stopped at the side walk across from them.
The car door opened.
"Get in! We'll demand more money, he's been shot. How he was able to move from there..? I don't know but we've got his AK47." The third man with the deeper voice said.
The man ran to the car and jumped in, the car door slammed shut and tires squeaked annoyingly across the wet floor. They waited till the car was gone and then both let out a breath, Jennifer went immediately into action and switched places with him and grabbed his arms behind his back but Jennifer felt a massive sharp pain in her rib and let go of his arms as she cried out.
The man turned around to face her and lifted her in his lap. Jennifer grasped and started hitting him weakly while he evaded them.
"It's alright." He patted her head as her hood fell down and she was suddenly completely exposed.
He rubbed the skin on her hips with his thumb.
"I won't hurt you." She believed him.
"Who are you? Why were you there? You shouldn't of been there?" She said and took out her badge and shoved it in his face.
He whistled.
"Well Gorgeous, I was meant to be meeting someone at the Stonewall Restaurant however they never showed up. I left an hour or two later and then brought a jewel and then heard a gun shot. You know the rest. But tell me, how aren't you bleeding from bullet wounds?" He said amazed.
Jennifer frowned.
"I would appreciate it sir if you called me Jennifer, what is your name?" She asked irritated.
"Lucas Anderson. Gorgeous." Lucas winked, then suddenly held her more boldly.
"Why aren't you filled with holes Jennifer?" Lucas asked again and rubbed his hands up and down her body, Jennifer squeaked in surprise and blushed.
"Mr Anderson, I was wearing a bullet proof vest and a metal plate before. Now do you mind getting your hands off me?" She shouted sternly.
Lucas chuckled and lifted her up in his arms, wet rain drops fell from the leaves above them as they appeared out of the wet bush.
"Now I can't do that, You're an injured lady, I cannot let you walk, especially when I heard that cry earlier. Do you have my phone?" Lucas asked.
Jennifer sighed defeated when another wave of pain started.
"In my pocket." She said with clenched teeth.
"By the way, I cannot tell you anything so don't even try to ask." Jennifer replied firmly.
Lucas carried her effortlessly across the street.
"Jesus do you reject a man before they can say anything too?" Lucas teased.
"Mr Anderson this isn't a light hearted matter. You're involved now, you were seen that means you will be targeted now." She said formerly.
"Please don't call me 'Mr Anderson.' Or talk to me so formally. Call me Lucas, Jennifer, and doesn't that give me a bloody good reason to ask questions? Anyway I may have been seen." he replied correcting her.
Jennifer's face turned red with anger as Lucas walked towards a train station and taxi service.
"I don't think you understand where you stand in this Lucas?" Jennifer said tightly.
"Look here as far as I'm concerned you can't do anything right now and you need my help. We're both in the shit so why don't you treat me as a person who can help and not about your police protocols?" He said causally.
Jennifer was so annoyed she thought she could see red. Jennifer tensed Police protocols? Lara Stone...Fuck. This should be exceptable right he witnessed her with a gun the normal woman 'Lara Stone' with a normal job wouldn't work. It's too late Jennifer told her self. Lucas carried Jennifer into a taxi.
"Where are we going?" She said anxiously.
Lucas looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Where else, the hospital?" He said in a dry tone.
Jennifer panicked.
"No we can't, if you brought me in there, they could accuse you of beating me. We can't tell them the real story here." She said quietly.
Lucas thought about what she said for a moment.
"You have a point, I'll take you to my personal doctor then." Lucas said and then told his directions to the taxi driver and they drove off in silence.
Lucas still had Jennifer in his lap. Jennifer sucked in a breath very irritated with the situation, how did she end up here, in this situation from just one lead? The Stonewall restaurant that Lucas mentioned, could it be related to this case? How did they find out about me working on this case so quickly? And why was it so important that I had to be killed?
So many thoughts filtered through her head as her ribs complained, she could feel a headache coming on.
"You should rest after my doctor has seen you." He stated.
"I don't know you, how could I possibly rest?" Jennifer said in a deflated voice.
"Just trust me." He said.
Jennifer laughed it sounded so ridiculous yet she believed him and felt safe. Jennifer laid back on Lucas and could just about tell when the taxi had stopped but was in too much pain and so content that she barely even registered it.
~~~
"We should have more time for a job like this, We couldn't even land a scratch. We don't know if he was actually hit." The second man with the highest pitch voice.
A large group of men sat around a few sofas.
"If it's time you want I can give you that, however that depends on if you can actually follow through." A new rough voice said from the back of the room.
The group of men paused, a man in a green trench coat walked in.
"Boss." They said in union.
The man picked up a clean glass from the side table and pulled out a flask from his hidden pocket, a gold brown liquid came out of the flask. He dropped some ice cubes in the glass and turned to the men.
"She must be taken out before she finds out more than she should." The boss said.
The men looked up puzzled.
"She?" They said in Union.