Chapter Fourteen
The sharp spotlight on Peter's face was like a rabbit at the headlights. Sweat dripped from his forehead. I could see the fear in his eyes. We had tied him up, up in the large armchair. The room was completely black apart from the single beam of light. Seb, Luke, Sam and I all crowded around the chair, our backs bent forwards so there was no way he could escape. We were going to get some answers from this guy. I should've known he was going to be trouble from the moment he spontaneously helped me at that café.
"What do you know?" was Seb's first question. I saw the spit fly from his mouth and land on Peter's face. Peter didn't dare to wipe it away. At the hardness in Seb's voice, I shoved him. Not expecting it, he stumbled, going into Luke. I rolled my eyes at them both as they yelped in surprise.
"This is an interrogation!" I reminded them, "Not torture." Sam, who stood beside me, seemed to be the only one who was holding back. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had taken a definite step back from everyone else, as if he was scared of Peter or something.
"You don't know anything about interrogation, Paige," Seb told me, about to shove me back but deciding against it. I scoffed, holding my arms up in a "what the hell?" gesture.
"Stop treating me like I don't know anything." I pointed an accusing finger in Seb's direction. "I know a lot thank-you very much. Maybe use your ears and listen? That would help."
"Stop arguing!" Luke bellowed.
The sudden outburst made everyone jump, including Peter, and we all instantly fell silent. "Just get on with it. It's four in the morning and I'm knackered." Last night, he'd had his date with Annabelle. He'd come home grinning from ear to ear at half past twelve. I'd calculated it when he'd left, he should've been home by eleven. I wondered what the two had done in that time and in the end I just let it go. Luke was practically an adult. He could look after himself.
It was Seb's fault that we were all in the living room anyway. I'd heard banging and crashing in and someone shouting so I'd come downstairs to see what was going on. Seb had already tied Peter to the chair and because of the noise, everyone else was up; except for Mum. She could sleep through anything. I would've personally preferred that this interrogation would happen after I'd had a decent amount of sleep but we were all worried - apart from Seb, he couldn't care less - that Peter would run away; run away back to Mack and have us killed before we could save Will.
Because Will had been gone for so long, I had taken up the habit of sleeping with one of Will's shirts every night. Pitiful, I know. I really was missing him though. I was just missing him being there and his ability to control the household. Now that he was gone everything just seemed to be a mess. And Seb had taken over.
"Right," I said, planting a hand on either side of the armchair. "Are you working with Mack?"
Peter vigorously nodded.
"Do you know where Will is?"
He did know who Will was, right? Peter had arrived at the house after Will was taken so they hadn't formally met...
Peter didn't reply. It wasn't the case that he didn't know where Will was - or who he was, for that matter - it was more the case that he didn't want to tell us. I saw a glint in his eyes; a fearful one. He wanted to tell us, I could see it written across his face. But if he did reveal it, he would get into serious trouble. I should know.
"Tell us."
When he didn't answer, I raised my hand up to slap him across the face.
Peter clamped his eyes shut, he mumbled something out that I couldn't quite hear. I leaned in even closer, so that my breath ran across his face. "Louder," I ordered. "I didn't hear."
"The Queen's Head."
I looked over my shoulder to the three men behind me. I gave them a look; a "what does that mean?" look. Was it the name of a park, or something?
"It's a pub," Sam explained, scratching his forehead. "Not far from here."
I turned back to Peter. "He's being held hostage, at a pub?"
Peter nodded. "In the cellar. The Queen's Head is where Mack does most of his dealing."
"And how do you know this?"
"Mack told me."
"You've known where Will was this whole time and you didn't think of telling us? Despite your pathetic lies about how you didn't even tell Mack where I was 24/7?" I didn't wait for an answer from Peter. This time I really did slap him round the face. Peter didn't seem to mind, or was even surprised for that matter. He knew he had it coming.
Behind me, I heard Seb say, "I found his mobile in his room." I stood up straight to see him holding up a Blackberry in his hands. He dropped it to the floor, stamping on it with his foot. It made a cracking noise, splitting into small pieces.
"What do we do with him now?" I asked everyone, crossing my arms over my chest. I'd got the information I needed. And it took all I had not to go to The Queen's Head, wherever it was, and save Will right this second.
"I vote we leave him tied up," Seb interjected. Luke nodded in agreement.
"Me too," I said.
Then without a word, we all left the room, leaving Peter struggling on the armchair for the rest of the night.
* * * * * * *
I finished drinking the fifth cup of coffee that morning and smeared a bright red lipstick across my lips. I was going for the fiery look. I gave a little roar at the mirror and giggled to myself. I was so weird, despite what we were about to do. I wasn't even looking into a proper mirror. Mum had just finished cleaning the counter so they were all gleaming white. I was sitting on a barstool, leaning over it to apply my makeup.
"Hey pretty lady," Seb said, coming up to me with a gun. It felt odd when he called me because we weren't dating anymore.
"Thanks," I chirped. I jumped off the barstool. The gun in hand, I suddenly felt a wave of fear run through me. We were going to save Will. We were going to save Will from The Queen's Head Pub. We had a vague plan, very vague indeed. Seb said to never have plans because nothing ever goes the way you want it to. I realized that life was like that too. Six months ago, I never thought I would be in this situation. It was like when I went to save Mum in her apartment, when Harry had been alive: I hadn't known whether I would come out alive. "Why are we going in the daytime?" I glanced out the front windows, the sun high in the sky.
Luke, who had just slipped on a thick hoodie, started playing with a gun in each hand, spinning them round his fingers. "Because their security will be much more lenient."
"Plus," Seb added, interrupting Luke's playing by grabbing one of the guns just before it slipped from his hand, "They won't try anything too hard on us as there will be customers in the pub."
"Right." I nodded, just as Sam came down the stairs. I looked to my left, seeing Peter helplessly struggling in the armchair. He hadn't moved since we'd tied him up there. I wanted to feel sorry for him, I really did. But I just couldn't bring myself to.
Casually, Sam strolled over to the armchair and started untying the rope around Peter.
"What are you doing?" I asked, seeing Peter sigh in relief, the rope burn making red imprints on his wrists.
"Untying him," Sam said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why?"
"He could be useful," Sam replied, shoving a gun into Peter's hands. My both opened in an O shape. Beside me, I could see Luke and Seb do the same.
"You're giving him a gun?" Seb demanded, gobsmacked.
"He won't try anything with us," Sam reassured. He took the safety cap of his own gun off and pointed it at Peter. "He wouldn't dare."
Peter went stiff for a moment. A smile flickered across Sam's face. He pointed it away. Peter's whole body seemed to relax.
Just to add to the confusion, the doorbell suddenly went.
Everyone froze. What?
I exchanged looks with the four men around me, each of them looked as cautious and confused as me. Why would someone be ringing the doorbell? Hardly anyone came, unless it was one of Luke's school friends or something; or maybe even Annabelle. But it was a Monday. We had taken Luke out of school with the excuse that he had tummy ache. And besides, school didn't let out until three. It was only lunchtime.
Seb, the first to react, slowly crept to the door with his gun. There wasn't a peephole, or even a window, in the front door so there was no way of telling who it was without opening the door. Biting his lip, Seb unlocked the door and opened it. From the angle I was standing at to the door, I couldn't quite see who it was. I couldn't see Seb's facial expression either. All I saw was Seb's gun fly out of his hands and towards Luke who was standing behind him. Reflexes like lightning, Luke caught it easily and hid it behind his back. That meant the person at the door wasn't a threat.
I looked at Sam, who must've been thinking the same thing as I was. Peter and I threw him our guns and ran to the kitchen to hide them under a counter. Checking that the person at the door couldn't see, Luke threw Seb's and his own gun at Sam.
"Paige, it's for you!" Seb called nervously behind him, just as the guns went out of sight. Seb was never nervous. Who was at the door?
Instead of answering, I moved towards the door. I took Seb's place. He disappeared behind me. Not that it mattered. I took one look at the familiar cropped hair, the sparkling blue eyes and grubby vest top; the Nike trainers and grey joggers.
"Connor?"
Right in front of my eyes, Connor, my ex-boyfriend, the one who set fire to my flat accidentally-on-purpose, was standing there and for once, looking as nervous as hell. I remembered he used to have stubble across his cheeks and his chin. It was shaved off now.
A million memories seemed to flash across my mind. The day we first met: at a party. The way we used to dance together and the endless amount of shots we did, to see who could try to not be sick. Connor would always win. I could take in quite a lot of alcohol but I seemed like a lightweight in comparison to him.
The moment he asked me to be his girlfriend: in the park. He'd bought a bunch of pink roses, my favourite, from the local florists. He got down on one knee as if he was about to propose. I'd been so speechless, covering my hand over my mouth and practically jumping at him, screaming yes.
I remembered our first fight. By far, it had been the worst. I'd thrown my mobile across the room at him. He almost walked out on me and I thought it would be the end. But he hadn't walked out. He'd stayed when I thought he would. Then he told me loved me and had fallen into his arms, crying. Before then, a boy had never said that to me before.
Finally, the last image that came into my mind was his face when he told me that setting fire to my house had only been an accident. All I saw were the lies. We had only broken up for a week. I thought Connor had been a good guy. I never thought he would hold grudges.
"Hey," was all he seemed to reply, smiling faintly.
He opened his mouth to carry on speaking but I cut him off, too surprised to remember manners. "What are you doing here?"
He dug his hand into the pocket of his joggers and pulled out a key. I instantly recognized it. It was my key. It was the key to my flat that I gave him after our sixth month anniversary. I had been in love when I gave it to him. How quickly my thoughts had changed. I'd completely forgotten that he still had it. "You left an address in the fridge."
Blushing, I leant forward and snatched the key from his hands. I remember when I used to do something. I used to be such a scatterbrain that the only place I wouldn't lose something was the fridge. I didn't think Connor would remember to look in there. I certainly hadn't when I'd gone to pick up the rest of my stuff with Sam and Luke months ago.
"Oh right," I mumbled out, tucking a piece of hair from behind my ear. "So," I cleared my throat, "What are you doing here?"
"I haven't seen you in ages, Paige," Connor replied, not answering the question properly. He always did that. It was a habit that I remembered vividly.
"It's been six months," I shot back. "It's already December. And you only bother to come and now? Are all the girls bored with you now? Looking for an old fire to hopefully rekindle?"
"No," Connor said quietly, coughing.
"Oh. I have some of your stuff upstairs that you left at my house. I would've dropped them off at your flat," I said, looking deadpanned. "But I just didn't." I think they were hiding in the back of my wardrobe somewhere. They were mostly clothes he'd left after an overnight stay. The cliché part would be that I'd been sleeping with them and hugging them each night, waiting for the moment he'd come after me, hoping to get back with me. But no. Connor was a jerk; along with all the other boyfriends I'd had. Including Seb. But luckily he was grownup enough to not hold grudges.
"Can I have them?" Connor asked, his eyebrows raised.
I cocked my head to the side. "I need to be somewhere right now," I said, which was incredibly true. I was already skittish enough as it was. Connor was just adding to the nerves. We could be already at the pub by now. "I'll give them to you tomorrow. Think of it as a Christmas present from me."
Connor didn't even crack a smile. He didn't seem to get the humour.
"Was there something else?" I asked innocently.
Connor shook his head. He knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. "No," he said. "I guess-I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
If I could be bothered tomorrow, I felt like saying, or alive.
"Bye then." I smirked at him happily, giving him a cheery wave as he walked down the front path. I saw him get into his old Volvo, the same Volvo he'd had since I started dating him. The engine spluttered, making a coughing noise as he cranked it into gear, slowly pulling away from the curb. I heard the stereo turn on; a heavy metal song blaring from the speakers. I rolled my eyes at his childish ways. I never got his heavy metal obsession.
I slammed the front door behind him, seeing Seb, Luke, Sam and Peter standing there awkwardly.
"Who was that?" Luke asked, having heard the conversation.
"Just a douche I used to know," I said dismissively. I then clapped my hands together, gritting my teeth. "Now with that out of the way, let's go and rescue Will!"
* * * * * * *
We pulled up outside the pub at quarter to one in the afternoon. I felt the nerves suddenly rush through me. Despite being a weekday, the place was pretty busy. The car park was almost full. A group of middle-aged people, mostly men, stood outside beside the rounded tables, smoking cigarettes and holding pints of beer. You could hear the chattering and background music even from outside. Will was in there somewhere.
Taking a deep breath, I got out; as did everyone else. With our guns properly hidden in our clothing, we made our way towards the entrance. We all tried to look as cool and casual as possible. But behind the leather jacket and red lipstick, lay me; a tiny lamb in front of the headlights. I felt like Mack was about to jump at any second and shoot us all down with a gun, before we could even begin finding Will.
"Are you ready guys?" Seb muttered under his breath. Except for Peter, Sam looked the most nervous. I sent him a reassuring smile, hoping he'd return it. He didn't. I wondered why he was so nervous.
"Yes," I replied, the bravest of us all.
We came up to the entrance of the pub. No-one batted an eyelid. The familiar, musky smell of beer and men hit my nostrils as we came into the shady building. It was a typical English pub. The bars were a dark shade of wood, the seats were red, frayed and split. The place was incredibly busy. Everyone was an adult. No-one even gave a second glance at Luke. Of course they didn't. He fitted right in despite his age.
To look as legit as possible, and to hopefully blend in as it was clear there were security guards and cameras everywhere, Seb led the way up to the bar. He gave the bartender, a young man, a friendly smile. "Hey," he said, letting the y linger for a long moment. "I'll have a London Pride." He looked over his shoulder at everyone else.
"I'll have one too," Luke piped up.
"You too?" Seb queried to both Sam and Peter, who both looked as nervous as hell. They both shook their heads quickly. Not even the likes of alcohol could calm their nerves. It made crack a smile.
"I'll have a lemonade," I said, filling in the empty silence. I sent the bartender - what I hoped was - a flirtatious smile.
The guy nodded. "Sure thing." He dropped the rag he was holding and went to grab some glasses. I impatiently tapped my fingers against the side of the bar. I looked either side of me, as if Will would suddenly pop up and us finding him would be dead easy; and we'd just leave. The pub looked pretty genuine. But of course it had to be. But what if it was just a normal pub? What if what Peter told was a big fat lie? I looked behind me to see Peter practically peeing himself with nerves. But then, Sam looked just as nervous. So Mack had to be here somewhere.
"I'm going to bathroom," I whispered in Seb's ear. Seb nodded, knowing what I was really going to do.
Checking that my gun was safely tucked into my jeans, I weaved through the crowds of people towards the toilet sign. This was where it was going to start to get interesting. There was either going to be something there - or there simply wasn't.
I turned the corner, spotting a men's and a lady's bathroom door. There were too other doors. One with a 'Staff Only' sign on the front of it and the other had a security guard standing in front of it. Oh God. I had a hunch. That was where Will lay - behind that door. I could feel it.
I felt myself suddenly calm. Okay, I could do this. I could take out that man. I could beat down that door. I could go and save Will. Yes, yes I could. And I would do it without using a gun. I only wanted to use it as the absolute last resort. I'd already murdered more than one person before.
Putting on my big girl pants, I walked up to the security guard and smiled at him. He didn't smile back. "What can I do for you, miss?" he asked me, his face expressionless. Ha, he didn't know what was going to happen next.
I didn't reply. I went into ninja mode. I kicked the guy in the nuts, making his hands fly to his groin. He groaned in pain. I grinned, punching him in the stomach so he completely keeled over. He fell to the floor. I continued punching and kicking him, despite his efforts to grab onto my ankles and pull me down. He wasn't much of a security guard. But then again, it was definitely cruel of me to kick him in the privates.
I almost felt bad for the man, but I didn't have time to have feelings when I had a mission like this. I had to go and save Will. I had to go and find him. I had to save him.
Having knocked out the security guard, I got out a paperclip from my pocket. Yes, I had been practising. Kneeling down, I inserted the straightened paperclip into the lock and started to twist. I had been trying it out on the doors back at the house, managing to unlock the bathroom door while Sam was having a shower!
In thirty seconds flat, I managed to get the door open. No alarm went off, nor a motion sensor or another security guard awaiting. Just darkness. I got out my phone from my back pocket and shone it around the place.
"Will?" I called out. No answer. "Will?" I called out again.
I stumbled down some steps. At the bottom, I managed to see the outlines of the bare room. The light from the pub upstairs and a tiny window at the back of the room made it possible for me to work-out what was going on.
There was a single cell - with bars - lay in the corner. The flooring was pure concrete and indescribably unclean. The cell was bare - apart from Will.
"Will!" I cried, my whole face lighting up at the sight of him. He looked up. I saw his face, covered in dirt marks. His clothes were as rank as the floor. I saw the uncertainty in his eyes, as if he didn't quite believe I was standing there.
"Paige?" he mumbled as I approached the cell, kneeling in front of the padlocked door and got out my paperclip once more.
"It's me!" I said. I couldn't help it. I grinned. Will!
"Is this real?"
What? What was he talking about? "Of course this is real!" As I worked at the lock, out the corner of my eye I saw Will slowly get to his feet. He looked thinner - a lot thinner than the last time I saw him. A flicker of a smile came across his face when his hand reached across and stroked my hand through the bars.
Ten seconds later, the door unlocked and I swung open the door. I practically leapt at Will, throwing my arms around him and pulling him close. I felt him wrap his arms around me and inhale my smell, as if double checking that I was real.
"Oh my god, Will," I mumbled. "I've missed you so much." It was only now; now that I was in his arms did I realize that I had missed him like hell.
"Me too," Will replied.
I lent backwards so I could look at his face. Gently, he tucked a piece of my hair behind me ear, looking right into my eyes. I felt my whole heart melt.
And then we were kissing.
I didn't know how it happened. It just did. One minute we were hugging and the next our lips were in contact.
I ran my fingers through his hair. I missed every inch of him. I missed when we shared a bed together and just slept. I missed his smile and his laugh. He kissed me back, just as passionately - filled with so much hunger and drive for one another. But it was a deeper feeling. It was a deeper feeling than I had felt for Seb. It wasn't just lust, it was love too.