AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You want to show someone my life’s in danger… to force them to comply with your boss’s demands?”
“Clever girl.”
“So, do you get paid well for doing stuff like this?”
“Not well enough. Anyways, enough chitchat. I’ll have to gag you if you keep running your mouth.”
“Sorry. I’m just interested, that’s all. It’s not every day you get to pick the brains of paid criminals.”
He gave an amused grunt in response as he pointed the lens at me.
The man guarding Hannah spoke up. “Hey, Gaz. D’you know what we’re s’posed to do with this one? Didn’t realise there’d be two of ‘em.”
“We’ll have to ask the boss.”
“Reckon boss man wouldn’t mind if we had a lil fun?”
A cold weight sank through me. They couldn’t hurt me, but they had no reason not to harm Hannah. I jerked against the restraints.
The neck-tattoo man, Gaz, shot his partner a warning look. “No funny stuff till he gets what he wants.”
I exhaled. She was safe. For now.
Gaz fiddled with the camera settings, brows pinching together.
“Need some help?” I asked.
“Not a chance.” Gaz called for his partner. “Oi, Jono, know how to work this thing? You’re the tech wiz.”
Hannah’s guard left his post to assist Gaz.
My hands strained against the unforgiving plastic biting into my wrists while every second dragged like wading through quicksand. Backup had to be coming… right?
Between the two goons, they figured out what was wrong with the camera settings, and I saw a red light switch on. It was recording. My nerves hitched. Just what exactly were they planning to shoot?
“Right then, girlie. Time for your star turn,” Gaz said.
“W-what should I do?”
“Getting scared now, eh?” His grin made my stomach turn. “Good. We’re just getting started.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
THREE WEEKS EARLIER
Ipeered up at the imposing glass edifice, its facade reflecting the surrounding skyscrapers of Canary Wharf. Was this the right place? I double-checked the address on the business card clutched in my gloved hand and cross-referenced it with the Maps app and the number etched above the building’s revolving door. The biting air made me shiver as I stood on the pavement, mustering my resolve. This had to be it. Time to go in.
I hitched my bag higher on my shoulder and stepped through the revolving door into the lobby. The sheer scale of the place was overwhelming. Men and women dressed in corporate attire strode purposefully across the vast floor. I lingered just inside the entrance, struggling to get my bearings. The business card said Avenex Holdings was on level ten, but a row of steel security gates cut off the way to the bank of lifts. I needed a visitor pass.
I approached the wide, arched desk positioned in front of a backdrop of wooden panels. Two workers manned the desk, typing away on computers. I stepped up to the male receptionist on the right. “Excuse me. I have an appointment on level ten with Alan Dixon from Avenex Holdings.”
The man flicked his eyes over me. “ID, please.”
I fumbled in my bag for my New Zealand driver’s licence and handed it over. The man typed my details into the computer, then took my photo with a small webcam mounted to his monitor. Moments later, a plastic visitor badge printed out. He attached it to a lanyard and passed it over along with my licence. “Wear this at all times. It will get you through the gates to the lifts and grant access to level ten.” His bored tone made it clear he issued hundreds of these passes each day.
“Thank you.”
I slipped the lanyard over my head, the badge dangling across my chest. Now properly credentialed, I headed for the gates, nerves rising with each step.
