Even Angels Fall (37 page)

“Yeah, the lad has come out but Alex’s girl is still inside. What do you want us to do?” He listens quietly as Marcus gives his command on the other end of the line, “Ok… not a problem. We’ll bring him to you…” He hangs up the phone and starts the engine.

“What did he say?” Gazza asks.

“He says the girl might have slipped out the back so we’re to follow him…”

“And?”

“And force him to take a little joy ride with us…” They smile at each other knowingly as Tommo swings the van around and they curb crawl towards the end of the street where Peter is walking alone.

Alex had been fairly pissed off when Abbey finally answered her phone and she knows full well that he has every reason to be. Disappearing for an entire day at a time like this probably isn’t the best move she has ever made and she feels terrible for making him worry.

As she opens the front door to the flat, everyone is there, sitting around the large glass table in the dining area next to the kitchen, talking amongst themselves. Even Gemma is present which is unusual as she hasn’t been around in a while due to her less than favourable opinion of Alex. But he has summoned them all together for a reason and he clearly has something to say that they all need to hear.

The others smile at Abbey in greeting as she crosses the kitchen towards them but Alex doesn’t look up from his seat at the head of the table. She is standing right next to him when he finally acknowledges her presence and despite his obvious anger, her heart leaps and her stomach flips as their eyes meet. In that instant she feels whole again and all the confusion and craziness from earlier that afternoon just seems to dissipate. She belongs here with Alex; there is no doubt in her mind and as she smiles at him lovingly his bad mood falters and he smirks back, shaking his head with mild irritation.

“Have you had a nice day?” He whispers sarcastically, and Abbey frowns slightly as she leans down to kiss him.

“I’ll fill you in later…” She replies, and he tilts his head to the side with intrigue, momentarily studying Abbey’s face until he is satisfied that he has no reason to be alarmed.

Abbey has every intention of telling him about Peter showing up outside, but the whole Harper situation will be forgotten about, put down to a severe momentary lapse in judgement and sanity.

“So what’s this all about Al?” Lucy asks, no longer able to suppress her curiosity, and Abbey moves over to sit in the empty seat beside her.

She too is curious as to what Alex has to say. He definitely has his business face on - serious and calculated - and all eyes are on him as he leans back in his chair, exhaling slowly.

“Moorland’s been in touch… “ He announces, “I wasn’t going to bother him with all the Marcus bullshit seen as it’s more or less sorted for now, but the guy that I spoke to a couple of weeks ago must have told him I’d called and he rang me last night…”

“And…?” Darren presses.

“And… I filled him in. I didn’t exactly tell him everything but I explained how Marcus had demanded money from me and how the first time round, as good business, I paid him back. Then I told him how he came after me again… and what it eventually resulted in…”

“What did he think to that?” Liam asks.

“We talked… and he agreed with me, with all of us, that knowing what Marcus is like he isn’t going to let this lie. He will come after me again when he’s back to full strength, which could be fairly soon…”

“So he’ll help?” Abbey tries to sound as calm and collected as the others, but she knows that Moorland is Alex’s best shot at ending this cat and mouse game with Marcus once and for all. If he isn’t willing to help, god knows what will happen? It might never be over.

“He will. The fact that I sorted it out the first time round… paid Marcus and dealt with the problem myself… he was impressed with that. Not ringing him straight off the bat was obviously the right move…” He sounds relieved, and as the lads all nod in agreement Abbey senses that Gemma is rolling her eyes, but she can’t be sure. She doesn’t like to look directly at her these days as the hostility she feels towards Alex understandably gets channelled towards her on occasion too. Whether it is on purpose or not, she isn’t sure.

“That’s good news, mate…” Nathan sighs, “Has he got some sort of plan or…?”

“Yeah, he has…” Alex’s tone shifts slightly and everyone instantly tenses. This is obviously the reason he has brought them all here - to explain the details - and judging by his demeanour it doesn’t seem like good news at all.

“It isn’t long term, you have to remember that….”

“What isn’t?” Sophie frowns, “Just tell us…”

“It’s been a few weeks since I put Marcus in a bad way and if I’m right, it won’t be long until he comes after me again. Because he knows you all… and what you mean to me…” Gemma shifts awkwardly in her seat and Alex looks directly at her as he speaks again, “What you
all
mean to me… it isn’t safe. And I’m sorry for that. Moorland has a man up North that has a few connections in common with Marcus. He’s keeping his ear to the ground, waiting for any information to come to light and when Marcus is ready to make his move, Moorland will know… and he’ll be here waiting for him…”

“That doesn’t sound too bad…” Lucy smiles, reassured.

“Moorland’s coming here…” Alex confirms, “Which means, we can’t be…”

“What are you saying?” Her smile fades and Nathan holds her hand under the table.

“Moorland has offered to sort this out for me. But if I’m here when Marcus makes his move… if any of us are… it could get seriously out of hand. He thinks it would be better for everyone, if we keep out of the way until it’s over. So we all have to lay low for a while. I mean seriously below radar… that means no Locke, no park, none of the bars I deal at…. and no flat. Marcus and whoever he has doing his dirty work, they know how close we all are, they’ll be expecting us to be together, so, to make it safer…”

“We can’t be together until it’s over…” Darren finishes his sentence in an incredibly bleak tone of voice and the room falls silent as they all try to process what that means.

“I’m not leaving Lucy…” Nathan scoffs as the realisation registers and Alex raises his hand to calm him before he loses his temper.

“And what about Gem? I’m not leaving her on her own…” Sophie snaps.

“That’s not what I’m asking…” Alex shakes his head, “Nathan… you, Lucy and Liam, you should stick together but don’t go to any of the usual places, not at all… I fucking mean it. You need to find somewhere away from here to lie low for a while…”

“My cousin has a place in Wakefield? It shouldn’t be a problem…” Liam offers reluctantly, and Alex nods, happy with the suggestion.

“And you three should be alright at Gemma’s, seen as it’s well out of town. There’s no reason for them to know where you live, especially since you haven’t been around in a while. Is that alright with you, Gem?” She stares at Alex icily, but her disgust isn’t quite as apparent as usual and she nods once.

“How long for?” Darren asks quietly, as he stares across the table at Lucy and she meets his worried gaze. They have been completely inseparable since their early teens but now it is far too dangerous for them to stay together. Nathan won’t leave Lucy, and Darren can’t leave Sophie. If they join up that would leave Liam and Gemma on their own and the group would be too big to go into hiding. It just isn’t plausible. They are divided, and will be until Moorland decides that it is safe enough. Alex knows what he is asking and what it is costing them but his resolve doesn’t slip. He knows that if they stick together they are more likely to be found and he will not lose any one else. This has to be done.

“Until I get the call…” He answers, solemnly.

“When is this happening?” Sophie whispers.

“Pretty much now guys. I’m sorry…” Alex shakes his head at the table and nobody speaks for the longest time. They are family and they have always stayed together no matter what. Recent difficult events may have caused anger and upset within the group but being actually, physically separated is another thing entirely and the idea upsets them all.

“Where will you go?” Gemma asks, and everyone looks at Alex expectantly, especially Abbey, who in the shock of the moment hadn’t even stopped to think about the two of them.

“We need to get away, out of Leeds, maybe even out of England… the further the better…” He stares at Abbey, trying to read her reaction, but she keeps it hidden. She needs to hold it together right now, for him and for the others. She is determined to handle this the best possible way she can. She has to be strong for Alex… she owes him that.

Saying goodbye to everyone is horrible, especially when it comes to Lucy, Nathan and Liam. Abbey has no idea when she will see them again and the uncertainty breaks her heart. Her chest feels empty and hollow as her friends leave one by one and she struggles to wrap her head around what is happening. Just when she had been thoroughly convinced that they had hit rock bottom, this happens. ‘But it is necessary…’ Abbey reminds herself, ‘this is going to make things right again…’

When she and Alex are finally alone he wraps his arms tightly around her waist and rests his head against her shoulder.

“We should pack…” He suggests and she nods sadly as she turns to face him.

“So, where are we going?” She asks, and he smiles down at her wistfully.

“Home…”

P
eter’s breathing is rapid and panicked. His hands are bound tightly behind his back and the bag that has been placed over his head is making him feel increasingly claustrophobic. His heart is beating fast and loud as he tries in vain to listen to his surroundings in an attempt to figure out where he is and what the hell is going on.

He had been walking, just walking, on his own through the bottom end of town after he had left Abbey at the pub. He was almost nearing the back of the train station when there was a screech of tyres behind him - then everything went black. The sharp pain in the back of his head confirms that he has obviously been hit and temporarily knocked out. When he came to, this is the state he found himself in.

He can hear nothing but the roar of the engine echoing through the empty hollowness of the van. They have been driving for about ten minutes now, at least that’s how long he has been awake. He has no idea how much of the journey he has been unconscious for. He might not even be in Leeds anymore and the notion terrifies him. Who the hell are these people? And what do they want?

Eventually the van slows down onto crunching gravel and comes to a sudden stop. The driver and passenger doors open and slam simultaneously before the transit door slides back, causing daylight to flood inside. Peter still can’t see a thing, but he can sense the change in light and he is grateful that it is still day time. He feels two pairs of hands grab him roughly by the arms and heave him forward, throwing him to the ground as the van slams shut behind him once more. He is dragged forward several feet into a cold, damp building and as he sits there leaning forward on his knees, he wracks his brain, trying to think of every possible scenario and how he can survive this in one piece.

If these guys are robbers surely they would have just taken his watch and wallet and left him knocked out cold in the middle of the street? And if they are a group of psychopaths, wouldn’t they have waited until the cover of darkness to kidnap someone and butcher them for fun? The truth is, he has absolutely no idea what the hell is going on, but he has the rather distinct impression that he is about to find out.

A set of footsteps - quiet and distant at first - get closer and closer until Peter can sense someone standing right in front of him. There is a tug on the rope around his neck and the bag slides up over his head, freeing him. The fresh air fills his lungs and he relishes the sensation, before blinking hard and looking up at the imposing figure looming above.

He is fairly short and stocky, older, grey haired and mean looking, and to Peter’s surprise he is dressed quite smartly in a well-tailored, navy blue suit. His face is twisted into an angry, bitter expression and it is almost completely covered in injuries. He has several cuts and healing scabs, there is bruising around both eyes and his bottom lip is drooped slightly in what looks to be a permanent state. Whoever this guy is, he took one hell of a beating from somebody.

“Do you know who I am?” He asks, bluntly and Peter blinks, only just managing to shake his head in response.

“No. No I don’t. Why am I here?”

“You’re here, due to a random chain of events that none of us could have predicted…” Marcus sighs almost wearily, before turning on his heel and back hand slapping Peter so hard across the face he almost spins 360 degrees. He hits the cold concrete and gasps for breath as pain spreads from his ear down to the back of his neck.

“What the hell do you want?” Peter coughs, and Marcus simply nods once. On command the two sets of hands pull him back up into a kneeling position.

“How do you know Alex Matthews?” He asks, and Peter frowns up at him confused, trying hard to focus his blurred vision while still reeling from the unexpected punch.