What if you and your family were at the
mercy of a psychopath/a man with no conscience?
Just
when DI Matthew Adams thinks he’s left the past behind him, it comes back to
haunt him once again; this time in the form of the Conner family.
Like
Matthew, the Conners have lost a child in tragic circumstances – and they’ve
also found themselves in the hands of one of the most depraved criminals to
walk the streets: ‘Dead-eyed’ Charlie Roberts, a drug addicted low-life with a
penchant for extreme violence.
Matthew’s
greatest affinity lies with Daniel Conner, the brooding father who still blames
himself for his youngest child’s death. But when Daniel’s wife and daughter are
tortured and tormented by Roberts, can Matthew prevent him from completely
ruining his own life for an act of revenge particularly when, once upon a time,
that’s exactly what Matthew would have done too?
EXTRACT
Daniel’s
eyes flickered away from Charlie for a second. ‘Come on, baby, come out,’ he
said to the daughter, who was standing hesitantly on the top step. ‘It’s safe
now.’
‘Yeah, come
on, baby,’ Charlie mimicked. ‘Come and join the party.’
Charlie
stepped sideways, allowing the girl to exit, her eyes like a terrified Bambi’s
and shaking as much as Danny boy, poor cow. Must be hereditary.
‘Give me a
shout if you fancy another quick shag, sweetheart,’ Charlie called as she
stepped onto the towpath.
A tic went
at the side of Daniel’s mouth. He walked calmly over to Charlie and smiled,
which had Charlie momentarily flummoxed, then pulled back the gun and rammed it
hard into his stomach.
****
Matthew
flinched as Charlie doubled up. ‘Ouch,’ he said under his breath. ‘Okay,
Daniel,’ he said carefully. ‘I know how you must be feeling but you need to let
him go now. He’ll get what’s—’
‘You have no
fucking idea how I feel,’ Daniel shouted, glancing quickly at Jo. ‘The only way
that bastard goes anywhere is feet first.’ He raked a hand angrily though his
hair. ‘Got that, Charlie? Now, get down on your knees.’
Charlie
looked up, astonished. ‘You must be joking. I ain’t—’
‘Do I look
as if I’m joking?’ Daniel asked, his eyes burning with hatred.
‘For fuck’s
sake,’ Charlie uttered, turning to Matthew, his hands nursing his stomach.
‘On your
knees, Charlie,’ Daniel repeated. ‘Now!’
Matthew
dearly wished he could turn a blind eye as Roberts blinked at him beseechingly,
and scared witless, satisfyingly. Unfortunately, as much as he would relish
seeing the abusive piece of scum get a taste of his own, he couldn’t.
‘You need to
drop the gun, Daniel,’ he said, moving cautiously towards the boat. ‘Leave him
to me and get your wife and child—’
‘Don’t,’
Daniel warned, his eyes and the gun still fixed on Roberts. ‘Back off.’
Matthew
hesitated, uncertain. God knows, the man had every reason to … But was Conner
actually going to shoot Roberts?
‘I can’t do
that, Daniel.’ Matthew stepped closer. ‘You know I can’t.’
‘Stay!’
Daniel shouted, swinging the gun around, then fast back to Charlie. ‘And you,’
he grated, ‘down on your knees, while you still can.’ He aimed the gun lower,
which had Charlie dropping to his knees, fast.
‘Get them
out of here,’ Matthew shouted, indicating Jo and Kayla over his shoulder.
Roberts had pushed Conner right over the edge. He bloody well was going to
shoot him. Christ, hadn’t this family already been through enough?
‘Daniel …’
Warning himself to tread carefully, empathising with the man more than he could
possibly know, Matthew tried again. ‘You can’t take the law into your own
hands.’ He stopped and waited, wondering whether Daniel, who was now swaying on
his feet, could even hear him. ‘You have to do this the legal way. Please, give
me the gun, Daniel.’
‘Can’t.’
Daniel closed one eye.
Matthew took
a breath and stepped closer. ‘Why can’t you, Daniel?’ he asked quietly.
‘Three, two,
one,’ Daniel replied, nonsensically.
‘Right.’
Matthew was scared for him now. If he used that gun with police marksmen aiming
right at him … ‘Which means what, exactly, Daniel?’
Daniel
shrugged. ‘Bang.’ He concentrated his aim.
‘Fuck,’ said
Charlie, turning a pale shade of white. ‘Don’t, Danny,’ he pleaded.
Daniel
cocked the gun.
‘Look, I
didn’t touch your daughter—’
‘Shut the
fuck up!’ Daniel yelled.
‘I didn’t. I
swear I didn’t.’ Perspiration broke out on Charlie’s forehead. ‘Danny, please.
I’m sorry. Okay? I—’
‘The name’s
Daniel, not Danny. Not fucking Danny boy. Daniel! Got it?’
‘Yeah,’
Charlie nodded quickly. ‘Daniel. Whatever. Just put the gun down.’
Daniel
continued to stare at him.
‘Shit. This
is nuts.’ Charlie looked desperately to Matthew. ‘Do something! Don’t let them
go!’ He nodded past him, to where the man’s wife and daughter weren’t being
persuaded to leave. ‘He won’t do anything in front of them.’
That’s
probably the first, and might well be the last, time you’ve said anything
sensible in your entire life, you piece of shit. Matthew looked him over
derisively. Conner cared about his family. They’d endured too much to go
through any more. He must know it.
Matthew drew
in a breath and then took a gamble. ‘Okay, Daniel. Fine. Do it,’ he said.
Charlie
gawked.
‘Go ahead.
Blow his brains all over the boat if it will make you feel better.’ Matthew
paused for an instant. ‘And leave your wife wondering why you did it in front
of your daughter. Whether to visit you in prison, when you didn’t care enough
about her, or Kayla, not to.’
Daniel
tightened his grip on the gun.
His hands
were shaking, Matthew noticed. Shaking badly.
‘I have kids
of my own, Daniel,’ he said softly, taking another careful step towards him.
Daniel’s
shoulders stiffened.
‘I know you
lost your little girl, Daniel.’ Seeing Daniel reel on his feet, Matthew pushed
on and prayed. He needed to get through to him. Had to.
‘You think I
can’t know how you feel, but … I lost my little girl too, Daniel,’ he confided,
though it almost choked him to say it. ‘I do know at least some of how you
feel.’
Still Daniel
didn’t move, but Matthew saw a swallow slide down his throat.
‘That
bastard has piled pain on top of pain, hasn’t he?’ Matthew kept going, touching
raw nerves, he was well aware of that, but what other choice did he have?
‘Persecuted Kayla and Joanne? Taunted them. Touched them, Daniel?’
Daniel’s jaw
tightened.
‘Dared you
to do anything about it, so he could revel in his pathetic power and beat you
senseless? I know him,’ Matthew said forcefully. ‘He’ll get what’s coming to
him. But you have to stop this. Now, Daniel. For the sake of your wife and
daughter. Show them you care enough not to put them through this.’
‘Jesus!’
Daniel leaned to wipe his perspiring face against his shoulder. ‘Of course I
care!’ he raged frustrated, and obviously confused. ‘But he’ll get out, won’t
he?’
A sharp
cough rattled his chest.
‘Jo and my
kids are my life. Jo and Kayla … Were my … I …’ Trailing off, Daniel closed his
eyes.
And lowered
the gun.
‘Hah.’
Charlie levered himself to his feet. ‘No bottle. Knew it. I’ll catch up with
you when I’m out, Danny boy.’ He smirked, as Matthew climbed on board. ‘Keep
that pretty wife of yours warm for me, won’t you?’
Daniel
brought the gun back up sharp. ‘Say your fucking prayers, freak,’ he hissed.
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