‘Benjamin Davis, you have the most vivid imagination I have ever encountered, I … what the fu –’
‘Nowwill you call the police?’ Benji asked, snapping his backpack closed again. She then spentageson the phone (Benji thought he could have probably explained in half the time, but his mum was blubbing through the whole thing, which slowed the process considerably). When she’d finally finished and told them they had to wait for the police to arrive, Benji decided to take control.
‘Phone Dad.’
‘I will after we’ve spoken to the police, honey,’ she told him, distracted by Baby Thomas, who was fighting to get loose from his pram. ‘Jack, hold onto Finlay’s hand; do not let go of him.’ Benji rolled his eyes and reached into his mum’s back pocket, deftly removing the mobile.
‘Hey, it’s the kid,’ he said into the phone, after punching in the number he had memorised. ‘You said to phone if I saw any freaky stuff. Does stealing a gun from a big guy who kidnapped my brother count?’ He listened for a moment, then proceeded to give a detailed description of the man.
‘Benji,’ his mum said, making a grab for the phone, ‘I told you I’d phone your dad.’
‘Gotta go. Mum’s losing it.’ Benji tapped the phone to end the call and handed it back to his mum.
‘Benji, didn’t you think I might want to speak to him?’ she semi-shouted.
‘That wasn’t dad,’ Benji said, and Sarah’s eyebrows shot up.
‘Wha … ? You know what, I don’t want to know. You stand there and don’t let go of your brother’s hand.’
*****
Goodie tucked her mobile into her back pocket and almost smiled. She had been right about the kid: he was useful. She watched as Daniel jogged out to his car, which he’d parked illegally on the road. Before he had started the engine she’d slipped back into hers and was poised to move. As ever the arrogant idiot didn’t think to check if he had a tail, so used to having minions to take care of that for him but obviously not willing to involve others in what he had planned now. Just as she was about to pull away she dialled Sam and his deep voice filled the enclosed space.
‘Problem?’ he asked.
‘He’s back. He’s heading out of Cardiff,’ Goodie replied, now weaving in and out of traffic to keep up with Daniel’s Jaguar.
‘What?’ Sam roared down the phone, and Goodie winced at the volume. ‘Since when?’
‘A while.’
‘Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?’
‘I’m telling you now.’
‘You should have told me as soon as he entered the bloody country,notwhen he’s only a few miles from her.’
‘I have a plan and I didn’t want you screwing with it,’ Goodie explained, having to cut another car off in her pursuit of Daniel but not letting that change the modulation of her speech.
‘You are a goddamn psychopath, you know that? Christ, if she’s in danger I’m going to wring your –’
‘Listen, Rambo –’ Goodie cut him off, using the name that she knew he despised and for which reason she had become rather fond of. After all, Goodie had had to put up with being known by her nickname for most of her life; not that she had ever revealed her real name to anyone in that time apart from Sam, and that was only when she suspected they were both going to be killed after they were captured. Of the various identities on her three passports, not one even bore the slightest resemblance to her actual name. Sometimes she wasn’t sure she could even remember it herself.
‘You want him to disappear, yes?’
‘Yes,’ he bit out.
‘Well then, you’re going to have to trust me. Have I let you down before?’
‘No.’
‘Right, get your arse away from that vacuous whore and back to Wales. Let’s finish this.’
‘You’re lucky. I’m already here. Rob called me back yesterday. Do you know where they’re going?’
Goodie sighed. Yes, she knew, but she hadn’t really wanted Sam involved. He would mess it all up. And Goodie didn’t like messy.
‘Goodie …’ Sam growled.
