Abby’s face stung. Her jaw felt as if it had been pushed to the other side of her mouth and she tasted blood. She gripped the steering wheel, fighting back tears. She must do nothing to draw attention to herself. She continued onwards, seeing the trees grow denser as they drove further into the woods. Tall pines, thick with green. They were climbing, a sensation that made her sick with foreboding. It meant they were getting further from civilization, from any chance of someone passing them.
Think! Think!She clung to the notion of the money. He hadn’t said anything about her offer to take it. Wasn’t that what he wanted? Surely, if she could give him the money, then he’d leave them alone? She deliberated bringing it up again. He’d ignored her once but maybe she should say something, tell him how much there was. But she didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. She couldn’t judge him and she was afraid.
‘You can have the money,’ she stammered. ‘There’s a lot. Nearly ten thousand euros.’
He said nothing. The silence grew and in the dark she imagined him on the back seat, watching her. She withdrew into herself, expecting him to slam his fist into her again. She drove on some more. Still he said nothing. It confused her. What was he thinking? What was he doing? She didn’t dare look round. The car engine continued to hum as they climbed the winding narrow road, some miles now from the petrol station, their last point of safety.
Abby was suddenly overpowered by a crushing sense of self-reproach. Why hadn’t she locked the car? Why hadn’t she checked in the shadows of the back footwell amongst all their bags?
‘Right,’ barked the man and Abby jolted. She looked frantically for the turning, seeing nothing. Then a tiny gap in the trees came up. It wasn’t a road, more a track, narrow and steep and overhung with trees. She didn’t want to go up there, was resisting it with every fibre of her being.
But there was nowhere else to go. If she drove past it, he would respond with violence.
Abby slowed the car and turned into the track.
FIFTY-THREE
All Ellie could think about was the tiny amount of distance between the skin on her neck and the arteries that pulsated underneath.
He’d barely have to exert any pressure; just a nudge and the knife would slice through, disseminating her blood. There would be no mistake. She’d be dead in minutes.
Suddenly the image of being drenched in her own blood was replaced by another. What if it was her windpipe that was opened up to the elements? What if she was gasping for air, a ragged hole in her neck letting the oxygen escape before it could make its way to her lungs? For some reason this frightened her more and she felt her mind beginning to spasm. She was unable to breathe properly, could feel panic begin to overwhelm her.
Stop, she thought.You have to stop. Don’t panic, don’t freak out, don’tmove. For Ellie was certain he’d kill her for sure if she began to struggle. He was strong – she knew this by the way he was holding her, never letting up on the pressure across her shoulders ever since he’d grabbed her. She suddenly thought of her mother, of her receiving the news that her daughter had had her throat slit by a random kidnapper, an opportunist who’d seen a pile of euros and would have them, with very little regard to the value of human life. She almost laughed: it wasn’t the danger Susanna had been warning her of. Unless...
What if Abby had dropped the money deliberately?What if it was a set-up? If Abby had arranged all this in order to get her, Ellie, killed?
You’re mad, thought Ellie, squeezing her eyes tight in desperation.You’ve lost it; you’re traumatized, deranged by fear.
Who is Jamie?her subconscious demanded, puncturing her attempts at rationalizing her thoughts.
Stop! No, stop, thought Ellie. She couldn’t take any more. She had to stop trying to make sense of this nightmare, to unpick her confusion. She had to stop thinking.
FIFTY-FOUR
They’d left Elba quickly – within thirty minutes of Baroni’s call to her superiors. They had needed to refuel on the way but it was still only a few hours before the helicopter was passing over some woods just south of San Sebastián, northern Spain. They circled over a golf course where they had permission to land. Matteo looked down, could see the Spanish police car waiting for their touchdown so he, Baroni and Santini could be driven to the hotel in Hernani. As the pilot landed, Matteo exited the chopper and ran over to the vehicle. He ignored Baroni’s glare as he took the front seat, leaving her to ride in the back with Santini.
Within twenty minutes they were at the hotel. Baroni took charge at the desk but no one had checked in under Abby or Ellie’s names. Neither did the receptionist recognize their faces from the photographs.
Matteo didn’t like it one bit. He knew his wife and sister-in-law should have made it by now. Even by going the longest route possible they’d had time to drive the distance.
So where the hell were they?
FIFTY-FIVE
The car rocked as it hit roots and potholes and Abby winced every time, visualizing the flick-knife blade slipping as it pressed on Ellie’s throat. They drove slowly along the track for about ten minutes until Abby could see nothing but trees ahead of her. They had come to a dead end.
‘OK, stop now,’ said the man. Abby put the handbrake on. The car’s engine hummed.
‘Turn it off,’ he instructed.
She did. In turning the key, the headlights dimmed and Abby felt the trees close in on her. The engine ticked as it cooled.
Why were they here? Deep in the woods, miles from civilization? She struggled to think but her brain wasn’t working properly, it seemed to have got itself stuck. Then, in a mind-gasping rush, she understood.
He’d brought them here to rob them, yes, take their car too. But he wasn’t going to leave them in the woods to find their way back.
He was going to kill them.
