29 - In Too Deep by Lee Child

Author:Lee Child [Lee Child]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2024-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Knight’s first priority was trying not to be sick.

She was in the back of a van, on the floor, in the load space. It was totally dark. There were no windows. No ventilation. The van was moving. Fast. On a twisty, bumpy road. She couldn’t change her position easily because her wrists and ankles were tied. And she was sandwiched between two people. Both men. Vidic was on her right. He was still unconscious. One of the guys who had captured her had carried him down the stairs at the house, slung over his shoulder like a sleeping child, while the other had held a gun on her. They’d thrown Vidic in first. Then her. The other man was in the van already. He was the main problem because of how he smelled. He reeked of blood and stale vomit.

Knight was feeling too miserable to worry about where she was being taken, or why. She was focused on breathing through her mouth. Although if there had been a way to stop breathing altogether she might have seriously considered it. Then she pushed the thought away. She tried to summon happy memories. Sun-soaked meadows or breezy beaches. Her mind refused to cooperate. And then the stinky guy started to poke her in the side.

The guy said, “Paris? That you?”

Knight tried to ignore him.

He said, “Paris? I saw them throw Vidic in here. Is he next to you? Is he OK? He looked like he was out cold.”

Knight turned her head away.

The guy said, “Paris. It’s me. Bowery. Can’t you hear me?”

Knight closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. She wanted to scream.

“Listen. This is important. There’s something you need to know.”

Knight turned her head to face him. “What is it, for God’s sake?” She kept her voice to a low hiss. On a surveillance course years ago she’d been told that if you whisper, and your subject can’t see you, it’s next to impossible for them to recognize your voice. She remembered being dubious at the time, but in the circumstances it seemed worth a try. She figured she might learn something. And failing that, the guy should finally shut up.

“I screwed up. I’m sorry.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“Well.” The guy took a breath. It was ragged, like maybe a few of his front teeth were broken. “I made it to the diner, no problem. Went in. Gave the hostess the name they said I should use. She took me all the way in back. To a booth. I sat. Waited. The guy was late. When he showed up it was weird. He was wearing tennis clothes. I remember feeling pissed, like he kept me hanging around so he could play some dumb game.” Bowery’s voice faded and he stopped speaking.

Knight said, “So the guy arrived?”

Bowery coughed then said, “Right. He sat down. Unzipped the bag he was carrying. Took out his racket and a laptop. Then told me to look inside. It was unbelievable. Gold. So much of it. I was kind of mesmerized.

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