Terror’s Reach by Tom Bale

Author:Tom Bale
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Preface Publishing

Thirty-Two

It wasn’t until eight-thirty that both children were finally sleeping soundly. Only then did Cassie allow herself to reflect upon the day’s terrible events, and what seemed like the utter hopelessness of her position.

She ran a bath and soaked in it for twenty minutes, leaving the door open so she could see the children. She listened to the gentle rhythm of their breathing and wondered how she’d be feeling now if the abduction had succeeded. Just trying to imagine it was like being speared in the heart.

And yet that was the kind of loss Joe had to endure every day: his daughters growing up without him. To Cassie, it was an unbearable tragedy. She’d been raised in a noisy, vibrant household with three older siblings and parents who were still devoted to one another after forty years together. Family was everything to her.

But after today her life would never be quite the same. The hairline cracks in her marriage had split wide open, smashing the relationship to pieces. She and Valentin were finished as a couple.

After the bath, Cassie dried off and dressed again. She saw no point in going to bed. The prospect of sleep seemed impossible while there was so much uncertainty.

Instead she sat on the double bed, next to Jaden, and tried to watch TV. Every thirty seconds or so her gaze drifted to the phone, or to her watch. Joe had said she mustn’t use her mobile, but how long was she supposed to wait?

The fears wormed their way into her mind. What if he didn’t call? Would she just sit here, hour after hour, growing ever more hysterical?

He’d already been gone nearly ninety minutes. Even if Valentin was still in his meeting, he must have spoken to Joe by now. So why hadn’t she heard something?

She stared at her mobile phone. It felt wrong to ignore Joe’s advice. He’d been an undercover policeman, after all. He knew what he was talking about.

But one quick call. Could it really hurt?

Yes, it could. Cassie shifted position, trapping her hands under her thighs. No more looking at her watch.

It’s just like dieting, she thought. Forget how much you want it, and be strong.

Liam took Valentin to Dreamscape, collecting the Ford Explorer from outside Terry Fox’s place on the way past. Valentin joined the other prisoners, now seven of them in total, seated in a circle on the garage floor.

Liam noted that, as well as Valentin, Angela Weaver was also cuffed with her hands in front. The others had their hands behind their backs, which was far less comfortable. Liam wondered if he should alter it so they were all the same, then decided it wasn’t that important.

Allotti had collected up the mobile phones and taken them into a small office on the ground floor. Pendry and Manderson were standing the other side of the cars, where they’d removed their masks to smoke and talk in conspiratorial whispers. That left only Eldon to keep watch on the prisoners.

‘Where’s Turner?’ said Liam.

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