UFO Down by D C Alden

Author:D C Alden [Alden, D C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Double Tap Press
Published: 2020-01-07T22:00:00+00:00

Runner

‘Who’s that, lad?’

Vaughn held up the drawing book in front of Charlie. He tapped the strange crayon figure with a thick finger. ‘Is that your friend?

Charlie stared at his boots. ‘Yes.’

‘Where is he, then?’

Harry’s heart pounded. Vaughn was all smiles, his eyes focused on Charlie. He knew the gangster had already made his mind up that Vela was the real thing, and he could tell his son was on the verge of confirming it. If that happened, it was all over. Harry had a disturbing vision of the frail Vela being dragged out of the back of the Land Rover, of shrieking in pain, then being imprisoned somewhere, the rest of his life spent in misery, being prodded and poked like a lab rat. If he survived. Harry couldn’t allow that to happen.

‘Charlie, no more talking, okay?’

‘You heard your Dad,’ Beth added, squeezing Charlie’s shoulders. ‘Ask the nice man to give you your book back.’

Vaughn got to his feet. ‘You’d better tell your boy to start talking. Or do I have to persuade the kid some other way?’ He turned back to Charlie and leaned over him. ‘Come on, lad. Speak to your uncle Jimmy. You wouldn’t want to see your Mum and Dad get hurt now, would you?’

‘Leave him alone,’ Harry said, reaching for Vaughn’s arm.

‘Hey!’ The blond one, Terry, moved in fast and shoved Harry back against the dresser. The mirror shook and Harry steadied himself against the drawers. He held up his hands. ‘Okay, okay! Take it easy,’ he pleaded. ‘Charlie, just tell the nice man. Tell him what you know.’

‘Harry!’ Beth protested, but Vaughn was already grinning at the boy.

‘You heard your Dad,’ Vaughn said. ‘Tell uncle Jimmy all about your new friend.’

Terry moved in closer. The meatheads were transfixed. Beth and Charlie were trapped in the eye of the storm. No one saw Harry reach inside the drawer behind him.

‘Come on, speak up,’ Vaughn urged. ‘What are you, some sort of mute?’

Charlie looked up. Then he smiled. ‘Look, Mum. Dad’s got a gun.’

Everyone spun around.

Harry pointed the Luger at Vaughn’s chest. ‘Beth, bring Charlie over here now.’

One of the meatheads moved to block their path. Harry extended his arm. ‘Stand back, or I’ll put a bullet in your boss’s chest.’

The meathead obeyed. Beth and Charlie got behind Harry as he ushered them across the room. He reached into his pocket and gave Beth the Rover key. ‘Grab your coats and the food and take Charlie downstairs,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘Start the Rover, warm the engine. I’ll be down in a minute.’ He waved the gun at the villains. ‘All of you, in the corner. Move!’

The men sauntered towards the window and stood in a tight group, hands held low, eyes drilling into Harry. Vaughn was still smiling. ‘You’re making a big mistake, soft lad.’

Beth and Charlie pulled their coats and hats on and headed for the door. Vaughn’s eyes flicked between Harry, the gun, and Charlie. The meatheads tensed like athletes, ready to explode across the room.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.