Beginnings by Helen J. Christmas

Author:Helen J. Christmas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: London, Organised Crime, Conspiracy, Thriller, Murder Mystery, British, 1970s, Gangsters, Gangland, Suspense, noir, romantic suspense, East End
Publisher: Helen J. Christmas
Published: 2016-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

PART 4. THE AFTERMATH

Chapter 10

I

She was starting to come round. The next time Eleanor opened her eyes, she found herself in a hospital bed, surrounded by white walls and an all-consuming silence... Her head felt heavy from the sedatives they had given her but they did nothing to block out the memories.

They were slipping back into place right now.

Hidden beneath the floorboards, she had been entombed in the darkness. The bare earth felt chilly and as the cold seeped into her bones she started to shiver.

The crash of the door had jolted her. Next came the distinctive voice of the man Jake had described; musical with a strong London accent.

Theakston’s men were in the flat, sending her mind into chaos.

She had heard every word of their chilling conversation; the destruction they had wreaked while searching for her. She could never understand how she had managed to lie so still... Yet she had recognised the drag of Jake’s chair across the floorboard, stifling its creak; he was so desperate to protect her. So where was he now?

Eleanor gripped the bedcovers, her mind spinning in terror. There was no mistaking Dominic Theakston’s entrance, a notion that compelled her to freeze. As the sound of his voice echoed directly above, her hands had wound themselves around her belly by instinct. Starkly aware of the baby growing inside her, she was driven by her pledge to protect it.

Words drifted in and out of focus as the hideous scene played out. She was recalling every warning... It’s not money Theakston rules by, it’s terror... He’s a sadistic piece of scum! They were Sammie’s words. Next, Harvey’s warnings came flooding back to her... we all know he’s a man with no mercy, ‘specially when he starts swinging that little sack of stones of his... Her breath starting coming faster. What if he was planning to use that weapon on her? The chances were she would lose the baby. Eleanor closed her eyes.

The icy chill was beginning to overwhelm her. Numb with cold, she started shivering, the tremors gradually increasing in intensity. They came in spasms, each more violent than the last and as the iciness penetrated her body, she could no longer feel her fingers or toes. Even her legs were beginning to lose feeling. The blackness had been closing in on her, moments before Theakston’s final words cut through the floorboards... Anything else you wanna say?

She had assimilated Jake’s response, the words almost amplified. The detail had been so sharp, he could have been whispering in her ear; the subtle break in his voice blended with the slur of his beautiful Dutch accent... Yet she heard the muted ‘pop’ that followed; the last thing that registered before her mind plunged into a state of obscurity.

Delirious with shock, coupled with the bitter cold, Eleanor drifted in and in and out of consciousness, unsure whether she was alive or dead. She could no longer discern what was imagination or real... only that some while later, there had been another disturbance.

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