Dangerous Liaisons

Guesswork

"Jonathan, thank God. "

Angela stood up and walked to the door as he came in, her face reflecting her worry. "This is a real shit show. Come in, sit down. Tea? Biscuit?" The mother hen instinct in her always surfaced with him, for no particular reason she could put her finger on.

Ever since that unfortunate business with Sophie Alacan, she'd felt protective - and more than a little guilty. Maybe that was it.

Jonathan was an ex-soldier, made of stern stuff, but he'd seemed so cut up about the manner of her death that she always blamed herself. She knew he'd been in the early days with Kate then, but Sophie had been a close - very close -contact. Her death was a direct result of his actions. Actions Angela had demanded of him. Jonathan never quite got used to that side of the business. In a way, she hoped he never would.

"Tea? Yes, thanks. Milk and two." He sat in one of the two chairs in front of her desk and crossed his long legs, trying to settle. Sipping the resulting mug of tepid dishwater - Angela may be many things, tea maker she was not - he sat up again, leg tapping as he listened to her. He tried to concentrate, he really did, but sitting in this office brought it all rushing back.

The last time he had actually laid eyes on Kate...

"Hi darling" her smile had been as beautiful as it was welcome. "Missed me?" He'd been on a mission, briefly out of the country and was back to report his findings. Alex would be here soon so they had little time. He kissed her softly and held her close.

"Every single day sweetheart, every single day." He'd looked down at her and smiled and she had looked back at him with such trust. Such, dare he say it, love. They had kissed passionately, lost in their need for each other, and promised to meet the next weekend. She had left, her perfume still in his nostrils, her kiss on his lips, before her father arrived. They had, they thought, been so careful. They were wrong. Alex had arrived and so had hellfire and damnation.

They never saw each other again...

He dragged himself back into the present as Angela quizzed him." Are you even listening Pine?"

"Yes, sorry, yes. Go on. Please. " he flushed as he nodded. Dammit. Not a good start.

"AS I was saying, first things first. You need to get over to her flat. See if you can find anything to give away who has her and where they might be. I have my suspicions and I'll work on them from here. Be back here in a couple of hours and we can see if we match ok?" She looked at him. "And Jonathan..."

"Yes?"

"Don't go tearing off on some solo crusade ok? This is aimed at you. You're a target and they know you it seems. Don't play into their hands. Do what they DONT expect. That includes playing by my rules. I mean it, Jonathan. If you get captured. If you die. So does she. "

Angela played her trump card. She knew he still cared. Kates's safety was his first and last priority. He wouldn't jeopardise her.

"You mentioned a message? The reason you know this was about me?" He put down the barely touched tea and looked at her steadily.

"Ah yes." Angela sighed "You're not going to like it. I need you to keep calm ok? I mean it Jonathan. Rushing off blindly won't help. You need to use your training ok?"

"Okay," he said suspiciously. He sat forward as she pulled up a file on her laptop. Turning it to him, he felt his stomach lurch and had to look away.

The screen showed a photo. One of those "instant" ones. It had been left on Alex's dead body. But that wasn't the problem, the problem was the content. What turned his stomach was the sight of Kate, his Kate, bound, gagged and blindfolded. Her face was red with blood from a head wound and her cheek bruised purple from what seemed to be a hefty blow. Across the bottom of the photo was scrawled one word. "Pine"

"I'm sorry" Angela said quietly. "I wish there was an easier way for you to see that." She watched his face as he processed the information. He looked, looked away, went white then red then determined.

"I'll find her Angela, so help me God I'll find her and they'll wish they were never born." He looked scarily calm.

Angela nodded. "I understand how you feel, believe me I do." She held up a hand to silence him as she started to speak. "Dont tell me I dont get it, I know how you felt - feel - about her. Yes, feel, I'm not an idiot Jonathan." She raised her eyebrows daring him to disagree. He stayed silent. "So, as I said, I know how you're feeling but we have to do this by the book. There can be no room for error. If we want to get her back in one piece and if we want them to face justice - AND NOT EXECUTION - we do this above board. Do you understand?"

He nodded silently. He disagreed but he nodded. So if he couldn't take matters into his own hands, he could make sure their journey to justice was as uncomfortable as humanly possible. That journey started now.

"Don't worry about me, Angela." He stood and turned to go, as he reached the door he turned back as she spoke .

"We'll get her Jonathan, we'll find her and we'll save her. It won't be a repeat of history. I promise."

Without another word, he nodded and left. As the door closed with a soft thud, Angela sagged back and rubbed her face with her hands. If only she actually believed the words that came out of her own mouth.