Never let go CHENFORD FF English version

Chapter 8 The job

A few hours later, both Tim and Lucy were prepared for the mission and were walking to a motel that wasn't exactly in the best neighborhood. Tim knew he had to be careful; it was crucial that they didn't shoot him on sight if they saw him with Lucy. They had to be convincing.

Upon arriving at the motel, Tim quickly secured a room. The small room smelled of stale cigarette smoke and musty air. Lucy wrinkled her nose slightly and then placed her backpack on the floor in front of the bed.

"What do you think? Will it take long before someone checks on us again?" she asked.

"No idea. Based on past experiences, it should either happen very quickly or not at all," he replied, dissatisfied, as he locked the door and inspected the bathroom.

Lucy sat on the bed. She didn't want to tell Tim, but her wounds were still sapping a lot of her strength, and she definitely wasn't at full capacity should it come to that. She lifted her shirt to check her bandage when Tim came back into the room and stopped, apparently unsure whether to come in or leave her alone.

"Come in, I just wanted to check the bandage," she reassured him hastily before he could turn away.

"Is everything alright? Do you have any pain or problems?" he immediately inquired.

She just shook her head. "No, I just want to make sure."

He nodded slightly and then sat down next to her, turning on the TV to a football game.

"Seriously? Football?" she smiled.

"Well, we're probably going to be hanging around here for a while. Not much else to do, I guess."

She would have liked to convince him that there were much better things to do than watch football, but any attempt would be cut short within seconds when the pain set in, and he would realize she wasn't as well as she pretended to be.

They spent several days at the motel, not much happening. They ordered takeout or visited nearby diners, making it look like they were running low on money.

One evening, while Lucy was in the shower, there was a knock at the door. They hadn't ordered anything, so Tim approached the door with a concealed weapon and cautiously opened it. Standing outside were three men in black suits, seemingly generic enforcers.

"Hello?" he feigned ignorance.

"We're looking for your girl. Is she here?" the man in the middle got straight to the point.

"Are you the guys who almost killed her? I doubt she's interested in doing anything with you again," Tim replied disinterestedly.

At that moment, Lucy emerged from the bathroom. "Who..." she began, stopping short when she saw the men.

"There she is. Last time you just ran off and killed our man," the leader said as they pushed into the room and shut the door. Tim couldn't do much against the three if the plan was to work.

"Hey man, my girl showed that son of a bitch what happens to dirty rapists," Tim snapped.

The leader raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback.

"You didn't know, huh? Maybe you should pay more attention when recruiting new people. One thing is clear: she's not going anywhere without me," Tim asserted.

"Oh yeah? And who are you, if I may ask? And what do you have to do with our clever little Jess?" the leader inquired.

"I'm Matt, her boyfriend, and let's just say I have some good contacts. Big fish overseas and at the border. I've handled some deals where important stuff and evidence suddenly disappeared," Tim explained confidently.

"Okay. It's not up to me to decide. If what you say is true, you might be useful. But let's be clear: these won't be a honeymoon. If you mess with us, you're both dead. Now you, get dressed and come with us," the suit-wearer ordered.

Lucy nodded. She was glad Tim had taken charge of the conversation and she could stay in the background. It was a nauseating feeling to be going back.

Quickly, she got dressed and then followed Tim and the men outside.

"Get in," one of the men ordered curtly as they stood before a black SUV with tinted windows.

Fortunately, Lucy had the presence of mind to leave a note when she was getting dressed in the bathroom, hoping someone would check if they didn't hear from her soon, so they would know they were with the right people now.

They drove for what felt like an eternity, crisscrossing the city. Tim held Lucy's hand the whole time, trying to calm her, though there was little he could do at the moment.

When they finally arrived, they were led into an old factory building. The surrounding area seemed to consist only of abandoned buildings, with nothing to attract police interest.

"Boss, here's our girl. We tracked her down," the leader of the trio announced.

An older man, whom Lucy had seen on the yacht, turned around. So, he was the mastermind. He had stayed so much in the background on the yacht that Lucy wouldn't have recognized him as the boss. Maybe it was a disguise.

"Very good. I hope there won't be any more incidents during our collaboration. Otherwise, I'll have to reconsider if you're worth the trouble. And who might this be?" he asked, looking at Tim.

"I'm her boyfriend. With the freaks you apparently work with, I'm not leaving her alone. Besides, I've got some good contacts abroad, can make things disappear or get them out of the country—planes, whatever," Tim bragged.

The older man glanced to the side, and Tim was suddenly struck hard in the face, almost knocking him to the ground.

"I wasn't asking you," the older man explained curtly. "But manners matter, I'm called Crash, due to my impact," he laughed. "I hope you're smart and understand not to mess with me and to do what I say if you work under me."

Tim just nodded and looked at Lucy, who showed clear signs of worry.

"Alright, let's not waste any time. Jess, get to work immediately. I have big orders, and your little escape has put us behind schedule. Your boyfriend will keep me and my friends company. Every hour you take longer, I guarantee less for his life. You get one hour off for bringing your leverage directly to me," he smiled and pointed to a separate room where the drugs were apparently to be manufactured.

"I'm not leaving him alone with you," Lucy immediately replied.

"Oh, you can see him anytime. There's a glass window, and just as we'll monitor your progress, you can watch ours. I'd start working if I were you; your bonus hour has already lost two minutes," he said calmly. With a nod, two burly men grabbed Tim and dragged him into a side room. He struggled, but he couldn't overpower these giants. Besides, Lucy needed to make the drugs so they could bust this gang. What they did to him didn't matter. Lucy had to survive and find peace knowing these people would end up behind bars.