The Edge of Honour

Chapter 32

Gorran's POV:

The relief began to wash over me as I held my little sister tightly in my arms, I would never leave any harm come to her again. This happened because of me and though I could not rewind time and stop it, I certainly could assure that nothing like it would ever happen again. I would have to speak to April about protection for my family, they would likely need round the clock security.

Even if, I was to give up my position with MI5, I knew that it would only create more problems for them, people were searching for me and their searches would ultimately lead to my family. This way I could still fight to help save others and protect the country which I so loved, but I needed to know that my family would also have the best protection available. Alma should never have had to go through something as traumatic as the ordeal she had just experienced.

"Alma, are you sure you are alright?" I asked, even after she had promised me multiple times that she was okay. She was quieter than usual and I could tell that she had no idea of what happened her or why.

"Can you tell me what happened, where were you when the bad men came?" I questioned, gently trying to pry the information I desired out of her.

"I was playing in the front garden with mommy, but then Toby started crying, so she went in to check on him. Then some man came and asked me to come with him. He said he was your friend and we were going to visit you," she began.

"Al, what have we told you about talking to strangers," I exclaimed, but immediately regretted when I saw the hurt in her eyes. She had been through enough already, so I would need to take it easy on her.

"But he said you wanted to see me, so he was going to bring me to your boarding school. He told me that he was your friend Gor and I believed him," she said, tears began to roll down her face as she spoke she was evidently angry at herself. She knew she had been wrong to go with him, I regretted lying to her about where I was going, maybe if I had been honest with her this wouldn't have happened.

"It's okay, he is gone now. Just tell me what happened afterwards."

"We walked over to a van and he opened the back doors, a man jumped out of it and pulled me into the van. I tried to scream, I honestly did, but they covered my mouth. They put something in my mouth and I couldn't speak. One of them pointed a gun at me as the van drove here. Then they tied me to the chair and said they were going to hurt you," she explained.

Her words confirmed our suspicions, it had been a set-up, I was the one they wanted all along. If Morgan wasn't with me, things could have ended so differently. I had to go and thank her, but I didn't want to leave Alma or for her to hear the conversation- it would only worry her further.  Thankfully, at that moment, a jeep with blacked out windows pulled in beside the warehouse and my parents ran out. Alma ran towards them as my father scooped her up in his arms. My mother broke down in sobs as she kissed her only daughter's head and asked her the same questions I had already asked.

April and Jet had accompanied my parents and after checking that we were all okay, they entered the warehouse to see the perpetrators.

Seconds later April walked towards me and urged me away from my family, "special forces are about to bring out the criminals. They are all hand-cuffed and won't be able to do anything, but I suggest that you go for a short walk with your sister, so that she does not have to see them again."

I nodded and walked quickly back to my parents and repeated what April had just said to my father. However, I also added that I would like to stay, I needed to see the faces of the people who had endangered my younger sister's life.

"Come on Ally," my father chimed, using the nickname which my sister loved, her face brightened instantly. "Let's go for a little walk."

"Are you coming too Gor?" she asked.

"No, I want to have a little chat with Morgan," I said pointing to her. She had remained standing beside the warehouse exit since we had come out of it. I was sure that she was afraid of disrupting the family moment. I knew that it most be difficult for her to witness, from what she had told me about her family or lack of it.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Alma laughed while making kissing noises. I shook my head, but could not stop myself from smiling. I was glad to see that she was beginning to return to her usual cheeky self, I had missed that while I had been away.

My parents each held one of her hands as they walked down the narrow lane-way which led to the warehouse. Several guards, followed them, a short distance behind but thankfully Alma took little notice. As I walked towards Morgan I tried to plan what I was going to say. I had never been good at expressing my emotions, most boys weren't, but I was especially lacking in that department. Things affected me a lot more than others, but expressing it verbally was always a rarity for me.

"Morgan, you have no idea how grateful I am to you," she opened her mouth to interrupt me, but I raised my hand to stop her. "You saved my sister's life, you saved my life as well. If it wasn't for you, I would have likely charged in without any plan and the outcome would likely be a lot different. I know that we have only been partners for a short time and that we are likely to have many more dangerous missions ahead of us, but right now I owe you everything. I guess what I am trying to say is... that whatever happens in the future, I will always be there to protect you."

"I know," she smiled, as she hugged me. "This can't have been easy on you."

She jerked her head towards the people who were now being led out to the awaiting police cars which I hadn't even noticed arriving. I studied their faces, I was enraged and wrathful, I wondered if punching them in the face would help, but I decided against it. They would spend years and hopefully the rest of their lives in prison. They could think over their actions and regret them. No matter what happened now, the recent past was still history. It could be recorded and documented, it could be dwelled on and scrutinized, but it still happened. It was happening all over the world and with renewed energy, I decided that I would have to help in preventing it. My renewed dedication to MI5 and our alliance to the CIA encouraged me not to take any destructive action on the kidnappers.

Only as the police cars drove away, did I realise that I was still entangled in Morgan's arms. They were comforting. She didn't judge me as a lone tear rolled down my cheek.

"Well done on a very successful mission. I know that it could not have been easy, especially for you Gorran, but both of you worked excellently together," Jet commented.

"It made it clear to us that ye could think on your feet and choose the best course of action, even in the worst moments. Today, you saved one life, but there is so many more who will benefit from your actions today. This gang are well known for kidnapping, especially young children belonging to wealthy families. Despite our best efforts, they had managed to allude capture until now," April added.

"I just hope that the danger and violence you faced today will not deter either of you. You are likely to face much worse situations on that, but I can promise that it will never be a family member again," Jet said, looking at me.

"Are you still in?" I asked Morgan, stretching my hand out for a handshake.

Her face lit up as she grasped my hand firmly. "Well, I couldn't leave you do it all on your now, could I? You need someone to help you," she laughed.

It was settled, your life was going to be a whole lot more complicated and we would need security around us contionously, but I was ready. I just needed to figure out the best way to explain it all to Alma.