The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 12

I jumped up.

"Laura? Where are you going?" Tom asked.

"To sort this crap out." I turned and started towards the door.

"Wait!" He got up.

I turned to face him, impatiently. "Tom, Robert and Anna have been kidnapped. Does that not concern you?"

His face flooded with realisation and he stepped towards me, leaving £40 on our table.

"Which way did they go?"

"This way." I said, pointing to the door that Daniel had taken them through.

We were about to open the door when we heard a quiet moaning coming from behind the small door next to us. I looked at Tom and he carefully opened the door. The moaning was coming from a half-naked young man who was sprawled across the floor, a gag in his mouth. Dry blood caked his nose and chin and his eyes were bleary and watery. His hair however was neatly combed back with a parting on the left side.

Tom gasped in shock as he took in this poor man's appearance. The guy looked at us worriedly, and the sight just made me angrier. I narrowed my eyes.

"What is this?" I demanded. He moaned again. I bent down and picked up a large orange suit from the floor next to him.

It was a convict's uniform.

Daniel's uniform.

I ripped the gag from his mouth making him cry out again, and when he finally spoke it was muddled and hard to understand.

"He punched me," He slurred, "Then shoved me in here and ripped my clothes off. I thought he was going to rape me. Then he threw his suit on the ground and thrust all my clothes on. The door slammed shut and he was gone." He held up a crumpled piece of white paper. "When he dropped his suit, this fell out of his pocket."

"Thank you," I said, and took the scrap of paper, straightening up. "What's your name?"

"Jack."

So he stole the clothes of a waiter, posed as him and gave drugged glasses of wine to Anna and Robert, then led them outside. And that's as far as I've got so far.

Scribbled on one side of the paper in blotchy black ink was:

"MAX. WAREHOUSE AT 10PM, STEVENSON ROAD. GIRL. DAN"

I gasped, and brought my hand to my mouth in shock. Harriet. He was going to kidnap her, too. I fought back thoughts of what on earth he could be doing with them, then I turned to the waiter and handed him the note.

"Jack. Go straight to the police station, and tell them they need to go to Stevenson Road immediately. The guy who punched you is Daniel Green, and his assistant is Max. Tell them everything, give them the note, and tell them that two people have been kidnapped with deadly intentions."

He nodded briefly. "Ok. I'll borrow some clothes and take his suit with me."

I nodded and turned to Tom, who stood gaping at me.

"Tom. We need to go. Now."

He had a worried look on his face, but I ignored it. I didn't have time for fear, and adrenaline was pumping through my body. Anna and Robert's lives were at risk.

"Thanks. Be quick," I said to Jack, and he got up and jogged out the door and into the kitchen.

Tom followed me out into the car park. I ran to his car and we jumped in. Luckily, it had stopped raining, leaving the tracks left by Daniel's van clearly visible.

"Where are we going?" Tom asked, clearly trying to act calm.

"Stevenson Road."