Broken Chains

Part 5

Chapter 5

We arrived at the large city where Carl hypothesised Derek and his little band of rogues would be holed up before dark. Carl had slept for the majority of the day despite what he claimed about not being tired. We stopped once on route towards the city for food at a motorway service station. Although food is a kind assessment we eat a lot so we can't tend to be very picky when it comes to what we eat, we also stocked up on ridiculously expensive snacks and acquired a new car. Carl picked this one so it was a lot more understated than my pink convertible and I was also glad to be free of the damn thing. This one even had a jar of travel sweets in the glove compartment. I let Carl drive while I navigate and two hours later being nearly hundred miles off route we swapped and Carl navigated,

"So what do you fancy?" Carl asked as I emerged from the shower rubbing my hair hard with a towel.

"Huh?" I said vaguely Carl smiled

"Pizza, Chinese?" he said lifting a small stack of takeaway menus at me. "Thai? All three?"

"Are you planning on ordering take away to a hotel? " I asked with a small smile. We were booked into a small hotel right in the heart of the city. We had again combined into one room to save on costs which was good as it was ridiculously expensive but carl insisted that it was best to be in the centre of town 'just because it was a good idea'. "Well we don't have much other option I mean we've paid up here for tonight but tomorrow money is going to be an issue."

"We have plenty of money." I said biting my thumb nail "just no cash." It was true our petty cash was all but gone, but I knew my cash card alone gave us access to a lot of money, which I had acquired from my payment for being a file clerk and my 'pocket money' for when I was away at university. I knew Carl had access to a bank account too that was most likely equally well stocked from his enforcer pay. As we were paid for the job we did but when we were in the den we really had no true expenditures and so very little to spend our money on. The problem was we knew Darius and I was Darius' only child and I was hunting my mate who had gone rogue; he was hunting for us I knew it and so did Carl. Geoff was a bloody computer genius if we were to use our cards he would know he could use it to track us, and neutral territory or not Darius would come out here to get me.

"Yeah well cash is what we need." Carl said calmly "I mean I withdrew as much cash as I could the day we left. There's lots left but hell we don't know Darius could tell the cops they've been fucking stolen or anything."

"He won't do that we might get arrested." I said with a smile. "look tomorrow I'll get a car and I'll drive as far as I can in one direction I'll take both our cards and get as much cash as I can and then I'll come back I'll even return the car. You stay here and try and find Derek."

"He'll know where we are. Well within a couple hundred miles but it would still take him a while to narrow it down completely and who knows hopefully by then we'll have found him. "Carl smiled,

"I love your optimism." He said with a smile. "I guess your plan is at least a plan. But I have one minor adjustment."

"Yeah what's that?"

"I'll go with you to get the cash we'll hunt the rogues together the next day."

"Or." I began keeping my voice hesitant Carl smiled knowing what was coming.

"You are not going to hunt them yourself Jessie."

"Why not, he won't hurt me."

"He might not."

"He won't" I said insistently,

"Well even if he won't they will and not only will they hurt you but they will take great pleasure in doing it." I sighed heavily,