Cause damage. Jeeves’s favourite lessons. Cause as much damage as possible. I’m small and an attacker will always have an advantage over me. But let their arrogance be their downfall. Be smarter than them.
The idiot hasn’t tied me up and also popped me in the boot of a car that is kidnappee friendly, with an easy shove I knock the parcel shelf free. I’m straight over the back of the seats and out the passenger door, ready to make a run for it. A white van screeches in front of me, and I trip, crawling across the floor, desperate to get to my phone. A large boot smashes into the screen, shattering my hopes that Jeeves can follow the tracker he installed after my little runaway attempt.
“You twat, you can’t handle one girl,” a raspy voice whisper-yells as the side door of the van opens.
This time, a much bigger man grabs me and holds me still as the little skinny weirdo wraps tape around my hands and mouth, then I’m shoved into the back of the van.
“She’s like a fucking ninja,” the skinny man says as he checks out the damage I left on his arm.
My chest burns when each ragged breath forces its way out as I make murder eyes at them. They have no idea who my family is and what they will do to them.
“Where’s her phone? Call the bastard and tell him we have his precious niece.”
Okay, maybe they do know who I am. Ransom kidnap, classic. They’ve forgotten about Jeeves though. The tracker in my phone may be of no use, but Jeeves has skills no one can fully explain. He’ll find me, I’m not worried. When you have the family I have you don’t worry about stuff like this. Getting yelled at by Uncle Elton once this is all over though is a different story.
“Her phone is pointless, they’ll track her straight to us,” big ugly guy says, throwing my phone out the window.
While they have a deep argument about their plan, I’m busy picturing all the ways Jeeves is going to make it hurt.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Elton
“Update. Now,” I bark down the phone at Jeeves. He’s at the hospital with Neive. He got to her in time and she’s physically safe.
Reilly breaks sharply and slams on the horn as someone cuts in front of us. Apparently my shaking hands can’t be trusted behind the wheel but she doesn’t seem to be doing much better. I squeeze my fists, trying to calm myself, but the fury and pain is in charge of my adrenaline right now. Nothing I can do to stop it.
Neive was attacked.Attacked.
How could I let this happen? I knew she would be calling me if she wanted me to pick her up. Why didn’t I have my phone to hand?
It was too much to push her into spending the night at herfriends.
I nearly lost her.
“Elton, is she okay?” I hear Reilly’s repeated question but I can’t even begin to formulate a response. Of course she’s not okay.
I need to check in with the police about what happens next. I need to get hold of MJ and get her over to meet us at the hospital. She won’t want to go back to rehab; she’ll want to come home with us. Not that I blame her. I haven’t protected Neive like I swore I would. MJ won’t leave her with me. She shouldn’t.
“Elton, darling. What do you need?” Reilly’s distant voice again, trying to break through my brain.
“Just get me to Neive,” I snap. I can’t focus on anything else but getting to Neive. Reilly will need to cope with it until I can calm my head. And she will cope with it. Because that’s who Reilly is.
~
The house has been a hive of activity, but has now finally settled. The police have finished Neive’s and Jeeves’s statements. We refused any questioning at the hospital, Neive getting checked over was the priority, but I allowed them to come straight round to the house so we could get things squared away.
I should have been there tonight when Neive needed me. I should have been there in the past for MJ. If I had been more present, she would never have turned to drugs, and she would have been with Neive tonight. This would have never happened.
Jeeves got the location from Neive’s phone immediately and got there as the white van was pulling off. Having a sixth sense for these things, he smashed the front driver side door with his car. Got out and immobilised the kidnappers. There is somequestion as to the extent the kidnappers were immobilised but between Neive’s statement and the weapons the attackers had access to, and Jeeves being unarmed at the time, it’s safe to say it will be ruled self-defence.
Reilly squeezes my hand, and it takes me a second to look at her. “Shall I put coffee on for everyone? Or tea?” she asks, her voice low as if she’s trying not to spook me. It’s near midnight, but my brain’s not shutting down anytime soon.
Jeeves’s relentless pacing is distracting. He’s on the phone updating Charles, who’s in New York and desperate to get home, devastated he’s not here. Claire has been told but I convinced her to stay at home. She can come and mother us all in the morning.
MJ has taken Neive upstairs to get her settled. Most likely tucked herself in next to her. So it’s just me and Reilly for a moment. She opens her mouth to speak, but shuts it again. Choosing instead to link our fingers and brush slow circles on my hand with her thumb. Her thumb moves back and forth, the action is meant to be soothing. She’s holding my gaze, refusing to look away, tilting her head trying to see inside my mind. But I’ve emotionally shut down. All systems are running on automatic.
“Elton, do you want me to—”
