Sister, Missing

  ‘Run!’ I shrieked. I pelted back into the wood.

  I could hear Rick crashing along behind me. I pounded on, my breath burning in my throat.

  And then Rick cried out in pain.

  I skidded to a halt. Turned. Somehow Rick was no longer right behind me. He cried out again. I spun around, searching the trees. Where was he?

  ‘Lauren, I’ve got Rick,’ the woman called. ‘If you don’t come back I’ll kill him.’

  There was a long pause. Surely she was bluffing. I stood, motionless, between two trees. I could hear footsteps drawing nearer. Two sets. The woman’s and Rick’s.

  ‘There’s nowhere you can run anyway,’ the woman snarled. ‘If you don’t come back now I’ll kill Rick and we’ll catch you anyway.’

  I didn’t believe that. It was getting darker with every passing minute and I was sure I could find a way back to the road without the kidnappers seeing me. It wouldn’t be easy to get away, but I could give it a go.

  And yet, how could I leave Rick here to die? He’d tried to help us. I couldn’t just abandon him.

  ‘Aaagh!’ Rick yelled out in pain again.

  I tried to steel myself. Rick didn’t matter. Rick wasn’t even my family. Goodness knows what had happened to Jam and Madison.

  They were the people I cared about.

  ‘AAAGH!’ Another agonised scream.

  ‘It’s up to you, Lauren.’ The woman’s voice was ice cold. I had no doubt she meant what she said. ‘I’ll count to three. Then Rick dies.’

  I stood, waiting.

  ‘One.’

  What should I do?

  ‘Two.’

  I took a deep breath.

  ‘Three.’

  ‘OK!’ I shouted. ‘I’m coming.’

  I walked towards the sound of the woman’s voice, back to the clearing. She was standing by a tree. Rick was beside her, clutching the side of his head. It looked like she’d hit him with something.

  ‘Come here, Lauren,’ the woman said.

  But before I could move, Frank burst into the clearing, a tote bag in his hand. He didn’t notice me on the edge of the trees.

  ‘I got the money,’ he panted. ‘Cooper had it.’

  Cooper? But he was Rick’s friend . . . an ex-policeman. Why would he have taken the money?

  ‘I knocked him out,’ Frank went on. ‘I locked him and the kids in your car, Rick.’

  Rick froze.

  I gasped. Why was Frank talking to Rick as if he knew him?

  The woman swore. She grabbed the gun from Frank’s pocket and levelled it at me. ‘Frank, you are a total dumbass.’

  ‘What?’ Frank looked round and saw me for the first time. ‘Oh,’ he said.

  Rick still hadn’t taken his eyes off me. ‘Oh,’ he mimicked. ‘Well done, Frank,’ he said sarcastically.

  ‘You?’ The word escaped out of my mouth as a hoarse breath.

  Rick said nothing, but his eyes burned with guilty fury. And I knew the truth at last.

  Rick was one of the kidnappers.

  18

  The Edge

  Rick was one of the kidnappers.

  How was that even possible?

  The woman standing beside him swore loudly. ‘Now what are we going to do?’ she shouted.

  Rick put his hands on his head. He paced up and down. ‘We’ll work it out, Julianne,’ he said.

  I stared at him, dumbstruck. Rick was in league with this woman, Julianne. He had betrayed Annie and me and my sisters.

  I couldn’t believe it.

  Julianne kept her gun trained on me. ‘Work it out how, Rick?’ she demanded, her eyes blazing.

  ‘I need to think,’ Rick snapped. He pointed at me. ‘Tie her up, Frank.’

  ‘This isn’t my fault.’ Frank strode towards me, fishing a length of rope out of his pocket.

  ‘Then whose fault is it?’ Julianne fumed. ‘All that planning and everything screwed up at the eleventh hour.’

  ‘If it wasn’t for me there wouldn’t have been a plan,’ Frank protested. He dragged my hands roughly behind my back. ‘I’m the one that told you guys about this family.’

  So kidnapping Madison had started with Frank? The rope around my wrists bit into my skin but I barely noticed. My mind was reeling, trying to take in what I was hearing.

  ‘Yeah, well, I wish you hadn’t bothered,’ Julianne snapped. ‘Man, this is such a mess.’

  ‘Will you two shut up for a moment,’ Rick demanded. ‘Let me think.’

  ‘Don’t tell me to shut up,’ Julianne shouted. ‘This is your fault too, Rick.’

  ‘My fault?’ Rick turned on her.

  ‘Yes. You brought that animal Cooper into it. You knew what he was like after that last con job.’

  Con job? So Cooper wasn’t a policeman after all, but another criminal. My mind flashed back to what Frank had said a minute ago, when he’d burst into the clearing.

  ‘What about Madison and Jam and Shelby?’ I turned to Frank, desperately trying to pull my wrists free of the rope. ‘You said you left them locked in the car with Cooper, but—?’

  ‘I only needed to bring Cooper in because you got greedy, Julianne,’ Rick shouted over me. ‘You sent the girls on a wild goose chase for valuables that didn’t exist. They’d have called the real police if I hadn’t pretended Cooper was a cop. Man, I can’t believe he tried to double-cross us.’

  ‘Please,’ I persisted, still struggling against the rope around my wrist. ‘What about my—’

  ‘You saw the email on Sam Purditt’s laptop,’ Julianne shouted. ‘He said there was something in the apartment. “Something of huge value” . . . remember? Anyway, two million was never enough. We should have been asking for more in the first place.’

  ‘No way,’ Rick snarled. ‘And I don’t know why you’re so angry. It’s my cover that’s been blown.’

  ‘None of this matters now,’ Frank insisted. ‘Come on, we need to get out of here.’

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me after him.

  ‘Please, Frank.’ I ran beside him. ‘Are Jam and my sisters OK?’

  ‘I told you. They’re locked in the car with Cooper. He’s out cold for now,’ Frank said. ‘Now shut up and keep moving.’

  A few seconds later we emerged through the trees onto the dirt track. I could see the kidnappers’ white van by the stile. I knew that Rick’s car, containing Cooper and the others, was parked further up the track.

  I opened my mouth to call out, but Julianne pressed her gun against my ribs.

  ‘Don’t even think about it,’ she hissed.

  My heart pounded.

  ‘OK.’ Rick cleared his throat. ‘Julianne, you stay here with Lauren. Frank, follow me.’

  The two men set off up the track.

  ‘Where are they going?’ I said.

  ‘Rick’s getting the van,’ Julianne snapped.

  ‘What about Frank?’

  ‘He’s going to deal with Cooper.’

  ‘What does that mean?’ I said. ‘What about Jam and my sisters?’

  ‘If they do what Frank says they won’t get hurt. Now stop talking.’ She prodded my side with the gun to reinforce her point.

  As I watched the two men disappearing into the shadows along the track, I tried to take in everything I’d learned. Rick had involved Cooper to make it look like he’d brought in the police. And then Cooper had tried to double-cross Rick by taking the money from the backpack just before the exchange. I frowned, trying to work out when Cooper could have made the switch. Jeez, it must have been when Rick, Shelby and I went to the stile to see if the kidnappers were coming.

  With a flush of shame, I remembered how proud I’d been that Rick had wanted me, rather than Annie, along for the exchange.

  Once again, I had totally messed up.

  ‘I guess you’re not as smart as you thought you were, are you?’ Julianne sneered, her words echoing my own thoughts. ‘I fooled you, anyway, pretending to be Sonia Holtwood.’

  ‘Why d
id you do that?’ I asked.

  ‘One of Frank’s better ideas, like kidnapping Madison from a beach . . . to convince you I was her . . . that we meant business,’ Julianne snapped. ‘Get you running along the wrong track.’

  My heart sank. The kidnappers’ lies had worked. I’d been totally taken in. Worse, thanks to everything I’d done afterwards, I’d got Jam into danger without actually helping Madison at all.

  And now I was paying the price. I just had to hope that Jam, Madison and Shelby weren’t paying it too.

  A minute later, Rick was back with the van.

  He jumped down and opened the back doors.

  ‘Get in, Lauren,’ he said.

  My pulse raced. ‘Where are you taking me?’

  ‘No questions,’ Rick said. He grabbed my arm and shoved me inside the van.

  ‘How could you do this, Rick?’ I said.

  He didn’t meet my gaze, just slammed the van door shut on me. My stomach twisted into a sick knot. Rick had seemed strong and resourceful. Of all the adults around, he was the one I thought I could best rely on.

  And instead he was the worst of the lot.

  A few seconds later, we drove off. I slumped down onto the floor of the van, my back pressed against the cold metal.

  What were Rick and Julianne going to do with me now?

  I don’t know how long we drove for, but at last the van stopped. Rick opened the back doors and pulled me out. He shoved a sack over my head, then steered me across the uneven ground.

  The wind was stronger here than it had been before and I could smell the sea. Rick kept a strong grip on the rope tied round my wrists. We walked for about a minute. I couldn’t see anything through the sack. It was pitch black.

  Rick and Julianne muttered to each other as we walked, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. All the hairs on the back of my neck were raised. There was a hollow pit where my guts should be.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I said several times. ‘Where are you taking me?’ But they ignored me.

  The ground grew more uneven and sloped downwards. I could feel stones underfoot, their sharp edges cutting against my trainers. At last we stopped walking. The wind was really fierce now. It was pressing the sack flat against my face. The hessian was rough against my skin.

  ‘This is a good place,’ Julianne said.

  ‘Yes, it’s perfect,’ Rick agreed.

  He pulled the sack off my head. I gasped. I was standing between Rick and Julianne on a ledge on the side of a cliff. It was a sheer drop down to the jagged rocks eighty metres below. The sea crashed against them, then stretched away, like a black shroud, towards the dark sky beyond.

  I glanced around, hoping to see lights nearby . . . some sign of human life. But the place was completely deserted. The waves smashed beneath me, the salt spray licking up at my face. And I realised what Rick and Julianne were going to do.

  I was the only person who knew Rick had betrayed us. If I wasn’t around he could go back to Annie for another day or two, then simply slide out of her life, with no questions asked.

  He and Julianne would have the two million pounds. They would pay Frank off.

  And, before all that, I would fall to my death into the sea below.

  19

  No Way Out

  I stepped back, pressing my heels against the cold rock behind me. The ledge we were all standing on was less than a metre deep.

  Rick checked his watch.

  ‘We rendezvous with Frank in twenty minutes,’ he said.

  Julianne set down the tote bag containing the two million pounds on the ledge beside her.

  ‘Let’s do it,’ she said.

  ‘No,’ I said desperately. ‘Please, Rick. I won’t tell Annie about you. You can keep the money.’

  ‘Shut up,’ Julianne snapped. ‘Come on, Rick.’

  ‘Wait a second, we don’t want Lauren found with this rope on,’ Rick said.

  I felt the cold sharp metal of a knife against my skin. I shrank away, but strong hands grabbed my wrists.

  ‘Hold still,’ Rick ordered. He sliced the knife through the rope.

  My hands were free.

  ‘You can’t do this,’ I insisted. ‘If you do this, Annie will work out it was you.’

  ‘No she won’t,’ Rick said. ‘I’ll see her later. Explain I need a bit of space after the whole thing with Madison.’

  ‘You still won’t get away with it,’ I insisted. My heart was pumping like it would explode. ‘Rick, how can you do this? Any of this?’

  ‘It was supposed to be just the money,’ Rick said defiantly. ‘When we started I was just going to go after the money in the accounts, but that didn’t work, so we had to take the little one.’

  ‘Ready, Rick?’ Julianne sounded tense. The wind was whipping through her hair and flapping at her jacket.

  As Rick put the knife down, Julianne gripped my arm just above the elbow. I stared at her fingers, curled round my jumper, an idea forming.

  This was it.

  With a sudden, deliberate, movement, I pulled away from Julianne. She tightened her grip on my arm, trying to yank me back to her. But instead of resisting, I lunged forward and bit her fingers. With a yelp, she released me. I ducked under her arm and darted past her along the narrow ledge.

  Now I was at one end of the ledge and Julianne and Rick were at the other. Julianne was nearest me. She lunged for my arm again. Missed. With a huge roar, I reached out and shoved her in the chest. She stumbled backwards, her arms windmilling.

  I turned and raced across the ledge. Behind me Julianne was screaming, but I didn’t look back. I scrambled up the cliff side. There was no path on this side of the ledge, but I clutched at the dark stone ridges, forcing myself up.

  I neared the top of the cliff. Julianne was still screaming. I glanced quickly around. She was hanging off the ledge, just one elbow hooked over the top. Rick had her arm and was pulling her up.

  I didn’t have much time. I hauled myself up. Up. The sharp edges of the rocks cut into my fingers. My trainers slid, then gripped, then slid again.

  I reached the top of the cliff. I lay for a second, gasping for breath. There was no time to rest. I pulled myself across the ground, pressing my palms flat against the rough stone.

  I took a breath and pushed myself up.

  Which is when I saw his feet. I looked up, past his shoes, from his legs to his face.

  He was standing over me, huge and macho, a look of surprise on his face.

  Cooper Trent.

  ‘I was coming to rescue you,’ he said.

  ‘Rescue me?’ I scrambled to my feet.

  He grabbed my arm. ‘Out of the frying pan,’ he said. ‘Into the fire.’

  20

  A Bigger Fish

  Before I knew what was happening, Cooper had forced me to the ground and bound my wrists with plastic ties. As I opened my mouth to scream, he slapped some duct tape over my face then reached down and bound my ankles together. His movements were swift and precise.

  ‘Help!’ My shriek was completely muffled.

  ‘Stay there,’ he ordered.

  I struggled onto my knees as Cooper strode towards the edge of the cliff. Rick was racing up the path towards him. He stopped, blinking in the moonlight.

  ‘Where’s Frank?’ Rick said.

  ‘I killed him to stop him killing me.’ Cooper’s fists rammed into Rick’s stomach. Left. Right. Left again.

  His movements were unbelievably fast.

  Rick staggered backwards into Julianne, who was following him up the path.

  ‘What the hell are you doing, Cooper?’ she shrieked, waving her gun at him. ‘We told you you’d get a cut of the money. There was no need—’

  Before Julianne could finish her sentence, Cooper knocked the gun out of her hand. It sailed into the night air and disappeared behind the cliff.

  Even before it splashed into the sea, Cooper had already turned to Rick again. His fist flew out. With a horrible crack, he made contac
t with Rick’s chin. Rick flew backwards, landing with a groan out of sight.

  Julianne raced after him. Cooper marched towards them both. My pulse thundered in my ears as he disappeared from view.

  Cooper had obviously come back for the two million pounds. But what on earth was he going to do with me? I tried again to move, but it was impossible even to shuffle forwards with my feet tied so tightly.

  Rick yelled out. Julianne screamed. I strained my eyes and ears towards the cliff edge and the ledge below.

  For a few seconds there was silence, the only sound the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the rocks.

  And then, into that silence, two distinct splashes sounded – one after the other.

  My blood ran cold. I knew, though I hadn’t seen it happen, that Cooper had thrown Rick and Julianne into the rocky sea, hundreds of metres below.

  I also knew there was no way anyone could survive such a fall.

  A moment later Cooper was back, flexing his fingers, the tote bag containing the two million pounds at his side.

  ‘What are you going to do with me?’ I asked, panic rising. My words came out all muffled and indistinct because of the gag, but I persisted, desperate for answers. ‘Where are the others? Where are Jam and Madison and Shelby?’

  Cooper said nothing. He wasn’t even out of breath. He picked me up and put me over his shoulder as if I were an empty sack.

  ‘Where are we going?’ I shouted, bucking against him.

  ‘Stop that!’ He gripped me tighter so I could hardly breathe.

  I writhed against him, trying to look around. The cliff top was as deserted as it had been earlier. Rick’s car was parked just behind the van.

  ‘Where are Jam and my sisters?’ I yelled, my words still indistinct. ‘What have you done with them?’

  Cooper strode over to the car, deposited me on the ground and opened the boot. In the distance, a rumble of thunder sounded.

  ‘In you go,’ he said.

  ‘No!’ I scrabbled at the rough grass, trying to claw myself away from him. ‘HELP!’ I was yelling at the top of my lungs, but my voice could barely be heard from behind the gag over my mouth.

  I hurled my body across the grass. But it was hopeless. With a sigh, Cooper took a cloth from his pocket. He picked me up again. I bucked once more, trying to loosen his grip, but he was too strong. A moment later the cloth was over my nose. A sickly sweet smell filled my nostrils. I tried not to breathe, but it was impossible.