NINETY-NINE

6.58 P.M.

‘What do you mean you have her?’ Kim asked, stopping dead in her tracks.

‘At the chain-making shop,’ Stacey explained. ‘She’s alive and gagged but…’

Relief flooded through Kim. ‘Thank God you?—’

‘She’s booby-trapped, boss. Luckily Penn spotted the trap as my hand was on the door handle. There’s an anvil suspended above her hands. The rope holding it is tied to the door handle inside. The second that door is pushed open…’

‘Fucker,’ Kim growled, imagining the rope going slack and allowing the anvil to fall on the surgeon’s hands. Why would she have expected anything less from the sick bastard?

She couldn’t imagine it was a full-size anvil they were talking about. She knew they came in different weights from around five kilos to one hundred kilos. Didn’t matter. Even the smallest one dropped from a height onto Nazeera’s fingers would ensure that she never got to perform surgery again.

‘Is there any other way in?’

‘Can’t be sure there are no other traps, boss. There’s stuff everywhere.’

‘On our way,’ Kim said, before ending the call.

They began sprinting to the other side of the site. Although Kim felt they had been on the right track to find whatever their sicko had in store for them next, the priority was ensuring the safety of Nazeera Khan.

‘Where is she?’ Kim asked breathlessly as she came to a stop beside her colleagues.

Stacey pointed to the window.

Kim took a look and instantly understood why they had been reluctant to try any other method of entry. The workshop was filled with metal and tools. It was impossible to tell if anything else was rigged to cause her harm.

‘Okay, we need to think,’ Kim said, trying to find a solution. ‘Until we touch that door Nazeera is safe.’

‘Not really, boss,’ Penn said with a worried expression. ‘The beam it’s tied around is starting to sag.’

‘Shit,’ Kim said, taking another look. She hadn’t seen it but Penn had, and she was prepared to take his word for it.

‘Give me a minute,’ she said, stepping back from the building and looking at it from a distance.

Bryant had moved towards the window and was looking towards the ceiling.

‘Only one way, guv,’ he said, nodding to the roof.

‘Bryant, what the hell are you thinking?’

‘We need to be able to get in through the door because that’s the trap we know about. We have to disarm the threat because we know we can get her that way. We try any other way to get her and we don’t know what could happen.’

‘Makes sense but that beam ain’t waiting for the fire service,’ Penn said.

‘Then we’ll have to do it without,’ Bryant said, looking at the roof from every angle. Then he took a look around them.

‘Everyone, grab those pallets,’ he instructed.

‘Wanna explain why?’ Kim asked as she grabbed a wooden pallet and hauled it to where Bryant was laying the first one.

‘We need to get on the roof from this side of the building,’ he said, pointing to Penn. ‘If we approach from this side, we’ll be putting no more strain on that beam.

If you and Stacey guide us to the right area, we can remove the roof tiles and grab the rope holding the anvil, giving you long enough to open the door and get Nazeera out of the way.’

‘Ludicrous,’ she said, shaking her head.

‘We gonna try it then?’

‘Got no choice,’ she said, grabbing another pallet.

With all four of them grabbing and stacking pallets, the pile was quickly high enough for Bryant and Penn to climb and mount the roof.

‘I need a guide,’ Bryant said. ‘So I know when we’re getting close.’

‘Stace, step back and stay level with them as they move towards the centre. I’ll stand in line with the beam so as soon as Stacey gets close to me, you should be close enough to start taking tiles off.’

Stacey got in place as Penn reached the roof and kneeled next to Bryant.

Kim got into position and fixed her gaze on the wooden beam. She could now see a difference. It was definitely bowing under the strain of the anvil.

‘Bryant, no pressure, but hurry the fuck up,’ she called.

‘Cheers, guv,’ he said tremulously.

For all his confidence in his own plan, the reality was clearly starting to set in for him. One false move and Nazeera’s hands were smashed to smithereens.

She could hear Bryant and Penn moving along the roof. From the corner of her eye, Stacey was getting closer.

Just a couple more steps.

Slowly.

One more step.

‘Stop,’ Kim called out. Stacey was now at her shoulder. If they came any closer, they’d be adding more weight to the already compromised beam. ‘You’re about a foot away from the rope, Bryant.’

‘Got it,’ he called back down.

‘Shout once you have hold of it,’ Kim said, moving towards the front door. There was nothing more they could do to guide him. She motioned for Stacey to follow her.

‘You get ready to push the door open, and I’ll run in and move her out of the way, okay?’ she instructed. Even if Bryant and Penn could grab the rope and keep hold of the anvil, they wouldn’t be able to do it for long.

‘Got it, boss,’ Stacey said, standing right by the door.

They remained silent, listening for clues from the noises they could hear on the roof. Neither of them dared speak in case they missed the call.

Kim heard what she thought was the sound of a tile being dislodged.

‘Move the one to the right,’ Penn said.

Another tile moved.

‘I see the rope,’ Bryant said. ‘Penn, move forward a foot and reach down.’

‘Got it,’ they heard.

‘You two ready?’ Bryant called down.

‘Yep,’ Kim called back.

‘Now,’ he cried.

Stacey pushed the door open so forcefully it flew backwards.

Kim charged across the space, avoiding all the obstacles, and reached Nazeera in seconds. She didn’t even look at her before assessing the situation.

‘H… hurry,’ Bryant called from above.

Kim darted behind Nazeera and quickly loosened the rope. She didn’t have time to untie the whole thing. Just a tiny bit of movement was all she needed.

She ran around to Nazeera’s front and took hold of her bound feet.

‘Guv, hurry,’ Bryant called down breathlessly.

Kim used Nazeera’s feet to swivel her ninety degrees around the pillar to take her out of harm’s way.

‘Guv… we can’t… hold…’

Kim arched her body over Nazeera’s as the anvil crashed to the ground. Nazeera cried out through the gag. Dust from the floor covered her back and hair.

‘Guv?’ Bryant called down urgently.

‘We’re all good,’ she cried back as Stacey appeared through the plume of dust.

‘Untie her properly,’ Kim said, reaching down to remove the gag from Nazeera’s mouth. The surgeon’s gaze was still locked in horror on the anvil.

‘Are you okay?’ Kim asked, kneeling in front of her.

Nazeera began to nod slowly.

‘Are you hurt?’

Nazeera hesitated as though mentally checking herself over. She shook her head.

The rope around her waist fell slack. Kim pulled it off completely as Stacey spied and headed for a pair of bolt cutters.

She handed them to Kim.

‘Stay still for me, Nazeera. I don’t want to hurt you,’ Kim said, getting a fix on the first cuff keeping her hands locked to the table. ‘One more,’ she went on, moving the cutters to the other wrist.

‘Everybody okay?’ Bryant said, coming into the workshop.

Penn followed closely behind.

‘All good and well done,’ Kim said as she helped Nazeera to her feet.

The woman appeared to be slightly unsteady at first but offered a tremulous smile.

‘Thank… thank you, but how did you…?’

‘Not important right now. Just as long as you’re okay.’

She nodded with more certainty before panic crept into her eyes. ‘Is Mum okay?’

‘She’s fine. Just concerned about you. Salt and Pepper are with her.’

‘Thank you. Thank you. I’m good, I’m good. What time is it?’

‘Seven fifteen,’ Stacey said.

‘Okay, okay. Jessica. Does anyone know how Jessica is doing?’

No one answered because none of them knew.

‘I need to get to the hospital. There’s still time. I can operate.’

Kim desperately wanted to ask her about her abductor but not at the expense of a little girl’s life.

‘My colleagues will get you there, Nazeera,’ she said, squeezing the woman’s hand. ‘And good luck with the surgery.’

Stacey took Nazeera’s arm and guided her around the anvil and other objects that littered the floor.

‘Bloody brave woman, that one,’ Bryant said as they followed behind.

‘Without doubt. Penn was pretty courageous getting up on that roof too,’ she said.

‘Jeez, thanks a lot, guv,’ he said as they exited the building.

‘Yeah, it wasn’t a bad plan, and it was executed pretty well.’

‘If that’s as good as it gets from you, I’ll take it. Though I’m not liking the look on your face right now.’

She could understand Bryant being concerned.

He was right to be.