All Eyes

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Chapter 7 – I Won't Stop You

Her sobs, screams and cries were futile as she lay curled up in the boot of the car. The smell of grime and stale blood emanating from the spare wheel, old rope and crowbar that she had been awkwardly squashed in with. Gene had said the male had a very low, deep voice but her kidnapper did not. Alex hadn't expected to know her stalker, she had imagined him to be some creep with nothing better to do than idolise and follow London's top female cop. But her blood had run cold when she heard Gareth Holland's voice in her ear telling her to be quiet and that everything would be okay if she did as she was told.

It was almost funny how obviously inexperienced he was. He wore no disguise when he stopped the car beside her and got out, he did not try to hide the fact that he was hauling her into the boot of his car in broad day light. Alex's scream had startled two told women chatting across the street; they'd surely rush to the station and alert Gene and the others. They'd find her soon. She couldn't give up hope.

She yelped as the car stopped with a jerk, causing her to knock her head against the spare wheel. Gareth could be heard opening his door and getting out, closing it again with a slam before he opened the boot and spoke to her.

"Come on then, get up"

It took her eyes a few minutes to readjust to the light. They were parked outside his house, hopefully that would be the first place Gene would look. But wait...the team didn't know that Holland was the attacker; they'd have to rely solely on the description that the women would give them. She hoped to each and every God that Gene's instincts would kick in, that he'd make the connections and come to her rescue.

Gareth took Alex into his house and straight through to the kitchen, forcing her to stand against the door that had a childish homemade paper sign saying 'Gareth's studio: keep out!' cello-taped to it. He rummaged for his keys and eventually unlocked the door which led to the basement. Dragging her down the stairs by her arm, he hummed a random tune before shoving her forward towards a scruffy cream leather sofa with a dusty white sheet draped over it.

"Sit down, get comfortable" he instructed, heading back up the stairs to relock the door.

"Fuck off!" she spat.

Gareth looked shocked and frowned "That's no way for a lady to speak, I picked you because you're beautiful Alex, I'm not saying that Olivia wasn't beautiful but upon reflection I think she wore too much make-up..."

"You'll go to prison for the rest of your life because of this"

"Whereas you're beauty is natural..."

"You wonder why she left you? You're a psychopath!"

"Hers was mostly artificial, but that doesn't matter now because I have you" he smiled, fake and sickly sweet "Let me set my camera up and we can get started"

Alex contemplated fighting him, a good few kicks with her stilettos could give her a bit of time to grab the keys and maybe make a run for it. But then she looked around the basement; garden shears and open toolboxes full of spanners and screwdriver. Good weapons for her. Also weapons for him too.

"Okay, take your jacket off and undo your blouse halfway, that'll be a good start" he spoke as he looked through the sight of the camera, giving a little chuckle "Save the shots of you in your underwear and the leather jacket for later, eh?"

"Go fuck yourself! I'm not taking my clothes off!"

There was a flurry of movement and within the space of thirty-something seconds Alex was pinned down on the sofa with Gareth towering over her, his hand around her neck holding her down and squeezing, just enough to scare her but not enough to start squeezing the life from her.

He stared down at her, watching as she squirmed and whimpered bellow him "I said undo your blouse, now"

With shaking fingers she did as she was told, tears streaming down her face as panic set in. What if things went too far? What if he killed her like he'd killed Holly Nelson? She let out a loud sob as her let go of her throat and took hold of her open blouse with both hands, using the material to haul her into a seated position.

"Now, sit nicely whilst I take some photos"

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"Guv, that bastard has got Drake!"

Rays words rang painfully in Genes ears. He'd promised her that he would keep her safe a million times, that he would always be there to make things better, it was his job to do that and now anything could be happening to her.

"Guv, I've got a description of the man from the witnesses and there's a shop across from where she was taken" Shaz spoke, holding a filed with information inside it "The shop caught it all on their CCTV"

Gene nodded as he tugged his coat on, leaving CID and the station in a blur as he tried to ignore the spinning sensation in his head. The shop owner was an elderly man with not much hair, who seemed more than happy to assist them, something which Gene was glad for as he really wasn't in the mood to batter members of the public. Just the bastard that's got my partner, he thought.

The shop owner played the VHS that had the CCTV footage on it, and Gene clenched his fists as he saw Alex on the small television screen being dragged towards a car and bundled into the boot. It was only when the man was getting into the driver's seat that Gene recognised who it was.

"Holland" he growled "You bastard!"

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