His voice rang out clearly across the warehouse. "Give it up, Layton. This ends now."
"Don't antagonise him," Alex called out, as Layton gripped her arm.
Layton grinned. "Listen to the lady," he said, pressing the barrel of the gun against Alex's head. "She talks a lot of sense."
"And you talk a lot of bollocks." He cocked the gun, his arms rock steady. His gaze never flickered. He wasn't looking at Alex, he was focussed on Layton. "It's not her you want; it's me, so let's cut the crap."
"No, but she's a great bargaining tool," said Layton, pushing Alex roughly to the floor. "On your knees!" he spat, as he clamped one hand over her mouth and kept the gun pressed to the side of her head.
Alex could feel the cool metal of the gun against her temple; she could feel Layton's fingers pressing into her cheekbones. She was powerless. Powerless and terrified. She tried to struggle, lashing out with her arms, her elbows, but Layton was too strong for her.
"Keep still!" he snarled, moving his hand from her mouth to her throat. "One word and it's good night Vienna." He squeezed his fingers, pressing them into the soft flesh of her neck, just enough to show Alex he meant business. "Now, I want the truth from your friend here, and I want it quickly."
Gene hadn't been quick enough to stop Charlie crashing into the warehouse. Once Layton had ordered Alex to remove the wire, Gene had jumped out of the Quattro, just in time to see his friend disappearing through the door he had watched Alex walk through less than fifteen minutes earlier.
"Stupid bastard!" he said to himself, grabbing the radio from the car. "This is DCI Hunt," he said into it, "Nobody is to approach the warehouse, repeat nobody is to approach the warehouse."
A rush of static then Chris's faltering voice: "But Guv, DCI Brown has just..."
"I know, Chris! But the rest of you, bloody well stay where you are until I say so." He pushed the radio into his pocket, checked his gun was loaded, and then stepped towards the warehouse. He might as have well have been going in blind but Layton had been clever enough to choose a building with only one useable entrance and exit. Gene could hear their voices echoing off the walls, through the empty spaces to where he stood, unnoticed in the shadows, behind a partition wall which would have once been used to separate the offices from the loading bays. A gap in the boarded up window in the wall allowed Gene to see the stand-off between Charlie and Layton. His stomach constricted with fear when he saw Alex on her knees and he knew he had to do something.
"Let DI Drake go, and we'll talk." Charlie's voice was calm and measured.
"I'll never let her go," said Layton, chillingly. "We have a connection, Charlie, an understanding." He chuckled. "But how much does she really know about you? How much does she know about anything?"
"You know nothing, Layton," said Charlie. "Truth is my team has been tracking you for weeks. You were used by Tim Price, just a pawn in his game, and what did it get you eh? A few hundred quid and a superiority complex..."
"Psychology," thought Alex, praying Charlie knew what he was doing.
"Piss off!" snarled Layton, removing the gun from Alex's head and pointing it at Charlie.
"Have you got the bottle, Arthur?" taunted Charlie.
"Don't, Charlie!" warned Alex, recognising the situation was rapidly spiralling out of control, but the words were barely out of her mouth before Layton pulled the trigger...
Gene watched, sickened, as the blast from the gun threw Charlie onto his back. He was just about to make his presence known when he saw Alex take her chance. She swiftly elbowed Layton in the groin and as he doubled over in pain, he dropped the gun. Picking up the gun, Alex pointed it at him, recognising the irony of the situation.
"Is this it, Arthur?" she asked. "Is this my destiny? Do I have to destroy you?"