Chapter 25: Surveillance

"Killing him like this risks everything – do you want that?"

Desaad was at Granny's side. Her arm was still outstretched, and a couple of feet away Oliver was fast losing his fight to stay alive. He knew he didn't have long to persuade her to relinquish her grip; a few moments more and it would be all over.

"What happens when they find the body – have you thought about that? With Bates in the morgue there'll be two dead Oliver Queens. People will start asking questions, and the Council won't like that. You're in charge now, remember – you won't have me to hide behind this time."

Goodness frowned. She eased her grip a fraction, just enough to allow her stricken victim to take a few precious breaths.

"What do you propose?" she asked suspiciously, her eyes still fixed on Oliver.

"Let me dispose of him, as I originally planned – that way there will be nothing left of him to arouse suspicion."

Goodness hesitated. Reluctantly, she could see that what Desaad had said made sense. Two bodies would raise awkward questions, and for an organisation that thrived in the shadows the prospect of generating headlines across the country would undoubtedly be unwelcome.

"All I need to do is make a couple of calls – it could be done in two hours," continued Desaad, sensing she was wavering. "There will be no mistakes, you have my word."

At that Goodness smiled; whatever the quality of his argument, she was not going to be swayed by any promise made by Desaad. Still, his case was persuasive. She had decided - she would allow him to get rid of Oliver his way.

"Very well – do it," she said, lowering her arm. Finally released from her grip, Oliver sagged forwards against his shackles, his chest heaving as he forced air into his tortured lungs.

"Take two of my men," she continued, turning towards Desaad. "We rendezvous at the airfield in two hours. Don't be late, and make sure he dies – the Council will not tolerate any more mistakes."

Desaad nodded. Goodness walked off, her thoughts now turning to Clark and the progress that was being made in preparing him for transportation. Stepping forward, Desaad reached out and took Oliver by the chin, lifting his head upwards.

"Don't think my saving you was an act of kindness, Oliver," he began, a slight smile forming on his lips as he saw the look of fear in the other man's eyes. "You are going to die, but you are going to die my way. And believe you me, before this is over you're going to wish Granny had squeezed the life out of you after all."

Roy sat astride the ducati, his eyes fixed on the silent warehouse across the street. It was dusk, and the setting sun was casting long shadows from the buildings behind him. He'd pulled into a narrow alleyway, and this, combined with the fading light, meant that he could not be seen save by someone who was passing on the sidewalk directly in front of him. Not that that was likely; he'd been there for fifteen minutes, and so far he'd not encountered a living soul. From his vantage point he had a clear view of the warehouse. All seemed quiet, which left Roy with a problem – what should he do? He was acutely aware he was on his own, and without backup it would have been crazy to have gone in all guns blazing – if whoever was inside had taken down Clark, what chance did he have? Waiting and watching appeared the better option, but as the minutes passed another thought crossed his mind. What if he was too late? What if whoever was behind this had already left, taking Clark with them as their prisoner? Worse, what if Clark was already lying dead inside?

He soon had his answer. The doors to the warehouse swung open. There was the sound of engines starting, and then two SUVs drove onto the street and turned right, followed immediately by a large truck. Roy made to follow, but as he was about to emerge from his hiding place he stopped. A third SUV had turned into the street and was coming to a halt in front of the warehouse. As he watched he saw two men emerge from the building, each armed with an automatic weapon. He shrunk back into his hiding place, and just in time; the men scoured the street in both directions, clearly checking to see if they were being watched. Apparently satisfied that the coast was clear, one of them turned and signalled back to whoever was waiting inside. Moments later a third man emerged, followed by two others. Between them they were holding another man, his hands clearly bound behind his back and a strip of duct tape over his mouth. The man was dressed in a green leather costume, a costume Roy knew all too well…..

Oliver!

Roy gasped. Ever since he'd picked up the Green Arrow's distress signal he'd hoped against hope that his friend might still be alive, but to have it confirmed seemed little short of a miracle. His heart pumping in his chest, he watched as Oliver was bundled into the back of the SUV. The door was slammed shut, before the vehicle began to pull away.

Trying to remain calm, Roy waited a few seconds before pulling out to follow. He'd had training in how to tail a car without being detected, but as he fixed his eyes on the SUV up ahead he was acutely aware of how high the stakes now were. He had no idea how Oliver had survived the shooting the whole world had witnessed just hours earlier, nor how he'd ended up a prisoner. What he did know was that his life was in danger, and that one slip up from him might have potentially fatal consequences. Whoever Oliver's kidnappers were, they were clearly a force to be reckoned with; they'd not only managed to grab him, but they'd also managed to take out Clark and the guys.

After a minute or so he turned on to the freeway, the SUV now three cars ahead of him.

I'm coming, Oliver, he thought to himself. Hang in there – I'm coming.

Desaad stared out of the window of the SUV, lost in thought as he watched the traffic fly by. He was still smarting from his encounter with Goodness back at the warehouse. She'd not only outmanoeuvred him - she'd humiliated him. That hurt, and already his thoughts were starting to turn to how he might exact his revenge on her when the opportunity arose. That was for the future, however – of more immediate concern was the man who lay bound and gagged at his feet.

He smiled as he looked at Oliver's prostrate form, lying awkwardly on the floor in front of him. There was no need for him to be there, of course; the windows of the SUV were made of one way glass, making it impossible for passing cars to see inside. It amused him to make his captive suffer a little more, however – just as it would amuse him to watch him die. He felt regret that he would not have more time to finish what he'd started, and in particular that he was to be denied the opportunity to take the young hero in the way that he knew he feared the most. His one consolation was that he would be the one who killed him, and that the manner of his passing would be just as he'd planned all along. He'd told Goodness that it would only take a couple of calls to arrange things, and he'd been right. Everything was ready – and he could hardly wait to begin.

"Sir, we've got a problem."

Desaad looked up. The guard in the front passenger seat had turned around and was staring at him.

"What is it?"

"We're being followed – guy on a motorbike, three cars back."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. He's been on us for a while now. He's trying to avoid being noticed, but I know a tail when I see one – this guy is tracking us."

There was a pause. Desaad looked down at Oliver, who lay with his back to him. Who could it be – who was on to them? There was only one person it could be, a name that opened up all sorts of intriguing possibilities….

"Do you want us to lose him?"

Desaad smiled. "No…. No, let him follow us – we'll deal with our mystery biker soon enough."

The guard nodded and turned back.

"Did you hear that, Oliver?" purred Desaad, stretching out and resting his feet on Oliver's side. "Sounds like someone wants to be a hero, and we all know who that must be, don't we? He's a good looking boy, Roy Harper – I can't wait to meet him."

Oliver didn't respond. He lay staring at the back of the seat in front of him, his head spinning. It had to be Roy – there was no one else it could be. He should have felt elated at the chance of rescue, but instead a knot of fear was tightening in his gut. Another of his friends was walking into a trap, and yet again there was nothing he could do to stop it.

A short chapter, but an important one - as you can probably guess, there is a lot of drama to come! Will Roy be the next to fall into Desaad's clutches? You'll have to wait and see...

Thanks for reading. Please do post a review if you can - all feedback is really appreciated!