They could only strike at night. It was the only time they were guaranteed silence and probably the only time T.J Miller and Kev left Ollie alone. The apartment Ollie was being held in had no floor levels so Daddy and Clay broke in and walked down the hallway to "Ollie's room" Daddy opened the door and Ollie looked like he was sleeping comfortably. He had his trainers on and his hair was dischevelled. Daddy picked up one arm while Clay picked up the teenager's feet.
They walked back through the hallway and carried Ollie out. They got out to the street and Clay heaved Ollie into the backseat. After making sure Ollie was comfortable Clay got into the passenger seat. "Woah...where do you think you're going?" Daddy asked. "Time for a little "pancake with Ollie...go on Clay" It was better for everyone if Ollie got home as quickly as he could. Clay got in the back seat with Ollie and Daddy drove off to meet DannyV.
It was difficult for Clay to keep his balance. His legs arched over Ollie's restless body, he kept his ass up and his back still, he was managing to keep his body off of Ollie's until Daddy braked in the middle of the empty street. Clay lost his balance collasping on Ollie's back. Clay pulled himself up, using Ollie as prop to heav himself up, he was going to roll himself to the side, but he stopped when they both heard a crack. What had Clay done to Ollie?
"What?" Daddy asked. "Clay, get your clumsy ass here" Daddy said pointing to the passenger seat. "Sorry Ollie" Clay said as he went back to the passenger seat. Ollie was mumuring and Clay couldn't help but feel guilty. Daddy parked the car and honked his horn once. Clay saw a figure come out of nowhere with a cigarette in his hand. The figure took one drag, then dropped it. "Clay how you doing?" DannyV asked. "You know...Nat's sleeping better now, we got her a whole bunch of beanie babies and she really likes the camel, we call it lucky" "Great...do you wanna get Ollie out now?" DannyV asked.
It was awkward, but DannyV didn't bring Clay's family up, Clay did. Not one part of DannyV gave a honey covered shit about Clay's family. Claire was a money grabbing witch and Nat was a little hoover than planned on sucking the money from DannyV's wallet for the next twenty years. It wasn't going to happen. DannyV wouldn't let it happen, he'd worked too hard, for too long to waste his cash on a money grabbing slut-bucket. He helped Clay get Ollie out of the car, then Daddy ordered Clay to get back in the car while he walked up to DannyV. "Lloyd, hurry the hell up" DannyV said. "I'm gonna knock on his Dad's door"
"You've got the money arranged...right?" Daddy asked. "Don't worry Lloyd, the department will make sure that whoever "found" Ollie is paid" Daddy nodded and drove his car to the other side of the road so they could see the happy reunion. DannyV knocked on the door leaning Ollie up against the door. "John...John..." He heard footsteps and a light. John came to see DannyV with an unconcious Ollie nearly on the floor. "Jesus...Val!" John called as Vlado came down the stairs. "Mr Vineyard call the hospital, why didn't you call them in the first place? Val help me lift him up" John said as Vlado nodded and thanked DannyV before John shut the door in DannyV's face.
Clay was able to get a lie in as Roy had closed the computer store for the day so his family could spend time with Ollie at the hospital. Clay still had the keys to the shop and went on one of the computers to see if he could book Sash some plane tickets. He had one of Sash's details, but every "Gavrik" card had about fifty passwords and twenty firewalls to get through, so Clay gave up. He went home played with Nat for a while, got a kitchen knife put it an a leather case and then in his rucksack. He got a shower, had one slice of brown bread with margerine. Then he went to the shops. He brought air-freshener toilet roll, handwipes, cream, food, a bottle of tango and cherryade and went to the shed.
He unlocked the door and to his relief Sash was there, awake, still tied to the bunk with wires and leather saddle straps. "Finally" Sash said leaning back on the bed. "You can't keep me here forever" "I know" Clay said. "We should talk" Sash nodded. "You shouldn't have got involved Clay" Sash told him, looking at the plastic bags Clay had by his feet. "I really need to use the bathroom" Sash told him. Clay looked at the bucket in the corner of the shed and pulled it up. "Don't...wait..." Sash said as Clay tugged at his trousers. "Just do it Sash" Clay said sitting back down.
"Untie me so I can use it properly. My father wouldn't be happy... being tied up like an animal, his son's basic human rights gone" "Really? What about Hazel? Jack's mum? What about Jack's rights?" Clay asked as he untied one of Sash's legs and put the bucket underneath him. He pulled Sash's boxers down and walked out looking through a crack in the door, checking that Sash wasn't trying to escape. After Sash used the bucket, he tried to escape half naked, boxers around his ankles, but with just one leg to help him, he was useless. Clay came back in put the bucket outside, left the door open and sprayed the air freshener around.
"Have fun?" Clay asked. "If you're going to lecture me don't bother. You would have done the same thing" "Oh would I?" Clay asked passing Sash the toilet roll. He tied Sash's leg loosely and untied one of his arms so he could clean himself. After Sash freshened himself with baby wipes Clay tied his leg back tightly and gave Sash's free hand a bottled drink. "If Jack found out something about you, something bad...you'd kill him too, you wouldn't have a choice" "Everyone has a choice Gavrik...hurting Jack, just isn't one of them" Clay said watching Sash trying to drink with one hand.
"It's compliiscated" Sash slurred. "Jack assisted me with an Operation, the Adlercreutz initiation. Adlercreutz is known as Switch. I told Jack all he needed to know and Switch found out Jack was bait" Sash explained. "Like you didn't tell him" Clay said. Sash stayed silent, then carried on. "After the failure of the Adlercreutz initiation I still got the credit" "So why did you need Jack gone?" Clay asked. "What was the point?"
"My team, the FSB were celebrating me, I was getting fast-tracked on Achkan's case and Jack at the time was the only one who knew I'd messed things up. My attitude destroyed the Adlercreutz initiation. The Operation was optional, but I told Jack he had to do it, John...a boss of mine gave me a script that Jack had to follow, I tossed it in the bin. I told Jack to push...tease Adlercreutz...I knew what would happen"
"I thought you were Jack's...partner" Clay asked covering his mouth as if Sash's bucket was still in the room. "How could you set him up like that?" "It was the easier way" Sash said. "Jack was beaten badly, his memory would have been all over the place, you could have just asked him to change his story...he must still like you" Clay said with venom. "How do I know that? I don't know if Jack knows who I'am. I couldn't take any risks...I still can't" Sash said. "Huh?" Clay asked. Adlercreutz wants him gone and so do I...it's just a race to see..." Clay got up and walked over to his rucksack. He opened the leather case and took out the kitchen knife.
He walked over to Sash placing the knife on his forehead, the his neck. "If you were going to do it, you would have done it at Jack's hospital" Sash said unable to stop the beads of sweat dribbling down his forehead. "You're right, but I don't have to stop your breathing. Maybe I'll just mutilate you" Clay said as he paused and moved the knife away. "I know you're not that stupid" Sash said breathing a sigh of relief. Clay put the knife away and sat back down. "You need to go away for a while Gavrik. Jack's coming out soon and he's needs those bodyguards"
Sash smirked. "Yes, I've give Jack bodyguards, so he can tell my secrets and end my career" "Sash not everything's about you" Clay whined. "He needs to be safe from Adlercreutz...say you'll think about it...before you leave" Sash nodded. "I'll think about it" Sash repeated and Clay got up and untied him. Sash wriggled around, stood up and shook his shoulders and his legs. "I smell like shit" He announced. "No change there" Clay said as he passed Sash the bag of food.
Confident that Clay wasn't going to hurt him Sash sat back on the bunk and opened a store bought sandwich. "I don't like cold chicken, but thank you" Sash said as he started eating. "You know what your problem is...Clay?" Sash said. "You respect Jack too much...now you met him because he took you to hospital...yes? I but met him on the job, when he got Achkan's spots" "Achkan's spots?" Clay asked. "From day one, Jack's been some kind of chess piece or bait. You stupidly, put him on this pedestal. Your leg wasn't that bad when Jack hit you. He didn't save your life"
"He did. In ways you don't get, you'll never get it" Clay said shaking his head. "Listen Clay Jack is not interested in you. You've got Claire and the baby. Leave Jack alone. He's injured, doesn't want your friendship and I don't see the fuss you're making" Sash said. "What do you mean?" Clay asked. Sash brushed the crumbs on the floor and put the plastic sandwich case in the plastic bag. "Well Jack isn't...luxury...is he?" Sash said. "What?" Clay asked more confused than ever.
"Jack's a layman. He works a common job, has a dingy apartment is only known to friends and family. Jack's an everyday average Joe. He likes going out getting drunk partying with his friends. Jack's got a common, job, common hobbies, common looks. Jack is nothing special. He hasn't got a family of his own and we both know he's not planning on a wife and kids in his future. Jack's not going to be missed" Clay stayed seated in silence.
"He works for a minimum wage. He doesn't have influential parents, he's not rich or educated a role model, or that good looking. Jack's not in the public eye or popular in his country or in high class society...like me" Sash said. Jack is troubled dead-weight" Sash said as he got up taking the plastic bag with food in it. "Let him go, Jack'll be no problem to take care off" Sash said as he left the shed. Clay watched the tall Russian walk out onto the farm-land with the Sainsbury's bag and wished he'd unwrapped the food earlier and poisoned it.
"Christ Lloyd, it's fucking late and I've got company" "Oh...Claire come around to make another devil-spawn is she?" "Funny" DaddyV said as he went upstairs and got the cheque. DannyV twisted a few arms licked his many supervisors's asses and they agreed that the person or people that found Ollie deserved some money. He knew Daddy wouldn't be pleased with a cheque but there was nothing he could do, it was the cheque or nothing. Daddy leaned his head in forward and stepped into DannyV's apartment. "Company" meant a woman and Daddy wonderd what DannyV's type of woman was.
"Hey" DannyV said surprised that Daddy was in the apartment. "Here" DannyV said passing him the cheque. "What the..." Daddy said. "Lloyd it would look suspicious, anyway, you'd get robbed if anyone knew how much cash you'd got" Daddy snatched the cheque out of DannyV's hand, grunted and left driving off to Achkan's. DannyV closed the door and went back to his lady of the evening. "Mam, I'm so sorry, please, help yourself to crackers and cheese" DannyV said lifting up the plate. "I heard you at the door. "Lloyd still hasn't changed" Said the woman. DannyV frowned.
"How do you know Lloyd exactly?" DannyV asked the woman. "A very quick sick story that makes me sound crazy" The woman said. "I'm used to crazy" DannyV said as the woman took a cracker and bit it. She'd asked for water instead of having wine and she ran her own Health-herbal store. Alcohol and fatty foods didn't exist to her. DannyV could tell she was making up for the past, but she couldn't change it. DannyV clasped his hands together. Jase and his ASCUP team would be over the moon. "Thank you for coming all the way here, just for Clay" DannyV said.
The woman looked at him cautiously. "Why wouldn't I show up for Clay? She said. "I'm still his Mother"
