The next morning...
Wednesday, June 28th, 2017
08:42 GMT-7 (15:42 GMT June 28th)
Bella Oceana
Rosa was in no mood for messing about, therefore, Cara was getting it in the neck.
"Come on, Cara!"
"I'm moving as fast as I can!"
"Move faster, girl!"
"But why do we have to go to Europe?"
"We've been through this a thousand times, Cara! I want you as far away from Dieter as we can get you."
"Okay..."
"Give me that!"
"My cell – no!"
Cara looked on in absolute horror as her mother ejected the SIM card from the iPhone and then she walked into the kitchen where she proceeded to microwave the device until it exploded! The SIM card was then snapped in half.
"What? Why? My life...!"
"Oh get a grip, Cara!"
"My phone...," Cara wailed miserably as she stared at the smouldering remnants of her life.
"We are going dark, honey; that means no electronic devices," Rosa told her daughter.
"My phone..."
"Go see if Evans is outside."
"My phone..." Cara muttered sadly as she headed for the front door.
Rosa tried not to laugh as she finished packing her carry-on bag.
..._...
Leo Shepherd had been prepped by Rosa that she and Cara were going to be leaving the country – and that he was going with them.
At first he was unsure about leaving the country, but then he realised that he needed to remain with Rosa – she was depending on him to protect Cara. He noticed that Cara seemed a little depressed as she threw her case in the trunk and then slumped into her seat.
"Problem, Miss Cara?"
"Mom blew up my phone," Cara groused.
Leo felt slightly sorry for Cara, knowing how much the phone meant to the girl.
"LAX, Evans," Rosa directed as she too climbed into the back seat.
"Yes, ma'am. The drive should take about thirty minutes."
A short while later, Leo sensed something as they drove east along Palisades Beach Road. Something did not feel right and he checked that he was below the posted forty-five limit as he kept to the middle lane of three. He checked all around him but his eyes focused on a black Chevrolet SUV three cars back in the same lane – he had seen that vehicle earlier that day. Then, just as they approached the Pacific Coast Highway junction, the SUV accelerated and moved over to the left and overtook the two cars in between them. Leo found himself watching that SUV when his training told him to keep an eye on his surroundings. He checked ahead and then to the...
Another black Chevrolet SUV smashed into the right side of the Mercedes as it emerged from a parking lot at speed. Leo floored the accelerator and the massive V8 engine hauled the massive car up to seventy miles-per-hour within a little over two seconds. The damage from the strike appeared to be superficial and the car fully functional.
"What the hell?!" Rosa blurted.
"Mom!"
"I think somebody is after us," Evans offered somewhat dryly.
Rosa grimaced at the British dry wit as she checked that Cara was securely strapped into her seat. They raced into the underpass with the two SUVs just a dozen yards behind them. Rosa tried to think who might be after her – was it Dieter? Had he figured things out? The vehicles being used did not seem to be from the Panther Brigade pool which might have ruled out Dieter. Her situation was precarious to say the least. They had to get to the airport – then they should be safe . . . she hoped.
Leo had to be careful as they were on a two-lane highway with some downright dozy drivers, most of whom had no idea what the indicators were for as they meandered from lane to lane as if they were the only vehicle on the road. Even worse were the partly rusted little Toyotas where the drivers seemed to be unable to disable their indicators after some long-forgotten manoeuvre several miles past. Leo was in his element – he loved to drive, and he loved to drive fast. The large Mercedes sedan was a dream to drive and equipped with every safety feature to aid him as he drove for safety. The vehicle was armoured which came in handy when random bullets peppered the bodywork as the SUVs attempted to stop them. His best tool was the horn which he used to wake up those dozy drivers ahead of them as he did his utmost to bust the sixty-five limit for that stretch of highway.
Very soon, they attracted the attention of an LAPD Crown Victoria which lit off its lights and siren as it moved to intercept the speeding Mercedes. Unfortunately, the Crown Victoria got in the way of the first SUV which rammed the police car off the highway, sending the vehicle spinning off into the crash barrier. Minutes later, they took the exit for the I-405, heading east, with the SUVs just yards behind. With five lanes to play with, Leo was able to push the pedal down and negotiate the traffic at speed. On the more open straight stretches of interstate, the Mercedes pulled away from the SUVs with ease but then the traffic would build and the SUVs would close in until the traffic cleared again.
Then as they approached the Marina Freeway junction, the SUVs were joined by another vehicle – a nightfall grey metallic Chevrolet Camaro 2SS.
That same time...
09:07 GMT-7 (16:07 GMT June 28th)
Marina Freeway
It was not only Rosa who was having a bad morning.
Dieter's nerves exploded as the first bullets struck his armoured SUV. The man had been a nervous wreck ever since the attack at his home just days previously and the attack on him even as he was trying to escape Los Angeles was just too much. In the seat beside him, seventeen year old Otto Mannheim was terrified having never found himself facing danger first hand. It had been a shock to the young man to find that his father had been injured by a masked assassin and he was still struggling with the abrupt changes to his life.
"It's fucking Fusion!" Renke called out form the front passenger seat as he glared at the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade with the deep red paint scheme complete with flashes of fire on the frame.
A different form of fire erupted from the compact MP5K submachine gun carried by the masked armour-clad rider. The bullets stung the SUV but did not penetrate the armoured bodywork nor the armoured glazing. As the SUV swerved, somewhat unnecessarily, to avoid the bullets, the powerful motorcycle easily outmanoeuvred the SUV to regain a position from where the rider could strafe the SUV with relative impunity. A second motorcycle, this one identical but for the deep blue paint scheme harried the single chase SUV to ensure that it could not support the primary SUV. Not even Renke seemed to notice that the small-calibre nine-millimetre bullets could never hurt the armoured SUVs and that they were just being given a send-off worthy of such a bastard as Dieter Mannheim. The attackers were there purely to ensure that Dieter ran.
"Get us to the fucking airport!" Dieter shouted.
Dieter Mannheim was running and he was running scared.
Back on the I-405...
09:07 GMT-7 (16:07 GMT June 28th)
The Chevrolet Camaro 2SS easily kept up with the rear SUV as the four vehicles raced along the interstate highway at over ninety.
The driver of the SUV looked back curiously to try and figure out what the Camaro driver was up to. Then his eyes went wide as the window on the passenger side of the Camaro lowered and a masked vigilante slid out of her seat to sit on the door. One hand was inside the car, presumably gripping onto something to prevent falling while the right hand held a dark object. As the Camaro moved ahead so that the masked vigilante was level with the left front wing of the SUV, the hand holding that dark object then slapped said dark object onto said left front wing and withdrew, leaving said dark object sticking to the bodywork. As the driver momentarily contemplated this strange act, the Camaro accelerated ahead of the SUV as the masked vigilante slid back inside the car. Then, just as the driver's mind processed what the device was, the device detonated violently.
The devastating explosion of the sticky bomb destroyed the front left suspension, tyre, steering mechanism, and wheel removing the entire system from the car which caused the giant SUV to nose down at eighty miles-per-hour, the remnants of the left front portion of said SUV bored into the black top and the entire vehicle then somersaulted end over end, shredding body parts and bodies as it went, crashing down twice before it came apart completely, having spread the remains over several acres of interstate.
The Camaro escaped the spreading wreckage as it raced ahead to catch up with the remaining SUV. However, it did not stop, as it raced past the next SUV and then continued on to over one hundred miles-per-hour where it then rapidly overhauled the speeding Mercedes. Rosa, Cara, and Leo watched as the Camaro raced off into the distance before the sharp-eyed Cara saw a smoke trail as the Camaro driver stood on the brakes some two miles ahead of them, then they saw someone emerge from the Camaro as it sat on the shoulder, and seconds later, there was an almost-blinding orange and yellow flash as something raced towards them. The 66-millimetre rocket had left the M72 LAW rocket launcher in a split second and the missile flew arrow-straight, directly at the SUV which had no chance to manoeuvre even had the driver been able to correctly identify the inbound threat.
Nobody had noticed the black-clad motorcyclist who had followed the SUVs at a discrete distance. Behind the smoked visor, Miranda Frost seethed as the remaining SUV exploded. Her plan to capture Rosa Müller had quite literally come apart. Interestingly, it had been members of Fusion who had brought about the demolition of her team – were they also after Rosa? She had also heard that Dieter had come under attack not too many miles away from where she rode at that moment. Was it coordinated?
Either way, her plans were in disarray – for the moment – but she did have a backup plan.
Approaching LAX...
09:07 GMT-7 (16:07 GMT June 28th)
As they turned off the I-405, Leo slammed on his brakes under an overpass and he leapt out.
The Camaro slewed to a halt some yards distant and Leo fired off several rounds from his Glock 17, putting three into the chest of the armoured vigilante who had climbed out of the sports coupe armed with a submachine gun. The vigilante dropped to the roadway as the bullets shoved the vigilante onto her back. Leo fired two further shots at a motorcyclist some distance beyond the Camaro before he jumped back into the Mercedes and accelerated away, taking a right onto Howard Hughes Parkway and then a left onto South Sepulveda Boulevard which then took them directly into the sprawling international airport.
Very soon, they reached the main terminal where Leo drove the car into the long stay carpark and parked the damaged luxury sedan in a corner before he climbed out, his right hand on his pistol. He knew that he was for it should he meet whichever twin he shot as she would not have enjoyed the three bullets – but those had been his orders. Seeing no danger, he swiftly disassembled the pistol and transferred the parts into half a dozen plastic bags. He waved for a porter who came to collect the luggage from the trunk of the Mercedes and the group headed through into the terminal where they swiftly passed through security – Leo having dumped the pistol parts in six different rubbish bins as they moved through the airport – and then into the British Airways First Class Lounge.
A technically-distraught Cara raced to make use of one of the half-dozen Apple computers arrayed along one wall while Rosa headed for the bar where she ordered a double Jack Daniels on the rocks. Leo simply took a seat and pretended to read a newspaper as he scanned the lounge, his protectees, and anything else which attracted his attention. They had about forty minutes to wait before they boarded their British Airways flight BA268 to London Heathrow. For Cara, the wait was interminable but Leo solved that by dumping a plate loaded with unhealthy food before the girl who had successfully caught up on her various online messaging sites. Rosa grinned her relief as Cara stopped nagging her mother and started stuffing food into her mouth – all while still talking.
Leo marvelled at how young girls could eat and talk at the same time – then he remembered somebody else who could do just that – he hoped that Lucy was safe, wherever she was in the world.
..._...
Leo Shepherd did not begin to relax until he had ensured that Rosa and Cara were seated in their first class seats aboard the British Airways A380-800.
Their seats (and Leo's) were on the lower deck forward where there were fourteen open suites arranged in four rows with two side-by-side down the centre. Leo took seat 2A, one row back from the first row from where he could observe the staircase leading to the upper deck and the lavatories. Cara was across the aisle in seat 2E while Rosa sat in seat 2F next to her daughter. As was usual – especially with such a giant aircraft – it took a while to load all the passengers in first class, club world, and world traveller (economy/cattle class). They would be onboard the aircraft for most of the next eleven hours as they flew two-fifths of the way around the planet – some 5,443 miles. Somehow, Leo considered spending so long in an aircraft with the young teenaged girl not to be all that desirable. To ease Rosa's nerves, a glass of champagne soon appeared, served by Geri – a disgruntled Cara was palmed off with an orange juice (plus a chocolate brownie as Geri felt sorry for the girl) – while Leo opted for a cup of tea.
After receiving interesting packages of pyjamas and toiletries, the aircraft soared into the air just before noon that morning and they were due to arrive at their destination around six in the morning, local time.
11:58 GMT-7 (18:58 GMT June 28th)
Safehouse C
Chrissy was not happy!
"Was that Leo fucking Shepherd who shot me?" Chrissy demanded.
"Yes, it was," Erika replied.
"You knew that he was in the city?"
"Yes – he seems to be moonlighting as Rosa Müller's chauffer and bodyguard."
"Lucy is going to be so pissed!"
"I think Leo enjoyed shooting you, Chrissy," Erika grinned.
"Most who knew me and Sky back in the old days would enjoy shooting us," Chrissy scowled back.
"Sucks to be you," Maddie threw in.
"Tell me about it – my tits are bruised to fuck!"
"It was my idea to make it look like we were after Rosa as well as Dieter," Maddie grinned.
"I really hate you," Chrissy groaned.
"Nah! You love me really," Maddie commented.
Chrissy scowled as she headed for a long hot bath to sooth her aching body.
That same time...
11:58 GMT-7 (18:58 GMT June 28th)
Dieter Mannheim was also airborne, in his private jet which even then was flying north towards San Francisco.
Almost the very moment that he had strapped himself in, the man had downed a glass of whiskey closely followed by another. As the adrenaline which thumped through his system met the alcohol, Mannheim began to feel a high which eased his anxiety enough that he could start to relax. His mind was reeling as he considered his narrow escape just a short time earlier, not to mention the direct attack upon his person in his own home.
"Did Rosa get off?"
"Yes, boss," Renke responded.
"Wanda and Hahn?"
"They are on the plane, boss," Renke confirmed – the two children had been taken directly to the airport from their own hiding place by their own security detail.
"Thank God!"
Renke looked over at the opposing seat where seventeen-year-old Otto sat ashen-faced as he considered his own mortality.
Somewhere over Wyoming...
13:08 GMT-7 (20:08 GMT June 28th)
British Airways
Airbus A380-800
Leo had had enough.
The youth glared at Cara, ignored the apologetic look Rosa gave him, and then headed aft to check on the other items on his agenda. Cara had surpassed 'annoying', somewhere north of Las Vegas, and by the time they had flown overhead Salt lake City, Leo was searching for a sharp implement – or maybe the fire extinguisher mounted on the bulkhead not too far away which could be used to club the girl senseless, he considered. Even Rosa was sorely tempted to risk a child abuse charge in exchange for some peace and quiet. Her headphones may have been noise-cancelling but they were not Cara-cancelling!
Further aft in the giant aircraft, the mini-suites of club world stretched eight abreast. In seats 11E and 11F sat twelve-year-old Hahn Mannheim and his sister, thirteen-year-old Wanda Mannheim. The two children were worried about recent events and despite attempts to the contrary, they both knew that somebody had tried to kill their father – little did they know that the killer was seated just a few dozen feet further forward. Leo observed the two children and he nodded at them both – Wanda smiled but Hahn simply nodded. Leo then exchanged looks with the man and woman who flanked the two children in seats 11D and 11G – those two would be trouble as they would have to be 'disposed of' soon after the aircraft landed as Leo had been informed by Rosa that neither could know the location of her safehouse which Leo gathered was somewhere to the west of London.
On landing – and should Cara still be breathing – Leo would drive Rosa and the three youngsters to the safehouse where they would all then 'go dark' for an indeterminate amount of time while Rosa got a grip on what was going on and what was needed to take down Dieter Manheim and whatever the monstrous scheme was which he was a part of – Leo was still very much in the dark, but Rosa had told him that all would soon become very clear. What that meant, Leo had no idea, but he trusted Rosa – he had to – and she appeared to trust him with her daughter's life. On a more positive note, it would be good to be back in England again – so long as he did not have to go galivanting around London engaging bloody Predators!
After checking on Wanda and Hahn, Leo returned to his seat in first class to find Rosa digging into her lunch and thankfully, Cara appeared to have her mouth full of food which allowed Leo to settle down and enjoy a meal of his own.
..._...
With almost eight hours of the flight still remaining, Cara was encouraged to get some sleep – read 'encouraged' as 'threatened with grievous bodily harm'.
The relationship between mother and daughter had changed – the daughter now knew that her mother was perfectly capable of carrying out her threats. Once the youngster had settled down, Rosa enjoyed a glass of red wine and she walked around the seats to join Leo. With the drone of the engines and the operation of all the other electronic devices aboard the complex jetliner, bugs were all but impossible to use. Therefore, the pair were able to converse in quiet tones – thanks to the A380's sound suppression – without any eavesdroppers.
"This is the first time that we have been able to properly talk," Rosa said as Leo listened. "Dieter is part of some hair-brained scheme which is going to kill a lot of people. I know some of the details, but the actual planning has been kept in the upper echelons of those organisations financing this enterprise. Tell me what you know of Dieter's plan."
"From what I could glean during my time before and during my current employment, I came across references to operations called Deadlight, Source, and Capital."
"Source is complete – as is Deadlight. That nuclear explosion in the Malian desert?"
"Deadlight?"
"Yes – that was the facility producing certain items . . . I have no idea what those items were, but I surmise that they are nuclear devices which is not good for anyone. However, I can also surmise that Capital relates to where those devices will be located. Dieter has been very close-lipped about everything, especially as there has been some complications involving Fusion."
"How are the Russians involved?" Leo asked, remembering the safehouse in London.
"It seems that there was a leak somewhere and the Russian Government found out what was going on. There are Russians on the payroll, I understand – mainly mercenaries and some senior military officers. The showdown in the Mediterranean has not helped anything, I understand."
"Who is involved in this scheme?"
"The Panther Organisation and Gémeaux hold the second-largest stakes in the project, followed by the Scorpio Group and the now-defunct Sicilian Mafia. The largest stake is held by Eidolon."
"I've heard of Eidolon – not much, but I know they are not nice people."
"Noah Tremblay – a thoroughly nasty bastard. Do not underestimate that man, Leo. On a positive note, Susan Cummings has been terminated by Vengeance – we understand she was executed by Nemesis. Unfortunately, Gabriel Agreste – he was on the same boat – managed to escape while Séverin Coulomb and his wife Marie-Claire also died. They were in charge of the money for the whole organisation – laundering, things like that – and I have to admit that that has caused some cashflow problems which has upset things a little as there is a lot of raw cash piling up which needs laundered and a lot of deals to be made which can't be paid for as there is no laundered cash ready to be used. Now, that has slowed a few things up which in turn has given us time to figure out how to defeat this Operation Capital."
"You and me – just the two of us are going to defeat this thing?" Leo asked.
"I am not as helpless as you may believe, Leo Shepherd."
Leo scowled.
"You think I didn't know?"
"I hoped."
"I know some of what you are but nobody else does – I've kept that a secret between us. I have been using you, Leo – I needed you to look out for Cara. Don't get mad – I think we both have the same ultimate agenda."
"I was tracking done a conspiracy and I tracked it down to Dieter's door," Leo said.
"How much do you know about me?" Rosa asked the young man.
"You've been killing for over twenty years," Leo replied. "You were quite something in your youth, I understand."
"I'm still young!"
"Dieter cornered me, one evening, and he insisted on telling me what my new boss was really like. I think he thought he might put me off working for you."
"Only, he had no idea that you are a blood-thirsty Predator."
"Obviously not," Leo chuckled, but then he leaned closer to Rosa and took a gamble. "I assume that he has no idea his most-trusted lieutenant moonlights as Carnivora."
Rosa scowled.
The next morning...
Thursday, June 29th
05:48 GMT+1 (04:48 GMT June 29th)
British Airways
Airbus A380-800
London Heathrow Airport
With multiple thumps, the giant aircraft touched down on runway 27-Right and then taxied to stand 565 at Terminal 5C.
It had not been easy to rouse Cara an hour before so that she could join Rosa and Leo for breakfast and sort herself out prior to landing. Unsurprisingly, Cara woke up as she piled food into her mouth – which seemed to take all her attention and she never said a word for a whole three minutes while she ate. During breakfast, Leo contemplated what he and . . . his mentor? . . . had discussed before they had both enjoyed a few hours' sleep. Rosa had confirmed to Leo before they had turned in that she was indeed Carnivora, and that Cara's changed attitude towards her mother had been related to that revelation. Leo was impressed, knowing how hard it must have been for Rosa to turn against the organisation which had formed her. He also knew how hard Carnivora had fought at the Aon Centre and for Rosa to have accomplished so much in so short a time had been truly amazing.
As the three of them stood to disembark from the aircraft, Rosa nodded at Leo who would leave Rosa and Cara while he 'removed' the pair of goons escorting Wanda and Hahn.
..._...
As Leo entered Terminal 5 after the lengthy walk from their aircraft, he eyed the man whose eyes were checking out everything which went on around the two children he and his partner were escorting.
The size difference between Leo and the man, Leo knew him as Osborne, was extreme to say the least. Leo knew that the two children trusted Rosa, and therefore Leo, so he would use them to aid his approach if required. For the moment, neither the man nor the woman had seen Leo approach them – they would have smelt a rat seeing Leo so far from his own principals. Therefore, Leo had availed himself of a hooded top which someone had left draped over a railing. Leo then swiped a baseball cap off a low table without the owner even noticing. Instantly, Leo's outward appearance had changed, and he was able to mingle with the crowds of people moving towards the luggage carousels. Leo's eyes searched for threats – he clocked two male British Transport Police officers who patrolled the concourse, each cradling a Heckler & Koch G36C in their arms with Glock 17 pistols at their hips. It was important to stay clear of those men as they would shoot him should they see him as a threat. However, he deemed the police officers as potential assets for his task – maybe.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Hahn said to the man who was escorting him.
"Can't you wait?" Osborne asked irritably – he hated children; Leo knew.
"Leave him alone!" Wanda warned the man.
Osborne sighed – not wanting to get into a public argument with Wanda. "Move!" he ordered the boy.
Hahn headed for the male toilets towards the south end of the arrivals area with Osborne following a discrete distance behind while Wanda remained with her escort who Leo knew as Longford.
..._...
Hahn Mannheim was a short youth with blond hair and a pale complexion.
He was very different to his elder brother, Otto, who enjoyed being with his father and pursuing a future in the Tomahawk Group. Instead, the boy preferred to spend time with his mother, Karri Mannheim, and he had little interest in what his father did for a living. Indeed, he had found the violent attempts on his father's life worse than disturbing and he had not slept well aboard the flight across the Atlantic Ocean and he was very tired. Therefore, he never noticed the hooded youth who entered the toilets after him. Osborne did, though, and he muscled through to ensure that the hooded youth was not there to cause trouble.
The men's toilets were typical of those in a British airport – they had their own special aroma for a start. They were not all that busy, and Hahn made directly for a stall at the far end of a dozen identical stalls. Leo had made for the urinals which were conveniently empty, but as Osborne had passed behind him, Leo had turned back towards the door leading into the bathroom and then slammed the door, locking it with the built in Yale catch.
"What the fuck are you doing, boy?" Osborne demanded as he turned towards Leo.
Leo looked up and he peered directly into his opponent's eyes.
"Evans?"
"Hello, Osborne, you big bastard."
"What are you doing, Evans."
"Killing you; what does it look like?" Leo responded as he produced a wicked-looking titanium fighting knife.
"I owe you, you little cunt!" Osborne growled as she shifted his stance.
"I suppose you do, you fucking pussy."
Leo dived forward, slashing at Osborne's stomach, but he missed as Osborne flexed away from the strike. Leo knew that he was fighting a very skilled opponent, so he adjusted his fighting style accordingly. However, Osborne was enraged – the man had been waiting quite a while to get even with 'Evans' for the embarrassment caused during the young man's 'job interview' with Rosa some weeks earlier. Leo dodged a powerful punch, ducking down beneath the blow. One punch could easily put Leo out cold, so the youth would have to be very careful as he fought. Leo made to strike with his blade, but Osborne fended off the strike and elbowed Leo in the chest, sending the youth flying backwards into a hand dryer adding back pain to Leo's chest pain as he found that he had dropped his knife. Leo retaliated by driving the heel of his right hand into Osborne's face, smashing his nose, and sending a cloud of blood exploding across a mirror.
"You little fuck!" Osborne roared angrily.
Leo kneed Osborne in the left thigh and then he shoved the man backwards, into the sinks. Before Osborne could react, Leo kicked the man in the side of the head, smashing the same head into a mirror, sending the reflective glass flying in all directions along with some more blood. Osborne sprung at Leo, his eyes full of venom and hate. The powerful hands gripped hold of the youth and Leo found himself flying through the air for a few feet before he cannoned into the cubicles, smashing open a door and finding himself looking up at a shocked man who was taking a dump.
"Sorry, sir, wrong cubicle," Leo said as he was dragged back out of the cubicle by Osborne.
Leo was then thrown across the toilets where he crashed into a urinal which bruised his right shoulder, but he scrambled back to his feet and he ran at Osborne, then he spied his fallen knife amongst the wreckage of Formica and glass scattered across the floor, and he swept it up as he went. Osborne did not seem to have noticed as Leo cannoned into the man and he drove the four-inch titanium blade into the man's left side, twisting the blade as he did so. The large man merely grunted as he absorbed the wounding and the pain, but then Leo withdrew the blade and he rammed it up under the man's rib cage on his right side, mutilating Osborne's liver as he twisted the blade to the left and to the right.
Osborne sank to his knees as he began to bleed internally, rather badly.
..._...
Just as Osborne fell onto his side, Hahn appeared from his cubicle.
The boy was stunned to see Osborne lying on the ground and the signs of damage all around. Hanging from his ears, white cords led to his iPhone, the sounds of music having blocked out the sounds of fighting. The boy began to panic as he saw the hooded person turn towards him, but then the boy sighed with relief as he saw a friendly face.
"Evans?"
"Hi, Hahn; Osborne is having an episode and I think we should leave him to it," Leo replied.
Hahn had no reservations about that choice – he liked 'Evans' and he disliked Osborne, so the choice was an easy one and he willingly followed Leo out of the toilets. On the concourse outside the toilets, Leo saw Wanda standing with Longford and he kept his head down as he closed.
"Where is Osborne, boy?" Longford demanded as she peered past the boy and saw no sign of her partner.
"He's still in the toilet," Hahn said quickly. "I think he's feeling a bit unwell."
"He is?" Longford replied dubiously.
"He collapsed onto the floor and he was groaning," Hahn explained.
Leo grinned – the boy had not actually lied once. More importantly, Hahn's intervention had allowed Leo to close on Longford. Wanda was looking at her brother, her expression one of unease. But then she caught sight of 'Evans', his face partially hidden under the hood and she caught on very quickly – she too trusted 'Evans', mainly due to Cara whom she knew to trust 'Evans' one hundred percent. Wanda did not buy her brother's lame excuses and she quickly figured that something was up. Given the choice, Wanda would gladly follow 'Evans' instead of the 'arch-witch' Longford – she liked the guy.
"Osborne was looking a little peaky," Wanda ventured.
Longford was not buying any of it – she was way too experienced to fall for some story fed to her by the two troublesome children. She was worried, though, as it was not like Osborne to let Hahn out of his sight. Then, as she turned to scan her perimeter, she caught sight of a youth in a hooded top and warning signals began to go off in her brain. Longford turned towards the hooded youth just as Leo growled at the two children.
"Stay together and head to the baggage carousels – now move!"
Wanda grabbed Hahn, and they both began to run towards the baggage carousels and the burgeoning crowds of people waiting for their luggage to appear.
..._...
Leo was left facing Longford who began to join the dots and she swiftly realised that the hooded youth might have had something to do with Osborne's disappearance.
The youth moved closer and Longford started to wonder why the two children had suddenly bolted, when she caught sight of the face beneath the hood. She felt anger surge through her as she recognised the bastard who had broken her nose back in May. She had been wanting payback for so long – only she feared Rosa. However, the bastard was fair game considering he appeared to have turned against them.
"What have you done with Osborne?"
"He took a nasty fall."
"Did he?" Longford snarled. "You're going to take a nasty fall, boy!"
Leo knew that his plan required exquisite timing for it to succeed. His eyes darted from Longford to his surroundings and back again. He saw an opportunity, and he decided that it was the only opportunity to make a clean escape with the children. Leo leapt forwards, surprising Longford who leapt backwards to counter Leo's advance. Longford frowned as she saw Leo looking past her and beyond – was it a trick to distract her? She knew that she could not afford to allow the bastard anything which might give him an edge, so she lunged at the one person she hated the most, punching him hard in the left shoulder. Leo stumbled backwards, but then as Longford advanced on him, he steadied himself for a very complicated move – two in fact.
First, Leo span around, kicking Longford hard in the chest, and sending the woman flying backwards just as two uniformed British Transport Police officers stepped out of the crowd in time for Longford to crash into the first, sending that police officer falling into the crowd along with his G36C assault rifle. Leo swiftly dived to the ground and he rolled to his right, into the crowd of people gathering around the nearest luggage carousel. To the police officer still on his feet, it appeared that the woman who had collided with his colleague was probably drunk or out to cause trouble – either way, she was being taken into custody. Longford struggled back to her feet, her eyes darting everywhere looking for that bastard who had sent her sprawling. There was no sign of him anywhere – he had vanished like he had never been. Then she was surprised to find a strong hand grip her right bicep and haul her to her feet.
She was about to thank the person when she was astonished to be read her rights: "You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."
Longford found herself looking into the angry expression of a police officer. "On what charge?" she demanded.
"Disorderly conduct in a public place," the officer responded, "and assault of a police officer in the course of his duties, for a start. Your name, ma'am?"
"It wasn't me; it was that youth in the hooded top!"
"What youth?" the police officer asked as he looked at the crowd.
"He's..."
Leo was a dozen yards away, hidden behind a luggage carousel with Wanda and Hahn standing beside him as they collected their bags, along with those which belonged to Rosa and Cara. Together, the three made for the short stay car park where a hire car from Avis was waiting for them. As Leo exited the lift on the third level, he grinned as he laid eyes on Rosa and Cara who both stood beside a deep red Range Rover.
"Any problems?" Rosa asked Leo.
"Not really," Leo replied nonchalantly.
"He was awesome!" Wanda grinned.
"Give it a rest, Wanda," Cara laughed. "You just fancy Leo!"
"Leo?"
"His real name."
"That's way better than 'Evans'!" Wanda muttered dreamily.
"Let's go, shall we?" Leo suggested as Rosa tossed him the car key.
Leo swiftly loaded their luggage into the boot and they then departed the car park with Leo driving and they headed north west, making for High Wycombe, a forty-minute drive away.