Chapter 17

"Ok man, I am coming down now; you have to tell me where the door is so I know how to get in to help you." Nick said, ever conscious that this could all go pear-shaped at any moment.

"Yeah of course, you need to come round the front of the Golf Club and I will unlock the door for you." Dave said.

"Hey Nick, where is Warrick gone?" he asked.

"Shit, shit, shit" Nick thought to himself. "Dear Jesus don't make me blow this now that I am so close".

"Emm not sure man, he stepped out a while back, I think he was going to check on Brass, he must have got stopped in his tracks that he hasn't come back. Let's not worry about him anyway, not when we are both so close to our ultimate goal." Nick replied hoping that it was enough to convince Dave to let him in to the room.

"I'm not convinced man, I might just go outside and look for him, it won't take long", Dave said, panic starting to become audible in his voice.

"I tell you what Dave, why don't I check for Warrick, as I am on my way down anyway, and if he is around I will get rid of him. You don't want to leave Sara unattended do you? What if she was to wake up while you were outside? She would surely escape. You can't afford to take that risk Dave, not when you are this close."

"I guess you are right Nick, ok you check for Warrick and get rid of him, but don't be long ok? We gotta get going on this." Dave said, he was much brighter than before, he completely trusted Nick now.

Nick hadn't thought it would be so easy to gain his trust, still he wasn't complaining. He just knew he couldn't afford to mess this up at all. One step wrong and Dave would be on to his game. That is the last thing him or Sara needed right now.

Nick walked out the door that he and Warrick had come in earlier on. He had no idea how long he had been in there on his own, but it honestly felt like a lifetime.

He walked down the steps and saw Warrick slumped at the end, blood trickled from his forehead.

Nick rushed down and shook him gently. "Warrick, can you hear me man?" he asked.

Warrick opened his eyes and looked groggily at Nick "hey what happened? Did we save Sara?"

"Not yet, but we are going to. You have to pretend like you are still unconscious ok? I am gonna drag you into the room with me and Dave, just look like you are out cold and you should come to no harm. I will tell him I knocked you out, which should make him trust me more. Just take my lead the whole time ok?" Nick explained quickly.

"You have a plan?" Warrick asked.

"Yeah, I do, I just hope it works. Keep one eye half open so you can see me giving you the signal and when I do, get your gun out and shoot his sorry ass ok?"

"Ok man, just be careful", Warrick said groggily.

"I'll be fine don't worry", Nick said more in an attempt to convince himself than Warrick.

He dragged Warrick around to the front of the club, and banged on the door three times.

Dave's voice came from behind the door "is that you Nick?"

"Yeah and I have Warrick with me. He won't be any trouble to us now. Let me in Dave".

Dave opened the door and said "Hey man" and shook his hand like he was throwing a barbecue in his house and Nick was guest of honour.

He tried to appear as normal as possible. "Hey man, let's get this party started!" Nick said hoping his voice didn't sound forced.

Nick dragged Warrick into a corner making sure he would be able to see Nick easily.

Nick went to where Sara was lying down, he touched her arm, it was freezing from her lying semi-naked for so long. He felt the emotion rising in his throat at the sign of her so helpless.

"Keep it together Nicky, it isn't for too much longer" he reminded himself.

Dave handed Nick the scalpel and said "make the first cut Nick".

Nick took the scalpel and placed it over Sara's stomach along one of the lines Dave had drawn on her. Just as he pressed the scalpel against her skin, Sara opened her eyes and gave Nick a look of relief.

"Thank God you are here Nicky, I thought I was going to die, you have to get me out of here before he comes back", she said in a rush of emotion. She looked behind Nick and saw Dave standing behind him.

"Look out Nick", she said in an exhausted tiny voice. The room was still swimming.

She looked at Nick and wondered why he wasn't moving away from Dave, and why he wasn't he trying to untie her?

Nick looked at her pleadingly and whispered "sorry".

She looked down and saw the scalpel in his hand, and the realisation that she was very far from safe crashed down on her like a tidal wave. She began to cry hysterically. "Why would Nick do this?" her voice cried out in her head.

Nick could feel Dave staring at him, if he didn't at least draw blood, his cover would be blown. He pressed the scalpel harder into Sara's stomach; he could feel the tears stinging the back of his eyes. He tried to give her a look of "please trust me Sara" he wasn't sure if it helped her.

She looked at him and said in a barely audible whisper, "why?"

That one word was enough to cut through to Nick's soul. He knew it was now or never, as he ran the scalpel along her stomach, he could feel his legs start to weaken. One stray tear ran down his cheek.

Sara looked down at the blood trickling across her stomach. She looked at Nick in complete confusion but when she saw that he was crying; his plan suddenly became crystal clear to her.

She mouthed "it's ok, I understand" to him.

Nick saw exactly what she had said, and composed himself with the reassurance that she didn't think he was betraying her.

He smiled gently at her and raised the scalpel to look like he was going to plunge it into her. Dave caught his hand.

"He has sussed it, it's all over", Nick thought to himself.

"Hey Nicky, you only get the first cut remember? My turn now" Dave said taking the scalpel from Nick.

Nick grimaced at Dave calling him Nicky, that was a name reserved for those people that cared about him, not psychos who were about to hack his colleague to bits.

"So what will I do in the meantime?" Nick asked.

"You have two options, you can either watch the bitch squirm or go check on Warrick in the corner, up to you really."

Nick walked over to Warrick, knelt down beside him and whispered to him, "get your gun out, you are going to need it in the next few seconds. As soon as you see Dave putting that scalpel near Sara I need you to get up and shoot him ok?"

"With pleasure man" Warrick said, getting his gun out of its holster.

Nick returned to Dave's side, "he's still sleeping like a baby Dave, the coast is clear. I'll hold her down, you cut the bitch good".

"It's been almost too easy", Dave said, sounding almost suspicious, "still I suppose it helps to have one of Gil's best on my side, right Nicky?"

At the mention of Gil's name Sara could feel herself starting to sob again. Nick saw her getting upset and put his hand over her mouth. He needed Dave to remain calm; the sight of Sara getting upset over another man's name wouldn't do her any favours.

"And you can shut the fuck up too", he said to Sara in his most aggressive voice.

"You tell her Nicky", Dave said and laughed a deep, throaty laugh.

He continued along the line that Nick had cut and put the scalpel into her much deeper than Nick had, her blood spurting out; the pain evident in her face. Determined not to let Dave see he was getting to her, she bit down on the palm of Nick's hand to stop herself screaming out. Nick winced in pain, but didn't let Dave see.

Within seconds Warrick was on his feet and had the butt of his gun pressed against Dave's ear.

"Drop the scalpel", he said in a steady voice.

Dave looked at Warrick in shock.

"I thought you said he was out cold Nick" he said in a very small, confused voice.

"Guess he woke up", Nick said as he took his own gun and placed it in the small of Dave's back.

"It's over Dave, drop the scalpel." Warrick said.

"Not before I do that bitch some serious damage", Dave thought to himself. He picked up the scalpel and drove it straight into her chest.

Sara screamed in agony and Warrick fired his gun, blowing Dave Phillips head off.