The next few seconds passed so quickly Meredith couldn't remember who
started it; perhaps John had gone to shoot the gun before Gavin grabbed his
arm, but then it had descended to a mealy of fists and elbows, two men
rolling around on the floor wrestling for the gun between them when
suddenly two shots were fired.
"Gavin..." Meredith whimpered, her knees shaking so hard that they crumbled beneath her and so she had to crawl towards the two immobile men. "Gavin please answer me, darling you have to be alright...
- - - -
Meanwhile downstairs oblivious to the life threatening scene that was taking place in Meredith's office Giles was doing his best to keep the guests entertained and amused, whilst skilfully avoiding answering certain questions, like 'Where's darling Meredith' and 'Who was that strange man you were talking to' and so on. However despite his best intentions people were quickly filling in their own answers and what worried him was more than a few of them were straying dangerously close to the truth. It was at this moment when he was just about to throw oil on the fires of gossip and speculation by doing Meredith's toast that all hell broke loose.
"No body move! Hands in the air and don't try anything stupid!"
- - - -
Slowly there was a low moan, panicking that it might be John and not Gavin who had survived Meredith jumped forward and grabbed the gun which now lay innocently on her white carpet and with shaking hands pointed it at both men her vision blurring with unshed tears
"That's a nice way to repay me for saving your life!" Gavin hissed suddenly and he winced in pain as he tried to shift the unmoving bulk of John from off of him. "Put it down Meredith before you do one of us a serious injury!"
"Gavin you're alright." Meredith gasped the tears now freely falling down her face as she darted forward and helped him roll the ex-critic off of him, but Gavin scarcely had a moments respite for as soon as John was off of him a distraught Meredith had flung her arms around his neck and was sobbing into his chest.
"Sush Darling I'm fine, well nothing a little stitching won't sort out at any rate!" He whispered gently stroking her hair and pulling her close, ignoring the stabbing pain in his shoulder where the first bullet had grazed before he had managed to force the gun around.
"Oh my god you're bleeding!" Meredith exclaimed when she pulled away slightly and caught sight of the blood smeared on her arm from his shoulder wound.
"It's nothing just a scratch believe me!" Gavin replied sitting up and pulling her back into his embrace. "I'm more worried about you; shock can do terrible things to a pregnant woman so I suggest we get you checked out."
"Yes I know no need to lecture...Wait a minute how did you find out about the baby?" Meredith demanded. "It couldn't just have been from my telling John, you seemed to already know, how, who told you?"
"Well not its mother I'm disappointed to say!" Gavin replied tersely, his frostiness abating when he saw the shame and regret in her eyes.
"I was going to, the consultant was so upset when he realised he'd made a mistake by telling you I'd gone through with it but then how was he to know I'd changed my mind after he had left? Then when you didn't come back to see me at all I was so angry with you it made it seem all I was to you was a breeding machine, but then I realised you must have been too angry and upset so I decided to tell you when I came out of hospital..."
"So why didn't you? Dammit Meredith you've had a month to tell me the truth!" Gavin cut in his grip on her arm tightening painfully.
"I was going to, I wanted to but when I got home and my apartment had been done over, I thought..."
"That it was me?" Gavin whispered.
"Well you knew where I lived and the locksmith and everything and it had been done by someone with keys not a break-in you tell me what conclusion you would have drawn?" Meredith argued defensively.
"But it wasn't me I swear it!" He retorted emphatically, grasping her chin and forcing her to look directly into his eyes before whipping the tears away. "I would never do something like that to you, I love you, and you have to believe it had nothing to do with me!"
"I know!" Meredith whispered, breaking their gaze and lowering her eyes to the floor. "The police did DNA testing on the urine samples; one of them was Will's...."
"What and even after that you still didn't think to pick up the phone and say 'Hi Gavin guess what I didn't go through with that abortion like I said, we're gonna have a baby?'..."
"I couldn't, it was too late, I felt such an idiot so I convinced myself the baby and I would be better off out of that world you inhabit, and I'm right just look at the way you treated Giles first at the restaurant and then here tonight, I won't have my child brought up to think that such violence is acceptable that it's normal!"
"Oh as apposed to the perfectly safe life that you have created, first Will then this psychotic freak!" Gavin snapped waving at the body lying a few feet away.
"Fine you have a point!...What are we going to do about him?" Meredith asked tentatively.
"As soon as we get downstairs I'll phone Danny and have him make the appropriate arrangements, but first did anyone see him come in, was he invited?"
"No, he definitely wasn't invited so there is no way he could have gotten through the front doors not through security so he must have gotten in through the staff entrance but there should be guards on that too I don't understand first the phones go off then mad armed art critics are able to get through a supposedly locked, monitored by CCTV and guarded door without anyone being the wiser?"
"What?" Gavin demanded. "Where's you control room?"
"It's on the ground floor, there are monitors at the front desk and also in another room in the basement."
"And the phones are off as well?"
"Yes I just said so...Gavin what is going on?" Meredith demanded.
"Simple sweetheart we're been double bluffed!" He retorted tersely grabbing the gun from the floor and tucking it into his trousers. "We have to get out of here its not safe, and if the staff door was open before then perhaps we can use it now...." He added grasping her hand and dragging her towards the door.
"But what about him?" Meredith asked glancing over her shoulder.
"Don't worry I think whatever is going on downstairs will provide more than enough of an alibi for that one!" He replied grasping one of the double doors and dragging it open stepping out into the foyer and suddenly freezing on the spot he spotted three masked gunmen.
"Well well everything comes to he who waits!" A recognisable voice rang out from the other side, but for a moment Meredith couldn't place it, then suddenly it hit her....Danny!
- - - -
Downstairs Giles stepped back against the wall, following the lead of the other party guests who had now fallen deathly silent as the armed men moved among them grabbing wallets and stripping jewellery from everyone, but that was the least of their concern as all watched horrified as the masked men proceeded to strip the priceless art work from the walls. For a moment Giles muffled a prayer of relief that Meredith's own collection had been removed for the duration of the exhibition and stored in the specialist vault at the Tate, but even so the lose of such world famous pieces into the hands of such philistines made his blood boil. They weren't even storing the stripped canvases properly in muslin bags and such blatant disregard made him see red.
"Dammit who the hell do you think you are!" He demanded stepping forward and tacking the nearest gunman, who was so shocked he didn't react until it was to late and Giles had not only prised the gun from his loose grasp but was holding it against his now unmasked temple.
"Now all of you stop and get the man in charge or I swear this man is leaving here with a rather convenient extra cavity, in the side of his head!"
- - - -
"Hello Boss pleased to see me?" The distinctly cocky voice rang out.
"Abrams...I knew you were up to something but personally I'm astounded you had the brains to pull it off of course it helped that you used one of my old plans to do it I have no doubt...What's the matter Danny couldn't find an original idea if it came and bit you in the balls? But even for this you needed help..." Gavin sneered.
"Just you shut your mouth Cochrane!" Danny spat. "Perhaps it might do you some good to learn some manners fast at least that way we might let you pretty little girlfriend live well longer than you anyway....Long enough for us all to have some fun..."
At such a direct threat Gavin felt Meredith tense beside him and so he stepped directly in front of her. "You'll have to get through me first!" He hissed.
"Funny that's the way I planned, although it looks like the little woman has made a start on it herself!" Danny retorted pointing his gun at Gavin's bloody shoulder. "What she do catch you with your trousers round your ankles and attack you with a paper knife? Or perhaps she's into the rough stuff; I can see that about her!" Danny added his eyes raking up and down Meredith. "Tell me darling you got on that underwear I you had on the other day?"
"Why you little bastard!" Meredith hissed, as she felt Gavin pull away from her slightly. "A man who goes snooping round ladies changing rooms, well there's a name for that and its not exactly flattering to your masculinity!"
"Oh so that's what you've being doing on all those coffee breaks you take!" Gavin sneered. "Can't get a woman to willingly take her clothes off in front of you so you have to spy on them!"
"Well at least I don't have to pay them or have those call-girls you've been employing lately being working for free?" Danny retorted. "What's the matter not told the lovely Meredith whose been keeping your bed warm in her absence, but then again there has been so many over the last few weeks I bet its hard to keep track!"
"That is my business Abrams!" Gavin hissed. "How I treat my family is none of your concern!"
"Family, what family?" Danny sneered, missing the subtle reference that Gavin inadvertently dropped into his retort. "Your wife hates you, she's on my side, your kids aren't even yours; even your mistress got rid of your bastard because she couldn't bare the thought of carrying it! Face it Cochrane you're alone; everyone you've ever loved has turned their back on you! So it's almost an act of mercy putting you out of your misery!"
"So Melissa is in on this as well, I'll have to pay her a little visit when this all over..."
"Oh you won't be in any state to do that!" Danny muttered. "I promised her your head on a platter and to teach the presumptuous little tart a lesson and I intend to deliver on both, personally I'm not sure which will give me more pleasure!" He added smiling evilly, clicking the safety catch off of his gun and bringing it up level with Gavin's chest.
- - - -
Downstairs no one had moved.
"I mean it, go get your boss or I swear I'll cap this guy!" Giles screamed out.
Finally one of the men put down the bag they were carrying and made a dash towards the door to the stairs and the upstairs offices and in that moment Giles felt his blood run cold...The boss was upstairs, and so was Meredith... and so was Gavin!
He couldn't be the he?
- - - -
"Any last words or requests Cochrane?" Danny hissed.
"I want to say goodbye to Meredith properly..." Gavin replied his voice sounding dry and strained.
"I'm not sure we have time for one of your proper farewells!" Danny sniggered. "So you'll have to make do with a minute... Well go on I haven't all day!"
Sighing deeply Gavin turned round to face the trembling Meredith and leaning forward he pulled her gently into his arms nuzzling his face into her hair and letting his hands stroke her stomach lovingly before grasping her face and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I love you always remember that!" He whispered leaning forward and kissing her lips gently, Meredith replied with an increased urgency, this couldn't be it...There were so many things they had never gotten to say or do. Finally pulling away she blinked away fresh tears tracing the outline of his face with her fingers, "I....I love you" she whispered softly watching as Gavin's face lit up with joy, "I know...I've always known." He replied moving to pull her back into his embrace.
"Meredith you have to listen and do exactly what I say, take the gun and when I say go you dart for the exit and don't look back I'll cover you...alright?" He whispered, and he got his answer when a moment later he felt her slender fingers prise the gun out from its hiding place.
"Good girl now ready....Go!" He hissed whirling round and running directly at their stunned captors whilst Meredith did exactly as he instructed and fled in the opposite direction grasping the door and darting through it without a backwards glance, this time not even jumping as she heard the gun fire.
- - - -
However what Meredith hadn't counted on as she darted down the stairs was meeting yet another of the masked men on the way up, for a moment the pair eyeballed the other. Meredith could see the conflict in his eyes; on one hand he wanted to go straight past her to fetch Danny on other how could he let one of the hostages go free? It was a stalemate.
Then suddenly the sound of shouting from the foyer seemed to make up his mind and he barged past the trembling Meredith without even a backwards glance, disappearing through the door and out of her sight, shaking Meredith forced herself to stagger down the stairs heading for the staff entrance. It was at this point that she had a brainwave, if that bastard had killed the father of her child then she was going to make him pay....
Tentatively instead of taking the exit like she had promised she silently slipped down the rest of the stairs to the basement and the main control room
- - - -
"What do you mean one of the hostages has a gun? How in fucking hell did he get a gun and a hostage?" Danny screeched at his unfortunate subordinate.
"Sounds to me like one of your men slipped up!" A quiet but mocking voice called out from across the foyer where he was slumped against the wall, clasping his side, yet wearing his other injuries like a badge of pride. "Must be the leadership they'd never have made such a rooky mistake under my instruction...."
"Shut your mouth Cochrane! You might as well enjoy the last few minutes you have on this earth!" Danny sneered. "Unless you want me to come over there and physically beat you to death!"
"Only if you have the time!" Gavin retorted smugly.
"I don't but I will, after I've dealt with my other little problem that is I'll be back to finish with you!"
"Promises, Promises!" Gavin hissed.
"Yes well this one I'll keep!" Danny retorted. "You two watch him; I'll be back in a minute."
- - - -
Meanwhile downstairs whilst Giles was delaying Danny, Meredith was creeping around in the shadows heading towards her own control room, the closer she got the more she could hear muffled bangs and yells. Glancing round the corner she saw the door was locked and outside was one solitary guard, whereas on the inside was not only her chance of nailing Danny but also a handful of security guards, her security guards! But how to get them out? Fingering the gun she shuddered, could she do it? Could she fire and kill another human being?
Taking a deep breath she stepped out of her heels so as not to make a sound and slid forward silently, waiting until she was scarcely two feet away before clicking back the safety catch and watching as the guard froze. Then with a strength of voice she didn't know she possessed she spoke;
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, and you get to decide....Place the gun on the floor and don't move, and don't fuck with me cause believe me after the day I've had you do not want to see me get angry!"
- - - -
Up in the Gallery Danny made a grand entrance, his mask now firmly back in place as he pushed his way through the crowds eyeing up several of the women in his usual way. "I understand one of you plebs wanted to talk to me?" He crowed out.
"Yeah I do!" Giles retorted pressing the revolver firmly against his hostage's temple a look of both confusion then relief followed by panic on his handsome face, it wasn't Gavin which he was at first pleased about but then worried, if it wasn't Gavin then where were Gavin and Meredith and were they alright?
"And what exactly did you want?" Danny sneered.
"I..." Giles began for the moment his mind blank with panic, what the hell had he expected.
"A holiday in the Bahamas?" Danny teased. "A flash little sports car or a bullet in the back of your head?"
"I want you to let these people go, all of them!"
"I was going to anyway!" Danny snapped. "I'm an entrepreneur after all not a murderer, well not personally at any rate!"
"And Meredith and Gavin!" Giles blurted out thinking on his feet.
"Ah....Well there I am sorry but I can't help I have business with both which cannot be delayed, now if you're quite finished posturing....." Danny began but he was cut off by the sudden sound a fire alarm. "What the hell?" He screeched as the automatic shutters came down over the works of art remaining on the walls and the sprinklers suddenly sprang to life drenching the entire congregation.
"How the fuck did you do that?" He screamed pointing his revolver at Giles.
"It wasn't me!" Giles retorted glancing around in surprise.
"Lying little Yank!" Danny roared wiping the water out of his eyes. "Lying dead little Yank!" He added closing his finger round the trigger and firing
- - - -
"Do you really think it'll work?" Meredith demanded, whirling round to face Tony her head of security, the normally exuberant man now looked both tired and cowed, after all it wasn't everyday you are rescued by your designer wearing slip of a boss.
"Yeah it has to; both the alarms are directly linked to the stations, in a matter of minutes we should have a whole fleet of police and fire crews breaking down our doors!"
"And then?" Meredith demanded glancing at the CCTV screens that they had managed to get up and running, but she still couldn't see any sign of Gavin, he had to be still upstairs they were the only video links that weren't working.
"Then it's anyone's guess!" Tony replied sadly.
- - - -
In the gallery all hell had broken loose, people were screaming as Giles and Danny both slumped to the floor, the sprinklers were dousing everyone down guest and gunman alike, confused people were running for the exit and without leadership from Danny his men just let them go, abandoning their posts and themselves fleeing into the night.
Shaking with fear Giles shoved his now dead hostage off of him; he hadn't shot him had he? He could remember 'the boss' firing at him and the feeling as the force of the shot knocked him clear off his feet his finger accidentally closing on the trigger as he flailed backwards, but he hadn't been shot so that meant Mr Big had shot his own man. Whether on purpose to stop him from talking or by accident Giles wasn't sure, but one thing was certain he had fired several shots from his gun he could have killed someone!
Getting unsteadily to his feet he noticed the mass exodus but he wouldn't be going with them he needed to find Meredith and make sure she was alright. Staggering over to the door his foot collided with something solid, squinting down through the rain he saw the body, leaning down he grasped the man's mask and ripped it off, gasping in shock as he recognised the face. It was Gavin's driver, was he the new 'Mr Big' and the one who had tried to kill him? Fumbling for a pulse Giles found one it was weak but there, and he seemed to be breathing, for a moment the he felt the gun itch in his hand it would be so easy....
But no he couldn't do that, patting him down he quickly tugged the spare gun out of his pocket and threw it across the room, he could stay here until an ambulance arrived. Reaching into Danny's other pocket he retrieved the mobile and quickly dialled 999, something told him they were going to be needing more than just the one ambulance.
It was a few moments later that the stairwell door burst open and in stormed a handful of security guards accompanied by one very angry Meredith.
"Giles!" She called out. "Thank god you're alright!"
"I am which is more than I can say for this fella..." He began stopping in shock when a now incandescent Meredith dashed over and to scream abuse at the unconscious Danny punctuated by several well placed kicks.
"You Bastard... if you've hurt him...I'll see you...dead before....morning!" She sobbed.
"Meredith where's Gavin?" Giles demanded.
"I don't know, you mean he's not here?" She gasped.
"No I..." Giles began but he never got the chance to finish as Meredith turned and leaving them both dashed for the stairs once more. "Meredith there might be more of them...It could be dangerous!" Giles called out. "At least let me come with you..."
"Just get me an ambulance!" She retorted before disappearing from his sight.
- - - -
"Gavin..." Meredith whimpered, her knees shaking so hard that they crumbled beneath her and so she had to crawl towards the two immobile men. "Gavin please answer me, darling you have to be alright...
- - - -
Meanwhile downstairs oblivious to the life threatening scene that was taking place in Meredith's office Giles was doing his best to keep the guests entertained and amused, whilst skilfully avoiding answering certain questions, like 'Where's darling Meredith' and 'Who was that strange man you were talking to' and so on. However despite his best intentions people were quickly filling in their own answers and what worried him was more than a few of them were straying dangerously close to the truth. It was at this moment when he was just about to throw oil on the fires of gossip and speculation by doing Meredith's toast that all hell broke loose.
"No body move! Hands in the air and don't try anything stupid!"
- - - -
Slowly there was a low moan, panicking that it might be John and not Gavin who had survived Meredith jumped forward and grabbed the gun which now lay innocently on her white carpet and with shaking hands pointed it at both men her vision blurring with unshed tears
"That's a nice way to repay me for saving your life!" Gavin hissed suddenly and he winced in pain as he tried to shift the unmoving bulk of John from off of him. "Put it down Meredith before you do one of us a serious injury!"
"Gavin you're alright." Meredith gasped the tears now freely falling down her face as she darted forward and helped him roll the ex-critic off of him, but Gavin scarcely had a moments respite for as soon as John was off of him a distraught Meredith had flung her arms around his neck and was sobbing into his chest.
"Sush Darling I'm fine, well nothing a little stitching won't sort out at any rate!" He whispered gently stroking her hair and pulling her close, ignoring the stabbing pain in his shoulder where the first bullet had grazed before he had managed to force the gun around.
"Oh my god you're bleeding!" Meredith exclaimed when she pulled away slightly and caught sight of the blood smeared on her arm from his shoulder wound.
"It's nothing just a scratch believe me!" Gavin replied sitting up and pulling her back into his embrace. "I'm more worried about you; shock can do terrible things to a pregnant woman so I suggest we get you checked out."
"Yes I know no need to lecture...Wait a minute how did you find out about the baby?" Meredith demanded. "It couldn't just have been from my telling John, you seemed to already know, how, who told you?"
"Well not its mother I'm disappointed to say!" Gavin replied tersely, his frostiness abating when he saw the shame and regret in her eyes.
"I was going to, the consultant was so upset when he realised he'd made a mistake by telling you I'd gone through with it but then how was he to know I'd changed my mind after he had left? Then when you didn't come back to see me at all I was so angry with you it made it seem all I was to you was a breeding machine, but then I realised you must have been too angry and upset so I decided to tell you when I came out of hospital..."
"So why didn't you? Dammit Meredith you've had a month to tell me the truth!" Gavin cut in his grip on her arm tightening painfully.
"I was going to, I wanted to but when I got home and my apartment had been done over, I thought..."
"That it was me?" Gavin whispered.
"Well you knew where I lived and the locksmith and everything and it had been done by someone with keys not a break-in you tell me what conclusion you would have drawn?" Meredith argued defensively.
"But it wasn't me I swear it!" He retorted emphatically, grasping her chin and forcing her to look directly into his eyes before whipping the tears away. "I would never do something like that to you, I love you, and you have to believe it had nothing to do with me!"
"I know!" Meredith whispered, breaking their gaze and lowering her eyes to the floor. "The police did DNA testing on the urine samples; one of them was Will's...."
"What and even after that you still didn't think to pick up the phone and say 'Hi Gavin guess what I didn't go through with that abortion like I said, we're gonna have a baby?'..."
"I couldn't, it was too late, I felt such an idiot so I convinced myself the baby and I would be better off out of that world you inhabit, and I'm right just look at the way you treated Giles first at the restaurant and then here tonight, I won't have my child brought up to think that such violence is acceptable that it's normal!"
"Oh as apposed to the perfectly safe life that you have created, first Will then this psychotic freak!" Gavin snapped waving at the body lying a few feet away.
"Fine you have a point!...What are we going to do about him?" Meredith asked tentatively.
"As soon as we get downstairs I'll phone Danny and have him make the appropriate arrangements, but first did anyone see him come in, was he invited?"
"No, he definitely wasn't invited so there is no way he could have gotten through the front doors not through security so he must have gotten in through the staff entrance but there should be guards on that too I don't understand first the phones go off then mad armed art critics are able to get through a supposedly locked, monitored by CCTV and guarded door without anyone being the wiser?"
"What?" Gavin demanded. "Where's you control room?"
"It's on the ground floor, there are monitors at the front desk and also in another room in the basement."
"And the phones are off as well?"
"Yes I just said so...Gavin what is going on?" Meredith demanded.
"Simple sweetheart we're been double bluffed!" He retorted tersely grabbing the gun from the floor and tucking it into his trousers. "We have to get out of here its not safe, and if the staff door was open before then perhaps we can use it now...." He added grasping her hand and dragging her towards the door.
"But what about him?" Meredith asked glancing over her shoulder.
"Don't worry I think whatever is going on downstairs will provide more than enough of an alibi for that one!" He replied grasping one of the double doors and dragging it open stepping out into the foyer and suddenly freezing on the spot he spotted three masked gunmen.
"Well well everything comes to he who waits!" A recognisable voice rang out from the other side, but for a moment Meredith couldn't place it, then suddenly it hit her....Danny!
- - - -
Downstairs Giles stepped back against the wall, following the lead of the other party guests who had now fallen deathly silent as the armed men moved among them grabbing wallets and stripping jewellery from everyone, but that was the least of their concern as all watched horrified as the masked men proceeded to strip the priceless art work from the walls. For a moment Giles muffled a prayer of relief that Meredith's own collection had been removed for the duration of the exhibition and stored in the specialist vault at the Tate, but even so the lose of such world famous pieces into the hands of such philistines made his blood boil. They weren't even storing the stripped canvases properly in muslin bags and such blatant disregard made him see red.
"Dammit who the hell do you think you are!" He demanded stepping forward and tacking the nearest gunman, who was so shocked he didn't react until it was to late and Giles had not only prised the gun from his loose grasp but was holding it against his now unmasked temple.
"Now all of you stop and get the man in charge or I swear this man is leaving here with a rather convenient extra cavity, in the side of his head!"
- - - -
"Hello Boss pleased to see me?" The distinctly cocky voice rang out.
"Abrams...I knew you were up to something but personally I'm astounded you had the brains to pull it off of course it helped that you used one of my old plans to do it I have no doubt...What's the matter Danny couldn't find an original idea if it came and bit you in the balls? But even for this you needed help..." Gavin sneered.
"Just you shut your mouth Cochrane!" Danny spat. "Perhaps it might do you some good to learn some manners fast at least that way we might let you pretty little girlfriend live well longer than you anyway....Long enough for us all to have some fun..."
At such a direct threat Gavin felt Meredith tense beside him and so he stepped directly in front of her. "You'll have to get through me first!" He hissed.
"Funny that's the way I planned, although it looks like the little woman has made a start on it herself!" Danny retorted pointing his gun at Gavin's bloody shoulder. "What she do catch you with your trousers round your ankles and attack you with a paper knife? Or perhaps she's into the rough stuff; I can see that about her!" Danny added his eyes raking up and down Meredith. "Tell me darling you got on that underwear I you had on the other day?"
"Why you little bastard!" Meredith hissed, as she felt Gavin pull away from her slightly. "A man who goes snooping round ladies changing rooms, well there's a name for that and its not exactly flattering to your masculinity!"
"Oh so that's what you've being doing on all those coffee breaks you take!" Gavin sneered. "Can't get a woman to willingly take her clothes off in front of you so you have to spy on them!"
"Well at least I don't have to pay them or have those call-girls you've been employing lately being working for free?" Danny retorted. "What's the matter not told the lovely Meredith whose been keeping your bed warm in her absence, but then again there has been so many over the last few weeks I bet its hard to keep track!"
"That is my business Abrams!" Gavin hissed. "How I treat my family is none of your concern!"
"Family, what family?" Danny sneered, missing the subtle reference that Gavin inadvertently dropped into his retort. "Your wife hates you, she's on my side, your kids aren't even yours; even your mistress got rid of your bastard because she couldn't bare the thought of carrying it! Face it Cochrane you're alone; everyone you've ever loved has turned their back on you! So it's almost an act of mercy putting you out of your misery!"
"So Melissa is in on this as well, I'll have to pay her a little visit when this all over..."
"Oh you won't be in any state to do that!" Danny muttered. "I promised her your head on a platter and to teach the presumptuous little tart a lesson and I intend to deliver on both, personally I'm not sure which will give me more pleasure!" He added smiling evilly, clicking the safety catch off of his gun and bringing it up level with Gavin's chest.
- - - -
Downstairs no one had moved.
"I mean it, go get your boss or I swear I'll cap this guy!" Giles screamed out.
Finally one of the men put down the bag they were carrying and made a dash towards the door to the stairs and the upstairs offices and in that moment Giles felt his blood run cold...The boss was upstairs, and so was Meredith... and so was Gavin!
He couldn't be the he?
- - - -
"Any last words or requests Cochrane?" Danny hissed.
"I want to say goodbye to Meredith properly..." Gavin replied his voice sounding dry and strained.
"I'm not sure we have time for one of your proper farewells!" Danny sniggered. "So you'll have to make do with a minute... Well go on I haven't all day!"
Sighing deeply Gavin turned round to face the trembling Meredith and leaning forward he pulled her gently into his arms nuzzling his face into her hair and letting his hands stroke her stomach lovingly before grasping her face and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I love you always remember that!" He whispered leaning forward and kissing her lips gently, Meredith replied with an increased urgency, this couldn't be it...There were so many things they had never gotten to say or do. Finally pulling away she blinked away fresh tears tracing the outline of his face with her fingers, "I....I love you" she whispered softly watching as Gavin's face lit up with joy, "I know...I've always known." He replied moving to pull her back into his embrace.
"Meredith you have to listen and do exactly what I say, take the gun and when I say go you dart for the exit and don't look back I'll cover you...alright?" He whispered, and he got his answer when a moment later he felt her slender fingers prise the gun out from its hiding place.
"Good girl now ready....Go!" He hissed whirling round and running directly at their stunned captors whilst Meredith did exactly as he instructed and fled in the opposite direction grasping the door and darting through it without a backwards glance, this time not even jumping as she heard the gun fire.
- - - -
However what Meredith hadn't counted on as she darted down the stairs was meeting yet another of the masked men on the way up, for a moment the pair eyeballed the other. Meredith could see the conflict in his eyes; on one hand he wanted to go straight past her to fetch Danny on other how could he let one of the hostages go free? It was a stalemate.
Then suddenly the sound of shouting from the foyer seemed to make up his mind and he barged past the trembling Meredith without even a backwards glance, disappearing through the door and out of her sight, shaking Meredith forced herself to stagger down the stairs heading for the staff entrance. It was at this point that she had a brainwave, if that bastard had killed the father of her child then she was going to make him pay....
Tentatively instead of taking the exit like she had promised she silently slipped down the rest of the stairs to the basement and the main control room
- - - -
"What do you mean one of the hostages has a gun? How in fucking hell did he get a gun and a hostage?" Danny screeched at his unfortunate subordinate.
"Sounds to me like one of your men slipped up!" A quiet but mocking voice called out from across the foyer where he was slumped against the wall, clasping his side, yet wearing his other injuries like a badge of pride. "Must be the leadership they'd never have made such a rooky mistake under my instruction...."
"Shut your mouth Cochrane! You might as well enjoy the last few minutes you have on this earth!" Danny sneered. "Unless you want me to come over there and physically beat you to death!"
"Only if you have the time!" Gavin retorted smugly.
"I don't but I will, after I've dealt with my other little problem that is I'll be back to finish with you!"
"Promises, Promises!" Gavin hissed.
"Yes well this one I'll keep!" Danny retorted. "You two watch him; I'll be back in a minute."
- - - -
Meanwhile downstairs whilst Giles was delaying Danny, Meredith was creeping around in the shadows heading towards her own control room, the closer she got the more she could hear muffled bangs and yells. Glancing round the corner she saw the door was locked and outside was one solitary guard, whereas on the inside was not only her chance of nailing Danny but also a handful of security guards, her security guards! But how to get them out? Fingering the gun she shuddered, could she do it? Could she fire and kill another human being?
Taking a deep breath she stepped out of her heels so as not to make a sound and slid forward silently, waiting until she was scarcely two feet away before clicking back the safety catch and watching as the guard froze. Then with a strength of voice she didn't know she possessed she spoke;
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, and you get to decide....Place the gun on the floor and don't move, and don't fuck with me cause believe me after the day I've had you do not want to see me get angry!"
- - - -
Up in the Gallery Danny made a grand entrance, his mask now firmly back in place as he pushed his way through the crowds eyeing up several of the women in his usual way. "I understand one of you plebs wanted to talk to me?" He crowed out.
"Yeah I do!" Giles retorted pressing the revolver firmly against his hostage's temple a look of both confusion then relief followed by panic on his handsome face, it wasn't Gavin which he was at first pleased about but then worried, if it wasn't Gavin then where were Gavin and Meredith and were they alright?
"And what exactly did you want?" Danny sneered.
"I..." Giles began for the moment his mind blank with panic, what the hell had he expected.
"A holiday in the Bahamas?" Danny teased. "A flash little sports car or a bullet in the back of your head?"
"I want you to let these people go, all of them!"
"I was going to anyway!" Danny snapped. "I'm an entrepreneur after all not a murderer, well not personally at any rate!"
"And Meredith and Gavin!" Giles blurted out thinking on his feet.
"Ah....Well there I am sorry but I can't help I have business with both which cannot be delayed, now if you're quite finished posturing....." Danny began but he was cut off by the sudden sound a fire alarm. "What the hell?" He screeched as the automatic shutters came down over the works of art remaining on the walls and the sprinklers suddenly sprang to life drenching the entire congregation.
"How the fuck did you do that?" He screamed pointing his revolver at Giles.
"It wasn't me!" Giles retorted glancing around in surprise.
"Lying little Yank!" Danny roared wiping the water out of his eyes. "Lying dead little Yank!" He added closing his finger round the trigger and firing
- - - -
"Do you really think it'll work?" Meredith demanded, whirling round to face Tony her head of security, the normally exuberant man now looked both tired and cowed, after all it wasn't everyday you are rescued by your designer wearing slip of a boss.
"Yeah it has to; both the alarms are directly linked to the stations, in a matter of minutes we should have a whole fleet of police and fire crews breaking down our doors!"
"And then?" Meredith demanded glancing at the CCTV screens that they had managed to get up and running, but she still couldn't see any sign of Gavin, he had to be still upstairs they were the only video links that weren't working.
"Then it's anyone's guess!" Tony replied sadly.
- - - -
In the gallery all hell had broken loose, people were screaming as Giles and Danny both slumped to the floor, the sprinklers were dousing everyone down guest and gunman alike, confused people were running for the exit and without leadership from Danny his men just let them go, abandoning their posts and themselves fleeing into the night.
Shaking with fear Giles shoved his now dead hostage off of him; he hadn't shot him had he? He could remember 'the boss' firing at him and the feeling as the force of the shot knocked him clear off his feet his finger accidentally closing on the trigger as he flailed backwards, but he hadn't been shot so that meant Mr Big had shot his own man. Whether on purpose to stop him from talking or by accident Giles wasn't sure, but one thing was certain he had fired several shots from his gun he could have killed someone!
Getting unsteadily to his feet he noticed the mass exodus but he wouldn't be going with them he needed to find Meredith and make sure she was alright. Staggering over to the door his foot collided with something solid, squinting down through the rain he saw the body, leaning down he grasped the man's mask and ripped it off, gasping in shock as he recognised the face. It was Gavin's driver, was he the new 'Mr Big' and the one who had tried to kill him? Fumbling for a pulse Giles found one it was weak but there, and he seemed to be breathing, for a moment the he felt the gun itch in his hand it would be so easy....
But no he couldn't do that, patting him down he quickly tugged the spare gun out of his pocket and threw it across the room, he could stay here until an ambulance arrived. Reaching into Danny's other pocket he retrieved the mobile and quickly dialled 999, something told him they were going to be needing more than just the one ambulance.
It was a few moments later that the stairwell door burst open and in stormed a handful of security guards accompanied by one very angry Meredith.
"Giles!" She called out. "Thank god you're alright!"
"I am which is more than I can say for this fella..." He began stopping in shock when a now incandescent Meredith dashed over and to scream abuse at the unconscious Danny punctuated by several well placed kicks.
"You Bastard... if you've hurt him...I'll see you...dead before....morning!" She sobbed.
"Meredith where's Gavin?" Giles demanded.
"I don't know, you mean he's not here?" She gasped.
"No I..." Giles began but he never got the chance to finish as Meredith turned and leaving them both dashed for the stairs once more. "Meredith there might be more of them...It could be dangerous!" Giles called out. "At least let me come with you..."
"Just get me an ambulance!" She retorted before disappearing from his sight.
- - - -
