"Is this what I can look forward to for the foreseeable future? Being shipped from pillar to post three times a day. I thought these safe houses were supposed to be just that, safe? So how come we've been found twice already today?" Abi's anxiety was building as Gary checked the locks on the new house they had been secreted away to.
"It won't always be like this. Your mum has the best people available working on solving who is behind the attacks on Joey and as soon as they find the culprit you can go back home." Gary watched the young mother pace restlessly in the tiny dingy room, furnished only with one threadbare sofa, a small portable DVD/television combination on a cheap unit and a kitchenette with white Formica table and four chairs in one corner. It was by far the worst accommodation they had visited that day but Gary was ever the optimist as he spied a few movies lining the rickety shelf on the TV unit. "Why don't you take a look at what films they've left for us? See if there's anything there to pass the time while I put the kettle on." Satisfied that the house was as safe as it could be, Gary moved into the kitchenette area filling the electric kettle with water and eying the socket suspiciously, wondering if he dared turn it on and risk electrocuting himself.
"This place stinks – it looks like something from the Sixties, and hasn't been decorated or maintained since then either! Haven't we got anything better than tea or coffee to drink? I don't fancy putting anything in that plug socket." Abi had joined Gary, inspecting the facilities with as much trepidation as Gary felt. "My God this is worse than a hovel, it should be condemned." Gary grinned, thinking it probably was which made it a perfect place for hiding out, no one would think to look in such a run down building for a person in police protective custody.
"Does the plug in the lounge look any better? Or is the TV out of bounds too?" Gary asked, looking over his shoulder and beyond the young blonde towards the dusty unit.
Abi wandered over, peering in the dim light to inspect the socket, grateful to see that one at least looked relatively safe. "Looks slightly more promising than that one, definitely less likely to blow all the fuses in this dump." Abi muttered bitterly. "So how about that drink? We got anything that doesn't involve trying to trip any circuits?" She persisted, thinking that at the very least she deserved a glass of wine for complaining so little during the day from hell. Gary shrugged apologetically and shook his head.
"Afraid not, the budget doesn't run to Chardonnay or Vodka. Cheap shop-brand tea bags and instant coffee is as good as it gets, sorry. I'll get someone to fetch us some supplies in the morning." Gary unplugged the TV reaching round to attach the electric kettle to the socket he had just freed up before perching on the sofa and waiting for the water to boil.
"So tell me about Manchester. What's it like living up there again?" Abi distracted herself from her surroundings by sitting next to Gary, settling herself in to listen to his exploits 'up North'.
"It took a bit of getting used to at first. Things were awkward with me Mum – I'm sure you can relate to that. A lot of water's passed under the bridge but I still get the impression sometimes that she blames me for Dad going and getting himself killed. I think she reckons if he hadn't been so desperate to come down here and make it up with me, he'd still be alive now. I love working the GMP though, they don't treat me like a tea boy, I'm just another one of the team." Gary sat back as he spoke, thinking of worse places he could be and worse company he could be keeping.
"I catch Mum looking at me sometimes, watching me with this weird expression on her face – as though she's trying to work out who I am and where I came from. In spite of everything and no matter how far we've come in rebuilding our relationship, there are times when I still see her as the career-driven, cold bitch I used to believe she was and I'm sure she still sees me as the stroppy, attention-seeking teenager I was."
"But things are better now aren't they? I mean, you get on well with her, she helps out with Joey and you know she adores the pair of you." Gary assured her, having seen the way Sam gazed fondly at her daughter and grandson at the engagement party.
"Oh yeah, things are much better – and improving all the time, partly thanks to Jo. She's an incredible woman, perfect for Mum. They're both as stubborn and unwilling to bend as each other, plus Jo understands what drives Mum and doesn't get all bent out of shape if she work's late or brings a case home. It's good to see her so happy – I only hope that it can last for them both. Who knows, maybe one day…" Abi trailed off, leaving her thoughts unvoiced but seeing her distant wistful expression, Gary surmised he knew where her mind was.
"You'll find that kind of happiness too, when the time's right. You have a lot to offer someone." He told her, squirming a bit, not good at dealing with emotional females.
"Yeah right, a baby and no money, I have bags to offer." Abi scoffed scathingly rising from the sofa as the kettle flicked off signalling the water had boiled. "What you on? Think it's about time I made the drinks, I don't want you accusing me of using you as a tea boy!" She joked trying to inject some levity back into their conversation.
"Tea's great thanks." Gary waited until she handed him his steaming mug before picking up on her previous comment. "Anyone worth a damn will see past the superficial stuff and see what a catch you are. You're pretty, funny, smart, a great mother and you have a gorgeous little boy who is a credit to you." Abi looked at Gary sceptically, trying to read his face for any sign that he was taking the piss but finding only sincerity in his expression.
"You know, you should drop the clown act more often. You're really a nice guy underneath all that bravado and bluff." She nudged him playfully with a rueful grin, sorry for giving him such a hard time in the past.
"Yeah, well… don't tell anyone. I've got a reputation to maintain." Gary blushed profusely. "So how about these movies?" He asked, clearing his throat to mask his discomfort.
"Can I ask a favour instead?" The young dark haired DC nodded. "Can I beg a hug off you?" Abi offered no explanation for her request, fearing that she would make a fool of herself and not wanting to appear pathetic in front of the man who was voluntarily protecting her. With a tight smile, Gary placed his mug on the floor beside the sofa, watching as Abi followed suit, before opening his arms and folding her slender frame into the gap created. They remained locked in the embrace for a few moments before a noise at the front of the house caused them to spring apart, hearts racing wildly.
"Abi, get Joey and go upstairs… NOW!" Gary hissed at his charge, the police officer in him charging to the fore, his only concern their safety.
"Where's Phil?" Jack barked as he strode purposefully into CID, finding only Jo and Sam in the quiet office.
"I've no idea, haven't seen him since we left your office, Guv." Jo answered truthfully, wondering why Jack looked so het up. Sam meandered to the doorway of her office, having been preparing to visit her house as soon as the errant DS Hunter made an appearance.
"Something wrong Jack?" She too was reading his expression, concerned by his demeanour.
"Possibly. I've just received a phone call from Zain, he followed our biker to a lockup, looks like someone's been living out of it for a while. Someone took the phone off Zain, addressed me by name and told me it was time to say goodbye. The line went dead, but just before it did, I heard a gunshot." Jack paced to a nearby desk, snatching up the telephone receiver and dialling a number by heart. "DCI Meadows again, what's the ETA on that Trojan unit?" He listened to the reply before hanging up. "Sam, I need you to come down there with me. I think I recognised the voice, I'm fairly certain it was Hugh Wallis. I've already seen him shoot one man in cold blood, I need to see for myself what's happened to Zain." Sam retreated momentarily into her office to grab her jacket, shrugging into it as she walked towards the door.
"What can I do, Guv?" Jo spoke halting their hasty exit.
"Call Mickey, warn him to be on the lookout for Hugh. He's watching the house where Abi and Joey are." As Jo went to pick up her phone, Jack's mobile started to ring. Snatching it out his pocket, Jack's face blanched as he saw Mickey's number flashing in the display. "Mickey, what is it?" He knew the DC wouldn't have got in touch unless there was a distinct need.
"Guv, can you arrange for some back up down here, pronto? There's a guy paying too much interest in the safe house for my liking."
"What's he look like Mickey? Can you see him clearly? Is it Hugh Wallis?" The urgency in Jack's voice increased in line with Sam's pulse rate. She felt herself being torn between doing her duty as a police officer and investigating Zain's disappearance and her responsibility as a mother to protect her daughter.
"I can't see for sure Guv. He looks about the right height. Hang on… he's approaching the path leading to the back of the house. What do you want me to do Guv?" Mickey was already walking towards the door as he spoke to Jack, knowing he could not just sit back and do nothing. Jo moved to Sam's side as they listened to Jack's side of the conversation, feeling a determination sweep over her to be a part of whatever was about to go down.
"Stay where you are and wait for back up Mickey – don't approach him under any circumstances. If it is Hugh, I've reason to suspect he is armed and willing to shoot anyone who stands in his way. I'll get a Trojan unit to you as soon as possible and send some officers down as backup." Jack ended the call snatching up the receiver on the desk and re-dialling the number he had called moments earlier, re-directing the unit he had previously ordered to the address of the safe house before turning to the two women clinging to one another for support. "Sam, I need you to find someone in uniform to go with you to the lockup while I get to the safe house…" Jo stepped forward, interrupting Jack mid-sentence.
"…Guv, let me go to the lockup. Sitting here not knowing what's going on is going to be far more stressful for me than being out in the field. Please, Jack don't do this to Sam. Take her to the safe house with you, it's where she needs to be; she'd be of no use at the lockup, her mind wouldn't be on the job." Jo appealed to Jack as a friend of Sam's rather than a superior officer, hoping she was not crossing the line that would see her leaving Sun Hill permanently. Jack watched the intense fire burning in Jo's eyes, a fire he had not seen since before her accident and knew that no matter what his reservations were, officers were at a premium that night thanks to many of the troops being assigned to security at a top flight football match.
"Fine, find Phil and take him with you –tell him he has me to answer to if he has any objections. Fill him in on the way. Sam, let's go – on the proviso that you do as you're told, no heroics or I'll demote you quicker than you can say Detective Sergeant. Understand?" Sam nodded mutely, her mind consumed with worry for her daughter and grandson.
"Hey, they'll be fine sweetheart. I'm with Jack, no heroics ok? I've just found you again, I don't want to lose you." Jo spoke with quiet intensity, pressing her lips to Sam before allowing her to leave, her heart threatening to beat its way out of her chest as she watched her lover hurriedly disappear from view.