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Chapter Twenty-Three;
Reunion

"Do what I say." Max's voice dropped to a whisper as they got nearer the house. He cast Jennifer a look sideways and caught her brief nod. "If they're in the house they can't see back here, hence that posting." Max motioned to the man standing by the back gate. The pair stood in a small alleyway across the road from the back entry to Max and Millie's house and had been there for two minutes watching the place before Max had decided to move. The main plan of attack was to enter from the back while Jennifer pulled up out the front in Max's car in a bid to distract them. Whether it worked or not, Max was determined to get inside, certain that Jankowski would be waiting for him.

"So how are we going to take him anyway?" Jennifer motioned to herself. "I'm still in my uniform and we can't exactly change how you look."

"He's not going to see his attacker." Max motioned to a ramble of bushes behind the backyard guard. "Oscar asked me, three months ago, to build him a cubby house. When I wouldn't he made his own. You can access it through a hole in the back fence and wiggle through the bushes right behind the guy."

Jennifer frowned. "I'm going into the bush aren't I?" Max nodded blankly. "If you stay at Sun Hill I'm transferring to Barton Street after this." Then, giving him a half-frown, she started off towards the back of the house, trying to stay out of sight of the man. Max lost sight of her when a white van crossed his path and stopped outside his house. He barely noticed it, watching his house intently, but the moment he stepped out of the alleyway he wished he had.

"Max?" Max raised his eyes at the sound of his name and turned. There, standing at the other end of the alleyway where he and Jennifer had entered, was Millie. A large man, the 'policeman' Max recognised as Reouth, was holding her collar, a handgun pressed to her neck. Max was stuck for what to do. She shook her head slowly. "You shouldn't have come."

"She's right you know." A thick accent floated in from behind Max and he turned to see Djovnik standing there, a gun pointed directly at Max's face. "You best come with me before your friend gets back." Then, with a smile, Djovnik stepped forward and grabbed Max by the collar. Max just raised his hands slowly and did what he had to.

...

"You have a plan, I can see it in your face." They'd been in the van for 30 minutes before Millie spoke. "What are you going to do?"

Max looked at her slowly. "Are you okay?" Millie nodded. "Have you seen Oscar?"

Millie shook her head. "No. When we left home we went straight to get coffee. They bought me a coffee, I didn't even think and… well, I woke up on our living room floor with them shoving a phone in my face and telling me to call you."

"They drugged you?"

"You sound surprised. If they work for Jankowski then this is pretty much tame for them." Millie frowned and lowered her voice. "Your plan – what do you need me to do?"

"Stay out of the way."

Millie glared at him. "You're kidding right? I'm helping you so tell me what to do!"

Max's expression softened and then he leant in and kissed her forehead. "Okay, here's the plan."

...

The fact neither had planned for what was to come was just proof Jankowski had overestimated his henchmen. Djovnik pulled the back door of the white van open, his eyes falling on Millie sitting there, watching him silently. Before he could even register that Max wasn't within his line of sight he took a boot to the side of the head and fell to the ground. Instantly Millie jumped out and grabbed Djovnik's gun, flicking off the trigger and turning it towards the right side of the truck. Reouth was still out of sight and Max stepped out from the side of the truck to try and lure him out.

"Reouth. I'm going to shoot your friend if you don't get out here soon."

Reouth stepped down from the right hand side of the truck and was met with Millie waving a gun at him. "On the ground, hands on the back of your head." Reouth did as he was told and Millie pressed the toe of her shoe into his back. "Max!" Max appeared behind Millie and took Reouth by his shoulders, pulling him to his feet.

"Anyone else here?" Reouth shook his head but Max didn't trust him. "Where's the truck keys?" He patted the man down and removed the keys from his right pocket, handing them to Millie. In the same move he took the gun from her. "Take the van and get back to the station."

"What are you going to do?"

Max pressed the gun into the back of Reouth's neck as Djovnik began to stir. "Hold them until you get back-up." He waved her away with one hand. "Now go." With a nod Millie rushed out of sight to the front of the van and Max looked back down at the men. "So, who wants to tell me first where Jankowski is?"

But his question remained unanswered as Max turned at the sound of a scream and found a man almost twice his size holding a knife to Millie's throat. He gave a cold warning and Max had to obey. Drop the gun, get on your knees and put your hands on your head. Max did as he was told, his eyes trained on the knife the whole time, praying he wouldn't have to watch anything happen to his wife. Nothing did and a minute later Reouth held the gun and was pointing it at the back of his head and the large man lowered the knife with a cold smile. He ordered Max to stand and again he had to obey, but this time they didn't threaten Millie, instead just shoving her in his direction. He caught her as she stumbled off balance and she buried her head in his shoulder, her breathing laboured. Max ignored the men with the gun behind him and focused his question on the large man.

"What do you want with us?"

The large man smiled. "I don't want anything with you. I'm just babysitting until the boss gets here." He sheathed the knife and nodded to the men behind them. "Show our guests their room." Then, with a prod in the back from the gun, Max led Millie away from the broad-smiling man and in the direction their hostages now directed.