AN: The never ending saga continues. Thanks for all the lovely reviews.
Enjoy
"Yeah?" Ste said, having no clue what to say.
"It seems my Grandson's been even naughtier than I thought," Brady sneered.
"Don't hurt him."
"He's my Grandson," Brady growled angrily in reply, "I want what's best for him."
"Right," said Ste, too scared for Paddy to argue with that, and hoping it was true. "So, you'll get him back to his Mum then?"
"Of course not. If he's with his Ma, he'll see that poof of a father and you together, confusing him, messing him up," Brady sneered. "We can't have that."
"But, what are you gonna do to him?"
Brady laughed contemptuously, "I'm not some sort of pantomime villain, Steven, I don't go around hurting children for no reason. He'll stay with me now, and I'll sort him out. Teach him right and wrong."
Ste was gobsmacked. "Are you completely mental?"
"No, Steven," Brady growled, "I'm the only one with any sense. What you do, it's disgusting, and you're twisting those poor kids' minds."
Ste, panicking, tried desperately to think of any argument to get him to bring Paddy back, while desperately searching for Brendan. "I'll stay away from them, I promise, but he should be with his Mum."
"You've told me that before, Steven, yet here you are on Brendan's phone. Where is my son, by the way?"
"He's right here," Ste lied. Too quickly.
"I don't think so," Brady replied, calmly. "I don't think he'd be leaving something this important to you if he knew what was going on."
"He'll be back any moment," Ste said, following the path Brendan had taken, while trying not to get too far from the car.
"Where are you?" Brady demanded.
"Er…"
"Steven," hissed Brady, "I said I won't hurt Padraig, but I will punish him if he steps out of line, and if he's the only leverage I have against you, I will use it."
"I don't really know…"
"What town?"
Ste hesitated, "We're in Belfast. You won't get away with it, we will find you!" he said, trying to keep his voice calm.
Brady sighed, "Now, Steven, I want you to imagine all the things I could do to Padraig that will make him cry."
Steven remembered what Brady had done to him that made him cry.
"You said you wouldn't hurt him."
"You will tell me where you are."
Ste hesitated a bit longer, "It's a car park. Brendan'll be back any minute."
"In town?"
"Yeah," Ste replied.
"What can you see?"
Ste told him, it couldn't make it worse now anyway, Brendan would be back any moment. Wouldn't he? Ste searched the streets he could see.
"Do not hang up, Steven. Keep talking to me, and walk out the main entrance and turn right. Walk down that road and keep walking. When you get to the end, turn right again."
"Why?" Ste asked, though fearing the answer.
"If you want to see Padraig again, that is what you will do." Brady stated simply.
Ste looked in the direction Brady instructed.
"Brendan will be here any moment," he said again.
"And if you are still there when he does, Padraig will be the one who pays for it."
Ste glanced around again. Still nothing. Brady couldn't see him, though. He could do something. He fished his own phone out of his pocket, and quickly left a text.
"Ur Dad has Paddy am following"
He would leave the phone on the dashboard, with that text open. Hopefully it would be the first thing Brendan saw.
"I'm walking," he said, still writing the text.
"I don't hear your footsteps, Steven," Brady growled.
He threw the phone into the car, and left, without closing the door. It would worry Brendan more that it was open, and maybe he would catch up in time. Then he held the phone down in the direction of his feet, now walking as they should.
"Better?" he said, into the phone.
"We'll see," Brady replied, and Ste heard a car start. He realised what Brady was planning.
He walked the route as instructed, past houses he hadn't seen before. He knew Brady was driving, presumably towards him, but was on the phone all the way. An irrational part of him wanted to shout at the man for being on the phone while driving with Paddy in the car, but he didn't. He just walked and walked and walked.
He turned the corner as instructed, wondering if Brendan would have found him missing yet, and what he would do when he did.
It took a few minutes to walk all that way, but he knew he could still find his way back when the car pulled up beside him.
"Get in," ordered Brady's voice on the phone.
He looked at the car.
"Let Paddy go and I'll get in," he tried.
"That's not how this is going to work. If you don't want Paddy to receive extra bruises, you will get in the car."
Ste hesitated a moment longer, judging how long it would take him to get Paddy out of the boot. Longer than it would take Brady to drive off, probably. It wouldn't work.
"Your a sick man," he mutterred, as he sat in the front seat beside Brady.
Brendan was grinning from ear to ear. He'd been sneaky, and he knew it, but he was expecting to be properly rewarded for this bit of sneakiness.
He'd cancelled the hotel the night before, while Steven had been with his kids, only, of course, after booking the most exclusive hotel in Belfast. He'd then ordered Steven's favourite foods for lunch, to be served in the very exclusive restaurant while a classical guitarist played acoustic arrangements of Britney Spears. Ok, the latter might be pushing it a bit, but a romantic lunch, followed by an evening with the kids; that was just what they needed.
Well, the other way round might have been better, of course. Getting Steven in the mood, then waiting hours before they could act on it could turn out to be painful for them both, but it was a risk worth taking to give Steven a perfect day. As he waited for the confirmation from the receptionist, which came accompanied by sneaky wink after a few checks, he imagined Steven's face when he saw it all.
And he'd booked some awesome Laser game later too. Team Brady would slaughter whoever had the misfortune to have booked against them.
He tipped the receptionist generously, and, still grinning, turned to march out of the hotel. He checked his watch. It had taken slightly longer than he'd intended, as he had insisted on checking the room himself, and they didn't have people check in until twelve. He picked up his steps, and hurried back to the car.
To see no Steven. He glanced around. Maybe he'd just gone to the toilet. Or maybe he was sulking. Steven did like a good sulk, (and Brendan liked sucking on that bottom lip whenever he did). He got in the car to wait.
Steven had left his phone on the dashboard and the door open. That wasn't like him. He couldn't have been caught that short could he? Brendan patted his pockets for his own phone, but couldn't find it. It must have dropped out, so he searched the gap between the seats, and reached underneath. No sign. He picked up Steven's to call his own.
Steven was in the middle of a text.
Brendan read it. And then his heart fell out.
