Hope

"What!" Gene barked as he left his office. "Ethel? What have you got?" He clapped his hands together as Sam shook his head. Avoiding the gaze of the man he regarded as a brother he pointed to the crosses he had marked on the map.

"Eh?" Chris was equally bemused .

"Chris and Shaz live here." He pointed to Jessop Lane on the map. "Luigi's bistro is here."

Annie smiled before picking up a red marker pen and ruler.

"I see what you're saying."

"Wish I bloody did!" Gene snapped.

"Guv." Annie rested a hand on her husband's wrist. "Alex is calling each one of us seemingly randomly but it's not really random at all." She drew a line between the points Sam had marked. Ray swore as Shaz smiled.

"She's not saying anything though." Gene looked lost.

"Reception there is awful for most networks." Chris scratched his head. "Never get a decent signal." Ray rolled his eyes. Sam nodded.

"Perhaps She doesn't have enough time? Battery?" Annie folded her arms. Gene closed his eyes.

"Perhaps she can't talk because of what they dun to er." Gene spoke quietly, his stomach lurching at the thought they were too late. That Alex had been trying to make contact and they'd failed her. He'd failed her.

"So, if we mark all the addresses of those who have had calls." Sam pointed to each before drawing a line from one to the other.

"Told you my Bolly is a genius." Gene clapped his hands together as Annie smiled.

"Yeah. She is." Shaz grabbed her car keys. Gene nodded as he pointed at the red mark where the lines connected. "Tidewall Bank. She's there."

Sam nodded. "It's been closed for nearly a year. Left to rot when the head office closed it. Infrastructure should still be there."

Gene swore. "An airtight vault would block a phone signal." He grabbed his car keys before marching out of the office. "SAM! RAY! WIV ME!"

Annie ushered Shaz and Chris out of the office knowing they had to be right. None of them knew how much time Alex could have left.

Xxxxxxxxx

It was cold. That was the first thing she realised as she found herself on the cold polished floor. She knew none of her team knew where she was. Lytton had messed up; left her exposed and now she was trapped. She closed her eyes praying that the mobile phone she had stolen from her captors wouldn't be missed. Hiding it in a small gap in the skirting board she hurried back to the corner of the room she had been dumped in earlier. Her captors had finished with her for the day; but she could never be sure. Laying on the freezing cold floor she thought about her children, about Gene and knew she had to risk everything to get back to them. "Hold on. Gene, please hold on." She thought as the cold bit through her and the dark claimed her once more.

Xxxxxx

The apparently deserted building was in darkness as Gene slammed the breaks on his precious Audi. "Right then, Sammy boy. Raymundo."

"Guv." Ray and Sam exchanged worried glances.

"Sam, get hold of Chris and the girls. Tell em to wait out ere. Ray, wiv me."

"Gene." Sam warned as Gene got out the car. Gene raised an eyebrow.

"Just gonna av a quick shufty that's all. Ray. You go round the front. She's in there. She as to be." Gene marched away as Sam nodded, hoping his theory was right.

Xxxxx