I checked his watch. We had about half an hour till first light. I looked at him. ‘We’ll find the fuckers, don’t worry.’
We hit the beginning of the strip and the prop screamed up through the revs. I pulled the loadie’s extension lead out of the door pocket and plugged it in.
Headset on, I moved back into the hold. Frank’s lads were working furiously to get drips into her. That meant they’d already plugged any leaks.
Genghis pulled the plasma expander from the trauma kit, a clear plastic half-litre container shaped like a washing-up-liquid bottle. He tore it out of its plastic wrapper and threw that on the ground. He bit off the little cap that kept the neck of the bottle sterile. Fuck hygiene — infections could be sorted out in hospital. He knew what he was doing. Let’s keep her alive so she can get to one.
Mr Lover Man also had his IV set out of its protective plastic coating. He chewed off the cap to the spearhead connector and jabbed it into the self-sealing neck of the bottle. He took out the plug, undid the screw clamp, and watched as the fluid ran through the line. He wasn’t concerned about air bubbles in the line; a small amount didn’t matter — certainly not in these circumstances. I willed him on. Let’s just get the fluid in.
He hung the loop in his mouth to keep the bottle high so its life-saving contents could run freely.
Mr Lover Man shrugged off his body armour. Genghis rolled the soft Kevlar into a pillow and tucked it under her head. I looked down. He’d plastered field dressings to her stomach, beneath her bloodstained T-shirt.
I leant down towards her as Stefan’s two godfathers carried on working on her. I made sure she’d be able to see me before I tried to get her to open her eyes. Her face was screwed up in pain. I stroked her forehead, moving the hair out of the way with one hand and pushing one of the cans off my ear with my other. I had to raise my voice above the prop and engine noise.
‘Tracy? Tracy?’
Nothing. I leant in closer, my mouth to her ear. ‘Tracy?’
Her eyes opened as the aircraft lunged forward and started to thunder down the tarmac. She studied my face. A smile flickered at the corners of her mouth and turned almost immediately into a grimace.
‘Nick, I’m so sorry … I’ve made so many … mistakes … Stefan, my baby …’ Her bottom lip trembled. Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. Her sobs gave her even more pain.
Genghis applied more pressure on her stomach to keep the fluids inside her. She strained against the agony.
‘Tracy, it’s OK. I’m going to get Stefan back. But I need your help …’
She was trying to listen through the tears and the pain and the din and the vibration of the aircraft as we gathered speed along the runway.
She gave a small nod. Her eyes closed. She tried to breathe through her snot-filled nose.
‘Do you know where they’re going? Do you know what country they’re going to?’
Her head turned to one side. She coughed, trying to clear her throat. Her nose was blocked. Her face contorted.
The Cessna lifted off the runway. The engine pitch changed. Mr Lover Man held Tracy steady as the medical gear slid down towards the rear of the aircraft. He grabbed a bottle of water as it rolled past and opened it with his teeth. He tried to see if she could take some through her cracked and blistered lips.
‘Tracy, do you know where they’re taking Stefan?’
She fought to unblock her nose. She tried a drink. It wasn’t working. It made her cough even more.
‘Kenya … They’re going to Kenya … They’re going to … take him to Georgia … Nick … My baby … A hostage again … Nick, what have I done? My baby …’
I stroked her brow some more as Mr Lover Man held her head straight on the body armour. She couldn’t control it herself any more. My fingers found the mike, to make sure Joe got the message. ‘It’s Kenya, mate.’
He came straight back into my headphones. ‘I fucking knew it, man.’
I stroked her forehead again. As the aircraft levelled off, a hand came up and grabbed my wrist.
Her grip was pathetically weak. Her lips trembled. Tears fell. She tried to focus on me. ‘I’m so sorry, Nick … I always mess … everything up … Why do I always make such a mess of everything?’
She fought the agony. Body fluid leaked out faster than the IV set could get it in.
‘No, you don’t. You and Mong — you didn’t mess that up, did you? You made him so happy, Tracy. He always talked about you. He told everyone how much he loved you.’
She gave a weak smile and tried to clear her throat again, but the pain was too much.
Mr Lover Man checked the drips and dressings. He and Genghis mumbled between themselves.
‘I always get it wrong … The only good things … I have … are Mong … and Stefan …’ She started to break down at the thought of what might be happening to him.
‘It’s OK.’ I unclasped her hand from my wrist and held it in mine. I rocked with the motion of the aircraft. ‘We’re going to get him back. He’s not that far away. We’ll be able to see the plane as soon as it’s light. I won’t let you down, Tracy. I promised Mong I’d always look after you. And Stefan’s part of you. So he’s part of that promise, isn’t he?’
She gave a couple of half-nods before coughing and snotting up. Her hand squeezed mine hard.
‘Nick … I want you to understand. I felt so … alone in Frank’s world. He’s a good man … but his work, his family … We could never be together … Not truly … together … Me and Stefan … would always … be kept in a box … I had … to get away …’
She chugged up a mouthful of blood. I shushed her as she fought for air. ‘I don’t need to know. Just rest. Let the guys sort you out. Let’s get Stefan back.’
‘No, Nick … please … I want you to know … BB knew what I was feeling …’
‘The kidnap plan was his, wasn’t it?’
She just about managed a nod. ‘I knew there was no … happily ever after … for us … But once he’d set it up … he had me … exactly where he wanted me … I got cold feet …’
‘But he threatened to betray you to Frank.’
‘Frank … would have taken Stefan … would have kicked me out.’
‘BB arranged the hijack?’
‘He wanted money … He knew the clan … from the old days … He said … Frank would hand over the money … then be told we were all dead …’
I didn’t tell her that BB had always known Frank’s cash, if there was any, would be a bonus. The serious money was coming from Georgia.
She worked hard on a smile.
‘Me and Stefan … We didn’t want Frank’s … money … We were going … to India …’
Her face muscles suddenly relaxed, and I no longer felt the tension in her hand. From the faraway look in her eyes, part of her was already there.
‘On the beach … Maybe … a small restaurant … Just be happy …’
A coughing fit took her away from her dream. I caught Genghis’s eye. For a moment I thought he was going to crack as well. Then the mask of inscrutability was back in place.
‘Frank … he has … so many … enemies …’
BB had taken full advantage of that. His plan must have seemed pretty close to perfect. But he’d fucked up. He hadn’t written al-Shabab into the equation. He hadn’t reckoned with people who didn’t give a shit about the money and the shagging and the shiny red sports cars.
I gripped her hand and stroked her cheek. I tried to wipe away the tears, but they were falling too fast.
‘Tracy, it’s OK. You’re safe now. Just let these lads sort you out.’
I moved the mike out of the way and bent to kiss her gently on the forehead. ‘I’ve got to go now. I’ve got to get Stefan back. It’ll all be OK. He’ll be with you before you know it.’