Number Six stopped right in front of him. ‘What?’
Logan jerked his thumb at the door again, turned, and walked into the equipment shed.
Grey Mask’s voice echoed through from the cattle court. ‘Snake?’
‘I’d like to contact my client for guidance.’
‘You know that’s not possible.’
Number Six followed Logan into the room and shut the door behind her.
She stood, staring at the open crates. ‘What the—’
And that’s when he cracked her over the head with his crowbar. Not a full-on baseball bat swing, but a firm enough clunk to make her knees buckle and send her crumpling to the floor. And keep her there.
Logan dropped Number Five’s broken mask. ‘Not so funny when someone does it to you, is it?’
He peeled her mask off — yup definitely Danielle Smith. Checked for a pulse — still alive. Gritted his teeth, took a couple of deep breaths, then dragged her behind the crates in the far corner. Stopped for a grimace and some panting as the fires reignited. Braced himself against the wall while the world pulsed and hissed like waves on a stony beach.
Do not pass out. Do NOT pass out...
OK.
Come on. Not finished yet.
The gloves were too thick to work the cable ties, so he stripped them off and struggled one set around her wrists and another around her ankles, the plastic tacky in his sticky red fingers.
A strip of duct tape across her mouth, and she was done.
Meaning Logan could go rummaging through her pockets.
‘Where are you, you little...’ A hard, L-shape weighed down the left side of her leather jacket. Logan slipped the semiautomatic pistol free. ‘Ah, there you are.’
It was an ugly black slab of a thing. Heavy. But it would do.
Now, did she have a phone?
Sod. No, she didn’t. And, like Number Five, no wallet or ID either.
So much for Plan A: call for help. Time for Plan B: the gun.
The magazine slid out into his palm with a quick push of the release. Ten bullets. He pulled the slide back and checked the breech: empty. Right. He slapped the magazine in again and racked a bullet into the chamber. Clicked off the safety.
Here we go.
Logan put on Danielle’s Number Six mask and flipped up his borrowed hood.
Too late to chicken out now.
Deep breath.
He opened the door and stepped into the cattle court.
Snake and Dragon were still facing off, the pair of them looming over Aiden MacAuley. Poor little sod. Paedophiles fighting over him.
Grey Mask had his arms out, preacher style. ‘I’m going to have to press you, Snake. I have sixty-three—’
‘Sixty... five thousand.’
One of the Animals whistled. ‘Bloody hell.’
Logan limped his way along the wall, gun arm tucked behind him.
Dragon turned towards the man on the walkway. ‘I’ve got more money in my account: the twenty-eight thousand that Horse owes me for Rebecca Oliver.’
The Animals shuffled their feet and looked away. Some hissing breaths. A couple shaking their heads. Clearly uncomfortable.
Grey Mask shrugged. ‘Ah... No. Firstly there’s a twenty percent sales commission, and secondly those funds can’t be released until the end of the evening.’
She stomped her foot. ‘This is the end of the bloody evening!’
‘I don’t make the rules, Dragon. I just enforce them.’
Him: Grey Mask. He was the one to take down. Break him and the whole twisted organisation would collapse, begging to be arrested.
Yup.
Logan limped on, towards the walkway.
You keep telling yourself that.
Dragon turned to Snake, voice cracking. ‘Please. Please, let me have Aiden! I have to have him. You don’t know how important it is. Please.’
Snake held up a hand. ‘I’m sorry, but the people I represent were very insistent about his ownership.’ Then in a softer tone, ‘There are plenty of other children out there you could have.’
‘You don’t understand! It’s...’ Looking around for support. Getting none. ‘How about I buy Aiden from you? After this, when they give me the twenty-eight thousand?’
Grey Mask held up a hand. ‘Less sales commission.’
‘That’s...’ Dragon twitched the fingers on one hand. ‘Eighty-six thousand pounds in total!’
Snake shook her head. ‘Eighty-five thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.’
‘Please: you go home with a huge profit and you don’t even have to do anything!’
‘It’s one thing to be beaten, honourably, at auction. It’s another entirely to accept bribes. No. It’s out of the question.’
The plus side to all this haggling was that no one paid any attention to Logan as he scuffed his way through the straw along the edge of the walkway.
Dragon dragged in a ragged breath, her voice choked. ‘Please! You have to!’ She threw back her hood and ripped off her mask. Dropped it to the ground. Followed it up with a blonde curly wig.
Oh... fuck. Dragon was Sally MacAuley.
The other Animals retreated a couple of steps, putting a bit of distance between them and what was clearly an inexcusable breach of the paedophiles’ sacred code of anonymity.
‘He’s my son!’ Sally fell to her knees and held her arms out. Sobbing. ‘Aiden... Aiden it’s me! It’s... it’s Mummy. I’m so... I’m so sorry...’
Aiden stood there, face slack, as if there was nothing behind his eyes.
Grey Mask climbed down from the walkway. ‘Well, well, well...’ Getting closer as Snake slithered off to join the other animals. ‘You know, in all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve only ever once had a family member try to buy their own child back. A fisherman. Didn’t end well for him.’
‘Aiden? Aiden it’s me! Don’t you remember Mummy?’
‘You lied on your application form, Dragon, and that’s a disciplinary offence.’ He stopped, six foot away. ‘We take discretion very seriously at the Livestock Mart. Can’t have you waltzing out of here with Aiden then clyping to the authorities, can we?’
‘Aiden!’ She stretched towards him, all tears and snot.
Grey Mask dipped into a pocket and produced a semiautomatic — completely wrapped in what looked like clingfilm. He gestured at the Animals. ‘You see the things I do for you? You should—’
‘ARMED POLICE!’ Logan stepped out onto the straw, holding Danielle’s gun in one hand and clutching his side with the other. ‘DROP THE WEAPON AND MOVE OVER THERE! AWAY FROM THE OTHERS! SLOWLY!’
‘Gah!’ Grey Mask stared at the ceiling for a moment. ‘You see?’ He pointed his gun at Sally MacAuley’s chest. ‘This is what happens when people don’t follow the rules!’
‘Don’t.’ Logan took off his mask, the air cold against his skin. A dribble of sweat itched its way down his cheek. ‘I’m having a really crappy day and I will shoot you.’
‘Even if you do, then what? There are... seventeen of us — not counting this lying bitch — are you going to shoot everyone?’
‘I’ll shoot you.’
Sally was still on her knees in front of Aiden, only a few feet between them, but it might as well have been miles.
Grey Mask turned to face Logan. Stared at him for a while, head on one side. ‘Is that blood I see?’
‘Sally: take Aiden and get out of here.’
She didn’t move.
‘Looks nasty. Let me guess, Number Five introduced you to his knife? He’s very fond of it.’