Chapter 10

After a shower, which I thought would freshen me up, I was still half sleep, after two hours of shut eye last night. It was ten minutes before ten in the morning. Waiting here at the station, like instructed on the note. My only thought is, was I meant to be here last night at ten or this morning? It will not be too long till I find out.

Standing outside the station, I am scanning each person to see if I can recognise anyone. I notice someone across the street watching me. It was the young man, who was with Melissa on Sunday. Not knowing what to do, I waited a few minutes. I was ready to make a move towards him. That is when he looked to his left and right. Once the road was clear, he started crossing the street towards me.

Standing in front of me, no more than a metre away I asked. “Where is Melissa?”

With fear in his voice he replied. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” I could see the fear in his eyes. He was continuously looking around him at the pedestrians.

“Are we waiting for anyone else?” I asked him while staring into his eyes.

“No, no!” he squealed.

This guy was scared that someone might see him. Noticing a restaurant next to the station, I gestured him to go inside. “Let’s go inside you can tell me what happened.” Pointing to an empty table by nodding my head, he went and sat down. “A cup of coffee ok for you?” I asked him.

“Yes”

Sitting opposite each other, I waited till he took a couple of sips of coffee before I started to interrogate him.

I started with the simple stuff. “What’s your name?”

“Albert.”

“Ok, Albert, how do you know Melissa?”

With a long sigh, he started telling me what he knew.

“After the situation at Tony’s restaurant. Mr Sparks used me as his messenger. Transporting packages from A to B. I made many trips to Robert Clark’s office, transferring documents there. At times, I would spend a couple of hours, waiting to return a package to Sparks office. Melissa was always friendly with me. She would always advise me to get out of this line of work. Telling me, that there was more than this to life.”

Taking a couple of sips from his coffee before he continued. Patiently I waited to see what he would say next.

“Until one day I noticed him...” he paused.

“Noticed what Albert?”

“I saw him open the safe box. I observed him put the code on the safe box pad. I planned to rob him and do a runner with the money. Trusting Melissa, I told her my idea. She advised me not to do anything silly. We made arrangements to go on Sunday to see what was in there. Once the safe door opened, we both stood back glaring at the pile of notes. Stacked on top of each other. Reading my mind, Melissa said. ‘Don’t even think about it.’ Opening a small drawer, we found a pile of documents. Sitting on top was a small burgundy notepad. Melissa took the notebook and started flicking through the pages. Reading what was inside. With a smile on her face, she told me. ‘We have enough here to put Lawrence Sparks away for a very long time.’”

“That is what she wanted to talk to me about,” I whispered.

“What?” Albert said.

I had to move quickly. Melissa may be in great danger. Thinking for a moment before I glanced at Albert. “That night your partner in the toilet had a gun. What about you?” As he reached into his jacket, I put my hand on top of his, stopping him pulling out whatever he had in his pocket. “Let’s go to my car.”

In the car, he pulled out a Glock 30s with three cartridges. Dropping them in the palm of my hand, like the weight of the world was lifted off his chest. “I was so excited when I received this weapon. Now I am so glad I am rid of it.” He sighed.

Pushing one of the magazines into the pistol’s handle, I then pulled back the slide to allow a bullet to go into the chamber. “Now we are ready for action! Your work is finished here, Albert.”

“I’m coming with you. If it weren’t for Melissa, I would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere.” Pulling the seat belt, he buckled himself up ready to go.

“Ok, I warned you. Don’t complain when things get ugly.”

Albert looked at me curiously when I drove directly to the van hire company. Not slowing down when I turned into the driving lot. Driving to the entrance of the offices, without stopping

“Are you planning on driving inside!” Albert yelled.

That is when I put my foot on the brake pedal all the way. The car stopped a few feet from the entrance of the building. Grabbing a bunch of large cable ties from under my car seat, I gave them to Albert. “Hold onto these!”

“What the fuck are these for!”

Without answering his question, with the Glock in my hand, I flew out of the car. Slamming the door open to the van hire office, the same building I watched Melissa and Albert enter a few days ago. Once inside, the only thing separating me and the office desks was a counter up to my waist. There were two occupants in the room. One of them was Cockney. He was nearest to me. The other one was Snakes. He was on the other side of the office.

Leaping over the counter towards Cockney. On seeing me, he froze where he was standing. With the Glock in my hand, I struck him on the side of the face knocking him out. Turning to snakes, he was making a move towards one of the desks. Pointing the gun in front of him I fire a warning shot on the desk. At the same time yelling.

“That’s a warning. Next one will splatter your brains on the wall behind you.” He stopped, putting his hands up in the air. “Get your ass over here asshole, next to your friend,” I ordered Snakes.

With both of them sitting on the floor, hands tied behind their backs and feet together. Cockney started to come around. “You are a fucking dead man!” he screamed at me.

“What are we going to do with them?” Albert asked while looking outside. Just in case anyone else came.

“I could extract the information I need from them slowly. No harm will come to either of these goons even though it will be painful. It would be time-consuming though, the time I do not have.” I explained to Albert. He just stood there looking at me, probably wondering what I was going to do next.

“What are you going to do you motherfucker?” Cockney spat out.

Pointing the gun at Cockneys leg, I fired a shot on his outer thigh. He started screaming. “You shot me, you fucking shot me!”

“Where is Lawrence Sparks and Robert Clark!” I shouted.

Cockney continued to insult me. “You fucking bastard, I’m bleeding!” As he watched the blood squirt from his leg.

Turning to Snakes, I pointed the gun at him. “Do you want to join your friend? Both of you can sit here and bleed to death.” Firing a warning shot at his groin, making a hole at the crotch point on his trousers. Snakes started shaking as he sat in a pool of urine. “You’re lucky, that could have been your blood between your legs. Are you going to answer my question now?”

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!” Snakes cried out.

That is what Snakes did. Whatever question we fired at him, he gave us an answer. How many men Sparks had at his disposal. What kind of firepower they were packing. And the most important thing, where they had Melissa.

Sparks was holding Melissa hostage at a derelict building in Radlett off the M25. It was a thirty-minute drive from our location. I had no choice but to take Albert with me. He knew the way there. Also, as he visited the place a few times, he knew his way around the building.

I called John telling him about our progress and that I was heading to Harperbury Hospital. Letting Albert drive, while I assessed our firepower. Three Glocks and five full magazines. “What is it with your ex-boss. When he buys Glock pistols in bulk, does he get a discount?” He tried to force a smile, but I could see he was scared. We both didn’t know what was waiting for us at Harperbury Hospital.

“Hey, when we get there you don’t have to come in. Just direct me to what part of the building I need to go.” I assured him.

“I am in until the end,” was his reply.

When we got there, I called John back. “I’m here John. What should I do? Have the local police been informed?”

“Take it easy Rambo. We’ll be there in ten minutes,” It was Major Harry speaking.

Within a few minutes, a police helicopter was hovering above us for a moment before it landed. Once the landing skids hit the ground, Major Harry, John and two others jumped out of the helicopter. All dressed in army gear.

With a bullet proof vest in his hand. John threw it at me. “Put this on. We don’t want you walking in there half naked.”

“It’s a different ball game now. You have to wait here.” I told Albert. He just stood there glaring at the semi-automatic rifles.

With a rifle in my hand, we started to make our way into the building. Once we were in the building, John sarcastically said.