Page 51 of West (The Moral Compass 1)
Kara: Should we text West or North?
Sutton: No. If North were okay, he would be here with us. West isn’t here, so he can’t help. We just have to wait.
There is a thumping sound coming from outside the room, but it’s not a sound I’ve heard before. It gets louder and louder until I realise it’s a helicopter. It must have landed in the garden. A good while passes, but we stay sitting in our boxes.
I can hear voices, and someone is laughing. It’s a woman. I strain to listen. Is it Liz? Has West come back in a helicopter? I start to think we are going to be okay when the woman’s voice gets closer and closer.
“Find the bitches and bring them to me alive,” she says. “I will be upstairs making myself at home. It’s such a shame that so much blood has messed up those white carpets.”
She laughs, and I hear her walking away, her heels clicking across the floor.
I know that voice. But before I have time to try and work it out, more boxes are kicked over. They are getting closer. I need to try and not fall out if they kick mine over. I need to stay inside, and I hope Kara does, too.
They kick my box, but when it doesn’t fall over like the others, the guy whistles and there are more footsteps. A hand reaches into the box, grabs my hair at the scalp, and pulls. I try to sit and pull back as much as I can, but when another pair of hands join in, I have no choice. I’m pulled from the box and thrown on the floor. I feel a kick to my stomach and then another. Fuck, it hurts, but I don’t make a sound.
“Where. Is. Your. Friend?” Each word is accompanied by another kick to my stomach, legs, and upper body. I don’t respond. I just shut my eyes and pray. Pray that this will be over one way or another. I pray that Kara isn’t found, but it’s too late. The sound of her body hitting the ground next to me makes me wince.
“Please, please, please, let Kara be okay. Let her get out of this untouched,”I pray. I’m not praying for me now. There is no point. I’ll be dead soon, but none of this is her fault. She shouldn’t even be involved. Fuck,Ishouldn’t be involved. I’ve never done anything wrong all my life. I’ve always been kind and tried to be a good friend, but, as I know, life is never fair, and mine will be over soon.
We are both pulled up to stand. I look at Kara and beg with my eyes for her not to say a word as we are dragged back up the dark corridor to the kitchen and then into the formal dining room. North is lying in the hallway. His eyes are closed, and a pool of blood surrounds his chest.
Tears fill my eyes as I look around at the bodies on the floor. The two security guards from the bottom of the stairs are also on the ground covered in blood. I look around quickly to see if I can see Liz, but she is not there. I can only pray she got away.
We are shoved and pulled into position in front of the people, each standing on opposite sides of a chair with its back to us. The two that are facing us are both men. Well-dressed men. I recognise one of them. It’s Rick the security guard.
“Oh, thank God. It’s Rick. He’s West’s friend. We are saved.”My brain expels the thoughts at one-hundred miles an hour until he smirks and looks down at his hands. They are covered in blood.
Then, like a thunderbolt to my stomach, I realise he’s a bad guy.
The middle chair turns, and the woman in front of me speaks. “Hi, Sutton, long time no speak.”
Fuck!
Chapter 39
West
That’sfuckingstrange.Thattext is not from North. That’s not his way. And the text was cryptic just like the call we have just listened to. I dial the number for North but there’s no answer. I dial Rick’s number and, again, no answer.
“Shit, listen up. Something’s gone down at the house. I just know it. North has replied to a text, but it’s not him. Rick’s not answering, and neither is North. We need to get more people over therenow.Fuck,Ineed to be over there now!” I’m shouting and pacing. “Fuck, fuck, what the fuck has happened? Some fucker better find out!” I drag my hand across my face and scruff. “She has to be okay. She just has to be.”
“There’s a call going through now.” Daniel pulls down his earphones and clicks them over to audio.
“The flowers have been located and picked. They will make a great addition to the bunch we already have. They are being removed from the flower bed right now. They should be delivered in the next hour as long as there are no delays.”The voice is through a transformer, so I can’t make out anything other than it’s male.
“Good. Make sure they stay alive. The boss will be well pissed off if they lose their heads,”the other voice says.
“The boss is here with us and will be arriving at the same time. I suggest you make sure all the other flowers are in good order. You know that if they are not good, there will be hell to pay.”The line goes dead.
“So, if they’ve got Sutton and Kara, they are bringing them here?” Carl questions.
I can’t stand still; I can’t stop running my hands over my face then my hair then my face again.
“Fuck, fuck, don’t say that, Carl. They can’t have them. North would had to have died to let them get taken.” Realisation hits. My brother could be dead.
Oh, fuck, this is bad. What about Mum? Did she get out? I can’t fucking believe this is happening. This has to be the worst mission I have ever done.
I pull out my phone, switch it to secure, and then call the only other man on the planet I can trust right now. South. It rings and rings for too long. I’m just about to hang up when he answers.
