Last Resort (56 page)

"What a fucking mess/ Foreman muttered, dashing a hand through his sparse, greying hair.

"You got any idea where they might have taken her?"

David glared at him, his dark eyes flashing with murderous rage.

They both turned as a NarCom officer came racing out of the door.

"They've just found the station commander, tied up in his office/ he said breathlessly.

"Seems the whole place has been under siege since they brought the girl here."

"Does he know where they've taken her?"

Foreman

barked.

"He says it's a long shot, but he reckons they could"

He broke off as Maralit crashed out of the door behind 436

him and sprinted for his car

shouted. If Brillantes is right abJ'H lead the wav"

more than ten minutes/ N this, then wTgot

Penny's terror of the speed they v

surpassed by the terror of wheN travelling was & her The rught was so black and >ey migJ/bTtaS S could see almost nothing as they > speed so J and shot up over humps in jeered around ten Jalmasco were either side n( toad o~u-?, A doorstops as the driver str CclinJn revved savagely ou, of dilches.>ound Sftote /5

si±ita sldn wwk - rf fls

They'd come for he, tenminut( "" """ " "

ala CsTainSt 'Cfr0 to he, feet rnore men ha7po" ' a? fasl"

was a lot of shouting in tori 1% ,h s?b' ) She was dragged fc S 3

ere way just as two shots ran,, slVd .w nd> Flinching, she-d shn,n, bacTL ' sS'

-We've got to ge, you out , her, Wo PUShed

moving."

'L j , -

As they'd thrust her into the w

"

two bodies being hauled from \ r r j,

"j dragged off into the shadows cle si?/ d "

"Oh my God/ she whimpered

away the dark trail of bloodI thaf )meon i WV SffifZ

No one answered as they leapt intV pressed down on the accelerator fV%car TK

-

rer " the- - C;X upT na;:

"Please/ she begged now, almost § d Wn swerved to avoid an abandoned Hming as they

437 "Wtere are we

g 'We? had to get you out before you were arraigned/ Sombillo told her, his eyes turned towards the night.

"But why? I don't understand/ she cried.

"You were facing the death penalty/ he reminded her.

"!<; that what you wanted?"

No7ut -For God's sake!"

she shrieked as they hit a bump and the car went on to two wheels.

"Why do we ha to go so fast? Can't you tell him to slow down! she said, glancing at his watch in the passing glare of a single street light.

"Where?"

she yelled.

"Where are we going?

"I told you, we're getting you out of J 6-"

. h

That doesn't answer my question,'.she soea 'J

$W '

-A !

rrrfiis S

"tty and the deserted outriggers bobbing on the ge nf the lake But she had no time to order her tnougnts before the car squealed to a stop and the back door was

WShe coulKee his face in the darkness, but she knew, even before he spoke, who it was.

Penny?"

he cried as Jalmasco leapt out.

"Penny, thank

teaching into the car, he took her hand and pulled her out. But when he tried to take her in his arms Penny slapped them away.

tnittlS la. .he MT. going on/ she see hed.

438

'You set me up, didn't yO'< u? tt wa F" who planted that heroin- You who paid'

"Penny, listen to me/ he 16 cut in-

"Benny Lao planted the drugs. I should have"

ie&ealized he'd do something like that but I didn't thnk JV&16 knew where we were. Then when I heard what had hanappened I skipped the boat and stayed to try to get y0u o-ofut of there. There is another boat coming for us tonight. W

Ve have to get away ..."

"No!"

Penny shouted.

""

"You're lying, Christian. It was you who set me up,you who paid him,"

she spat, pointing at Sombillo,

"to scare

"tne hell out of me ..."

"He was trying to heip you, cherie. He had to make you see what danger you wertre in ..."

"What kind of fool do You take me f r?"

sne yelled.

"I knew what danger ( wa s in; I never doubted it for a moment. And I saw the g photograph, Christian. I saw it. The one of me in thechirtnese Gardens. The one you paid that boy to take so these - bastards here would recognize me. So don't try telling rrme it was Benny Lao ..."

Christian turned as jal Jnasco spoke to him in Tagalog, then both looked out at tlihe lake.

The boat's here/ cH ristian said, turning back to Penny. Tou have to com ?e"

cherie. If you stay, the best you can hope for is twenty-fir ve years."

"No!"

she screamed.

"[' ve committed no crime ..."

"They've only got yourff word for that. Penny, don't be a fool. There's every chatfnce they'll hang you for this."

Then I'll take that cha nce/ she responded, turning to walk away.

"Penny/ he cried, grabbling her arm. There's no time to argue about this novv.

I Ic ve you, cherie, and it's because I love you that I'm n t ju st going to stand by and watch you throw your life awa Y- You can't fight them, Penny. Do you hear me? They'"

H nr|d you and make sure you never talk."

Penny stood mutely stsaring out at the lake. In the flickering forks of lightning fracturing the humid air she

439

could see the boat coining closer, weaving a path through the fishing pens and heading towards the feeble light at the end of the pier. What if she had got it wrong? What if it had been Lao who had set her up? God knew, she didn't want to believe it was Christian, but what about the photograph? He still hadn't explained that.

When she pressed him about it again, he turned to Sombillo.

"Where did you get it?"

he asked.

Sombillo shrugged.

"It came with the case notes. I never knew its relevance."

Christian turned back to Penny.

"Cherie, I know how hard this is for you,"

he said, 1mt 1 swear I would never do anything to hurt you. Surely you must know how much I love you. I've put my own life and liberty at risk to stay here and help you. Do you honestly think I'd have done that if I'd set you up myself?"

Penny looked at him, then turned to gaze out at the lake again.

"And tell me this,"

he said softly:

"what reason would I

have to do that to you?"

"I don't know,"

she mumbled.

"I don't know anything any more. I just want to go home."

He pulled her against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Then we'll try to get things sorted out here so you can do that,"

he told her.

"It'll take some time, but at least you haven't been arraigned, so nothing's official yet. But for now, Penny, you must come with me."

Tears were gathering in her eyes as she realized that she had no choice. If she didn't go, then they would lock her up in that jail again - and, as he'd said, it was only her word that the heroin wasn't hers.

"We're not going to join the ship with the drugs ..."

"Shh/ he soothed. That ship sailed the night it was supposed to. Now, come on, let's get you out of here before anything else goes wrong."

As he led her down the jetty Penny watched the boat sliding towards them.

Everything in her was screaming

440

out to her not to do this, but as though her limbs belonged to someone else she just kept on walking, hearing and seeing nothing, moving beside him and letting him hold her.

When they reached the end of the jetty the boat was only a few yards away. She started to sob. She so desperately didn't want to do this, but she could see no alternative. Whichever way she turned now, her life was in ruins. And surely a life on the run with Christian had to be better than another night in that festering hell she had just left.

She felt him stiffen as a sudden commotion broke out behind them. Panic expanded her chest as she realized it was the police.

"It's OK,"

he whispered, keeping his arm around her.

"Don't look back. Just be ready to jump the minute the boat is close enough."

The engines chugged a laborious hum, drowning the kerfuffle on the water's edge. Someone aboard leapt on to the bow, preparing to throw the rope. Penny stared down at the water, watching the aimless drift of dead fish, splintered wood and rotting waste.

"It's all right,"

Christian whispered, letting her go as the rope sailed through the air towards them.

"Are you ready?"

Penny nodded and tensed herself, ready to jump. At that very instant someone shouted her name.

Before Christian could stop her she had swung round, unable, unwilling, to believe her ears. Her heart was suddenly racing as her mind dissolved into a vortex of confusion and terror. The night was so black she couldn't see the end of the jetty, but when he shouted her name again she knew.

"Oh my God,"

she cried, stumbling forward. It might just be a dream, maybe she had lost her senses altogether, but she didn't care, she had to get to him. She hardly felt it when Christian grabbed her arm, she

441

simply carried on trying to run.

"Penny! Don't get in that boat!"

David cried. Christian pulled her back. She staggered against him and felt the hard metal of a gun at her head.

"Don't listen to him/ he hissed.

"Just get in the boat."

Penny's eyes widened with terror as Christian twisted her arm behind her back and yelled out to David.

"If you come any closer, I'll shoot!'

"Let her go, Mureau,"

David shouted back.

"It's me you want, not her."

He was standing at the end of the jetty now, visible only in the jagged switches of static overhead.

Mureau laughed.

"You flatter yourself, mon ami,"

he

scoffed.

"Act like a man, Mureau. Stop hiding behind a woman's skirts."

Christian swore under his breath and Penny felt the anger ripple through him.

"Christian, please/ she whimpered,

"just let me go."

His face twisted with scorn.

"To him? Never/ he spat.

"But why? What's all this about? I don't understand."

Christian laughed.

"She doesn't understand, David/ he shouted.

"Do you want to tell her, or shall I?"

"Don't be a fool, Christian/ David answered.

"It's all in the past. You've ruined my life; isn't that enough?"

"She comes with me/ Christian told him. Tell him/ he hissed at Penny. Tell him you want to come with me."

"I can't do that, Christian/ she said, wincing at the pain shooting through her twisted arm.

"I don't want to come with you. I don't love you, not the way I love him."

She knew the instant the words had left her lips that it had been the wrong thing to say, but there was no way of taking them back now.

"She says she loves you, David!"

Christian jeered.

"So what do you say? Do you love her?"

"I'm not playing that game/ David responded.

"She knows nothing about any of this, so for God's sake, man, 442

let her go."

"Gabriella know you're here?"

Christian shouted.

"She will by now."

Christian grinned.

"She's going to finish you for this, David."

David was silent.

"Me and Gabriella together. We're going to finish you, David."

Penny gasped as he tightened his grip on her arm.

"You do what you have to do/ David told him.

"Just let Penny go."

"And how do you suppose I'm going to get out of here without her?"

"You won't get out of here, Christian,"

David answered.

"Is that so? Well, you just watch me."

As he turned Penny towards the boat she almost screamed as his grip tightened and a searing pain shot through her arm.

"Christian, please, don't do this,"

she begged.

"What choice do I have?"

he responded mildly.

"Now, just get into"

He swung round as a single gunshot exploded into the night. Penny seized her chance and started forward.

"Get down!"

David yelled.

Another shot rang out and Penny hit the floor.

Christian lunged towards her and aimed the gun at her head.

"Get up/ he said.

Penny forced herself back to her feet, trembling with shock and blinded by tears of frustration.

"It's over, Christian/ David shouted.

"Haven't you realized that yet? Didn't Gabriella tell you?"

"It'll never be over/ Mureau responded.

"Not between you and me."

Then make it between you and me and let her go!'

"You want her back when you know I've screwed her?"

Christian laughed.

"She's used goods, David. And I'll tell 443

you this, she's not like Gabriella. No way is she like your wife, David. Have you seen this body?"

he sneered, making Penny shriek as he wrenched her arm further up her back.

"It was all I could do to get myself a hard-on."

Even through the pain and the terror Penny could feel herself crumbling with shame at his words.

Everything had gone quiet at the other end of the pier and as endless minutes ticked by and no one moved, the dread that they had abandoned her overwhelmed her.

"Why are you doing this?"

she sobbed.

"Please, tell me, Christian, what happened between you two."

Before Christian could answer, another voice called out from the end of the pier.

"Mureau! We got two DBA officers out here and a whole army of Filipinos. You ain't going to get away with this, son, so come on in now before someone's blood gets spilled."

"It'll be hers if any of you come a step closer,"

Mureau warned. Then, to Penny:

"In the boat. Go! Now!'

Penny turned, then gave a startled gasp as a figure rose up from the water.

Christian's response was like lightning. He shot the figure at point-blank range, then, grabbing Penny, he shoved her towards the boat.