Where There's A Will

Chapter Eleven

Sighs of relief almost drowned the bell that signalled the end of the class, and the day. The loudest sigh came from next to her, and Alice Keating looked round to see her best friend, Julia Harris, already stuffing her things in her bag, eager to be gone.

"Is Ryan going to be there this afternoon?" Julia asked as the two of them left the classroom and headed down the corridor outside on their way to the exit.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Alice said, bemused by her friend's interest in her brother. "You know what he's like; he'll be around if he's got nothing better to do and nowhere to be. I wouldn't hold your breath on him noticing you this time, if he is around, though. Knowing him, he won't even realise you're there."

"He'll notice me this time," Julia said, a wicked gleam in her eye. "I bought a new bikini at the weekend, it's very sexy, I got it special for today. My parents'd ground me for a year if they saw it."

Alice wondered how skimpy the new bikini was, the previous one had been skimpy enough, but didn't ask, instead she said, "At least the weather's good today, we can have the roof off the pool, and maybe get a bit of a tan."

"Hopefully, Mrs Wembley will have something cold to drink," Julia said. "I'm parched."

"Good afternoon, Miss."

"Hello, Brian," Alice returned her chauffeur's greeting.

Once both girls were settled and belted in, Brian Jacobs slid behind the wheel and started the engine so he could leave the school grounds. He was so focused on not missing his chance to merge with the traffic flowing past the drive, he didn't notice the van that pulled away from the kerb and began following as he drove away from the school.

"Don't get too close," Jim instructed his heavily bearded partner.

Crash scowled at the unwanted advice. "I know what I'm doing," he said, his attention on the traffic in front of him, and in particular on the Bentley that was further up the road. Seeing the Keatings' car take a turn up ahead he hit the indicator so he could follow it around the corner. He followed the Bentley, without closing the gap between the two vehicles, as it took several turns and made its steady way through town towards the Keating home.

"Are you guys ready?" Crash asked of his partners in the back after about five minutes. Up ahead, the Bentley slowed as the lights at the crossing changed, and the moment the car stopped he pulled out from the line of traffic and gunned the engine to race up the road.

Brian was caught by surprise when the white van, which he had seen but paid no attention to, jumped the queue of traffic. Before he could react, it screeched to a halt next to the Bentley and the side door flew open.

"Kidnap!" he yelled the warning as two masked men jumped from the back of the van and reached for the rear door of the car. He was about half a second too slow in hitting the central door lock.

Alice knew, intellectually, that she was a potential target for kidnappers, she had never thought it would actually happen, though. The sight of the two dark-clothed and masked men leaping from the van froze her where she sat; it wasn't until the rear door of the Bentley was yanked open that she recovered from her shock and regained the ability to move. She had her hand on the passenger side door when her ankle was grabbed.

Automatically, she kicked out and fought to get free. She writhed and twisted every which way as she desperately struggled to break the grip on her ankle. Slowly, inexorably, though, she was dragged through the car, despite her grabbing at everything within reach to stop what was happening.

Brian cursed himself for not having put the locks on before starting the engine and quickly released them again. He then took off his seatbelt and threw open the door next to him so he could get out. The moment he was on his feet he lunged for the figure that had hold of Alice, confident that his past as a Royal Marine would stand him in good stead in confronting the man trying to pull his charge from the car.

"Bloody help me," Jim ordered his partner, who was standing uselessly at his side. He was not unused to fighting, and could generally hold his own, but he was hampered by the need to keep hold of Alice.

Unlike his partners, Lewis was not a fighter, and he had no intention of getting physical with the chauffeur, who was a more imposing figure than him. Instead he reached into the rear of the Bentley to take hold of Alice Keating's flailing foot and help pull her from the car.

When he failed to break the grip the would-be kidnapper had on his charge, Brian changed tactics. He let go of the man's arm and wrapped his own around his neck, putting him in a chokehold; once he was unconscious, Brian figured he would release Alice automatically. He had no sooner secured him in a headlock, however, when he was forced to let him go as a punch to the kidney sent pain shooting through his body.

Crash smashed a fist into the chauffeur's kidney a second time, he then pulled him away from Jim and threw him into the side of the van. A kick to the back of the knee made Brian fall forward, and Crash smashed his head into the side door of the van; twice more he did that until the chauffeur's body went limp and blood ran down his face.

"Get on with it," he snapped at his partners, who were still trying to drag Alice from the car. From the back pocket of Jim's combat trousers, he took the envelope that was sticking out, which he shoved into the inside pocket of Brian Jacob's jacket. That done, he returned to his previous position behind the wheel, where he revved the engine impatiently.

With two men pulling at her, Alice found it impossible to save herself, and with a final heave, she was yanked from the Bentley to land with a painful thud on the concrete.