*****
It was only 9:45 when we approached Parlour Street and I asked the taxi driver to continue straight through the street and not stop. It allowed me the chance to give the building a once over first. There were no signs of... anything. I don’t know what I was expecting but I was relieved and disappointed to find it remarkably similar to the rest of the houses. He turned left and pulled up out of sight. I thanked him and paid him some cash. It was considerably cheaper than last night, although we had only gone one-way. I hoped I would be making a return journey.
I got out and straightened my suit. The sun was peeping out a little and I used this as an excuse to put on my new Ray-Bans. I thought it completed my intimidating look. The Kozlovs either believed they had made a mistake and I was a world-class actor, spending weeks pretending to be sad and pathetic, or they knew the truth and were laughing about it behind my back. I had to hope I had done enough last night to convince them. Confidence, Tom.
I walked slowly around the corner and was greeted with a blast of sunshine the buildings had previously been shielding me from. Parlour Street is a long one and it would take me five minutes to get to 14. I had timed it almost perfectly.
Even dragging my heels, I got there five minutes early and was given no choice but to persevere. I strolled confidently up the stone steps, like I had done the night before, and knocked loudly. There was a doorbell but I thought the aggressive nature of my thudding might announce my arrival better. Please somebody, open up this time. Somebody did.
The black door creaked open noisily before revealing my old friend, the Russian who had followed me around Victoria Station and ‘Raynmer and Stein’. He didn’t say anything to welcome me but neither did he shoot me so I didn’t feel too aggrieved. He glared down at me for a brief second before standing to one side and creating enough space for me to walk past him. I didn’t need a second invitation and I marched past him with as much swagger as I could muster.
The corridor was small and the only door that was open was the first on the right, so I walked through it. There were four men in there, two of which were Kozlovs (well, the other two could have been related but they looked much smaller and weaker). Igor stood up and welcomed me warmly, which seemed to unsettle me more.
‘Tom, come on in,’ he beamed and shook my hand firmly. I took off the Ray-Bans, tucked them into a pocket and nodded in response.
‘Please sit,’ he said and gestured that I should sit on one of the sofas. I sat. I scanned the room quickly as the man who answered the door returned and sat in silence. There were six of us in the room. Me, the two Kozlovs, two weak followers and the large doorman. But no Emma.
‘Where is she?’ I asked calmly, beginning to feel uneasy.
Vitali smiled and shrugged off the question.
‘She will be down in a minute.’ This didn’t feel right. Before I could blink, the doorman whipped out a gun and aimed it straight at my face. This was the first time in my life I'd had a gun pointed at me and it took all my strength to not pass out or wet myself. It was a trap and I had been stupid enough to fall for it.
‘Would you agree that it would be incredibly easy for us to kill you?’ Igor asked sarcastically, mimicking what I had said last night.
I didn’t move. I couldn’t. My weight was off balance and it would take me a couple of seconds to get off the sofa. By that time I would be dead. Even if I could avoid being shot the first time I would have to take out my gun, turn and shoot five men before they could kill me. Impossible. I was dead. They were waiting for me to respond.
‘It looks that way,’ I replied, not taking my eyes off the gun. I would not show them fear. If I was going to die, I would do it with as much dignity as possible.
‘Good, we are on the same wavelength,’ he waved his hand and the doorman lifted his gun, putting it back inside his jacket.
‘We are men of honour, like yourself. You could have killed us last night. We could have killed you right now. Yet, we are all still alive. Let’s keep it that way and work together. Don’t you agree?’
I was struggling to breathe. They weren’t going to kill me. I was alive!
‘That works for me,’ I said, regaining my composure. I was not enjoying this game of cat and mouse.
‘Right then,’ continued Vitali, staring at me carefully. ‘Let’s bring her in.’ I think he was impressed that I hadn’t reacted badly to staring death in the face.
The doorman (I really should learn his name) disappeared and headed up the staircase. Was he going to get Emma? This could be it. We all sat in silence and anticipation. It had been so long since I had seen her and for so long I had thought I never would again.
After an eternity, I heard footsteps. I could tell instantly that there were two different types. Someone walked with a heavy thud and another seemed to dance along, barely audible. That sounded like Emma’s walk! I couldn’t count the amount of times I'd heard her soft shuffle in the middle of the night as she disappeared to the toilet. She was coming!
The creaks moved to the staircase and I could count the steps as they descended. Eventually the creaking stopped and I knew they were here. They were on the ground floor. They had paused just out of sight. I could sense her presence there.
‘We have somebody we would like you to meet,’ said the deep Russian voice. Was that the first time I had heard him speak?
‘Oh don’t tell me it’s someone who is going to be replacing you,’ a voice said sarcastically. ‘Who will provide the witticisms?’ It was her. Oh my God, it was her. After everything I had been through, I had found Emma.
The doorman didn’t like being laughed at but was too slow to hit her with a comeback. I heard him mutter, ‘Get inside’ and it sounded like he shoved her. The next moment will stay with me for the rest of my life. The floorboards made a soft noise, not loud enough to be considered a creak and suddenly she was here. My beautiful, perfect Emma.
She looked different, but in so many ways exactly the same. Her hair was dyed a warm, brunette colour which suited her as well as her blonde hair had and her figure was still incredible. Her eyes shone as purely and perfectly as anything I had ever seen. Everything I had ever wanted had just walked through the door. I had found her.
She walked in confidently at first, completely unimpressed by proceedings. She still had her spirit after the things she must have been through and if anything she looked more composed than before. She was incredible. I wanted to shout or sing or dance or something, but I stayed where I was, in character. Her eyes moved around the room until eventually falling on me. Either she did not recognise me or could not process the thought of me appearing in this side of her world. Then she reacted. It took a second for her to look at me, look away and then stare open-mouthed in my direction. Even the coolest, calmest thief couldn’t contain her emotions in this situation.
‘Tom!’ she shouted and looked like she wanted to run into my arms. She began to move but I gave her a look, imploring her to understand what was going on. She had clearly not been told I was coming. Luckily, she managed to read my signal and stopped where she was. I could sense the Kozlovs examining the situation and knew I had to keep this convincing. All my hard work could fall apart if I wasn’t extremely careful.
‘How are you darling?’ I asked calmly, hoping that nobody could hear my voice shaking.
She looked at me quizzically but I intervened before she could say anything.
‘Are they treating you alright?’ I questioned, as if I was used to this sort of situation. Emma was clearly confused but she was a smart girl and knew now was not the time to ask questions.
‘Yes, I’m fine. They're treating me fine.’ She spoke softly, in her usual melodic tone. God, it was great to hear her speaking again. I felt like I was dreaming. She was here! I had found her. But I needed to focus, or my celebrations would be short-lived (as would my life be).
‘They know everything darling,’ I said calmly, hoping she would take the bait. She did.
‘How did they find out?’
‘Because I told them. I explained in a very friendly way that I was the one behind most of your old jobs and that, without me, they have no chance of getting the last two ewers. I told them the truth.’
Emma’s head must have been spinning. She knew I was completely out of my depth and could be killed at any second. She must have also been drowning with surprise at seeing me out of the blue. And she had to deal with the fact I'd now gotten myself involved in this when she had specifically asked me to run.
‘No, I can handle this, there is no need for you to be here Tom,’ she said desperately, trying to reinforce the point with her gaze.
‘That’s sweet,’ I said cockily. ‘…but you need me. You’ve done well so far, but you don’t have time. The ewers are being moved. It’s going to take two of us.’
She was shaking her head. I think she was angry with me. She had worked so hard to protect me and now she was worried I would ruin everything. But she had underestimated me. I had convinced the Kozlovs and managed to see her.
‘Listen to your boyfriend, little girl,’ jeered Igor. ‘We need those ewers and failure for you getting them would be... very unpleasant for you.’
I nodded, keeping up my arrogant pose. ‘You need me baby, you know I’m the only one that can help you steal these.’
‘Tom...’
‘Emma...’
‘TOM LISTEN...’
‘No Emma, you listen...’
‘BOTH OF YOU LISTEN!’ shouted Vitali. I was completely shocked by the outburst. The tension in the air had suddenly twisted and spiked; all of us were on edge instantly. ‘This is no time for arguing. Tom is in now whether you like it not, so either I kill you both here and find thieves who can do the job, or you both shut up and work together. I don’t care which option you choose.’
Emma could sense the danger and swallowed her anger for the time being.
‘Of course, Tom is in,’ she said. ‘It will be good to have his expertise on the team.’ She shot me a look that would have killed me if it were possible.
‘Good, I am glad we are all on the same team,’ said Vitali. ‘Just one more thing...’
We both looked up at him quizzically. That was the line bad men used in movies before you were shot dead for no reason. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t do that but you never know with these guys.
‘We have seen what Emma is capable of, and I think we all know how powerful we are, but we have yet to see you... in action,’ Vitali continued, pointing a chubby finger at me.
‘What are you getting at?’ I said slowly.
‘We have a test for you. A way of proving just how good you are to us.’
‘I don’t have to prove a damn thing to you. You're lucky to have me on this team,’ I stated more clearly. I was trying to assert my dominance in the conversation but it wasn’t working very well.
‘Exactly. You keep telling us how lucky we are, but how do we know?’
‘You’ll have to trust me,’ I muttered, not breaking my stare with him for a second.
‘Well, that’s just it. I don’t trust you. Don’t forget who is in control of this agreement.’
I stood up calmly until I was face to face with Vitali. Emma wanted to get involved but could clearly not think of anything to help.
‘Fuck you,’ I spat at him. ‘I don’t do auditions.’ I hoped this would look realistic.
There was a twisted smile on his face as he chuckled quietly to himself. Before I could move he whipped out his gun and had it pointed straight at my forehead.
‘Maybe now you will reconsider,’ he growled, aggressively.
I said nothing. It may have appeared as calm collectedness in the face of danger, but the truth was I didn’t know what else to do. I was trapped, like a spider under a glass and there was nothing I could do. Vitali seemed impressed by my resilience. It took all of my inner-strength, but I would not break even if it was the last thing I would do (which it was starting to look like it would be).
‘Fine, maybe you don’t fear death... but I doubt you will be so relaxed about this.’ He pulled his gun away from my direction and held it inches away from Emma’s head. She didn’t move. She was paralysed with fear. If she was that scared, these guys really shouldn’t be messed with.
‘Wait... what kind of test?’ I stuttered.
He smiled and glared at me. He had found my weakness. To win any argument all you have to do is find your opponents pressure-point and apply as much pressure as possible. He had found mine and I was screwed.
‘I’m glad you can see sense. Please sit down.’ I figured it was the only way to get him to remove the gun from Emma’s head so I did what I was told. When I was sat down, he relaxed and sat as well.
‘Do you know C&M investors, in Chelsea?’ asked Igor, innocently.
I shook my head truthfully.
‘It is a large investment company, not far from here. They deal with big money clients; I won’t bore you with the details. They are spearheaded by a man called Jim Kendrick. Have you heard of him?
I shook my head again, hoping my ignorance wouldn’t be a problem.
‘No matter. Well, he has an office on the top floor of the building and in that office, he has a high-security TL30 safe. You get where this is going I imagine.’
I did and I didn’t like it. There was that sick feeling in my stomach again.
‘In his safe he keeps a very valuable watch that I have been after for several years. It’s a Hublot original. Very rare. You have one hour to get inside, get that watch and get back here. Do the job and we will be suitably impressed but fail and...’ he said no more but he held two fingers in the shape of a gun and pointed them at Emma’s head. I didn’t need a sign-reader to explain what he meant.
‘That’s impossible. No one could do that in one hour.’ I said, shaking my head.
‘If you are who you say you are, you’ll be able to do it no problem. Think of this as a chance to prove your... talent.’
I was trapped. I was hoping that they would believe me but they needed proof. Why didn’t I see this coming?
‘I want to talk to Emma. I need to check she is OK and well. Give me a ten minute walk with her and I’ll do your test.’ I knew it couldn’t help me but if I was going to get found out I may never get another chance to speak to her.’
‘Out of the question.’
‘Then, no deal. You want me to jump through hoops unprepared, then you let me talk to my fucking wife for ten fucking minutes!’ I shouted. I was shaking with anger. ‘What do you think I am going to do? Run off. As if you won’t find us. Get real!’
I could see them thinking. What was I going to do? If I tried to run they knew there was nowhere we could hide where they wouldn’t find us. Plus, why would I have bothered to find her and meet them, just to run. She could have run at anytime if that was the case. They knew it and I knew it.
‘Fine. Your hour starts exactly ten minutes from now. If she is not back here by then, we will hunt you down and kill you. Understand?’
I confirmed that I did and stood up. Emma looked at me, taking my hand and walking alongside me out of the building. I looked at my watch to know when to be back by.
We were alone at last, but what the hell were we going to do next?
Chapter Twenty-One
‘Time to be brilliant...again.’
We walked down the road in silence until we turned the corner, where my taxi had turned last night. I pulled out my iPhone and wrote a message on the screen that read, ‘are you bugged?’
She shook her head and snatched the phone off me. She typed away quickly before passing it back to me. It read, ‘No, but you are. Left-hand jacket pocket.’
I looked at her quizzically and plunged my hand into my pocket. I pulled out a small plastic bug and threw it in a bin. How did she know? Without having to ask her she said, ‘standard move. They got you when you came into the building.’
‘Emma, it is
so good to see you,’ I said, grabbing her and pulling her towards me. She didn’t resist. There were tears in her eyes. There was so much to say but there would (hopefully) be time for all that. I looked into her eyes, happier than I had ever felt and kissed her lips.
What a kiss. Every emotion I had ever felt for her came rushing back and I could feel my eyes welling up. We kissed for what seemed like an eternity and eventually pulled apart. I wanted to kiss her once more but time prevented us. It seemed to say so much without words. I told her how much I still loved her and I forgave her and she managed to communicate how sorry she was and how worried she was about our new situation.
‘Tom...I’m so...’
‘I know...me too...but what do we do now?’
I looked down at my watch. Three minutes had gone. Emma looked terrified but she was thinking hard about what to do.
‘Do we run, do we threaten them?’ I asked, knowing that neither would work.
‘No, you are going to do it.’
‘How?’
‘I’ll help you. You have done loads to find my money and note. You can do this. The only hard part is the safe... well apart from the security, reception and the cameras.’
‘Oh good.’
‘Give me your phone,’ she said quickly. She took it from me and used it to search on the internet. It must have taken her two minutes to find everything she wanted which left me pacing impatiently. I knew she would be planning something but it was killing me not to know what. At long last she spoke.
‘Right...we don’t have much time, so listen. Reception first. It looks like there are three ladies that work there according to the website. Lisa, Jennifer (so call her Jenny) and Sharon. You have to go in like you’ve known them for years. Now, Jim Kendrick has two sons that work there so you will have to avoid them but I reckon you could pass as a nephew. Kendrick is fifty-three now so you would be the right sort of age. And you certainly look the part.’
I stared open mouthed at her. She was incredible. In two minutes flat she had come up with the beginnings of a plan. That could work.
‘OK, so what shall I say? I have a meeting with him or something?’