Takedown by Heather Atkinson (latest books to read txt) 📕

“You thought the firefighters would do the job for you but they failed.”

“I know you had them killed. That explosion wasn’t caused by a gas leak, I don’t care what the authorities say. I don’t think Mickey skipped the country to avoid being sent to prison either. I suspect you murdered him well before you took out the firefighters.”

Faith refused to respond to this comment.

Flo slowly rose to her feet, joints creaking and scooped up her gun. “It’s time to go Faith.”

“You mean you’re going to take me out and kill me?”

“Well, it would be a lot of hard work for Gordon getting your body all the way downstairs and across the car park to the car, he does have asthma. And I want to make you disappear as effectively as you made Harry disappear.”

“And you’re worried about what my family will do if they find out you were responsible?”

“I have no wish to fight that lot, not with my arthritis and I’m a slave to my bad back, aren’t I Gordon?”

“Yeah,” he said. “A slave.” He waggled the gun at Faith. “On your feet.”

She sighed and slowly rose, wondering when Vance was going to make his move.

“You lead the way Faith,” said Flo, gun trained on her. “You don’t need to walk so slowly. I might be decrepit and Gordon might be a fat bastard but we’re not that knackered.”

There was a bang and a rush of air. They all looked round to see the balcony doors had burst open. Vance charged through the doors with a knife in his hand and he hurled it at Gordon. The blade embedded itself in his heart with perfect precision. Faith and Flo watched in astonishment as he dropped to his knees, gurgling, the gun falling from his hand before he toppled forward, landing facedown in the thick carpet, which muffled the sound of his fall.

“My boy,” cried Flo, swinging her gun from Faith to Vance.

“No,” yelled Faith, whacking her hand into her frail, stick-thin arm, causing her to drop the weapon.

Before Flo could recover, Faith punched her hard in the side of the face. She staggered and fell into Vance, who twisted her neck. There was a crack and she fell beside her son.

Vance and Faith looked at the bodies of the Fairweathers in astonishment. It had happened so fast they were still processing it.

Snapping himself out of his shock, Vance closed and locked the balcony doors and ran to Faith, enveloping her in his arms.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

“Fine, thanks to you,” she breathed, burying her face in his chest. She smiled up at him. “The balcony was the one place he didn’t check.”

“I ran out onto it when I heard them enter, taking one of the kitchen knives with me. It was the only weapon to hand.”

“Where did you learn to throw a knife like that?”

“Prison.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “Although I practiced with a handmade blade.”

They kissed hard, adrenaline still pumping through them but the two corpses in the room doused their ardour.

Faith released him and ran to the front door.

“Gordon broke the lock,” she sighed. “But there’s still the chain,” she added, sliding it into the bracket. “We don’t want anyone walking in.”

Vance fetched a chair from the kitchen and wedged it under the handle. “That’ll keep anyone out.”

They returned to the living room and stared at the bodies in dismay.

“I didn’t want it to come to this,” said Faith. “I always liked Flo, as psychotic as she was.”

“They brought it on themselves and all for a fucking lemon like Harry Paisley. He wouldn’t have risked his life for them. And it’s two less people we need to worry about coming for us.”

“There is that. How the hell are we going to get them out of here? We’re on the fourth floor.” She chewed her lip as she anxiously thought. “What about the Man in Black, who got rid of Lenny?”

“The neighbours will ask questions if they see a couple of coffins being carried out of here. It worked with Lenny because his house was so private.”

Faith nodded, running a hand through her hair. “You’re right.”

Vance looked around the room and smiled. “Well, it’s common knowledge that you’re moving, so who’s going to notice another couple of boxes?”

“Very true and Flo’s so frail she’d probably fit in a hat box but we’re going to need a shipping container for Gordon.”

“Leave it with me, I’ve got an idea. At least they were clean kills, so we don’t have a mess to mop up.”

Faith avoided all calls from family while Vance went out to get what they needed, not wanting to involve the others in this fresh hell. He returned with two packing trunks – one small and one extra large. First they stripped all personal items from the bodies that might identify them – phones, wallets, Flo’s handbag, keys and jewellery. Between them they managed to manoeuvre both bodies into them. Vance lifted Flo on his own and gently placed her inside but it required both of them to lift Gordon, Vance hooking his arms under his shoulders while Faith lifted his legs. She thought it was like something from a macabre film noir when they eventually managed to get him in the box but he landed on his side and the lid wouldn’t close. Finally they rolled him onto his back, Vance wiping his prints and DNA off the knife that was still sticking out of his chest and they closed the lids on both boxes and locked them.

“Now what?” said Faith.

“Now we get the removal men to carry them out for us along with everything else.”

“I don’t know Vance, that’s a bit ballsy.”