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

clue it’s even here. The walls and base of the vault have been reinforced, so no water can get in. It’s completely damp-proof.”

“You’ve done so well,” said Faith, patting his shoulder. “This is brilliant.”

Kevin beamed with pride.

“Right,” she continued. “Let’s get the product out of that bloody coffin and into its new home.”

It took them fifteen minutes to unload the coffin and stash all the product in the vault before Kevin closed the hatch and locked it. On their way to the porn shop, they’d stopped at Rose’s house, so Jason could nip in and pick up the device he’d bought just to double-check there weren’t any more tracking devices in the coffin, which there hadn’t been. They hadn’t wanted to risk the security of their new premises.

“It looks like we lost five grand’s worth,” said Faith. “I’m sure the Maguires will be able to live with that.”

“They’ll just be happy we got it back,” said Vance.

“What should we do with the coffin?” said Jason.

“I know someone at the tip who can get rid of it,” replied Caleb.

“We should keep it,” said Kevin. “It might come in useful.”

“Oh there’s a cheerful thought,” said a sarcastic Jason.

“We could use it to torture people – lock them in it and tell them we’re going to bury them alive.”

“Bloody hell Kev, that’s dark.”

“We wouldn’t really do it but the threat would be enough to freak anyone out, no matter how tough they were.”

“Jason’s right,” said Faith. “That is dark but it’s also a good idea.”

“Seriously?” said Vance, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. Psychological warfare. Like it Kev,” she winked at him.

“Where the hell are we going to keep a coffin?” said Caleb. “We can’t exactly leave it in the office at the club.”

“Take it to the lock-up. Kev’s right, it’ll have people talking in no time.”

“Well, okay but it is a bit creepy. It’s been in a crypt.”

“It hasn’t had any bodies in it. Not yet anyway,” she said before striding for the stairs.

Vance watched her go with concern. There was that darkness inside her rearing its head again. Killing in the army and killing Lenny hadn’t put it there. Marlow had when he’d almost murdered her. Sometimes it felt like the little bastard was still interfering in their lives.

Faith returned upstairs and wandered around the shop with an amused smile. She looked up at a full-length PVC catsuit hanging from the ceiling.

“You’d look great in that,” Vance whispered in her ear.

“No thanks,” she replied. “You’d have to cut me out of it.”

“I wouldn’t have a problem with that,” he said, running his hand across her backside. “Don’t worry, they’re still in the cellar,” he added when she anxiously looked around for their brothers.

“When we were kids I never dreamed our future would be like this,” said Faith, frowning at a particularly frightening dildo on a shelf, so big it cast a disturbing shadow on the floor.

“Me neither but at least it’s never boring.”

“What are you doing?” she said when he pocketed a pair of edible panties.

“Planning for when we’re alone again in the flat.”

“In that case,” she smiled, sliding a pair of handcuffs into her jacket pocket.

“Naughty,” he winked.

After the brothers had loaded the coffin back into the people carrier, Vance drove them to the lock-up so they could finally dump the macabre object.

“What do we do now?” said Kevin once they were back in the car. “The firefighters are going to be really pissed off and they will retaliate.”

“The fire inspection at Eclectic is tomorrow morning,” said Caleb.

“We’ll all be there,” said Faith. “Only Kev and Jason will be at Pulse. Hear me out,” she added when Kevin turned puce with anger. “I don’t want Ben to be a distraction while his friends attack Pulse.”

“Oh,” he said, simmering down. “I see. That’s a good idea.”

“But this lot are smart,” she added. “They might hit us in a way we won’t expect, so we have to be prepared. I don’t think they’ll just give up because we took the product back and they know we know who they are. This isn’t over.”

The Chambers siblings returned to Eclectic to see how the work was progressing. Thanks to the extra cash Faith had paid the company who were doing the renovations, they were ahead of schedule and the work would be completed in time for the opening night. They double-checked everything to make sure no sabotage had been done in their absence but Abi and Michael had done a good job of ensuring all was as it should be and they were delighted to hear that they’d recovered the product. Faith called Jules from the office in the club to give her the good news, who told her she’d had no doubts she would get it back. Jules chuckled over the story of how they’d retrieved it.

“I have to hand it to your family,” said Jules, a grin in her voice. “You really are innovative. Not many people would think of using a bench as a slide for a coffin.”

“That was Vance’s idea,” she smiled.

“Hot and intelligent. A rare combination, outside of my own family anyway. Well done Faith, you should all be proud of yourselves, you pulled off quite the coup. Just don’t go telling anyone the product was in a crypt, it’s not a good advert.”

“I can promise that information will stay with us. We don’t want to think about it again, it wasn’t pleasant.”

“I can only imagine. Raven finally got back to me about who bought the flash devices. It was someone called Flo Fairweather from your neck of the woods.”

“What?” exclaimed Faith.

“Judging by the way my eardrum’s vibrating, I’m guessing you know her?”

“Yes I do. She’s a frail old woman who likes wearing flowery dresses. She’s