A Chance Encounter by Rae Shaw (best ereader for academics .TXT) 📕

paperwork and incompetence didn’t justify prosecutions.

He glanced at his watch. The afternoon was drawing to a conclusion. What the hell, he decided, he would clock off early. As he powered off his laptop, there was a rap on his office door and before he could open his mouth to reply, it flew open. On the threshold of his office stood Gary Maybank and another member of the security team.

‘Is this one of your flyby security checks?’ Mark asked, without pausing in his paper gathering. The clear desk policy was religiously enforced.

‘You need to come with us, Mark. Now,’ Gary said brusquely. ‘Mr Haynes's orders.’

Mark dropped the papers into a drawer. Gary, usually a waxwork of impartiality, looked flustered; the immaculate military appearance was slightly frayed in its execution. Mark had an equally unpleasant feeling in his belly; embryonic, but familiar: a pulse of anxiety.

‘Why?’ he asked.

‘Jessop is here is to take you to Fasleigh.’ Gary jerked his head impatiently towards the door. Black-clad Jessop was funereal.

‘I asked why,’ Mark repeated sharply. ‘Fasleigh?’ Jackson wanted him behind iron gates and a high wall.

‘There’s been an incident and your personal safety is at risk.’ Gary held open the door.

‘Oh no, you tell me more.’ Mark planted his hands firmly on his hips and shot a fiery glare at Gary. Pleasingly, Jessop flinched. ‘I’m not budging until you’ve said more.’

Gary nodded to Jessop and his colleague left the room to wait outside. Gary cleared his throat. ‘There’s no easy way to tell you this. Julianna was abducted at mid-day while she was out walking with Sophia Crawford. Miss Crawford managed to escape but Julianna is still missing, presumably held captive.’

Mark staggered against the desk. The embryo was now a rampaging monster about to be born. ‘Abducted. By whom?’

‘According to Miss Crawford, who was injured falling from a moving vehicle, the two men sounded Slavic. One had a black ponytail.’

Mark slumped into his chair. Burying his face in his hands, he groaned. Immediately, a fierce headache loomed behind his eyes. The shock blunted his mind and, for a few seconds, he was lost for words. Gary waited.

‘Oh God no. Sophia, is she hurt?’ Mark finally asked.

‘Concussion and a broken arm. Julianna probably did her a favour by booting her out of the car. According to Miss Crawford, Julianna seemed to recognise who had taken her and decided letting Sophia fly out of a moving car was the better option. She was unable, I assume, to follow Sophia's flight.’

‘Oh God!’ The anguish spread to the pit of his stomach. He hugged it there, doubled over, attempting to crush it before it breached every part of his body.

‘Mark,’ Gary said gently. ‘You have to go to Fasleigh. The security team are expecting you there. The men in the car mentioned your name. They want you, too.’

Mark was rooted to his chair. The thought of Julianna in pain was unbearable. Only he could touch her, breathe with her. Nobody else.

‘Mark, come.’ Gary grasped the door handle.

‘No,’ he answered softly.

‘Please, you can’t go home. Her house is compromised.’ Gary spoke like a copper; Julianna was supposed to be his colleague and friend. Mark envied his detachment.

‘I’m not going home. You must be working hard to find her, so I’m staying here. I’ll help if I can, I’m not hiding at Fasleigh, waiting for news. I want to know what’s happening.’ He rose to his feet, finding his legs firmer than he anticipated. Julianna often reminded him that adrenaline had its advantages.

‘Mr Haynes insists you go to Fasleigh—’

‘I insist I stay here. You can’t force me. Now, I’m heading to the security office, and given I will be surrounded by protection officers, I can assume I’ll be safe there. Yes?’

Gary sighed in defeat.

The security office was teeming with staff, the bulk of whom were on phones, checking computer databases, maps and other sources. The room was normally staffed by a couple of duty officers, now it buzzed with extras brought into help.

Mark turned to Gary. ‘Her tracker app?’

Gary shook his head. ‘The phone goes to voicemail and the tracker hadn't been activated.’

‘She kept it in her handbag. If she was separated from it—’

‘She was handcuffed.’ Gary pointed an empty chair. ‘Just sit, before you fall down.’

Having requested to do something useful, Mark became the redundant object in the maelstrom, unable to do anything productive. Without a task, he would go crazy.

Gary’s phone rang. ‘Sir?’ He shushed the others in the room. Gary listened, then covered the speaker. ‘According to Professor's Dewer's brother, Ellen is safe in Edinburgh. Chris is arranging somebody to guard her.’ He removed his hand. ‘No, sir, Mark hasn't gone to Fasleigh. He’s still here, sir.’ Johnson grimaced and held out the phone to Mark. ‘He wants to speak to you.’

Mark took a deep breath. ‘Jackson.’

‘Why aren’t you at Fasleigh?’

‘I’m not sitting on my arse—’

‘I’m not having you hindering the search for Julianna—’

Mark ignored the people around him, not caring who listened in. ‘I’m not going to sit here and do fuck all.’ He lowered his irate voice to a whisper. ‘Could you if it was Hettie out there?’ His question was greeted with a lengthy pause.

Jackson's usual confident tone was strained, stretched thin. ‘Alright. Chris thinks Julianna is likely to be in Kent somewhere.’

He gasped. ‘The Channel tunnel?’

‘Possibly. It’s as easy to smuggle people out as to bring them in. There's an all ports alert out for her. The Kent Constabulary are being very cooperative. Plus I’m being made aware of covert operations ongoing.’

‘Covert?’

‘I’m awaiting more details. Chris is liaising with the police. Europol have been alerted too. Lots of things are happening. Mark, don’t do anything stupid. Stay put.’

‘How is Sophia?’ he asked.

‘Not as bad as first thought considering she