6. “Ready For Step Two?”

            “Of all the ideas we could do and you pick this one?” Andrew barked at me. We were parked along the curb, just opposite Scotland Yard. Andrew was behind the wheel while I watched the station from the passenger side. “Seriously, we could get killed!”

            “Then be careful,” I snapped at him. “All you need to do is a little tap, that’s it. We’re not doing a demolition derby; we’re just letting them know we’re here.” A smile touched my lips. “They’ll definitely chase us. Just don’t kill either of them, will you?”

            “We’re not waiting all night for them to get called to a homicide, are we?”

            “Of course not. We’re not that unprepared. I took care of that. There’s something staged going on right now. Any minute, they’ll be heading to that destination. We’ll track them for a bit, and then we’ll get their attention. Easy.”

            “I’m not sure I signed up for this.”

            “You signed up for getting Heidi out of there. This is what it will take. It’s the best plan we’ve got, Andrew.”

            “Shouldn’t we have planned this during the day?”

            “Nah, everything’s more exciting at night. You’ve got your earpiece ready?”

Andrew tapped his left ear. “Yes.”

“When I get Donovan, I’ll call you. If Lestrade is still chasing you, you’ve got to lose him and circle back to the car to help me get her in. Then we make a good getaway without getting the car traced. Get ready, I see them.”

            Sure enough, not too long after I said so, Lestrade and Donovan sped away to our faux crime scene. I threw a nod at Andrew, and he brought the car to life. He jumped out quickly in front of traffic, which was scary enough. If he had the guts to do that, then hitting a police car wasn’t going to be an issue for him.

            Andrew kept up behind the duo, making sure nobody got between us. Of course, if it came down to it, we’d nudge those cars out of the way too. We weren’t going to let traffic delay this kidnapping.

            We followed Donovan and Lestrade down a few streets and corners. I didn’t pick the time for Andrew to strike, I knew when the moment I saw the adrenaline take over him. He punched the gas, launching us into the back of the police vehicle. We managed to turn it around. I looked in the mirror, snickering. If that didn’t get their attention, I didn’t know what would.

            But it was enough. Whoever was driving got them right on our tail, the sirens wailing. Andrew let out a maniacal laugh as he weaved through traffic, earning a lot of angry honking and screeching tires.  As much as I loved this chase, Andrew was having a little too much fun with it.

            If he got any worse, he’d end up killing us both.

            “Pull over somewhere,” I demanded, slightly afraid that Andrew was going to crash the car. “We’ve got their attention. Andrew, I said pull over.”

            From the corner of my eye, I saw him scowl. He sharply turned and brought the car to a jarring halt. If it hadn’t been for my seatbelt, I would have hit the windshield or the dashboard. In a rush, as we heard the pair approaching, we hopped out of the car and began running. We pushed people out of our way, all while receiving shocked gasps and rude remarks. We didn’t look back; we knew Lestrade and Donovan were following us. Well, at least we knew Lestrade would on foot; we weren’t sure how well Donovan would manage in heels.

             I fell behind Andrew, darting to my right into a pitch-black alleyway. I pressed my back against the wall, concealing myself from the public eye. As I caught my breath, I waited for Lestrade to pass by. I patted one of my pockets to reassure myself that I had the cloth. It was going to be a simple abduction, I hoped. But with Donovan, I had a feeling I was going to fight her.

            Maybe she’ll follow and make it easy on me. My heart sprinted as Lestrade raced by my alley, gently shoving people out of his way. I grinned like the Cheshire cat, hoping that Donovan was right behind him.

Sure enough, my wish was granted. I could hear hurrying heels approaching. I yanked out the cloth, ready to pull Donovan in the alley with me and knock her out.

            The moment I saw her bouncy, recognizable hair, I struck. I pulled her into the darkness with me. She didn’t squeal like a little girl. With a grunt, she rammed me into the brick wall, knocking out my air. I wheezed, kneeing her any place that I could. I felt her nails scratch my face. I retaliated, throwing a low punch in her stomach. I heard the air leave her lungs. Donovan threw a punch right back at me, striking me in the mouth. I spat, feeling blood trickle down.

I threw her off me; she stumbled back into the other wall. Before she could pull out her gun, I lunged for her. I shoved the cloth in her face, hoping the trace of chloroform would get her woozy. I was surprised she didn’t call out for help. Maybe she thought she didn’t need it, that she could handle it.

            Boy did she think wrong.

            Donovan slipped up for just a second, long enough for me to get the cloth firmly over her mouth. I could feel the fight leave her body as I knocked her unconscious. Once she was limp, I caught her so she didn’t go sliding to the floor. I giggled darkly to myself. This was going without a hitch. She was lucky the fight was so short. If the fight had gone on any longer, I would have brought out my knife.

            I dialed Andrew, and I knew he answered when I caught his labored breathing on the other end.

            “I’ve got her. Lose Lestrade and meet me at the car. I’m going to try and get her there.” I ended the call, knowing that Andrew was a bit preoccupied at the moment.

Pressing my lips together, I tried to gather Donovan in my arms. Though she looked like a stick, like me, she was pretty heavy. I tried to get her over my shoulder. That wasn’t happening. I tried to get her in a bridal style carry. That wasn’t working too well either. So I decided for a better approach: I got her on her feet—with difficulty—and threw her arm over my shoulders while I held her around the waist. With caution, I led her out into the streets.

People gave us odd looks, but I threw them apologetic smiles, sometimes telling passersby that she had one too many drinks and that I was getting her home. Nobody was suspicious of the sight, which was good. If anyone read the papers, it was possible they’d make a connection with me and my title. Of course, it would take a smart person to put the two together.

Once the car was in sight, I tried to usher Donovan faster towards it. The back door was unlocked thanks to Andrew’s naivety. To the best of my ability, I tried to shove Donovan in the back seat all while making it look like I was helping a friend rather than kidnapping a police officer. I made sure to tuck her legs in before I shut the door and climbed in the passenger side.

I rapped my fingers against the dashboard, my green eyes scanning to see if Andrew was amidst the traffic and the crowd. Lestrade couldn’t have gotten him. He’s got to be here, he’s got the keys. If he’s caught, I’m screwed. I’ll join Heidi if this fails, and he will too.

But getting arrested by Scotland Yard was not in our futures. I sighed in relief as I saw a winded Andrew nearly collapse on the driver’s side door. He clambered in, panting heavily. He roared the engine to life and turned the car around, going back the way we’d come. He looked nervously in the mirror.

“She’ll be fine,” I assured him. “It’s some pretty wicked stuff. We’ll have her out long enough to get her there and tie her up. Good job, Andrew. We’re getting there.”

“I think I just ran a marathon,” he stammered. “For as old as he looks, he can run. If I hadn’t lost him, he would have gotten me.” He stole a side glance at me. “Did you have a rough time?”

I wiped the blood off my chin. “A bit. She didn’t fight back as hard as I thought she would.” I caught my breath. “Phase one is done.”

*      *      *

Andrew wanted to man the operation from that point on once we got Donovan back to the mansion. The last thing I had to do with the plan was help tie her up to where I knew she wouldn’t break free or go anywhere. Once I was done, Andrew let me go while he made the call to Lestrade.

I retired to my bedroom. I felt my mouth. That was definitely going to feel sore tomorrow. When I stepped foot in my room, I realized Jim was my welcome-back party. He’d been smiling, up until he saw what faint blood I still had on my face.

“Catfight?” he simpered.

“It’s not as bad as you think,” I assured him, closing the door behind me. “We got her. Heidi is definitely going to come back soon. I just hope Andrew says all the right things.”

“He will. He’s a good negotiator.” Jim probed my throbbing mouth. “Does it hurt?”

“Not much.”

He pecked my lips. “Good. Now that you’re done with that, we need to test you. Ready for step two?”

“More than ready. Jim, just let me do whatever it is you want me to. I’ve killed people before; it won’t bother me like you think it will.” I’d come to accept that I’d killed Dean and Spencer the night I’d left with Jim for England. To think that was half a decade ago.

“But it’s been ages since you’ve killed, little girl. I want to make sure you’re still willing to do it before I give you any details. Don’t worry; the test won’t happen for another few weeks. That will give you plenty of time to relax and shop.”

“Shop? What am I doing aside from killing people? I’m not killing at a strip joint, am I?”

“Oh, no, definitely not, but now that I think about it, I wish you were.” He grimaced. “I missed that opportunity.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you’d persuade me to wear something skimpy even if I wasn’t out creating chaos.”

“Mm, you know me well. Your test will be in a crowded place, but not what you’re thinking. We’re attending a party.” He beamed. “Don’t worry; I won’t have you make a scene. I wanted to, but I don’t want to lose you.” He rested his forehead on mine. “No one will see it coming.”

“So I get to relax until then? You’re sure?” I asked.

Jim nodded. “I’m sure. I can’t have you running around London and risk being caught with that coming up. I want you to pass, Raine. I really want you to succeed.”

“I will.” My voice was strong. “Or…would you be willing to accept bribery?”

“Bribery is welcome, but it won’t get you out of it.” He grinned. “I got everything arranged for you; all you have to do is attend and kill. It would be infuriating to have all that go to waste if I let you seduce me into making you skip the test.”

I grimaced. “It was worth a shot. Can I at least persuade you to give me some details about the test?”

“Not even that. It’s all going to be a surprise for you. You want it to be exciting, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then why take the fun out of it if you want me to tell you everything? Just distract yourself for a while. But whatever you do, don’t get caught.”