Chapter 37
Leon woke up; he was still groggy from the painkillers. “Clare. Clare.” He called out; he remembered she had taken herself for a walk. How long had it been he wondered? It felt like he had been asleep for hours and hours.
He reached for his mobile and could see the missed calls and several messages. Shit, he muttered. He rang her number.
“What’s happened? What’s going on sis? I’m so sorry I missed your calls.”
“It’s Jonathan. He’s here.” Leon could hear the distress in her voice. This was not a good situation, what surprised him the most was how quickly Jonathan had managed to catch up with her. He knew only too well, how resourceful that man could be and knew his sidekick Chris was behind it.
“Where are you now?” He asked whilst reaching for a strong painkiller. His whole face hurt beyond anything he could have possibly imagined. He hoped this was going to be worth it in the end.
“With someone called Arthur and Tim.” Clare explained longing to be in the safety of the woodland cottage with Leon. “Are you ok Leon? Do you have a lot of pain? I’m really sorry about this. I just came out for a walk. I didn’t expect he’d find me.”
“I’m ok Clare. Listen if you’re with Arthur and Tim, you’re at least safe for a while. Bet it must have been quite a shock especially for Arthur. Nothing goes on around this neck of the woods; the old bugger probably loves a bit of excitement.” Leon inhaled and hoped the pain medication was going to work very soon.
“I can’t stay here forever Leon. They won’t let me come back to you. Which I suppose is sensible, you know Jonathan he’ll be lurking around. Apparently, they have some plan to get me out. I was so stupid, if I’d never gone to see the fire, he’d never have seen me in the car. Even with my wig on I guess he knew it was me all along.”
“Stick with whatever Tim comes up with Clare and whatever you do; don’t try to do something on your own. I can let Lauren know what is going on later, once we know what the plan is. It’s not your fault ok, he has made you think that everything is, but you need to stay strong and focused. Next time you don’t know what he’ll do to you. That man is capable of anything. And I mean anything.” Leon emphasised.
Arthur saw Clare’s disheartened face, he wished there was more he could do for her. Short of getting his shotgun out and taking a pop at the Jonathan man, there was nothing else he could do. Only wait for Tim to turn up with his Range Rover.
They could hear the engine outside, Clare looked up. It was the first time Arthur had seen a wash of relief come across her face. “Listen Leon. I have to go. Tim is here now. I will call you when I am safe. Take care of you and just get some rest. There’s more to come for you.”
“I know. Don’t worry about me sis, just stay sharp ok. Speak soon.”
Arthur let Tim in. “Are you ready Clare?” Tim asked. “I’ve not seen him anywhere. Doesn’t mean that he isn’t somewhere though. It’s a risk but we can try this. Right, I guess you have nothing but yourself?” He looked at Clare.
“Just myself and my purse and mobile.” She replied. At least that was something she thought. Her new license and the cash were in there. She had a bankcard that Leon had given her that held the rest of the money they had saved for her. “Good let’s get going.”
They took one last look outside and could see it was all clear. Clare dashed to the back door and almost threw herself in and laid down on the back seat. “Where are we going?” She asked Tim. She was terrified of the unknown and half-expected Jonathan to open the other door. Her heart was beating so fast it felt as if her chest was going to explode.
Tim remained calm and collected. “We’re going to a friend of mine outside of the area. About two hour’s drive away. That should see us right whilst we figure the rest out for you.” Clare remained silent, she was beyond words, and the fear in her had mounted to such a degree, that she was rendered incapable of thinking. She just wanted to get away. She laid her trust completely in Tim.
Clare managed to strap herself in, as she remained laying down, no idea where he would be taking her. She had to have faith in this total stranger. Tim decided to give her some time before he brought up the woman in the bar. He backed his Range Rover slowly down the alley, checked his mirrors to make sure he could not see the black BMW belonging to Jonathan, then eased onto the village road.
Jonathan had watched as Tim took his car from the bar down to the alley where Clare had run. He had no way of knowing for certain if the two incidences were connected or not, but he had a hunch and he was going to go with it. If she was in the car he would get her eventually, if she wasn’t, then he reasoned she would show up again sooner or later. A woman like Clare, he told himself, was incapable of hiding from anyone or being on the run. In his opinion, she was clueless and witless. He sniggered, “damned if you are and damned if you’re not!” Keeping his eye on the Range Rover driving slowly away before easily pulling out of his hiding place.
Jonathan waited for the few cars to pass him then turned onto the open road careful to keep his distance. Nothing was going to stop him from getting her and when he did, she was going to wish she had never met him.