‘Take the tape off,’ instructed Jake.
There was a pause, then the voice said, ‘You are in no position to make demands.’
‘Take the tape off!’ snapped Jake, his voice sounding firmer this time. He was scared, he knew he was quite likely going to die, but there was no way he was going to make it easy for these people.
He wondered where the person who was speaking was hiding. The voice had an echo to it, like it was being amplified. Maybe the person behind the voice wasn’t even here in the warehouse, but somewhere else, watching it all on CCTV.
‘Remove the tape,’ ordered the voice, and one of the men reached out and ripped the tape off. Lauren uttered a small cry of pain as it was torn away.
‘Are you OK?’ asked Jake.
‘Yes,’ she said. Her voice sounded distant, faint. Jake noticed that she was being held up by the third man, and wondered if she’d been drugged.
Suddenly, there was a commotion from further inside the warehouse, raised voices, the sound of fists hitting. The two men near Lauren swung round, guns pointing, while the man holding Lauren let her go and pulled out a gun himself. Lauren swayed and crumpled to the ground. Jake started to rush towards her, but one of the men swung his gun to point directly at Jake, and the voice called out warningly, ‘Stay where you are, Mr Wells!’
Then two more men appeared, dragging the figure of Robert along with them. Robert struggled in their grasp, until one of the men near Lauren walked over to him and hit him in the face with his gun. Robert swayed, but carried on struggling and shouting, and the man hit him again, harder this time, and Robert sagged and fell to the ground.
‘You were told to come alone,’ said the amplified voice coldly.
‘I didn’t trust you,’ said Jake. ‘And he’s not armed. Unlike me.’
‘How many more people have you got out there?’ asked the voice.
‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ said Jake, doing his best to appear confident by putting on a mocking tone.
‘Enough!’ snapped the voice. ‘Hand over the book!’
‘Not until you release them.’
‘You are stupid if you think some kind of stand-off will work here,’ said the voice. ‘You are out-numbered.’
‘I’m also wired to explode, and I can blow me and the book to bits,’ Jake reminded him.
‘I don’t believe you,’ said the voice.
Jake shrugged. ‘That’s up to you,’ he said. ‘Come on, you said this was an exchange. So let’s exchange. Let them go, and I’ll put the book down on the floor here.’
‘How do we know you even have the book on you?’
Jake hesitated a second, then reached into his pocket, took the book out and held it up.
‘Here it is,’ he said.
‘It could be a fake,’ said the voice.
‘So let them go and I’ll stay here while you check it, as security.’
There was pause, then the voice said, ‘Show us the explosives.’
‘What?’ asked Jake.
‘These explosives you claim to have wired ready to go off. Show them to us.’
Jake shook his head.
‘They’re right under my clothes, next to my skin. If you think I’m going to start undressing and give you the chance to rush me . . .’
‘I don’t believe you.’
Jake shrugged again.
‘Like I said, that’s up to you. But look at it this way, you’ll be left with me and the book. If I’m lying, you’ve lost nothing.’
There was a longer pause, then the voice instructed the armed men, ‘Release the girl and the other man. Take them outside and let them go.’
Jake noticed that Robert was now sitting up, rubbing his head, dazed and hurt, but conscious.
‘I don’t hand over the book until I see your men come back in afterwards,’ warned Jake.
‘Very well. When you have taken the woman and the man outside, come back in.’
Two of the armed men went to Lauren and Robert and lifted them off the ground, and then helped them towards the warehouse door.
Don’t try anything, Robert, thought Jake desperately. This is your one chance to get away from here safely.
Lauren and Robert both stumbled as they walked, but they kept moving. As they passed, Lauren threw a helpless and desperate look at Jake. He forced a smile at her. ‘It’s OK,’ he said. ‘I know what I’m doing. Go.’
One of the armed men took her by the arm and urged her forward. Jake watched as the four disappeared out of sight around the stacked crates. All this time he stood, the book held in his hand, so the kidnappers could see it.
Please believe me, he prayed silently. Please believe that beneath my clothes I’m loaded with explosives and detonators.