Free Holy Island Trilogy 02 - Nowhere Man by Sheila Quigley

in touch.’ He swung his face towards Kristina, and felt a small stab in his heart. She had re-awoken feelings he thought he had lost forever.
    Bad timing, kiddo. For the foreseeable future, my life’s on hold.
    ‘How can I help?’ Kristina asked.
    ‘You can’t.’
    ‘Please, Mike.’ She moved to the side of his bed. ‘Don’t shut me out, not now.’
    But Mike refused to look at her. Staring at the wall, he said, ‘Can’t you see? I have no choice. When I get to the bottom of this, if I think it’s safe to involve you, I will. All of you.’
    ‘But----’
    Mike ignored her.  As if she’d never spoken, he said. ’Go away…All of you.’
    Cox heaved a loud sigh, and they all turned to him. ‘It seems that I know the least. What I do know is that if you say it’s dangerous for us all, then I believe you, and whatever you want me to do, you just have to say the word.’
    ‘I know I can trust everyone in here. But believe me, none of you know who you can trust. So please believe me when I say, trust no one but each other. And that’s it, you’re getting no more from me.’
    ‘But Mike…’ Kristina said. ‘We’re your friends, we need to know what we’re up against.’
    Grim faced Smiler nodded.
    ‘Are you all fucking thick or what?’ Mike yelled. ‘How many times do I have to tell you?’
    ‘Could you please keep the noise down in here there are other patients to consider.’ The nurse said as she came into the room.
    Mike looked at the three of them in turn, before saying ‘Go!’
    Slowly Smiler backed out of the room, followed by a deflated Kristina and a frowning Cox.

PART TWO

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
    Petrified, holding her breath, Shelly stood as still as she could. In each hand she held a wire coat hanger, her face an inch from the inside of the wardrobe door. She heard the door to her room open. A soft footfall, and she knew he was in the room. Silence for a moment, in which she pictured him looking around for her, then another soft footfall and he was outside the wardrobe door. She could hear him breathing, smell the cigarette he had just smoked.
    What if he suddenly starts shooting?
    He’s gonna open this door sooner than later.
    Oh God, please help me.
    Shaking inside, fear mounting by the second, she squeezed her hands tightly around the hangers. Praying that he was facing the door, Shelly did the only thing she could think of.
    Bursting out of the wardrobe, arms held high, she brought them both down together. The point of the left coat hanger lodged deeply into the bottom of the man's right eye, and the right coat hanger went into his mouth. Yanking downwards with all the strength she could muster, she ripped open his eye and tore off a piece of his gum.
    Screaming, the man dropped his gun and clutched at his face, blood pouring through his fingers as he desperately tried to keep his eyeball in place while spitting out a chunk of bloody flesh with a tooth attached.
    Shelly grabbed the gun with one hand, her bag with the other, hesitated for a split second while she glared at the man who had planned to murder her. Lifting her right foot, she booted him as hard as she could and sent him sprawling across the floor.
    ‘Bastard!’ she screamed, with a brief feeling of satisfaction, shoving the gun into her bag. Then, knowing that time was her enemy, she made it out of the hospital as fast as she could.
    An hour later she was sitting in the cab of a lorry heading down the A1. The driver, a short, blond, middle aged man, seemed a decent sort and had talked about nothing but his family since she had sat down. Shelly was impatient to get as far away as she could, as quickly as she could, knowing that the hunt for her had probably started within minutes of her escape.
    ‘So how long before we get to Manchester?’ Shelly interrupted his monologue about his seven year old daughter Mia, who he obviously adored.
    He glanced at the clock on the dashboard, and said, ‘Just over an hour, love, very