Free Bring Him Back by Scott Mariani Page B

a halt. He had to push hard against his battered driver’s door to open it. ‘Carl, are you okay?’ he called out.
    ‘I’m okay,’ Carl replied in a small voice. There was resentment in his eyes as he looked at Ben.
    ‘You’re all done, Drew,’ Ben said as he walked over to them. ‘It’s time to go home and face the music. Jessica wants her boy back.’
    ‘Jessica sent you?’ Drew said. He staggered to his feet as Ben approached. He reached into his trouser pocket and came out with a pistol.
    ‘Not you as well,’ Ben said. He could have got Barberini’s .25 auto out a lot faster and put half the magazine into Drew, but his job was to take the guy back to Jersey, not shoot him. Besides, something about Drew’s gun didn’t look right. Ben snatched it from him, without twisting any fingers this time.
    Just as he’d thought. It weighed nothing in his hand. Pressed tin and plastic. It was just a non-functioning replica, little more than a toy, totally harmless and, at least to a trained eye, absolutely unrealistic. ‘You kidnapped your son with this?’ Ben said in bemusement. He didn’t understand. How could a man with a toy gun be the same guy who’d hired heavies to kill him? The same guy who’d orchestrated the stabbing of Paul Finley?
    ‘I didn’t kidnap him,’ Drew retorted. ‘I rescued him’.
    ‘Tell that to Jessica and all the cops who’re hunting for you,’ Ben said.
    Drew shook his head in defeat. ‘I can’t believe you found us.’
    ‘The moral is, don’t phone home. Calls have a habit of being tracked.’
    ‘Don’t what? ’ Drew said. ‘Nobody phoned.’
    ‘It was me,’ Carl admitted, flushing.
    Drew looked at him. ‘Oh, son, what have you done?’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ Carl muttered guiltily. ‘I just missed mum so much. Just wanted to talk to her . . .’ He sniffed, looking as if he was about to cry.
    ‘It’s okay, son,’ Drew said, and clasped the boy tightly for a moment. ‘It’s okay. I understand. Daddy doesn’t blame you.’
    ‘I hate to break up a family scene,’ Ben said. ‘Now let’s go.’
    ‘You don’t realise the harm you’re doing,’ Drew said to him in an agony of emotion.
    Carl was peering at Ben, a strange look in his eyes. ‘Dad, I think he’s all right.’
    ‘Stop messing around,’ Ben said. ‘I’m here to take you back. Carl, you have to go home. Your father’s in quite a bit of trouble.’
    Drew shook his head and put his arm tightly around Carl’s shoulders. ‘Please. You can’t do that. You can’t let him go back there. If you could only understand …wait, what are you doing?’
    Ben had taken out his phone and was dialling. ‘You want to talk to your ex-wife?’
    ‘Don’t do that!’ Drew cried out. ‘Please!’
    Jessica answered. ‘I have them,’ Ben told her. ‘Both of them. Carl’s safe and sound.’
    There was an explosion of relief and joy at the other end of the line. Ben smiled to hear it. ‘I’ll be bringing him home to you soon. Stay near the phone, I’ll call again en route.’ He ended the call.
    ‘Why did you do that?’ Drew groaned. ‘You shouldn’t have done that.’
    ‘It’s my job. To find you and take you back.’
    ‘You fool. You have no idea . . .’
    Ben motioned at the Rolls and snapped his fingers. ‘Enough. In the car,’ he commanded.
    ‘No,’ Drew said.
    ‘Don’t be stupid, Drew. You’ll get in the car, if have to stuff you in the boot. You really want to do this the hard way?’
    ‘Twenty minutes,’ Drew pleaded. ‘That’s all I ask. I’ll explain everything to you. Then you’ll know why I can’t let my boy go back there. I just can’t.’
    ‘You’ve got ten. Starting now. I’m listening.’
    ‘Ten, then. But not here,’ Drew said.
    ‘Here’s as good as anywhere.’
    ‘No, no. We have to go back to the apartment,’ Drew insisted. ‘You’ll understand. Trust me. Please.’

 
     
     
     
     
    14
    THE POLICE SIRENS ululating over Monte Carlo signalled that the