Free Snatched by Dreda Say Mitchell Page A

via a police phone number.
    The boarding up was well done but Mac knew it would be no trouble to take down. He levered the boards off with the baton and inspected the damage behind. There was a lot of splintered wood and shattered stained glass where Phil’s team had crashed their way in. The locks were broken, the hinges hanging on for dear life and a gentle tap with the foot was enough to open it. Inside the house everything was in chaos from the raid. Mac manoeuvred a chair that was dumped in the hall up against the busted front door. He knew it wouldn’t keep anyone out for long.
    But he didn’t want to keep anyone out. He just wanted advance warning that they were coming in. He also knew his adversary. She never came in through any front door. She was too clever for that. Because he knew Elena was coming to this house. She wouldn’t come straight away. She’d get everything ready down to the last detail first. But he knew she would come.
    He searched the house and lingered for a while in the room that had served as his son’s nursery. He collected some of the boy’s toys that were on the floor and put them in a plastic bag, which he left in the hall, determined to take them with him when he left. And he would be leaving this place. Mac didn’t care about himself but he was also determined to stay alive. Strangers wouldn’t be bringing up his boy.
    And neither would she .
    He began to prepare the house to defend it against attack. He checked where the junction box was so he could throw the electricity if necessary. He took out light bulbs from strategic points in various rooms so he would be in darkness and she would be in light. He barricaded some windows to cut down the number of entry points and then created obstacles to channel the enemy in certain directions during a fight. He inspected access to the panelled secret room where the nanny had hidden with John Mac, in case he too needed to hide. Then he collected various items that would make a noise if knocked and placed them behind doors so he would know where she was in the house. He walked up the stairs and along the landing, checking for creaking floorboards so he knew where not to tread. He prepared everything like a military operation. When it was over, he prowled the house, checking and rechecking everything. He cleaned his gun and made sure it was fully loaded.
    When it was over, he drew the curtains in the front room, leaving a small gap so he could see the front path. She would check the door first before deciding where to break in. Mac had removed all the lighting in the front room so it would be in complete darkness. All except for one lamp that was positioned by him that he could switch on and illuminate the room. He sat on a sofa that was turned towards the window. Everything was ready.
    Occasionally, a car came down the quiet road and then passed by. From time to time, one would slow down and Mac would peer through the window to see what was happening. Sometimes one vehicle would pull up and doors would slam before the neighbours hurried into their homes, casting sideways glances at ‘that house’ and hoping ‘that business’ was all over.
    Perhaps it was because he had prepared everything so well and was so pleased with his work that Mac made one bad mistake. In a long period when nothing seemed to move on the street, he rested his head against the back of the sofa. He fell into a twilight sleep. The dreams began again but he was conscious enough to understand that he was dreaming. When John Mac appeared telling him in an adult voice to be careful, the dreamer promised him that he was going to be careful. Then he told him to go away, he wasn’t real. Ghostly figures came to watch over him – DI Rio Wray and Calum Burns. Even Phil Delaney. He was swallowed up in blackness and silence. Then the black figure with brown hair appeared fluttering around his head.
    He woke with a start.
    That’s when Mac realised that a figure clothed in black