Andrew left Dom lying in the dirt and crunched his way back through the rain-soaked woods, trying to get his bearings by looking for the snapped twigs that marked the direction they’d come from. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he saw the lights of his car in the distance, lighting up the rain as it fell in thick sheets.
With the engine still running, the keys would be inside, so Andrew wasted no time in heading for the driver’s side and hopping inside. He slammed the door shut beside him and looked out of the windscreen. Dom crawled around up ahead, but made no attempt to stop Andrew. The youth still seemed battered and beaten and as though it would take some time before he even had the energy to get up again.
It wasn’t clear which direction the road would be in, so Andrew decided to manoeuvre the car around, between the trees, until he was facing in the opposite direction. He set off in a straight line, hoping that it would turn out to be the route Dom had taken them in on.
The automatic wipers switched on as rain bombarded the windscreen and Andrew had to squint to see. There were trees everywhere and it was a real effort to avoid them all. Several times Andrew had to brake sharply and make erratic steering movements. The uneven, bumpy ground didn’t help much either and the tyres barely kept their grip in the sliding mud.
But eventually the trees began to thin and then, finally, open out into a clearing. The car hit a water-logged field and the steering got heavier. Andrew clutched the wheel tighter and leant forward to examine his surroundings. The field stretched down a hill and was lined on all sides by a wooden-post fence. In the distance were the easily distinguishable lights of a house.
Most likely the Brockhill estate.
Andrew knew that the large Manor on the edge of town was roadside. If he headed for the building and it did turn out to be Brockhill Estate then he could get back onto a main road and head back into town. He could reach the hospital in fifteen minutes.
Andrew put his foot down and the car careened faster down the hill. As the house below became clearer, it revealed itself to be just the building he was hoping for. Andrew wouldn’t have to cover the entire distance to Brockhill Manor because there was a steel gate about fifty-metres up from it at the edge of the field. The gate was hanging open, obviously left that way by Dom. Beyond it: the main road.
Andrew gripped the steering wheel tighter and sped up. I’m coming, Bex. Just hold on.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Davie tried calling his brother’s mobile several times but there was no answer. Same thing when he made a call to Dom. He began to worry. Frankie had been unstable before all the shit that had happened, but now he was border-line insane. Still, Davie forgave his brother’s faults even if he could not fully come to terms with them. He was determined to put a stop to the situation before it could escalate further. There was still a chance for Frankie to retain some shred of humanity if he were to just stop now.
No one else needs to get hurt.
Davie’s biggest concern was that Frankie would try to finish what he had started by going after Andrew and his family again. He had already made suggestions that he needed to deal with any loose ends.
The first place Davie visited was Andrew’s home. It was a possibility that Frankie would return there to resume his beef with the man. But as Davie rounded the corner, he saw that the house’s lights were out and that – even more tellingly – Andrew’s Mercedes was gone from its space at the side of the road. No one was there – neither his brother nor the man he may have been looking to kill. Davie started thinking about plan B.
Where else could they be? If Frankie’s still looking for trouble then he’ll be going wherever Andrew is. So where would Andrew be?
There was of course only one place Andrew would be. Davie had seen how much the man loved his family. There was little doubt that he would be at the hospital at his daughter’s bedside.
Which means Frankie will most likely be there too.