baseball cap asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“We know Mason is here.” The man who was talking gestured with his gun to a man standing by the stairs to go upstairs. He nodded once before he took off upstairs. Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought of them finding Mason or hurting her daughters.
They all waited in silence until the man came down, dragging Mason down the stairs with him. Even though Mason wasn’t a small man the other man managed to drag him down the stairs with hardly any effort because of Mason’s injuries. It took two men on each of Mason’s shoulders to hold him to his knees.
“Listen here, Mason. Either you tell us where you’ve hidden the drugs or your whore and the kids get it.” The man with the cap pushed the gun further into her mother’s head when Mason didn’t answer.
“I don’t know. I gave them to Fabio.”
“You better not be lying. I’ve got ten other men outside waiting to deliver letters with surprises if you’re lying to me.”
“When the police came I gave them to Fabio. I swear.” Mason glanced towards Zoe who had her hand in her pocket. She nodded to Mason and he relaxed slightly in the man’s hold. Either Zoe was phoning the police or she was calling someone for help.
“I think I might just take this one for my own. Since you’re so attached to her.” The man with the black cap reached over and stroked his hand down Zoe’s face. It took everything in her body not to shudder at his touch. Instead she kept her gaze forward, on her two daughters and mother.
“You touch her and I will cut your balls off with a rusty knife, so help me.” Mason threatened, his body surging forward in the man’s grasp.
“I’m scared, Mummy.” Angelia sniffled and Zoe saw Mason’s eyes narrow as he stared at the man in the cap.
“William, let them go. It’s not them you want. It’s not the neighbourhood you want.”
“That’s where you’re mistaken, Mason. Since you ran into this neighbourhood, it makes me want it.” William, black baseball cap guy, lowered his gun and crouched in front of Mason.
“It’s me you want. Why hurt innocent people in the process?”
“Well the thing is—“ that was as far as William got in his sentence before the doors to the house slammed open and armed policemen stood there. Zoe risked a look outside and felt relief through her body at the sight of the policemen arresting countless men outside.
“Release the hostages.” A SWAT man had his gun aimed at William’s head and Zoe’s fear spiked again.
“Just one thing first, officer.” William smiled at the SWAT man before spinning and firing his gun quicker than Zoe could even register. She heard Mason shout and the two men dropped him and ran. The SWAT team were on them within seconds.
Her daughters and mother were released, the two girls immediately running to her. She hoisted them both in her arms and tried to soothe them as she saw Mason writing around in pain. Her mother shook her head before heading rushing towards Mason. Her mother was a nurse in the ER for nearly forty years so she knew that Mason would be safe in her hands.
She set Rebecca and Angelia down on the counter and looked at each of their faces.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“We’re fine, Mummy.” Angelia reached out and held her sister’s hand with a little smile; even though tears were streaming down her face she tried to be strong for her sister.
“Who’s he?” Rebecca pointed to Mason who gave a half-hearted wave to the little girls. They both enthusiastically waved back him.
“That’s Mason. He’s a friend of Mummy’s.”
“More than a friend.” Mason grumbled and then grunted as Zoe’s mother put more pressure on his shoulder. Zoe smiled and watched as the police vans departed from her kitchen window. The window had been covered with a cardboard sheet at