The Formidable

64

The lights on the road were all a blur to Jase. He was going 30 over the speed limit which broke the rules of not doing anything illegal whilst doing something illegal, but for this one time only, he could make an exception.

The warehouse was pitch black from outside but he could see the cherry of Tommy's cigarette at the door lighting up with each inhale. They had a seven minute window. He had never prayed before, but tonight he was hoping to high heaven that Madison had managed to cut through her ties already.

Jase had heard Benny ask "What are you doing?" on the microphone Kieran had taped to his chest and his stomach had fell out of his arse, thinking he'd caught Madison trying to escape. He could have thrown up when Kieran responded. Minutes before Jase arrived at the warehouse, Kieran had been told to stand next to Madison with his gun to her head. So long as the safety was on, they should be fine. If it wasn't and Kieran flinched at any point, he could accidentally pull the trigger. Jase was as nervous about that as anything else.

Their lives were hanging by a very thin thread.

He cut the engine and got out of the car.

"Evening, Jase," Tommy greeted with a smile. Jase thought about laying him out then and there but bit his tongue. He couldn't guarantee Madison's safety if Kieran was the only one in there, and Benny undoubtedly had a gun.

"Has he hurt her?" Jase questioned.

Tommy shrugged. "He's roughed her up a bit. You know what she's like, too mouthy for her own good." Jase ignored him, leading the way. He knew Tommy had a gun pointed at his back without having to look. That's the way it worked. "Through there," Tommy ordered. Jase walked into the lit section of the warehouse, where they were all waiting. When he saw her, the mascara smeared beneath her eyes where they'd watered from the slap, and the blood running down her chin, sent his heart into a turmoil. It sunk the same way it had when he'd walked in on Adam's mission to mess her up. The night reminded him a lot of that. Only this time, she wasn't broken and unable to speak. She was waiting.

They held each other's eyes for a moment before he looked at Benny.

5 minutes.

"Hello me old mucker," Benny said with a grin. Jase stared at him, dead pan with his jaw clenched. He'd always had a temper that allowed him to do the things he did and it was growing harder and harder to control after everything Benny had done. All he could think about was slamming Benny's head into a wall until it turned to mulch in his hand. "What? Not even a hello?"

"Let her go," Jase said. "I'm here now. You have no reason to keep her."

"I told you not to come," Madison seethed. Jase glanced at her briefly then focussed back on Benny.

"We had a deal," he said. Benny laughed.

"You didn't honestly think I'd let one of you go when I now have you in the prime position to get rid of you both and make a comeback, did you?" Jase narrowed his eyes, concentrating on keeping his breathing level. Benny really believed he had the upper hand and it was grating on him. "Face it Jase, you're not cut out for this kind of thing anymore. You were going to tumble eventually and who else better to take you out of the game than the one that brought you in?" Again, Jase said nothing. 4 minutes. "Pat him down," Benny ordered. Tommy quickly found the gun, tossing it to the floor. Benny chuckled. "I can't believe you actually thought you could play hero again and come rescue her. You used to be so much smarter than that."

Madison started laughing and a slow smile crept up on Jase's face. Tommy looked at them both, a mixture of confusion and concerned. Benny's gaze darkened at the idea that they weren't taking him seriously.

"You and I both know she doesn't need a knight in shining armour, Benny," Jase said. "This isn't our last night, it's yours." Benny rolled his eyes, not quite catching on to the fact that just like Mitch, he'd been had.

"And how the fuck did you come to that conclusion?" he asked. Tommy's eyes darted over everyone as panic rose within. It dawned on him that something wasn't right. It had all been too easy, far too easy.

"You're outnumbered, Benny. It's over," Jase informed.

Benny smirked. "Outnumbered? Surely you're not on about your little pal over there?" He pulled his gun.

The timer Jase had set on his phone bleeped.

"No!" Madison screamed.

Kieran's eyes widened, his heart caught in his throat seconds before the impact hit him, a punch to the chest. The pain rippled through his body as he dropped to his knees. Shock, confusion and fear contorted on his face. Madison wasted no time, diving for his gun that fell to the floor. The echo of the shot drowned out the dozens of thundering footsteps that swarmed into the room, grenades clattered across the floor before erupting with a hiss into smoke.

"Drop your weapons and get on the ground!" a voice barked through the fog.

The commotion caught Benny off guard and he had no time to react before he was forced to the filthy concrete, his face pressed into the cold hard ground by three armoured police officers donning riot gear and automatic rifles.

"On the fucking floor, now!" another order.

Madison dropped the gun, laying facedown with her hands behind her head, Jase did the same, his attention never leaving Madison, though he could barely make out her shape lowering to the ground through the smoke.

He finally closed his eyes as Benny and Tommy were cuffed, appreciating the coolness of the concrete against his hot cheek.

It felt good to feel something other than tension, it felt as though his ribcage shrunk and a strange rush came over him as the metal cuffs were slot into place around his wrists.

It was over.

The longest night of his life was coming to an end.