The Formidable

65

Halogen lights lit up the car park. Most of the police officers were climbing back into the riot van. Benny and Tommy had been put in the back of an unmarked police car. By the door to the warehouse was an ambulance with it's back doors open. A paramedic dabbed at Madison's bust lip, cleaning up the dry blood. Jase was talking to an officer about what had happened, his cuffs had been removed.

"How you doing, kid?" Karl asked Madison. He'd come as soon as he and Sam had heard the shouting of the police officers. Madison sighed, nodding.

"Better now. Is Mia okay?"

"She woke up after Jase left but Janine managed to settle her again," Karl reassured.

She closed her eyes, letting herself breathe and her muscles relax for a moment. The sleep she would have after all of this was done and dusted would be the best nights sleep of her life, she could tell. Her shoulders and elbows hurt from being pulled back and her wrists were stiff from the limited movement she had whilst cutting through the zip tie, but there was no lasting damage. Not for her.

Jase folded his arms, still with the police officer.

"He kidnapped your daughter?" the officer asked. He wasn't taking a statement, just generally interested in what had caused all of this and what had been so urgent that his higher ups had ordered an emergency off the record unit. Jase skipped the details of his and Madison's first encounters and the ordeals at the house, starting when she'd arrived back in London and making it seem like Benny's actions were directly related to Mickey. It was obvious to any police officer worth his salt that something dodgy was going on, but Jase didn't need to walk the line throwing himself under the bus with his part in all the illegalities that had taken place. Even if he did have temporary immunity.

"For three days, but she's okay now. Safe with people we trust while we sorted all of this."

"Fucking hell," the officer puffed his cheeks. "I won't lie mate, I'd have probably been gunning for blood as well. It's all well and good going to the police but sometimes prison doesn't cut it." They were interrupted by a DI who had just gotten off the phone to a judge. The same judge they had pictures of. Karl had informed the DI it was in his best interests to make the call before they started with the paperwork. The DI looked at Jase, unhappy with whatever he'd been told. With his job, mind, it could just be his permanent facial expression. He had bug eyes and a slight underbite, causing him to resemble a pissed off bulldog.

"There will be no further action taken towards you and Miss Kimber and that's a definite. It looks like today's your lucky day," he grunted.

Jase laughed. "Fucking hell, I'd hate to see what my unlucky day looks like," he said. The DI didn't laugh.

"I'm willing to do this, not only because my bosses have told me to, but because I was good friends with Mickey. He carried out a favour for me a while ago concerning my daughter and a bad lot she got herself involved with. I'd say tonight's actions from you and Miss Kimber would make us more or less even. So get it over with and get out of London." He turned on his heel and walked away, getting into one of the undercover police cars, not the one Benny and Tommy were in, and leaving the scene. The riot van pulled away after him.

There would be no paperwork or statements taken, everyone present was aware this was an under the radar job, okayed by their superiors and no one asked questions they didn't need the answers to. It was no concern of theirs, so long as they were getting paid and paid they were, straight from the bank of Mickey set aside with hush money. An account Madison had gained access to from other documents in the safety deposit box. The man really had thought of everything.

"Right," the police officer who had been speaking to Jase said, "I'll let you get on and I wish you and your daughter the best. She'll be sound for the rest of her life with parents like you two," he laughed.

Jase strolled over to Madison as the paramedic was finishing up. He tilted his head, slipping his hands in his pockets. She smiled at him sleepily, careful not to move her lips too much to avoid splitting them again. Regardless of the bruises coming up on her cheek and the smudged mascara over her face and the sweat crisped hair, Jase still thought she was beautiful.

"How you doing?" he asked softly. She bobbed her head.

"I've had worse. I only took a couple of slaps, nothing extreme." He reached out, brushing her face with his knuckles.

"Atta girl. I'm actually surprised we managed to pull through with everything. For a minute there, I really started to worry. Especially when he shot Kieran."

Madison hummed, then her brows furrowed. "Speaking of, where is he? Is he okay?" On cue, Kieran rounded the side of the ambulance, looking as tired as everyone felt but smiling, grateful to be alive. He'd shed the bulletproof vest and felt a lot lighter on his feet now. Mind, that could be the copious amounts of adrenalin pumping around his body.

"You did well in there, mate," Jase said. "I didn't think you were going to hold out."

Kieran rolled his eyes, putting his hands in his jacket pocket and doing a bit of a jog on the spot. "I won't lie, I shit myself a bit when he pulled his gun out but I knew I was relatively safe with the vest on." Madison hopped off the back of the ambulance, replacing the foil blanket with her leather jacket.

"Well, you still could have died even with that on. Had he shot you in a certain point and your heart was beating at a certain pace. Or if he aimed for your head," she said.

Kieran's eyes widened. "What?" he squeaked. Madison and Jase smiled at each other, amused by his panic.

"Come on," Jase said, taking his cigarettes from his pocket. They both started walking towards Jase's car, leaving Kieran behind them.

"Madison, that's not funny," he called after. Madison shrugged, speaking to Jase in response.

"It's kind of funny because he didn't," she said. Jase chuckled, putting his arm over her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side, aching but satisfied. They were nearly done.