Human Sized Hurricane | Michael Clifford

Chapter 14 - Tracking Progress

Michael pulled up in front of Emma's house and jumped out of the car at the same time as her, beating her to the front door to open it for her. She walked in and called for her father, taking a quick look around the ground floor of the house to look for him, while Michael stood guard at the front door with the revolver in his jeans. "Dad?!" Emma called louder than she'd done before to alert him, then she climbed the stairs hurriedly and met him at the top, making them both jump. 

"Emma, what is it?" The middle aged man asked, both hands out stretched for his daughter as he hugged her tightly, then cupped her face and looked into her eyes. "Baby, what's wrong?" He asked softly, seeing she was tearing up. 

"Dad, we need to leave here" Emma said, moving past him and along the landing to his open bedroom door. 

"Don't be ridiculous, why?" He questioned, stepping into the room with her as she grabbed a bag from under his be and began throwing clothes into it. "Emma, stop. Stop. What's going on?" He asked as she stood and he placed his hand on her shoulders. 

"Emma? Hurry it up" She heard Michael call from downstairs, still on guard as he constantly walked around to each window looking out to check they weren't followed. 

Emma's dad turned in confusion in the direction the almost strangers voice came from. "Dad, do you remember in the old spy movie were there was a gang of bad people who wanted that rich guys money?" She said, making him stop and think. He nodded in reply. "Well, its happening now, dad" She looked at his confused expression, then broke away from him and carried on throwing his clothes into the bag. "Michael's brother is out to get me and your money and that's why we have to get away from here" She told him, as she zipped up the bag and chucked it at him, then hurried around the door frame to her room and began doing the same; throwing clothes into her bag with essential toiletries like toothpaste and her toothbrush, deodorant, shower gel and shampoo while her dad stood in the doorway thinking deeply about what she just said. 

"Emma?!" Michael called, still checking the windows restlessly. 

"We're coming!" She called back as her father went to the top of the stairs to see the familiar teenage boy who brought his daughter home from the party. They made eye contact, but it was interrupted by Emma as she raced down the stairs with two bags of clothes and her coat. "Dad, please, you have to believe me!" She said, turning back to look up at him desperately. 

He was silent for a moment, contemplating whether the situation was real or not, then he grabbed his coat from where Emma had placed it on the banister, and walked downstairs to where the two teenagers were waiting for him. "Who have you told about this?" He asked with a serious expression, addressing both of them standing together.

"Just uncle Tommy" Emma replied, out of breath from all the running about the house. "I asked him to look into Robert Clifford, Michael's brother, and he said he'll get back to me on him" She gestured to Michael standing next to her who smiled awkwardly at her dad, as he stared uncertainly at the boy. Emma noticed his expression towards the blond boy, so she took some of he weight. "Dad, we can trust Michael"

"Ah, yes, I've met this one before. He was the one who brought you home that night" The middle aged man said, narrowing his grey eyes at the two of them. "Bobby Clifford was the one who tried to break into the national Bank last year and he managed to get out with over £2,000 in cash. When questioned, a follower of his said that the money would go towards paying Mr Clifford's rent and debts. I never imagined he'd try to do it again" He told them as they listened carefully.

Just then, Emma's phone buzzed as someone called her and the caller ID read 'Uncle Tommy'. She excitedly opened her phone and answered the call, putting it on speaker. "Uncle Tommy, what did you get?" She asked him as Michael returned to checking the windows again, and locked the back door with the key on the hook beside it. 

"Bobby Clifford was the man who tried to break into the National Bank in July last year and stole £2,000 in cash. He is also the owner of three companies within the black market and is wanted in 48 countries, most for fraud or murder" Tommy said from his desk at the police station in Scotland Yard as his work colleagues passed him papers containing information about the psycho man. 

"Right" Emma's dad said, taking Emma's phone and turning to walk toward the kitchen where a bunch of keys rested on hooks of different sizes and colours on the wall beside the back door. 

"Andy, what are planning to do, if he catches you out first?" Tommy asked, his voice a little like Michael Caine's.

"For the protection of my family, I'm not going to tell you. But for the sake of catching the poor bugger, I'll need a team of undercover operatives to be stationed at the house and gather what they can about when Mr Clifford will make his next move towards us" Andy said, grabbing a set of car keys from a hook and passing Michael as he concentrated on securing the windows and locking them all. "From then on, you'll need to take control of this situation and I'll get back to you" 

"No" Michael said, making Andy stop as Emma peered through the blinds of the big living room window. Andy looked at him with a confused expression, still holding Emma's phone close to his face. Tommy was silent at the other end of the line too with only the sounds of the noise of the office coming through the microphone. "I'll stay here and wait for him. It'll give you and your daughter enough time to get away" Michael said, heard by Emma.

She came to stand in front of Michael with a hand against his chest, but he backed up from her, knowing his limits. "No" She said to him. "I'm not leaving you behind, Michael" She told him, a stern and serious frown upon her face. 

A slight smile crossed Andy's face as he watched the eyes of his child as they mimicked how her mother used to look at him. Her face was twisted with anger and devotion as though her heart were to burst out of her chest at any given moment, although it wouldn't because she wouldn't let it. "You would sacrifice yourself to save my daughter and I?" He questioned, silencing their thoughts and drawing back their attention. Tommy listened to the conversation closely. 

Michael stared at Andy intimidated like he was earlier. "Yes, sir. I would" He replied, nodding his head a little. 

"Tommy, I have a young man here who is willing to stay behind and wait for Mr Clifford" Andy told his brother, not taking his eyes away from the brother of the currently most hated man in the family. "He will be the one to receive the undercover agents at my door and any weapons he may need to... terminate the criminal"

"No!" Emma yelled, glancing back to her father before facing Michael again to address him with her full body. "Michael..." She began, but for the second time in this day, she was cut off. 

"Emma, you have to go" Michael said, leaning his neck forward to look straight into her eyes, trying desperately to keep his hands off her. "If you think you can trust me, leave me. I'll be fine" He told her and gave a warming smile.