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Back Brutal Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. BRUTAL
  3. Dedication page
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Prologue
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. PART TWO
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART THREE
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. Epilogue
  55. BRUTAL
  56. By Mandasue Heller

Thinking about the word ‘alone’, his thoughts turned, as they so often did, to Evan, but he shut the images out before they had a chance to take hold. Evan was fine, he told himself firmly. OK, maybe not fine, but at least he was safe, wherever he was, because Karel needed him to keep Frank on track, so he wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. So, as long as Frank was still necessary to the plan, Evan was safe – and that was what he had to cling to in order to keep himself from doing something stupid.

Like trying to escape now there was only one man around to stop him.

One man who had been ordered to shoot not only him, but also Irena and Viktorya if anything happened.

Shaking his head, Frank dismissed the idea as quickly as it had entered his mind. He was in his bedroom with an unlocked door for the first time in weeks, yet still he was powerless, and he began to understand why Irena had given up.

43

‘It’s been declined.’

The girl pulled the bank card out of the machine and shoved it across the counter, while simultaneously pulling back the bag containing a litre bottle of vodka and four tins of dog food.

‘What do you mean, declined?’ Marie asked, her cheeks flaming when she heard one of her neighbours, who was behind her in the queue, whisper something to the woman standing next to her. ‘Try it again.’

The girl rolled her eyes and shoved the card back into the machine. Sure that she must have hit a wrong digit the first time, Marie re-entered her pin. But the girl shook her head and pulled the card out again.

‘Declined,’ she repeated, her voice unnecessarily loud, Marie thought, as she added, ‘Insufficient funds.’

‘But that’s wrong,’ Marie argued. ‘I’ve got money in my account.’

‘You’ll have to take it up with your bank,’ the girl said unsympathetically.

‘It’s nearly ten o’clock,’ Marie reminded her. ‘They’re shut.’

‘So, wait till morning,’ the girl snapped. ‘Now, unless you’ve got cash, or another card you want to try, you need to move and let me serve someone else, ’cos we’re shutting in a minute.’

Too embarrassed to continue arguing, Marie snatched her card off the counter and barged her way out of the shop. How could her account be empty? It didn’t make sense. There had been seven thousand in there the last time she’d checked.

But when had she last checked?

Oh, God . . .