BooksBarbecue
Back The Game
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. NOW
  4. One
  5. BEFORE
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. NOW
  26. Twenty-One
  27. BEFORE
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Twenty-Six
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. NOW
  46. Thirty-Nine
  47. BEFORE
  48. Forty
  49. Forty-One
  50. Forty-Two
  51. Forty-three
  52. Forty-Four
  53. Forty-Five
  54. Forty-Six
  55. Forty-Seven
  56. Forty-Eight
  57. Forty-Nine
  58. Fifty
  59. Fifty-One
  60. NOW
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. Fifty-Three
  63. Fifty-Four
  64. Fifty-Five
  65. AFTER
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Acknowledgements
  68. About the Author

Which made it stranger that he was willing to snatch Natasha when they had no real idea of his existence anyway. An innocent man was on the verge of being charged with Emily’s murder and Joanna’s death was being treated as suicide.

Would he know that?

‘It’s the ritual,’ John mumbled, but Mark could see his resolve on that idea was beginning to crumble as well. Given enough time, John could probably be convinced of anything.

Mark didn’t think John believed what he was saying anymore. It had probably sounded right, back when it was just words on a screen, anonymity giving him a barrier between what was real and what wasn’t. Now, a detective was standing in his bedroom, and he was confronted with the fact that what he’d set in motion had had consequences.

And all Mark could think about was Natasha and whether she would be just another victim.

What have you done?

John’s head snapped towards the laptop as a low pinging sound came from the speakers.

‘Is that him?’ Mark said, moving closer, as John snatched up the computer.

‘Yes, he’s got back to me,’ John said, motioning with his head towards the screen. ‘I think he’s told me where she is. He’ll tell me the truth. He always has.’

‘Right, yeah,’ Mark replied, moving him to one side, so he could sit in front of the laptop and read the screen. There was a familiar-looking message box in the middle, but everything surrounding it was alien to him. The numbers in the address bar, the format of the site. It was all seemingly designed to stop people accidentally stumbling across it. He read the reply.

There was an address and one line of text and that was it. Nothing else to the message.

HE HAS TO COME ALONE OR SHE DIES.

Mark didn’t think twice, pulling out his phone and typing into the search bar of his Maps app. It was a fair distance away, but he thought he could be there within a couple of hours.

‘Stay here, John,’ Mark said, standing up and closing the laptop over. Considered again, and then picked it up, placing it under his arm. ‘They’ll be on their way here now and you’re best telling them exactly what you’ve told me. Try and escape – I’ll track you down personally and that time I won’t be so nice. Understand?’

John nodded his head, collapsing in on himself now. Disgusting, sobbing sounds fought their way from between the hands covering his face. ‘I’m… I’m sorry. I… I don’t want to go to prison. I… I didn’t do anything.’