The Book of Daniel Read Free Page A

parcel, and we’re not getting paid by the hour. Dave?”
    My heart racing, I took a couple of steps forwards, the gun aimed at George. “Dan!” he shouted out. “Dan, these bastards mean business! For God’s sake, get up here now! They’re going to shoot me!” You could almost mistake the sparkle in his eyes for fear. I think part of him was actually enjoying this mess.
    Sam’s eyes began to narrow, and I could see he wasn’t quite convinced by George’s sudden switch from uncooperative resistance to craven submission; but before he could finish puzzling it out, I brought the gun up and pointed it at his chest. “Drop the gun, mate, and tell your boys here not to try anything funny. I know how to use this thing. You two, lose the sticks.”
    Sam’s henchmen exchanged looks with their boss, who slowly nodded his acquiescence and dropped his gun to the floor. “Okay lads, do as he says. Mr Stein, I presume? Crafty bugger, aren’t you? What have you done with Dave?”
    “He’s having a bit of a lie down over there. I think he’s had one of those workplace-related injuries you were talking about just a minute ago. Now shut up.”
    George armed himself with Sam’s gun and rose unsteadily to his feet, grinning from ear to ear. “What now, Action Man?”
    “I think it’s time to call for some reinforcements. Have you got your mobile with you?”
    “Yeah, but it’s not working. Guess these chumps must be telling the truth about that jamming device.”
    “Maybe. But I’ve got my phone out in the car. If you hold Sam and his friends here in check, I’ll go out and see if I have any more luck down that end of the car park. Then I can call for the police,” I said. “Oh, and an ambulance,” I added.
    “You’re a true gent, Dan. You want to send for a pizza, too, while you’re at it?”
    “That won’t do any good,” I said, waving the gun dismissively at our captives. “It looks like all the pizza delivery boys are already spoken for.”
    “Fuck you,” barked Sam.
    “Shhhh. Quiet, I said.” Now that it had served its purpose, I took off Dave’s mask, not wishing to feel like a gangster any longer than I had to. “Maybe when I get back we can unmask the rest of our party guests and see if we can find out what’s so important about this bloody parcel they keep banging on about.”
    I ducked out through the warehouse door and into the downpour that was waiting outside. I ran over to my car, but this time it was more than just the weather that made me hurry. Despite the fact that we had subdued our unwelcome guests, there was still something not quite right about the situation in the warehouse. Sam seemed far too quick to give up, especially considering how determined he and his gang had been to get their hands on that parcel, whatever it was. The more I thought about it, the less I liked it, and by the time I reached my car, I was having serious doubts about the wisdom of having left George back there on his own.
    I wasted no time in unlocking the car and grabbing the phone from its home in the glove compartment. That’s pretty much where it always lived; when you keep to yourself as much as I did, you don’t need a mobile phone, and I only had one in the car in case of emergencies—although I was expecting something more along the lines of getting a flat tyre on the motorway, rather than a bunch of psychos raiding my workplace.
    Sam’s jamming gizmo didn’t seem to reach as far as where I had parked my car, and I quickly dialled through to the police and gave the emergency dispatcher an outline of what had transpired. All George and I had to do was sit tight for fifteen minutes, and the cavalry would arrive to take care of the rest.
    That was about half an hour before I found myself speeding home on the most terrifying drive of my life.

Chapter 2
    I ended the call, slipped the phone into my pocket and hurried back over to the warehouse. But the instant I stepped inside again, everything