Page 133 of 36 Hours

The rope around her waist fell slack. Kim pulled it off completely as Stacey spied and headed for a pair of bolt cutters.

She handed them to Kim.

‘Stay still for me, Nazeera. I don’t want to hurt you,’ Kim said, getting a fix on the first cuff keeping her hands locked to the table. ‘One more,’ she went on, moving the cutters to the other wrist.

‘Everybody okay?’ Bryant said, coming into the workshop.

Penn followed closely behind.

‘All good and well done,’ Kim said as she helped Nazeera to her feet.

The woman appeared to be slightly unsteady at first but offered a tremulous smile.

‘Thank…thank you, but how did you…?’

‘Not important right now. Just as long as you’re okay.’

She nodded with more certainty before panic crept into her eyes. ‘Is Mum okay?’

‘She’s fine. Just concerned about you. Salt and Pepper are with her.’

‘Thank you. Thank you. I’m good, I’m good. What time is it?’

‘Seven fifteen,’ Stacey said.

‘Okay, okay. Jessica. Does anyone know how Jessica is doing?’

No one answered because none of them knew.

‘I need to get to the hospital. There’s still time. I can operate.’

Kim desperately wanted to ask her about her abductor but not at the expense of a little girl’s life.

‘My colleagues will get you there, Nazeera,’ she said, squeezing the woman’s hand. ‘And good luck with the surgery.’

Stacey took Nazeera’s arm and guided her around the anvil and other objects that littered the floor.

‘Bloody brave woman, that one,’ Bryant said as they followed behind.

‘Without doubt. Penn was pretty courageous getting up on that roof too,’ she said.

‘Jeez, thanks a lot, guv,’ he said as they exited the building.

‘Yeah, it wasn’t a bad plan, and it was executed pretty well.’

‘If that’s as good as it gets from you, I’ll take it. Though I’m not liking the look on your face right now.’

She could understand Bryant being concerned.

He was right to be.

ONE HUNDRED

7.15P.M.

‘Too easy,’ Kim said, shaking her head as Penn, Stacey and Nazeera disappeared from view. ‘He wanted us to find her so that we’d be late finding him. He’s forcing us to break his rules so that he can enact the consequences.’

Kim admired Nazeera’s grit. The woman had been kidnapped and held hostage for twelve hours. She must have feared for her own safety, for her life at times, and after asking about her mother’s well-being, the first thing on her mind was saving the life of a little girl.