Page 100 of Silver Tears

Then suddenly, before the police can make their move, a door bursts open and a small figure runs out. The police all train their guns on the figure.

“Oh god! Its Chops.” My heart is my mouth as little Charlie makes a run for it. From where we’re standing, you can hear Lenny shouting after him. Chops runs so fast; he jumps over the boat's side and into the arms of a police officer who throws down his weapon to catch him. Lenny runs out of the boat after Charlie, calling him a little shit. He grinds to a stop when he realises he’s surrounded.

Mills shouts Charlie’s name loudly. Charlie looks around frantically for her as the policeman carries him down to the waiting police cars and detective Boyd. Mills attempts to take off towards her brother, but I hold her back.

“Not yet. Not until they have him secure. Chop’s is safe now. I’m not risking you getting hurt.”

She whimpers in frustration, eager to get to her brother and I feel awful for holding her back, but I mean it. Until the police secure that bastard and put him in the back of a police van, Mills isn’t going anywhere near there.

Lenny raises his hands in the air, dropping the knife he came out brandishing, then drops to his knees. They swiftly take him down to the ground and search him before cuffing him and hauling him back to his feet.

“Let me go, please!” Mills begs, and I release my grip on her arm. She takes off like her arse is on fire. I quickly follow on her tail, as do her dad and brothers.

“Charlie! Charlie! Where is he?” she asks frantically, as she gets to where the police have cordoned off the area with police cars. “Let me through. He’s my brother.”

Boyd orders the officers to wave her through and he opens the back door of the squad car. Chops jumps out of the car and straight into her arms. I’ve never felt so relieved. The little man looks unharmed.

“What part of stay at the house did you lot not understand?” Boyd grumbles at us, and I shrug my shoulders in response. He should know by now that we’ve never been very good at doing what we’re told.

MILLY

He’s safe. He’s in my arms and he’s okay. I lean back and check his face, scanning his body for injuries. “Did he hurt you anywhere?”

Charlie shakes his head. “He tied me to a chair, but I got free, and mum told me to run.” He holds out his wrists and there are angry red marks where Lenny bound them tight.

“You’re such a brave boy, you know that?” I tell him, kissing his cheeks and pulling him back against my chest.

“Miss, we need to check him over.” A kind paramedic lingers behind us with her colleague, waiting to see Charlie.

“Of course, sorry.” There’s movement from over by the boat and my heart sinks when I see an officer carrying my limp mother from the boat. “Mum!” With Charlie safely deposited with the paramedic, I rush over to where the officer carries my mum over to the other ambulance and on to a stretcher.

“Is she okay?” I ask, as he hands her over to the paramedics.

“Andrea!” My dad comes rushing up beside me and his eyes fall on his ex-wife, looking lifeless and fragile, laid out on the stretcher. “Oh god, Andrea. What have you done to yourself?”

The paramedic asks us to step back so they can complete their checks. Dad grips my shoulder as we stand back and watch on helplessly.

“She looks so ill,” Dad comments. “It’s hard to believe that’s her.”

I nod my head. “She’s an addict, Dad. She’ll be okay now, though, right? We’ll get her the help she needs?” I look at him pleading. I’m worried he’ll say that she isn’t his problem.

“Of course we will,” he assures me, squeezing my shoulder.

Damon and Luca have hung back, but they come to stand beside us and watch as they wheel our mum into the back of the ambulance. “Wow, I don’t recognise her.”

“She’s sick, Day,” I explain. “The drink and drugs have wrecked her small body.”

Day nods and gestures over to the other ambulance. “They’re leaving with Charlie. They want to know if anyone wants to travel with him?”

“I do,” I insist. I pause and look for Seb, who’s hung back and is speaking with Boyd. “Will you come to the hospital?”

He smiles at me and nods his head. “We’ll meet you up there. You go ahead with Charlie. He needs you.”

I don’t need telling twice. After one last glance my mum’s way, I make my way over to the waiting ambulance and climb into the back.

“Milly! We’re in an ambulance! Isn’t it cool?” he says with big expressive eyes when I sit in the seat opposite him.

I plaster on my best smile. I don’t want him to see how worried and exhausted I am. “It’s very cool. How are you feeling?”