The kids’ eyes lit up and loud, happy chatter suddenly filled the room; Bonzo and Jarhead spoil them relentlessly, and let them get away with stuff I’m obliged to damp down because Georgy wouldn’t approve, even if I had no problem with it, and generally let them rampage on them; they’re their favourite playmates and never, ever scold them. Of course they went wild, their excitement off the scale knowing that Uncle Andy and Uncle Rex were on the way. I could see the dark in their eyes dissipating and winked at Georgy; once again she’d said exactly the right thing to get the kids perked up and being kids again; I wished I knew how she did that, but honestly I’m just grateful she knew how at all.
Georgy hugged Jamie to her, something he hates, because he’s a big boy now, and kissed him, again something he was publicly allergic to, and spoke to the kids.
“They said they’d be here in the morning, so why don’t you all go to bed, it’s late, and when you wake up in the morning, Uncle Andy and Uncle Rex will be here, and we can all have some fun, yes?”
Cue complaints, ‘Mummy, I’m not sleepy’, ‘no, Mummy, don’t wanna go to bed’, ‘not tired’, the usual kid fussing at bedtime, but Georgy and Aunt Kay packed them off to bed. Normally Megan would help with the ‘bath/teeth/PJ’s/tuck-in/story’ cycle, but she was still in shock, so Aunt Kay helped while I prowled around downstairs letting my anger free where the kids wouldn’t see it.
When Georgy eventually came back down I’d finished punching throw-pillows and fingering the horrendous medieval killing implements lining the walls and promising mayhem, and I was ready to have a rational conversation. Georgy, however, had other things on her mind.
“Find them, Tyler, find the men who did this; they terrorised my babies, how fucking DARE they! Promise me, Tyler Wilmot; whatever it takes, however you do it, I want them found and I want them punished for what they did. They attacked my children! They have to pay, promise me!”
I pulled her close to me, feeling her body taut as a bowstring; she was beyond furious, someone had threatened her babies and the mother bear was out and looking for blood. Also, she’d called me by my proper name, something she almost never does, telling me just how serious she was. I held her close, feeling her stiff and unyielding against me as the fury worked its way through her. Georgy is the most placid, most even-tempered person I know, and it shocked me just how angry she was (although, thinking about it, I shouldn’t have been), but eventually she relaxed, slumping bonelessly against me. It was then I realised she was crying softly, her body trembling as fear and reaction replaced cold fury.
“Will, they came so close… they’re just babies, and those men, they… they… oh God Will, supposing they’d got to them, supposing they’d hurt my babies, Willie, how can I… oh my God, my children, what if they’d… thank you God, thank you…”
All the hysteria and fright she’d hidden so well from the kids was coming out, and all I could do was hold her and help her level-off; our kids were safe, those men had scared them, but they were unharmed. That didn’t mean I was going to let it go, oh no sir. I was going to find them and pay them back; they’d come after my children, now they were going to discover just what kind of hornet’s nest they’d stirred up!
“They didn’t get to them, baby, the kids are safe, that’s all that matters, they’re safe, Georgy-Girl,” I murmured, stroking her glorious hair as she huddled on my lap, “Bonzo and Jarhead will be here in the morning and we’ll take a shufti around, see if we can pick up any clues who they are or what they want. Where are the kids right now?”
Georgy wiped her eyes on my shirt and turned to look up at me. My heart broke at the look on her face; today had very nearly been a mother’s worst nightmare and the ravages showed on her face, in her eyes.
“They’re all in the nursery, I wanted them close by tonight, poor Megan insisted on staying with them, so she’s on an airbed on the floor in there with them, and Aunt Kay’s sleeping in the room on the other side of our room; I want all the family in one place tonight, not all over the house, okay, baby?”
I pulled her in closer to me.
“Good thinking, I’ll sleep better knowing the kids are just a few feet away. And talking of sleeping, it’s been a fraught day, let’s go to bed, I’m feeling kind of twitchy right now and I need to be near the kids.”
*****
I woke with a start in the wee small hours and had to smile; all three kids were in bed with us, Jerry wrapped in his mother’s arms, Edie in the crook of my arm, and Jamie snuggled down between his little brother and sister, his fingers intertwined with Georgy’s. I grinned and pulled the covers up over all five of us; at least right then and there my family was safe and secure, and that was good enough for me.
*****
I was awakened by a child landing on my midriff.
“Daddy-Daddy-Daddy-wake-up-Daddy-wake-up!” chanted Edie, “Mummy says breakfast is ready come on daddy, come on!”
Pouring myself out of bed, the best I could manage at that point, seemed to be the only way to quieten her down, so I did, stumbling into the en-suite to brush my teeth and splash some cold water on my face to wake me up, then a quick tickle for my little girl before hoisting her into my arms to carry her down to have breakfast.
The boys were already tucking into their favourite breakfast, shredded wheat with milk, a spoon of honey, and a dollop of clotted cream, and there was a beguiling scent of bacon in the air, good, breakfast for grownups too. Aunt Kay and Georgy brought in chargers loaded with bacon, sausages, fried eggs, and toast. I looked quizzically at Georgy; surely she didn’t expect me to eat all of that? She caught my expression and grinned.
“Bonzo and Jarhead just pulled up outside, perfect timing, as usual, so tuck in, what you don’t eat they will. Tuck in.”
Aunt Kay opened the door just in time for Bonzo to pick her up and spin her around, making her laugh with pleasure. The kids saw them and promptly forgot their breakfasts, instead mobbing their two favourite people. We tried talking over the noise of three excited children but gave up, instead settling for a cooked breakfast with Edie and Jerry sitting on the guys’ laps and sharing the occasional bite. While they indulged the kids Bonzo and Jarhead exchanged glances with Georgy and me, reading the concern in Georgy’s eyes and expression when the kids weren’t looking.
By mutual agreement, we four retired to the sitting-room while Aunt Kay took the children up to get them dressed. I needed to fill them in on what had happened, and what it meant. I also couldn’t help seeing that Jarhead had a Clansman PRC 349 personal role radio handset tucked inside his Multicam jacket, and a Push-to-talk headset around his neck. WTF?
Rex got the ball rolling.
“So Will, Sunray (Charlie’s call-sign back in the day) shared some of his suspicions which is why we came hot-foot; when Georgy called me Sunray had already given me the SP, and I agree; if they’d really wanted to hurt the kids they could have easily have gotten to them. No, this is someone with a score to settle, and he’s showing you how easily he can get to you. Whoever he is, this guy means business.”
Andy spoke up.
“We had a chin-wag about it last night, and all the way down here. I think we need to get you guys out of here; whoever’s gunning for you knows where you are, he knows how to get to you, and he’s not going to stop at terrorising the kids. Bonzo’s right: whoever he is, he means business. I have a Sat-phone with Sunray’s number on speed-dial, he’s expecting a call soon to say we’re out of here, so better start getting mounted up, Will.”
I had been racking my brains trying to come up with a name, maybe someone who hadn’t liked one of our property deals, although if that were the case it would have been easier to just contact a solicitor and file for a review with the County Court and the planning committee, not resort to terrorising children. I needed to think this through, to try and come up with someone, anyone who had that kind of grudge. I stood up to go and pour myself a glass of water, and caught sight of Jamie standing in the doorway. As I turned to ask him what he wanted, I felt something stir my hair, and heard the ‘tink!’ of the window breaking even as the 18th-century Meissen shepherdess on the mantelpiece shattered into a thousand pieces.
Moving on instinct alone, I dived for the floor, yanking Georgie down with me, wrapping her in my arms as I rolled us both against the wall right under the window. I’d been shot at enough times out in the sandbox to know that someone was taking pot-shots at me, and the safest place was right under the window, up against the thick, solid stone wall of the old building; no bullet in the world was getting through two feet of Portland stone.
Even as I hit the floor, Bonzo leaped forward and grabbed Jamie, cradling him in his arms as he rolled into the hallway and out of any sight-line of whoever was shooting at us. It didn’t stop them, though; a fusillade of shots shattered both sitting-room windows, raking the wall opposite and splintering the ornate Elizabethan walnut panelling.