I grab my head in my hands as pain lances through my chest and I stand so suddenly that my chair falls to the ground. This is what I wanted her to do, she is doing as I asked. I pick up a glass on my desk and throw it against the wall. It smashes through the room. I find myself in a rage as I punch the computer monitor as hard as I can and it smashes as it falls from the desk. I pace as I start to lose it, the door slowly opens and I turn my haunted eyes to see Ben standing quietly in the doorway. By the look on his face I know he knows. He has spoken to Max and he knows where Natasha is. His eyes scan the room, he sees the glass and the broken computer screen and the tears running down my face.
“Mate,” he says softly in his heavy South African accent. “What have you done?”
“Get out!” I scream.
“What have you made her do?” he repeats softly.
“Get out!” I scream again. I need to get away from him and I walk into the bathroom. I look into the mirror at myself. I make myself sick. I asked her to do this and yet I am gutted that she actually is doing it. What was I thinking? I break into full-blown sobs as pain cuts through my chest like a knife. I punch the mirror and it smashes into a thousand pieces. I hear Ben make a call.
“Hello, Steve, this is Ben. We will meet you in the gym in thirty minutes. Yes.” He goes silent as he listens. “Organise some of your best. Stanton needs to fight.”
“So let me give you this brochure and then we can go through your other options.” I listen as the genetic counsellor speaks to one of the clients I am seeing. She has just discovered that she carries the breast cancer gene and is considering a mastectomy. My mind is anywhere but in this room. A heavy lead ball sits in the pit of my stomach. It’s Thursday and Joshua won’t return my calls. What if he was lying? What if it was a test and I failed? I close my eyes in pain. What was I thinking?
A knock sounds at the door and I stand to answer it. Our receptionist is there.
“Hi Tash,” she whispers. “Sorry to bother you but Bridget is on the phone and she said it is a matter of life or death.”
I frown as I take the phone from her and put my finger up to the two women in my office, signifying to them I would be one minute. The counsellor smiles and nods and I step just outside the office.
“Hello,” I whisper as I look around.
Bridget’s panicked voice screams down the phone. “Oh my fuck, Natasha. You need to get over here. We broke into TC’s house and then she came home and we hid in the bedroom and then she left again but she put the deadlock on and now we are trapped in the apartment and we can’t get out.”
My eyes widen in horror. “What the hell. Who?”
“Abbie and I, we were looking for the second disk.”
I look at the people around me and duck my head to escape their glare.
“What do you mean you are in her house?” I whisper angrily.
“Get over here now or we are going to jump four storeys off the fucking balcony.”
“What’s the address?” I snap as I feel the stress perspiration start to heat my armpits. “You idiots. We are going to get arrested.” Oh my god.
“Get Ben or Max or somebody. The address is 72 Pacific Street, Potts Point.
I walk over to the reception desk and write down the address on the back of a card.
“Ok, I got it.” I hang up and knock on the door quietly. “Sorry, I have an emergency and have to leave urgently.”
The women both frown. “Is everything ok?” the counsellor asks as she raises her eyebrows.
I smile nervously as I nod too quickly. “Ahuh,” I murmur. “It will be.” As soon as I kill my two idiot friends. I grab my bag and leave.
I exit my office in a rush and start to run toward the lifts as I dial Max’s number. He answers first ring.
“Where are you?” I snap.
“In the car park. What’s wrong?”
“Abbie and Bridget are locked in TC’s apartment.”
“What?”
“That’s what I said. The idiots are locked in her apartment.”
“Oh my god. I have to ring Ben. Meet me out the front.”
I run out to the front doors and I find Max on the phone to Ben.
He shakes his head in frustration and hands the phone over to me.
“What’s going on?” Ben snaps down the phone.
“I don’t know. Bridget rang me and said that she and Abbie had broken into TC’s apartment looking for the disk.”
“How did they know where she lived?”
I shake my head in frustration. “I have no idea. Actually Abbie’s flatmate sees her sometimes so she must have asked him.”
“Then what happened?”
“She came home and they hid in the bedroom.”
“Fuck,” he snaps.
“I know and then she left again but she put the deadlock on and now they are locked in the apartment and they can’t get out.”
“Did they find the disk?”
I widen my eyes and hold my hand in the air in frustration. “I didn’t bloody ask.”
“You stay there. You and Joshua can’t be involved. We will handle this. Put Max back on.” I hand the phone back to Max.
“Ok.” He nods and takes the address from me. “Ok.” His eyes meet mine. “I will get her to ring him in a minute.” He hangs up.
My heart is beating crazily. Break and enter, if they get caught … oh my god … this is a criminal offence. What were they thinking?
“Joshua wants you to ring him in a minute,” Max says dryly, then he texts the address to Ben.
I smile. He wants me to ring him, thank god. Relief fills me.
“Go back inside. You will only have one guard so do not leave your office.”
“But I told them I was leaving for the day,” I stammer.
“Change your plans. I don’t have time to take you home first.”
I roll my eyes. “Can’t I come?”
“No, go back inside.”
I head back inside and to the cafeteria. I order a coffee and take a seat. My stomach is in knots and I dial Joshua’s number. He answers first ring.
“Hi Tash.”