Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie Read Free Book Online Page B

a pistol. Was she trying to tell me Frank was armed? I
gritted my teeth. I didn’t care if he was carrying a bomb packed with enough explosives to blow up the whole of the south coast.
    ‘I’m coming, Mo,’ I called again.
    ‘That’s far enough,’ Frank shouted.
    I stopped, about thirty metres away from the van. I glanced over my shoulder. Jam was a little way behind me, his foot tapping nervously against the ground.
    ‘Put down the money,’ Frank ordered.
    I set the backpack down in front of me. ‘Let Madison go.’
    Frank turned and reached inside the van. He ordered Madison to jump down. She landed with a light thud on the gravel. She started to run towards me, but Frank tripped her. She stumbled, almost
losing her balance.
    ‘You freaking bully,’ I shouted. ‘If you dare hurt her I’ll—’
    ‘You’ll what?’ Frank laughed. ‘Now take a few paces back, away from the money, then I’ll let the rugrat go.’
    I took a step back, keeping my eyes on Madison the whole time.
    ‘Further,’ Frank ordered.
    Another step. Another. Frank watched me carefully. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.
    And then the sound of an engine drifted towards us. I looked round. Through the narrow gap in the maintenance vans, I could just make out a police car shimmering in the sunshine. It was heading
slowly along the gravel path behind me, a long way off still, but definitely coming towards us. As I watched, the car disappeared behind a clump of trees. It couldn’t have seen us yet.
    Frank stopped walking, his expression furious.
    ‘Double-crossing little—’
    In a single, swift movement he whipped a gun from his pocket. The barrel glinted in the sun. He pressed it against Madison’s head.
    ‘You told the police,’ he shouted.
    ‘No!’ Panic surged up inside me. I ran forward. ‘No, I didn’t.’
    Frank swore. ‘Stop or I’ll shoot her!’
    I stopped running. The backpack was at my feet. A good thirty metres away from Frank and Madison.
    ‘Throw me the money,’ Frank ordered.
    ‘Let Madison go first,’ I insisted. I glanced over my shoulder. The police car was still hidden from us by the trees, but it would surely reappear again any second.
    Frank swore again. Before I could move, he picked Madison up, tucked her under his arm and ran to the front of the van. Madison kicked furiously, but Frank just flung her into the front seat. A
second later the engine revved and the van roared away, up the path it had come down earlier.
    No. I raced after the van, a scream rising inside my throat.
    But the van was roaring into the distance, leaving only whirling gravel dust behind.
    Madison was gone.

 
8
    Last Chance
    Jam grabbed my arm. I hadn’t even noticed him run up beside me. ‘Are you OK?’ he said.
    My head was spinning. I couldn’t think straight. I glanced round. The police car was visible again on the gravel path, driving slowly towards us. I had no idea what the police were doing
here. All I could focus on was Madison, trapped in that van. A huge sob welled up in my chest. I’d promised my little sister that she’d be all right and instead I’d let her be
taken away from me. Again.
    The police car was almost at the end of the gravel path.
    ‘Lauren?’ Jam gripped my arm.
    I took a step towards the police car. We had to get them to follow the van . . . rescue Madison.
    As I moved, my phone, which was still in my hand, vibrated. Call withheld. It was her . Sonia Holtwood.
    I snatched the mobile to my ear.
    ‘Is Madison OK?’ I gasped.
    ‘What the hell are you playing at?’ Sonia Holtwood – even with her voice disguised through the filter – sounded furious. ‘The one thing I told you not to do
was involve the police.’
    ‘I didn’t . . . please .’
    ‘Frank saw the cop car.’
    ‘I know, but I didn’t call them. Please. Let me speak to Mad—’
    ‘My gun is pointed at your sister’s head right now,’ Holtwood said. ‘Give me one reason why I shouldn’t pull the