Gone in Seconds: Spin-off to the Justice series (Justice Again Book 1) Read online

  Gone in Seconds

  Spin-off to the Justice series Book one in the Justice Again series

  M A Comley

  Jeamel Publishing Limited

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M A Comley

  Published by Jeamel Publishing limited

  Copyright © 2020 M A Comley

  Digital Edition, License Notes

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  Also by M A Comley

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Kept in touch with M A Comley

  Also by M A Comley

  Blind Justice (Novella)

  Cruel Justice (Book #1)

  Mortal Justice (Novella)

  Impeding Justice (Book #2)

  Final Justice (Book #3)

  Foul Justice (Book #4)

  Guaranteed Justice (Book #5)

  Ultimate Justice (Book #6)

  Virtual Justice (Book #7)

  Hostile Justice (Book #8)

  Tortured Justice (Book #9)

  Rough Justice (Book #10)

  Dubious Justice (Book #11)

  Calculated Justice (Book #12)

  Twisted Justice (Book #13)

  Justice at Christmas (Short Story)

  Justice at Christmas 2 (novella)

  Prime Justice (Book #14)

  Heroic Justice (Book #15)

  Shameful Justice (Book #16)

  Immoral Justice (Book #17)

  Toxic Justice (Book #18)

  Overdue Justice (Book #19)

  Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story)

  Irrational Justice (a 10,000 word short story)

  Seeking Justice (a 15,000 word novella)

  Caring For Justice (a 24,000 word novella)

  Savage Justice (a 17,000 word novella Featuring THE UNICORN)

  Vile Justice (A 17,000 word novella)

  Gone in Seconds (Justice Again series Book #1)

  Ultimate Dilemma (Justice Again series Book #2)

  Clever Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)

  Tragic Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)

  Sinful Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)

  Forever Watching You (DI Miranda Carr thriller)

  Wrong Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #1)

  No Hiding Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #2)

  Cold Case (DI Sally Parker thriller#3)

  Deadly Encounter (DI Sally Parker thriller #4)

  Lost Innocence (DI Sally Parker thriller #5)

  Goodbye, My Precious Child (DI Sally Parker #6)

  Web of Deceit (DI Sally Parker Novella with Tara Lyons)

  The Missing Children (DI Kayli Bright #1)

  Killer On The Run (DI Kayli Bright #2)

  Hidden Agenda (DI Kayli Bright #3)

  Murderous Betrayal (Kayli Bright #4)

  Dying Breath (Kayli Bright #5)

  Taken (Kayli Bright #6 coming March 2020)

  The Hostage Takers (DI Kayli Bright Novella)

  No Right to Kill (DI Sara Ramsey #1)

  Killer Blow (DI Sara Ramsey #2)

  The Dead Can’t Speak (DI Sara Ramsey #3)

  Deluded (DI Sara Ramsey #4)

  The Murder Pact (DI Sara Ramsey #5)

  Twisted Revenge (DI Sara Ramsey #6)

  The Lies She Told (DI Sara Ramsey #7)

  For The Love Of… (DI Sara Ramsey #8)

  Run For Your Life (DI Sara Ramsey #9) Coming August 2020

  I Know The Truth (A psychological thriller )

  The Caller (co-written with Tara Lyons)

  Evil In Disguise – a novel based on True events

  Deadly Act (Hero series novella)

  Torn Apart (Hero series #1)

  End Result (Hero series #2)

  In Plain Sight (Hero Series #3)

  Double Jeopardy (Hero Series #4)

  Criminal Actions (Hero Series #5)

  Regrets Mean Nothing (Hero #6)

  Sole Intention (Intention series #1)

  Grave Intention (Intention series #2)

  Devious Intention (Intention #3)

  Merry Widow (A Lorne Simpkins short story)

  It’s A Dog’s Life (A Lorne Simpkins short story)

  A Time To Heal (A Sweet Romance)

  A Time For Change (A Sweet Romance)

  High Spirits

  The Temptation series (Romantic Suspense/New Adult Novellas)

  Past Temptation

  Lost Temptation

  Cozy Mystery Series

  Murder at the Wedding

  Murder at the Hotel

  Murder by the Sea

  Tempting Christa (A billionaire romantic suspense co-authored by Tracie Delaney #1)

  Avenging Christa (A billionaire romantic suspense co-authored by Tracie Delaney #2)

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you as always to my rock, Jean, I’d be lost without you in my life.

  Special thanks as always go to @studioenp for their superb cover design expertise.

  My heartfelt thanks go to my wonderful editor Emmy Ellis, my proofreaders Joseph, Barbara and Jacqueline for spotting all the lingering nits.

  To Mary, gone, but never forgotten. I hope you found the peace you were searching for, my dear friend.

  Prologue

  Life was a breeze and didn’t get any better than this. Ray Thatcham lay on the deck of the boat with his arm around a busty brunette who’d been working alongside him for a little while. “Get me another cocktail, will you, doll?”

  “Wow, I’ve never seen someone drink so many. Want the same?”

  “I think I’ll have the Hawaiian Dream now. The ingredients are on the list inside the drinks’ cabinet.”

  “I hate having to create ones I don’t know, can’t you stick with the Manhattans?”

  He clutched a handful of her hair and viciously pulled her towards him. “Lady, any backchat and you’re gonna piss me off, got that?”

  Tina cried out in pain and placed a hand on his chest to push away from him. Tears welled up. “I’m sorry, baby. There’s no need to get angry with me.”

  He smiled, covering the anger still bubbling beneath the surface. “Don’t test my patience. Life’s stressful enough as it is right now, without you adding to it. Now get me my drink and then come back here and make it up to me.” He let go of her hair.

  She leaned forward and gave him a lingering kiss. “Something to keep you satisfied until I get back, baby.”

  “I can’t wait. Now get out of here.” He smacked her on the arse. The boat was moored up; he was intent on topping up his tan today and just chilling.

  She giggled her way across the deck and into the cabin below. H
e closed his eyes, once again thinking how lucky he was to be alive. He’d achieved a hell of a lot throughout his thirty-two years on this earth which had amounted to this year being the one that had brought him double the profits and expanded his business portfolio to another level.

  He let out a contented sigh. The sun blazing down on his already tanned skin only enriched the day further.

  Tina padded towards him again. He snuck a quick look through a half-opened eye. If she kept her mouth shut and her legs open all the time, I wouldn’t mind having her around full-time. Maybe that’s down to me to train her properly.

  She placed the cocktail on the deck beside him and kissed his cheek.

  He groaned his appreciation as her hands slid down his body to his trunks. “Oh yeah, baby, that’s it.” His eyes squeezed tight, his anticipation growing along with his erection.

  Tina let out a squeal, and something cold ran the length of his chest instead of her hand. His eyes shot open to find two bruisers standing on the deck. One of them had his arm around her throat, the other stood two feet away, holding a gun.

  He sat up. “Hey, what the fuck is going on here?” Unfortunately, he recognised the men and had an inkling this wasn’t going to end well.

  “The boss sent us down here to check on you. Have you made the delivery yet?” the bulkier goon who was aiming the gun at his chest asked.

  He swallowed the saliva filling his mouth. “Yeah, well, not exactly. I was going to do it this afternoon.”

  The goon sneered and shot the girl in the leg then turned the gun on him again.

  Tina screamed. Her legs gave way beneath her, but the goon throttling her never moved an inch. She soon returned to her position as the tears slipped down her flushed cheeks.

  “Ray, help me!” she whimpered.

  In truth, he couldn’t give a flying fuck what happened to her, his survival uppermost in his mind, not hers.

  “See, the boss is going to be pissed with you for delaying his instructions. The drugs were supposed to be delivered by twelve at the latest. Instead, here you are, thirty minutes past the deadline, sunning yourself with a scrawny, brainless bitch stroking your knob.”

  “Hey, give me a break, it’s been a tough week. I’m entitled to some downtime, man.”

  The guy lashed out, pistol-whipping him. The sound of breaking bone filled the air. “Not the fucking attitude the boss expects from you. Where’s the stuff?”

  He held his aching jaw, determined not to let the guy know how much pain was coursing through his body. “What? I said I’d deliver it and I will. I’ll get ready now and do it.”

  “You’ve had your chance and you’ve royally screwed up. The thing is, the boss doesn’t trust you. He sent us to follow you, and I’ve already reported back to him, informed him you’ve let him down. He’s given us instructions to pick up the stuff and, well…to deal with you and the slag.”

  “No. I’m sorry. Look, guys, what’ll it take for you to turn a blind eye? I’ve got money. Go on, let us go, tell your boss the stuff has been delivered and I’ll deposit a hundred grand in each of your accounts.”

  The two men glanced at each other.

  The one holding Tina raised an eyebrow. “Sounds good to me, mate.”

  “All right, just this once. You can make the transfer now, right?”

  “Yeah, I’ll get my phone, it’s in the cabin.”

  “I’ll get it, tell me where it is.”

  “In the bedroom, on the bedside cabinet,” Ray replied, relieved that he’d somehow managed to persuade the men to accept the payoff. Money, the root of all evil and the motivator of many.

  The goon disappeared inside and emerged a few seconds later. In his absence, Ray didn’t move, not an ounce of compassion or inclination to try to attempt to rescue Tina. Her life meant nothing compared to his. He was all about sole survival, it had been that way since childhood, since his parents had dumped him outside the church when he was just a nipper, barely out of nappies.

  He’d grown up living in various foster homes, not one of them caring enough to want to adopt him, which suited him fine. He drifted between families, causing problems if he didn’t gel with the adults, which always resulted in him moving on to the next one. No one in the system gave the kids credit for having a say in their own destiny. He’d made his own way in life since, made millions in the process by grafting hard and living life to the full when he had a spare few minutes. He’d accomplished his millionaire status at the tender age of twenty-one. How many people could have that tattoo emblazoned on their calf, like he had? Not many he had crossed paths with, that was for sure.

  The two goons gave him their bank details and high-fived each other over the transactions when they went through.

  Two hundred grand is a drop in the ocean, I can make that money back within a month.

  “Right, gents, if you wouldn’t mind leaving us now, Tina and I were about to have a good time, if you know what I mean.”

  The one holding Tina around the throat let his hand drop to her heaving, well-proportioned breasts and fondled each one roughly through the flimsy material.

  She squirmed and whined, “Please, let me go. You’ve had your money.”

  The man holding the gun shook his head. “You need to learn to keep your mouth shut, slapper.” He aimed the gun at Ray.

  “No, wait. That wasn’t in the agreement. Kill her if you need to, but let me go, guys, there’s more money where that came from.”

  The gun went off anyway. Ray took a bullet to his side. His mouth dropped open. The plea running through his head failed to form into actual words. Shit! What do I do now? He was used to getting his own way once he’d paraded his wealth to coerce someone. None of that seemed to matter with these guys. He clutched his hand to the wound and gasped. Blood trickled through his fingers, and the agony intensified, although he was too much in shock for the pain to register at first. It didn’t take him long to realise that if he didn’t get medical help soon, he was going to die. “Jesus, man, why did you do that? I need to get to the hospital and quickly.”

  “What you need and what you’re gonna get are two different things, pal,” the bulkier man said, his gaze drifting to the Thames behind them. “Shit, we’ve got company.”

  The other goon swept the girl into his arms and took her below deck. He returned carrying a dark-blue towelling robe which he flung at Ray. “Put it on.”

  Ray slipped it over one shoulder and struggled to put his arm through the other. The police boat got closer. How do I play this? Dob them in to the coppers, my arch enemies over the years, or what?

  “You there, on the River Princess, prepare for us to come aboard.” The voice was insistent even through the megaphone.

  “Let them on and we’ll deal with them,” the man with the gun said.

  “What does that mean?” Ray asked, his voice high-pitched, the strain evident.

  The man grinned, tucked his gun in the waistband of his trousers and fastened his jacket to hide the bulge.

  The police boat moored behind them, and two young officers boarded the boat and joined them on the deck. “We’ve received a call about gunshots coming from this boat. Care to tell us what’s going on?”

  “Sorry? I don’t know what you’re talking about. My associates and I were in the process of having a meeting.”

  The young officer’s brow rose, and he pointed at the deck. “You’ll be telling me next that’s tomato ketchup.”

  “Oh that, no, I cut my foot when I went for a dip in the river earlier.”

  The officer chewed his lip and shook his head. “Don’t give me that bullshit. Open your robe.”

  “I will not,” Ray replied indignantly.

  The officer took a step towards him and yanked the robe open and grabbed his Taser at the same time, but it was too late. The goon with the gun whipped out his weapon and fired off two shots, each of them hitting their targets. Both officers dropped to the deck. One of them, the one who had the courage to appr
oach Ray, writhed in pain at his feet.

  The officer reached out a hand and begged, “Stop, don’t do this.”

  The gunman silenced him with another two shots to the chest.

  “Shit, shit, shit…what the fuck did you go and do that for?” Ray paced the deck.

  “Don’t fuckin’ question my ethics, shitface. We need to get out of here. Start up the boat.”

  “No way. I need to get to the hospital. I’m losing too much blood to steer this thing.”

  “You’ll do as I say or I’ll finish you off here and now, it’s your choice.”

  Ray shook his head and sighed. From what he could tell, he had no other option available to him.

  He took up his position in the cockpit and started up the engine. The goons moved the coppers’ bodies to the rear and untied the police vessel, setting it adrift. They headed down the narrow part of the river. Ray’s eyes were everywhere, watching the pedestrians strolling along the riverbank with not a care in the world, while he was bricking it and losing blood fast by the look of things.

  Jesus, why did I have to let my greed take over? I knew I was out of my depth getting involved in the drug side of things. Shit! They’re not going to let me get away with this, they’ll kill me next. Fuck!

  “Where are we heading?” the guy with the gun asked.

  “I thought it would be better to get away from there ASAP. We don’t want more cops showing up, do we?”

  “Good point. But where are we going now?”

  “Heading downriver. I can moor up again soon, if that’s what you want. Hey, man, I’m bleeding out here, I really need to go to hospital with the girl.”

  “Dream on, mate, it ain’t gonna happen.”