‘Sorry about that, lass, but I thought it better to humour them.’ Arthur had followed on her heels, his face worried. ‘Is John picking you up tonight?’
‘No.’ She glanced at the restaurant door nervously. ‘I told him not to.’ She’d thought that wise in case Blade was around but now …
‘A pity.’ Arthur peered anxiously out of the glass panel of the kitchen door before taking the doughnuts out of the microwave and covering them liberally in sugar. ‘I’ve an idea they are the bunch who were down this way last summer and caused all the trouble. Hung about for a few days bothering all the lasses and being generally obnoxious, and then old Charlie got involved.’
‘Charlie?’ Amy stared at him. ‘I don’t know a Charlie?’
‘You wouldn’t now.’ Arthur’s face was grim. ‘He was the village copper, great bloke, one of a kind. He made them move on one night, and the next he was attacked by persons unknown. Beat him unconscious, they did, and left him in a pool of blood outside the Flying Duck. He’s been in hospital ever since, can’t walk or talk.’
‘Oh, Arthur.’ Amy’s face turned white. ‘What are we going to do?’
‘Now I didn’t say it was them as did it, lass,’ Arthur said quickly as he took in her blanched face. ‘Charlie’s never been able to say who and that lot had disappeared by then. There were a group of travellers passing through and they were questioned for days, but in the end they had to let ’em go, no evidence. But all the folks round here come to their own conclusion, so they did.’ He nodded slowly. ‘So you just stay in here, lass, and I’ll see to ’em.’
‘All right, Arthur.’ Amy quickly placed five cups of coffee and the doughnuts on a tray and handed it to him with shaking hands. ‘Be careful.’
As Arthur disappeared into the adjoining room she heard the ribald comments get positively obscene, and tensed in fright as she heard her name. ‘Where’s the lovely Amy, then?’ a slurred voice shouted suggestively. ‘Looks like she might do a turn, that one?’
‘That’s enough of that.’ Arthur re-appeared through the door as he spoke. ‘Just calm down, lads, we don’t want no trouble, do we?’ He gestured to the phone on the kitchen wall with his eyes. ‘Dial 999, Amy, lass,’ he whispered softly. ‘I think we’re going to have some bother.’
She had just finished making the call when the kitchen door swung open and two of the youths entered slowly, their mean little eyes bright and hot as they glanced from her frightened face to Arthur’s grim one. ‘More coffee, Grandpop.’ They indicated the pot of coffee on the table. ‘And this time she can bring it out.’
‘Amy’s working in here.’ Arthur’s face was set and cold, all trace of appeasement gone. ‘I’ll see to you.’
‘Are you deaf as well as stupid, old man?’ Before Amy had time to react, the other three youths had followed their comrades in, two of them hoisting Arthur bodily out of the door and seating him in a chair as one of the others forced Amy into the restaurant. ‘We’ll let you watch, Grandpop.’ As the blinds went down over the windows Amy knew such fear that her heart stopped beating and then she screamed, desperately, before a large dirty hand was clamped like iron over her mouth.
‘Shut her up.’ The spokesman’s face was vicious. ‘Gag her or something. She might make a lot more noise before we’ve finished.’ He dropped the latch on the door as he spoke and then turned, gesturing at the two holding Arthur down in the seat. ‘Keep hold of him. Any trouble, hit him hard. An’ you, mister.’ He pushed his sweaty face close to Arthur’s. ‘Just remember that when we do a job we make sure it’s a good one. Like last summer. Know what I mean?’
‘Shut up, Beef.’ One of the youths, a little younger and cleaner than the rest, glanced nervously at his leader. ‘We got away with that, don’t—’
The rest of his warning was lost as the locked door of the restaurant flew open with such an almighty bang that for a second Amy thought one of the boys had fired a gun. And then she saw Blade standing in the doorway, his glittering eyes taking in the scene in front of him with one piercing glance, the look on his face chilling.
‘Let go of her.’ His voice was like the snarl of a wild beast, and for a moment the filthy hands gripping her so hard slackened before tightening even harder.
‘Oh, yeah, says who?’ The one they’d called Beef spoke to the youth directly behind him without taking his eyes off Blade. ‘Hold on to the old man and don’t stand no aggro. Me an’ Flick’ll deal with this Yankee.’