'He wants to see his partner.'
Ben considered the implications of that statement and closed his eyes briefly.
Remembering what Tina Williams had said about, the man she lived with, he knew that the situation was serious.
Which meant that this time Ellie was in big trouble.
Ben could hardly breathe. Dear God, Ellie. His Ellie. Smiling, laughing, giving Ellie.
Ellie who thought that everyone could be trusted.
He ripped off his sterile gloves and started down the corridor but Sean put out a hand and stopped him in his tracks.
'There's something else you ought to know before you go rushing in there like a hero.' He released his hold on Ben's arm and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.
'He has a gun. And the police think he won't hesitate to use it.'
Ellie opened her eyes and found herself staring at the gun.
She blinked twice, and tried to remember everything that had happened. One minute she'd been in the corridor talking to Ken Foggarty and then he'd pushed her into Resus and she'd banged her head...
She closed her eyes and gave a low groan.
How on earth had she managed to get herself in this position?
Ben was going to be furious.
Her head was throbbing and she had no idea how long she'd been lying unconscious on the floor.
Had it been minutes or hours?
Did anyone know where she was?
She tried to lift a hand to her head and then realised that they were tied behind her back.
Panicking, she tugged at the ropes but they merely dug deeper into her wrists. She sagged back down onto the floor in frustration, realising that her ankles were tied, too.
How on earth was she going to get out of this?
'So—you
've woken up, have you?'
Ken strolled towards her, his expression ugly, but all Ellie could see was the gun in his hand.
Maybe it wasn't loaded, she thought hopefully. Either way, there was no benefit in panicking.
'How long are you planning to keep me here?'
He fingered the gun. 'Until I get what I want.'
'And what's that?'
He frowned slightly, as if surprised by her calm response. 'She has to stop messing around and come back to me.'
Ellie stared at him. 'I assume you're talking about Tina. Is that what this is all about? Revenge?'
He shook his head. 'No, lady. Not revenge. This is good old-fashioned blackmail. Either she comes back to me, or I kill you. It's that simple.'