25

Adrian moaned softly as Dom's large, warm hands slid up his torso and gently tugged on his nipples.

Dom's lips nipped Adrian's earlobe, and moved down his neck, placing warm, open-mouthed kisses all over Adrian's warm skin.

Adrian twisted in Dom's arms so that he was facing the tall detective. Adrian leant up for a kiss, when both of their mobiles rang, startling them.

"Who's calling at this time of might?" Dom asked.

They pulled out their phones and glanced at the numbers.

"Barnett," said Dom, as Adrian said,

"Tom."

They gave each other space and answered their separate phones.

"Marafioti? Something's happened at Sloan's restaurant."

"What's happened?"

Adrian sank onto the bed as Dom listened intently to Barnett.

"There was a fire. The restaurant manager, Tom, was inside when it was set. He called the fire brigade and us."

"Is it-?"

"Completely destroyed? Yeah." Barnett sighed. "Another thing; it looks like it was deliberate. Someone spray-painted several... messages on the front windows before lighting the place up."

"Like what?"

"Whore, bitch, fag were the nicest ones," said Barnett grimly.

"You think it was...?"

"Yeah. We've got units patrolling the area now, but I think he's long gone."

"I'll keep my eye out here. Adrian and Rachel are staying with me for a few days, until he's found."

A loud smash downstairs made them both jump.

"I've got to go," Marafioti said, at the same time as Adrian.

"Wait here," Dom told him.

"Rache-" Adrian began.

"Wait!" Dom growled.

Adrian nodded, startled by Dom's firm voice. Adrian waited nervously in the bedroom while Dom went quietly downstairs.

Dom went into the living room, and saw Rachel and Mia still curled up on the sofa.

Rachel was deeply asleep, but Mia was awake, her eyes alert. She growled softly at Dom as he came in the room, before hauling herself off the sofa and padding over to him.

Dom fondled her ears for a moment, before he went through to the kitchen. He walked around the marble-topped island in the centre of the room, and saw a smashed plate in the middle of the floor.

Dom stared at it for a moment, before he quickly swept the china into a pile and threw it away, before taking a long knife from one of the drawers.

Dom went back into the living room and peered out of the large bay window.

Rachel was stirring on the couch.

Dom quickly hushed her.

"What's happening?" She whispered, her voice trembling.

"Don't worry. I'll look after you," Dom said.

"Is it the man who took me?"

"Maybe," Dom said quietly. "Come on."

He picked her up and cradled her close as he searched the downstairs of the house.

As he began climbing the stairs with Rachel, Mia started barking frantically, pawing at the door.

"Mia, hush!" Dom said firmly.

The huge dog jumped up and the door, whining frantically, her loud bark echoing down the hall.

"Fine. Here."

Dom told Rachel to go upstairs, and opened the front door.

Mia rushed out into the night, still barking.

As he made to close the door, Dom thought he heard a car rushing down the driveway.

"Dom!" Rachel ran to the top of the stairs. "Dom, where's my daddy?"

"He's upstairs, in the bedroom. The lights are on."

"He's not in there. I've looked."

Dom ran upstairs, and checked all of the rooms.

As he ran back down the stairs, he pulled out his phone and called Barnett.

He yanked the front door open and called for Mia.

"Barnett? It's Marafioti. Adrian's missing."

"What?"

"We heard a crash in the kitchen. I came down to see what it was, and when I went back upstairs, he was gone. I thought I heard a car when I let Mia out."

"I'll come over now."

"Bring SOCO with you. I think it's King."

Dom hung up, and knelt to pet Mia as she came in.

"You knew, didn't you, girl."

A soft sob behind him made Dom turn.

Rachel was crying quietly.

"Hey, come here," Dom said gently.

He drew her into an embrace, stroking her hair.

"We'll find him," he told her firmly. "We found you, didn't we?"

He picked her up and set her down on the island in the kitchen, before quickly making her a hot chocolate and adding a dollop of whipped cream on top. He handed it to her and kissed the top of her head.

They waited together until Dom heard several cars pull up outside the house, and went to answer the door. He showed Barnett into the kitchen, and let the other officers go upstairs to look around.

Rachel stayed huddled on the island while Dom told Barnett what had happened.

The other officers went in and out of the house as they fetched equipment; cameras and tripods, body suits and sketch pads were carried in and set up to document the room where Adrian was taken.

PC Pierce came into the kitchen almost an hour after the police first arrived, and shot Dom a sympathetic look.

"We found a few drops of blood on the floor. He's not badly hurt!" Pierce added quickly, at Rachel's wail. "He's probably just unconscious."

'Sorry', Pierce mouthed to Dom, who was trying to console Rachel.

"We think they got out through the window in the bedroom, down the trellis there."

It was almost two hours before all of the police finally left to start the search for Adrian.

Dom showed them all out and went back to Rachel, who was shivering in the kitchen.

"We will find him, honey," Dom told her gently. "Come on."

Dom picked her up and carried her upstairs to his bedroom, and tucked her in to his big double bed. He called Mia upstairs, and the huge dog curled up beside the door.

"You go to sleep, if you can," Dom told Rachel. "I need to really quickly go into town to get some food and things."

He leant over and stroked her fringe gently.

"Detective Barnett is downstairs, alright. He'll stay here with you while I'm gone."

Rachel nodded slowly.

"I'll only be half an hour or so." Dom kissed her forehead lightly, and hurried downstairs.

He grabbed his wallet from the table in the hall, said goodbye to Barnett, and sped into the town.

He dashed around the all-night supermarket, paid for the shopping and went home.

He showed Barnett out the house, quickly packed the food away in the cupboards and went upstairs to check on Rachel.

Mia had moved from the doorway to the bed, and was curled up beside Rachel, her large head resting on Rachel's stomach. Rachel was slowly stroking Mia's broad head, her eyes closed.

Dom crept quietly back downstairs and went into the living room.

After standing uncertainly for a moment, he went and poured himself a whisky.

He flopped down on the long sofa in the living room and turned on the TV, flicking through the channels. He finally settled on a home design programme, half-heartedly trying to remember decorating ideas and garden designs.

He'd only been watching it for five minutes or so, when Rachel padded into the room with Mia.

She looked at him for a moment, before she clambered up onto the sofa next to him and curled herself up beside him.

Dom looked at her for a moment, before he wrapped his arm around her and hugged her close.

"Why does the man that took me keep hurting us?" She asked quietly.

Dom was silent for a while.

"What did your dad tell you about the man who took you?"

Rachel shrugged.

"Not much. I think he was my ex-dad, or something."

Dom smiled at her phrasing.

"Well... your dad told me this story a few weeks ago. When you dad was nineteen, he met Jamie, the man who took you. After they'd been together for a while, Jamie became violent. He started hurting your dad."

"Why did daddy stay?" Rachel asked.

"Well, when you love someone, you look past their faults. Your daddy looked past Jamie's faults for a long time. When you were born, your dad realised he couldn't raise you with Jamie, in case Jamie started hurting you. So, you dad ran away with you."

Dom paused for a while.

"When Jamie found out what your dad had done, he took you because he wanted you to have him as your dad, instead of Adrian."

"Why didn't he take me again? Why did he take daddy?" Rachel snuggled closer to Dom's chest.

"I don't know," Dom said quietly.

"Will he... Will he kill daddy?" Rachel's voice wavered as she asked.

"I hope not," Dom murmured.