Ennodius, p.35
Trafficked (DI Glover Scottish Crime Thriller Book 5), page 35
TRAFFICKED
AN UNPUTDOWNABLE DCI GLOVER SCOTTISH CRIME THRILLER
BOOK 5
OLIVER DAVIES
Copyright © 2025 by Oliver Davies
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
A Message from the Author
1
Brit Sewell’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking as she ran her hairbrush through her hair. She had already brushed it at least seven times, but was keen to look good for Hayden. She didn’t want to stop. Didn’t dare to stop.
No, everything had to be perfect for that night.
She continued brushing her hair, her thoughts consumed by the fact that she would soon—finally—be meeting Hayden for the first time.
Hayden was her dream boy, and she still couldn’t believe that someone as perfect as him would be interested in her.
He was a couple of years older than her—he’d just turned thirteen—and yet he had the look of someone at least a few years older. As she got herself ready, his Facebook profile was up on her phone, and she found herself continuously staring at his photos, captivated by him. His blue eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue she’d ever seen, his wavy blonde hair made her think of a surfer, he was sun-kissed like a Greek god, and his teeth were so straight and white that she couldn’t believe they weren’t fake.
She couldn’t believe that he wasn’t fake.
Brit had been messaging Hayden for just over a couple of weeks now, and yet she felt like she’d known him forever. She couldn’t believe that anytime she told him about something she liked, he was just as surprised that he loved too. When she told him she loved Disney films, he admitted he did too, and when she told him her favourite was Mulan—a film she thought was always underappreciated—she couldn’t believe it when he said the same!
She knew it was fate that they had found one another. It just had to be.
She eventually gave up brushing her hair and nervously put her hairbrush down. She then debated on trying to put on a bit of makeup. Brit had asked her mum to get her a few things and—even though her mum hadn’t been happy about it—she’d gone out and got Brit a couple of lipsticks, some blusher, and some foundation to get her started.
Brit knew nothing about makeup. She’d watched a few videos on YouTube to try to get an idea, but she still didn’t have a clue what she was doing.
With a shaking hand she picked up one of the lipsticks and started to put a bit on. Luckily it was a nude colour, so she knew it wouldn’t look like too much. However, she soon realised putting lipstick on wasn’t as easy as she thought. After a couple of seconds, she realised she had put more on her face than her actual lips. She groaned irritably, getting more and more stressed by the second that everything wasn’t going perfectly, and quickly wiped it off before pushing the lipstick away. She then sighed aggravatedly as she looked at herself in the mirror.
While she didn’t have on makeup like she’d hoped, she didn’t look too bad. Her brunette hair was naturally straight and swept down to her elbows. Her brown eyes perfectly matched her hair, and her facial features were delicate. People often complimented her face. She didn’t look exactly how she wanted to that night, but she knew it would have to do.
She suddenly heard her mum singing downstairs and was instantly hit with a crashing wave of guilt. Brit and her mum were really close—they’d grown closer over the past year since her dad had passed away—and the two women had no secrets from one another.
At least… so her mum thought.
Brit hadn’t told her mum about Hayden. As much as she wanted to, Hayden had suggested they keep their relationship between them, at least until they met in person. That way, no one else could influence their feelings for one another. While Brit was disappointed she couldn’t rave about him to everyone she cared about, she understood his point and didn’t want to risk scaring him off by not respecting his wishes.
Brit checked the time on her phone. It was now getting close to half five, and she knew she had to hurry up and make her way out. She was still consumed by nerves, but she didn’t want to risk being late. Brit rose from her stool, put her phone into the pocket of her jeans, then started to make her way downstairs. As she walked, her mind kept replaying the lies she’d worked on to tell her mum before she went out.
She made it downstairs and walked into the kitchen, smiling at the sight of her mum who was still singing as she made dinner. The moment her dark eyes fell on Brit, the corners of them crinkled happily.
That instantly sent another wave of guilt crashing into her.
“You look nice, Brit!” her mum said affectionately. “What have you got yourself all dressed up for?”
Brit felt her cheeks burning instantly and scolded herself for it. She had never been a liar, never been one to tell lies to her mum, so her nerves and embarrassment nearly overwhelmed her.
“Oh, do I?” she asked in a poor attempt at a casual tone. “I just threw these on.”
“Dinner will be ready in half an hour, but as you’ve got changed I’m going to guess you’re going out?” her mum asked.
Brit knew her mum well enough to know that her mum was trying to sound excited for her, but equally was gutted that Brit wasn’t going to be with her.
Brit pulled a sad face. “Yeah, I told Sall I’d go to hers for a bit and have dinner.” She hesitated. “But I can cancel if you’ve got something sorted here?”
Brit’s mum waved her hands through the air rapidly. “No! No! If you’ve made plans with Sally you should go, Brit. I don’t want you disappointing Jane if she’s already cooked something for you girls.”
Brit fought hard not to breathe a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Mum. I shouldn’t be out for long.”
Brit bit back a smile as she walked toward her boots, which were near the front door. She started to put them on, feeling happy that the coast was now clear, but she hesitated when she heard her mum turning off the oven.
Brit rapidly turned toward her mum. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m going to walk you to Sally’s,” her mum said calmly. “It’s going to start getting dark soon, and I don’t want you walking on your own.”
Brit froze with nerves. Her body felt still, but her insides were wriggling like worms.
Think, Brit! Think! Brit thought frantically.
Brit had no idea how to put her mum off of the idea, but as her mum started to walk toward the front door to grab her shoes, Brit knew she had to come up with something—anything—to stop her.
“It’s fine, Mum,” Brit said, hoping her tone didn’t show the panic she currently felt. “Sall’s house is only down the road.”
“It’s no bother, sweetie,” Brit’s mum said softly. “You know you always come first, and it’s getting darker a lot earlier now.”
“A-Actually, mum, would you mind if I walked on my own?” she asked.
Her mum’s features scrunched up in confusion. “Why’s that, Brit?”
“I just think it might be nice if I walk there on my own, you know? Have a bit of independence and stuff,” Brit muttered quickly, having no idea what words would come out of her mouth until they did.
Her mum smiled sadly. “Ah... I understand. You are getting a bit older now, aren’t you?”
Brit hated the sadness on her mum’s face, but knew she had to keep to her story. “Yeah, exactly.” She hesitated. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, of course not!” her mum exclaimed. “Just let me know when you get there, yeah?”
“Will do, Mum! Thanks,” Brit responded happily.
Brit walked up to her mum, kissed her on the cheek and hugged her.
They held one another for a couple of seconds before her mum spoke.
“Your dad would be so proud of you, Brit.”
Brit’s heart dropped at those words, and it took all of her strength to stop herself from crying. Ever since her dad had died from cancer a year ago, there wasn’t a single day that went by where she didn’t think of him. It had been a challenging year for her and her mum, and until she’d star
Luckily for her, Hayden made her realise she deserved to smile again.
“Thanks, Mum,” Brit responded emotionally. “He’d be proud of you too.”
Her mum chuckled, then kissed the top of Brit’s hair. “Thanks, Brit.”
Brit smiled at her mum, then quickly left before her mum could change her mind. As she shut the door behind her, she felt her eyes welling up, but quickly blinked away her tears. It never felt nice lying to her mum, but once she was able to tell her about Hayden, she knew her mum would understand.
Brit had barely walked a few steps when she realised her mum was right and it was starting to get dark a lot earlier now. It was barely quarter to six, but as Brit looked up at the sky, she saw that the blue had been replaced with black. It looked as though it was at least three hours later. However, as nervous as she felt from both the dark and her date, she knew she had to keep going and fake confidence.
Hayden is thirteen years old, he doesn’t want to deal with a snivelling girl! Brit scolded herself.
Brit took a deep breath, put the satnav on her phone for the location Hayden told her, then kept walking. She didn’t know the area that well—usually her mum drove her everywhere, so she’d never bothered to learn the roads and paths—but as more time passed she felt more confident walking on her own. It was like the universe knew how perfect this night was going to be. Everything was going perfectly!
Brit smiled to herself as she imagined seeing Hayden in person. She wondered if she should hug him, or if she should play it cool and wait to see how he reacted when he saw her. She wondered if she should show how shy and nervous she felt, or if she should act confident to impress him.
So many thoughts and questions swam around her mind, but as she followed the satnav on her phone, her thoughts turned to confusion. The satnav noted that she'd reached her destination, but she was standing close to a dark alleyway. When she’d spoken to Hayden before, he suggested the location he’d given her was a public carpark.
For half a second she stared at the alleyway nervously before she went on her phone and looked back at the messages between her and Hayden, wondering if she had somehow typed in the wrong postcode. However, her confusion only grew when she realized the information was correct.
Brit was pulled from her thoughts when she sensed movement down the alleyway. It was dark and she couldn’t see much, so instead of being excited she felt terrified. She took a step away, but paused when she felt her phone vibrate in her hand. Brit looked down and smiled when she saw that Hayden had messaged to say he was there, so she giggled as she put her phone away.
Hayden was there and everything was okay. The last thing she wanted or needed was for him to realise she had debated on leaving.
She stepped into the alleyway, fighting her nerves. As she moved, she paused, unable to tell if the figure in front of her was Hayden. While she couldn’t see them, their shadow was the size of an adult’s, and while Hayden had suggested he was tall, she was smart enough to know that a thirteen year old boy was the same size as an adult male.
Brit had no idea who the shadow belonged to, but she didn’t want to wait to find out.
Brit acted calm and casual as she turned her back on the shadow and started to walk away, but when she sensed movement behind her, she knew she had to move quickly. She started to run, but whoever was behind her was faster and had a longer stride. They caught up to her before she’d barely taken a few steps.
She panicked as strong arms grabbed her from behind, but before Brit could even react she felt something pressed harshly against her face. Her panic quadrupled, certain the man was trying to suffocate her. Due to her fear, she took a deep breath in, fighting against the cloth and the lack of oxygen. Within seconds, exhaustion overwhelmed her, and darkness and fear clouded her vision and shut down her mind.
2
Iput my phone in my pocket, unable to comprehend what had just happened. My thoughts were consumed by the information DSI Brown had just shared with me. For so long, I’d put my all into figuring out who had killed DI Arnold, feeling like no one else believed her death was a murder. Although I’d had help these past few weeks—particularly from the Beauly team and Brown—I could always sense a feeling of misgiving, as though people believed in me, but not necessarily the case. But now, suddenly… I had Brown calling me to let me know that she was working a case possibly connected to Arnold’s death, and she was begging me to drop everything and return to London.
Why the sudden change? Why the miraculous belief in me and my crusade for the truth? Had she always known more than she was letting on, or had she just found something that made her realise I’d been right all along?
Either way, I needed to get to London immediately.
I continued walking away from the counsellor’s office—feeling no guilt about walking out of our first meeting—and moved toward DSI Murray’s office. I’d asked him before for time off and he still hadn’t gotten back to me, but I knew I had to be in London right away.
Even if it meant going without his permission.
I stepped speedily toward Murray’s office, feeling secretly glad when my counsellor didn’t chase after me and attempt to drag me back into her office. I hadn’t been looking forward to the meeting anyway, and then she started to push me to speak about my family. I couldn't deny that Brown’s timing with her phone call couldn’t have been more ideal.
I never spoke about my family with anyone, and that wasn’t about to change. That was an uncomfortable topic for me, and with everything going on I didn’t have the time or energy to invest in such a troubling topic. Right now, my thoughts had to be glued on Arnold and nothing else.
My head started to hurt from all of the thoughts and questions that assaulted my brain. Had other detectives been targeted and killed? Or was it, somehow, even worse than that? I wanted to know who else knew about the case, and I wanted to know who else would be helping her. The others from my team—except for Patel—seemed hesitant to help me before, but was it possible they knew what Brown was working on? Had it pushed them to finally believe me?
Although the questions were hurting my brain, I couldn’t help but feel an emotion I hadn’t felt in a long time... hope.
After everything with Dean Wicks had come to a dead end and after ‘the Help’ never responded to our last correspondence, I was feeling at a loss over what to do. I had no leads or suspects, but now it felt like I’d been given one more chance to get results.
A chance I knew I couldn’t blow.
My rapid thoughts came to a sudden halt when I turned the corner toward Murray’s office and accidentally knocked into someone. I steadied myself on my feet and held out my hand to stop the other person falling over, apologising profusely for my lack of focus as I went to grab them. It was only when I gripped their hand and was able to focus on them that I realised I had almost knocked over DS Paterson.
“Christ, someone is in a hurry!” Paterson exclaimed, allowing me to steady her. “What happened? Did yer meeting not go well?”
I was confused for a second before I realised she was on about my counsellor meeting. I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Erm, I didn’t exactly finish it.”
Paterson pulled her hand out of my own and frowned at me. “Please dinnae tell me ye couldn’y even last five minutes talking aboot yersel?”
I felt my cheeks burn. “No, it wasn’t that. My session was interrupted by Brown, she called to say she’s working on something that she thinks is connected to Arnold’s death. She needs me to get back to London.”
Paterson’s face shifted from annoyed to shocked. “That’s big, James!”
I nodded eagerly. “It is, so I need to speak to Murray and hope he’ll let me go today.”
Paterson looked both shocked and upset. “Wow, I kent ye wid need tae go, but I didnae think she’d be wanting ye back immediately!”
I grimaced. “I know, but I’ve waited too long and worked too hard on Arnold’s case to not see it through until the end.”
“Aye, I understand,” Paterson responded. She hesitated thoughtfully. “Good luck, and come and see me in the department before ye rush off, alright?”
