City Traffic Puzzle

After spending the night in a cheap bed & breakfast place out of town, Alex took a bus back into the city for his eleven o'clock flight to Heathrow, London. Exhausted after a night of little rest, he had decided it would not be sensible to drive in such a run-down state. Once Alex had arrived at the airport and checked himself in, it was approaching half past nine, which gave him about an hour to grab a quick breakfast and settle a few daunting phonecalls.

Deciding that he would attend to the phonecalls when he felt a little more confident, Alex fished a few coins from his jeans pocket and scanned the parade of shops before settling on a sandwich and snack bar. He chose a toasted cheese panini, and as he nibbled the burnt crust he tried incredibly hard not to think about anything other than the food. Naturally, this plan fell apart as flickers of Alex's decisions replayed in his head.

Alex sighed as he picked apart the sandwich, barely eating as his mind went into overdrive. Regret flooded his emotions instantly, and he curled his hands into fists to keep calm.

"Why did I leave them?" he muttered to himself, "Why did I leave my closest friends?"

Just as he had boarded the plane and found his seat, the sinister buzzing of Alex's mobile phone against his thigh was a sickening reminder. He flipped open the device to see a single new message, and as he opened it his heart sank.

I expect you to have the full sum of money when we meet tomorrow morning. You will see the girl on Saturday. I expect full co-operation, Mr. Gaskarth.

Alex tipped his head back against the cushioned seat and let his eyes droop shut a little. He didn't even bother flicking through the music or movies, he just wanted to clear his head in the empty hours.

"I'm coming home," he whispered to the window, the words masked by the immense noise as the plane took off, "Daddy's coming home to save you, Allegra."

It was going to be a long flight.