Urban Assassin (7 page)

2.15; 2.14; 2.13 . . .

He took a deep breath to calm himself. You’ve still got two minutes, he told himself.

Four wires: blue, brown, yellow, green. He followed each along with his fingers. The yellow wire disappeared as soon as it ran into the casing
– it wasn’t attached to the actual timer mechanism. So it was a dummy. It could be ignored. That left three: blue, brown or green.

He lifted the digital display so he could see the time again:

1.26; 1.25; 1.24 . . .

He remembered the wiring diagrams from his basic bomb training. Brown live, blue neutral. Green was for earth. But a bomb didn’t have an earth. So why had Deacon put in a green wire as well? To fool him, or anyone else who tried to defuse it? Or had he replaced the brown or blue with a green wire? A wire was a wire. The coloured plastic was just wrapped round it for safety identification.

23; 22; 21 . . . Twenty seconds to go. 19;18 . . .

He held the piece of broken glass in his hand. Blue or brown should do it. Unless the green was a blue or a brown in disguise.

The clock now showed 7; 6; 5 . . .

Mitch sawed at the brown wire. If he was wrong . . .

He kept sawing with the piece of glass; but the edge had lost its sharpness.

Damn! thought Mitch. I need a knife or wire cutters. But right now this is all I’ve got. Three seconds. Two seconds. One . . .

The copper wire separated as the piece of glass cut through it.

Then came the explosion.

It didn’t take long for Mitch to realise it wasn’t a real explosion – just the door of his flat being smashed off its hinges. He looked towards the opening. Nelson and Tug were standing there, automatic rifles in their hands. Tug rushed over to the bomb.

‘It’s OK,’ croaked Mitch. ‘It’s dead.’ His throat felt so dry he could hardly speak.

‘We were the nearest,’ explained Nelson. ‘We came as soon as we could.’

‘I told Gaz to make sure everyone stayed away,’ said Mitch. ‘I just wanted the area cleared.’

‘Yeah, Gaz told us,’ said Nelson.

He bent down and examined the bomb. ‘Jimmy up to his old tricks, eh,’ he said.

‘Yeah,’ said Mitch sourly. ‘Your old buddy has a wacky sense of humour.’

Gaz and Benny arrived about ten minutes later. By then Tug had sewn up the gashes in Mitch’s wrists, and Nelson had dismantled the detonator from the plastic explosives.

‘That sure is one big banger,’ he commented.

Gaz joined Nelson, examining the bomb. He nodded. ‘If that had gone off, it would have taken out most of this side of the building.’

‘That’s what your friend Jimmy told me,’ said Mitch.

Gaz grunted. ‘He’s no friend of mine, pal. At the beginning, I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, but not after this.’

‘It’s a pity we’re off the case,’ murmured Tug. ‘If you ask me, this attack on Mitch calls for payback.’

‘We ain’t off the case yet,’ growled Nelson. ‘More than ever, this one’s ours!’

*

A few hours later Mitch was resting in his flat when he got the call from Nelson.

‘Washington came through for us,’ he told Mitch. ‘They agree that we’re the ones most likely to stop Deacon. That’s why we were brought in in the first place.’

‘I can’t believe that Deacon thought that killing me would stop the rest of you,’ said Mitch. ‘He must know how we soldiers feel about our comrades.’

There was a short silence, then Nelson said, ‘If you ask me, it’s just goes to show he’s really lost it. He’s mad, and he’s very dangerous. That’s why we’ve got to stop him.’

‘Have you spoken to MI6?’ asked Mitch.

‘Nope. All I know is that Gerald’s bosses in Whitehall have had a word with him. He’s agreed to us coming back in on this one.’

Mitch grinned. ‘He’s not going to be a happy bunny,’ he said.

‘That’s his problem,’ said Nelson. ‘But his real
problem is stopping Deacon, and he knows it. So, we meet up at 10 a.m. at MI6 HQ.’

‘I’ll be there,’ said Mitch.

Mitch walked into the small ward in the military hospital. All the way to the hospital he had been on the alert, keeping an eye out for Deacon in case he struck again. Two Moons was lying on his bed, earphones on, nodding in time to some music. He took the earphones off as he saw his friend. Mitch walked over and sat down on the chair beside the bed. He produced a small bunch of grapes, which he put on the bedside table.

‘What are they?’ asked Two Moons, regarding them suspiciously.

‘It’s sort of a tradition to bring grapes when visiting a patient in hospital,’ replied Mitch, smiling.

‘Fruit!’ snorted Two Moons. ‘I don’t like fruit. I like candy. I got shot in the leg – I deserve candy.’

‘What can I say? Fruit is better for you,’ said Mitch. ‘Anyway, I like grapes.’ And he picked one off the bunch and popped it in his mouth.

Two Moons looked at Mitch. ‘Let me get this straight,’ he said. ‘You brought me a bunch of grapes so you can eat them?’

Mitch popped another grape into his mouth and nodded. ‘Yep,’ he said. ‘That’s part of the tradition. You bring the grapes and then eat them yourself.’

Two Moons thought this over, and shrugged.

‘You English are crazy,’ he said finally. He noticed the bandages around Mitch’s wrists. ‘The colonel told me what happened. Sounds like Jimmy stitched you up real bad.’

‘It could have been worse,’ said Mitch. ‘The bomb might have gone off – in which case I wouldn’t be sitting here eating these grapes.’

‘No, and I’d be getting a visit from one of the others,’ said Two Moons, smiling. ‘Like Gaz, for example. He likes candy.’ Two Moons fell silent.
Finally, he said in a serious tone, ‘Jimmy really tried to kill you?’

‘Yep,’ Mitch replied.

‘Son of a bitch!’ muttered Two Moons.

‘Look at it from the positive side,’ said Mitch. ‘He didn’t try to kill you. He’s your friend.’

‘Not any more he ain’t,’ grunted Two Moons. ‘Next time I see him, he’s gonna get it. No holding back.’

‘That’s what Gaz said, too,’ Mitch told him. ‘Glad to know we’re still on the same side, Two Moons.’

Two Moons looked uncomfortable for a second, then he nodded. ‘It ain’t easy to admit someone you thought was your friend is really your enemy,’ he said.

Mitch sighed. ‘I know. It’s happened to me before. Shame we have to learn this kind of thing the hard way.’

‘Trust only each other,’ said Two Moons.

‘Absolutely,’ agreed Mitch. He gestured towards Two Moons’ leg. ‘So, what do the doctors say?’

‘They’ve sewn me up nicely. They reckon I’ll be
out of here the day after tomorrow.’ He grinned. ‘But that’s just their opinion. Me, I reckon I’ll be walking out of here today.’

Mitch frowned. ‘I think, for once, you ought to listen to what they say. Another day or so isn’t gonna make a lot of difference.’

Two Moons shook his head. ‘This conference thing is only a couple of days away. I want to be there for the action.’

‘Not if you’re still only working on one leg,’ said Mitch. ‘Me and the rest of the boys will be worried about you the whole time, which could mean we take our eyes off the ball when Deacon turns up with his gang of assassins.’

Two Moons scowled. ‘That’s what the colonel told me,’ he said. ‘And Benny, when he came to see me. You guys been talking behind my back?’

‘Nope,’ said Mitch. ‘It’s just logical. You stay and rest it another day, maybe you’ll be able to get in on the action.’

Two Moons’ scowl deepened. Then he sighed.
‘I guess you’re right. Only I don’t like to think of you guys blundering around out there without me to look after you. Getting yourselves blown up, and stuff.’

‘And getting shot,’ grinned Mitch.

‘So,’ asked Two Moons, ‘what’s next?’

‘We’ve been summoned to a meeting at Spook Central,’ said Mitch. ‘I guess that, after what happened with Sparks and the Russian, they’re having to come up with a whole new plan.’

In the briefing room at MI6 HQ, there was a new air of determination about the men of Delta Unit and the MI6 agents. Any reservations Gerald may have held about the team seemed to have gone.

The fact is, thought Mitch, Two Moons has been shot and is in hospital; I’ve nearly been blown up by Deacon; one of the spooks has been murdered, and one of the assassins, Dmitri Pavel, is dead. The stakes have been raised, and everyone knows it.

‘Pavel may be dead, but Deacon, Smitt and
Lavall are still out there,’ said Gerald.

‘And under surveillance?’ asked Tug.

‘Smitt and Lavall are, yes. Despite what happened to Pavel, they don’t seem to have been startled into taking cover.’

‘Maybe Deacon hasn’t told them Pavel’s dead,’ murmured Benny.

‘And maybe he won’t,’ added Nelson.

‘But he must know we’re watching them,’ said Mitch.

‘Perhaps he’s assuming that when the time is right, they’ll give us the slip,’ said Gerald.

Nelson shook his head. ‘He wouldn’t take that much of a chance,’ he said. ‘Deacon knows us. He knows what we’re like. Once we’re on someone’s tail we’ll hang right on there.’

‘Maybe Lavall and Smitt are just decoys?’ suggested Mitch. ‘We’re kept busy watching them instead of looking for Deacon.’

‘Maybe,’ agreed Benny. ‘But we do know there’s a connection.’ Benny gestured at Mitch.
‘Remember, Mitch, Deacon said to you “You killed my operative”.’

‘True.’ Mitch nodded.

‘At the moment, these two assassins are the only leads we’ve got on Deacon,’ said Gerald. ‘So what I’d like to do is keep them under surveillance. Sooner or later they’ll lead us to him.’

‘Hopefully sooner, rather than later,’ said Nelson. ‘The conference begins in just a couple of days.’

‘Have your IT people been able to get a fix on their mobile phones yet?’ asked Benny.

Gerald shook his head. ‘Not yet, unfortunately,’ he admitted.

‘OK, so we stick to the old-fashioned way,’ said Nelson. He looked at the file on the two men again. ‘Lavall is staying at the Manxman Hotel on the Strand, and Smitt is in a bed and breakfast place near Victoria station. I suggest this time Mitch and Benny trail Lavall, and Tug and Gaz look after Smitt. I’ll stay in reserve, so either team can call me in as backup.’

Gerald shot him a hard look. ‘You’re excluding my personnel,’ he said, tight-lipped.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Nelson. ‘I got the impression you didn’t want to work with us so closely any more.’

Gerald was stony-faced. ‘This is still an MI6 operation,’ he replied curtly. ‘However, in light of what happened to John Sparks, perhaps it might be better to keep our teams separate.’

‘What happened to Sparks wasn’t our fault,’ said Mitch.

‘I’m not saying it was,’ said Gerald. ‘I’m just saying it might be better if our people followed you at a distance. We’ll keep in contact by the same communications system.’

‘So, you watch us watching them?’ asked Benny, with a wry smile.

‘It does seem logical,’ said Gerald. ‘That way, if there are any slips, our people can move in unseen and continue the surveillance.’

‘If we get killed you mean,’ said Gaz with a grim smile.

‘No one else is getting killed,’ grunted Nelson. ‘Not on my watch.’

‘Then I suggest we continue the operation,’ said Gerald. ‘The sooner Lavall and Smitt can lead us to Deacon, the better.’

Mitch and Benny were in the lobby of the Manxman Hotel. They had been assured by the MI6 agents watching Pierre Lavall that he was still in his room on the fifth floor.

‘Unless he got out the window,’ suggested Mitch.

Benny grinned. ‘His room overlooks the Strand,’ he said. ‘If he tried climbing six floors down the face of the building to the street he’d already be on YouTube.’ Benny gave a short sigh. ‘I know it was a pretty horrendous experience for you, Deacon nearly killing you with that bomb, Mitch, but in a way, it’s a good thing it happened. The rest of the unit never really believed me about Deacon. Now, after that, they have to.’

‘I’m glad to be of service,’ said Mitch with a wry smile.

Just then Tug’s voice came over in their earpieces. ‘Target Two’s on the move,’ he said. ‘Heading for Victoria station.’

‘Copy that,’ said Benny. ‘No-show from our target so far.’

‘Scrap that,’ said Mitch sharply. He’d just seen Lavall step out of the lift and head for the reception desk.

Mitch walked across the lobby and out of the door on to the Strand, ready to pick up Lavall as he left the hotel. Benny stayed behind, in case Lavall left by another exit. But the Frenchman handed in his key at reception, and walked out into the busy street.

Mitch let Lavall head off for a few yards before starting to trail him. He was heading west towards Trafalgar Square. Would he stay on foot or take transport? If so, which would he choose: bus, underground or taxi?

Lavall didn’t seem to be in any hurry, nor did he appear at all worried that he might be followed. He just kept walking casually along the Strand. Mitch followed at a distance. He was wearing his headset clipped over his ear, just like any other hands-free mobile phone.

He knew that Benny was somewhere close by; possibly on the other side of the road, or in one of the taxis MI6 had provided, staying back and keeping watch, ready to change over.

In his earpiece he received an update from Tug: ‘Target Two entering Victoria station. Heading for the underground.’

Mitch was glad the communication system they were using worked underground. Modern coms technology meant you could be in touch with anyone almost anywhere: from outer space to deep below ground level.

Lavall kept walking until he reached Charing Cross station. There, he stopped to buy a newspaper from a stall.

Gives him the chance to take a look around and see if there’s anything suspicious or anyone on his tail, thought Mitch.

But he had kept enough distance to avoid being spotted.

Which way now, wondered Mitch? Overground train? Or will he keep walking?

Lavall headed towards the entrance to the underground.

‘Here we go,’ murmured Mitch into his mouthpiece. ‘Target One going underground.’

‘Got you,’ came Benny’s voice.

‘Target Two is heading towards the Victoria line northbound,’ Mitch heard Tug say.