by Ted Tayler
As the Olympus agents and their masters absorbed these images, the room fell silent. Everyone realised the import of Henry Case’s comments. The next few days and weeks spent in preparation for countering such a threat would take every ounce of their intelligence, resourcefulness and courage.
Henry ‘Head’ Case had completed his initial report. Erebus stood up and took his time rearranging the folders and other items on the table in front of him before he finally addressed his audience.
“Thank you, Henry. I am sure we can agree we have a significant problem. Before I put forward my suggestions, does anyone wish to comment on what we’ve heard so far?”
Athena was the first to speak.
“Habeeb Rehman and Zunairah Jaffri have been eliminated. We have removed the most dangerous personnel from the cell operating in the Midlands and we are closely monitoring everyone else involved. What possible threat can this group represent? They can’t mount a credible attack on the Games with the scrutiny they are receiving. We may not be alone in watching these people; our lacklustre national security services might even have stumbled across them by now. Why are we not concentrating our attention on potential terrorists arriving in the country from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and similar locations?”
“If we have a mole inside the cell,” said Colin, “we should analyse the information Henry has gathered before we dismiss their threat out of hand. As for arrivals, good luck with that. Terrorists come in all shapes and sizes. The world will descend on Heathrow this summer to take part in or watch the Games. I think we should concentrate on plans that counter any hopes of kidnapping and bombing within the environs of the Olympic venues that our intelligence section earmarks as confirmed targets. Where these beggars come from, whether Leicester, Lagos or Lahore does not matter a jot. Stopping them is what matters.”
Athena was clearly miffed. As one of the five leaders of the Olympus Project, she was not used to an agent questioning her views. Her relationship with Erebus over the years was strong. Her mentor had told her that when he felt it was time for him to stand aside, then Athena was his natural successor.
Erebus paced around the room for a moment or two; then he returned to stand by the head of the table. He looked at the assembled gathering of his most trusted and valued people.
“We have to make a decision. Clearly, we have divided opinions on how we should best go ahead. I suggest we take a vote, but first, considering how important the matter is, I want you to go away and think carefully. We will reconvene at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. We will vote then and whatever the outcome the Olympus organisation must receive your total support.”
The meeting ended. The silence as the agents and their leaders left the room was deafening. Colin and Rusty made their way to the stable block. Colin saw Athena turn and look in his direction as she strode out of the room with Erebus. What was she thinking? Was she angry with his blatant opposition to her proposal, or feeling hurt because he had so far ignored her since his trip to the Cotswolds?
CHAPTER 4
Colin and Rusty chatted amicably on the walk back to their quarters. Rusty had been thinking along the same lines as Colin as far as their next moves were concerned. He favoured being proactive wherever possible; in fact, he would probably have taken pre-emptive direct action by now.
“How many terrorist organisations do we have operating in the UK Phoenix?”
“Fifty of all creeds and colours, I guess, maybe a few more.”
“Yes, but how many are interested in, or have the capacity to attack the Olympic Games?”
“Just a couple I reckon. The intelligence gatherers in the command centre will have a better handle on it.”
Rusty slowed his walk and glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were alone.
“Exactly my point. Just a couple of outfits and a dozen, perhaps twenty faces to identify and take out of the game. Twenty bodies, as opposed to something far, far worse if an IED makes it into the Olympic Stadium when it’s packed with athletes, officials and spectators. Munich was bad. Atlanta was bad. The last thing we need is London’s legacy being a major tragedy. If we did things my way, there might well be a bonus too. Once word got out that several of the main players had been removed from the picture, it would deter any fringe extremists who might have been contemplating a solo effort.”
“We must see which way the vote goes in the morning. Erebus was right when he said this was a tough one to tackle. Neither choice guarantees success. A single bomber working alone would be very difficult to stop. There will be too many people, too many venues, the Games security will never cover everything.”
The two men stopped outside the door to Colin’s room.
“It sounds daft,” Rusty grumbled, “but we’d better pray that any threat comes from an organisation with a load of people on the ground, working together. At least, we will have a chance of picking up their communications or spot their activity en route to a venue.”
Rusty strolled off towards his quarters with things on his mind.
Colin entered his room and flopped onto the bed. He intended spending the rest of the evening relaxing. He thought through both his own preferred scenario and that of Athena. Although both plans had merit, he had to admit that he felt hers potentially too conservative. If the vote went against him tomorrow, he would throw his weight one hundred per cent behind Athena’s suggestion. Then cross his fingers that the proverbial did not hit the fan.
The knock on the door was quiet but insistent. Colin was surprised that he could ascribe so much meaning to a few simple taps of the knuckle on wood. Despite being dog-tired after the busy day in the country, he knew there would be no rest until he found out who was calling at this late hour. He dragged himself off his bed and opened the door; it was Athena.
“I’m sorry, but I had to see you,” she said, gently pushing Colin back into the room. She closed the door and locked it. Colin flopped back on the bed; hopes of a good night’s sleep forgotten for the time being. If Athena needed to speak to him urgently, then it must be important. He patted the foot of the bed and indicated for her to make herself comfortable.
Athena perched on the end of the bed. Her hair was loose and falling across her face. Colin was not sure what she came to say, but she seemed to struggle to find the words. She moved closer, tucking her long legs up under herself. Her right arm rested on his knee; casually enough, but it was a closeness that Colin found disturbing. It was unexpected, but far from unpleasant and despite his tiredness, he felt deep in his body that something stirred.
Cancel that previous notion, he thought, if she stays much longer a good night’s sleep could be forgotten, full stop, let alone for the time being.
While Colin revised his overnight schedule, Athena moved closer still. She leant her face in, kissed his forehead, his eyelids, and then eagerly found his mouth. Colin fought the temptation, at first, then as he realised resistance was futile, he responded, kissing Athena enthusiastically in return.
Colin realised that he had been way off the mark, thinking Athena was mad at him for suggesting a different approach to the Olympic security problem. If she was, then this was a strange way to show it. I should ignore her text messages more often, he thought, as Athena grew more amorous.
His hands slid across her back as she was now virtually on top of him. He broke the kiss temporarily, despite her groan of protest. Colin pulled her top and dragged it over that mane of hair, which fell over her bare shoulders and hid her face from his searching eyes.
Seconds later, they kissed again and his hands moved to her breasts. She sighed and her fingers trailed across his chest. “Wait,” cried Athena and rose from the bed. She removed her bra. Colin clawed at her jeans and somehow, they removed the rest of their clothes. They collapsed onto the bed and time stood still. Athena kissed his chest, his neck, and his mouth. Gently, she caressed his hips, his thighs, and his buttocks; she neglected the obvious. His erection was massive. “How on earth could she have missed
it?” thought Colin.
His kneaded her breasts and lowered his head to suck on them. Athena groaned and her head fell back as Colin turned her onto her back and began moving the track of his kisses across her stomach and over her thighs. With his mouth and fingers, in turn, he pleasured her, and she responded by taking the length of his shaft in her hand and stroking it. Colin knew he had to stop her before he lost control and he parted her thighs and entered her. Athena cried out. It had been so long since she had been with her late partner and Colin was so much bigger.
Colin felt more confident now and moved inside her again, slowly at first. Athena moaned and arched her back as he made love to her gently, increasing the rhythm of the dance until both of them climaxed, leaving their bodies vibrating with intense pleasure. Colin lowered his face to her lips once more.
“I’ve wanted to do this ever since the first day I saw you at Larcombe Manor.”
Athena kissed him and moving her hips she encouraged him to stay where they were, locked together as one.
“Perhaps you should finish what you started then?” she whispered.
Colin’s first thoughts of what Athena’s late-night arrival meant were to be correct. It was over two hours before they fell asleep at last in each other’s arms. Athena was content; she finally set free the ghost of her lover from seven years earlier. She would always remember Simon, cherish his memory and the time they spent together. Now with Phoenix, she hoped she could look forward to a future filled with promise, a promise of loving and being loved.
Just before he himself dropped off to sleep, Colin wondered what the last few hours would count for in the morning. He had always wanted to make love to Athena. She intrigued him from that first lunchtime here at Larcombe Manor. He realised right away she was a strong, forceful, and independent woman. She was strikingly beautiful that was plain to see; what concerned him most was her obvious breeding and intellect. Colin was unquestionably a clever man, whose education had been cut short by his mother. Although he was always confident he could have made it to a redbrick university and made a fair fist of studying a degree course, Athena seemed way out of his league.
“Blokes like me don’t pull a bird that attractive,” he thought, as they sized one another up at the dining table under the watchful eye of Erebus.
The old man had marked his card too, in the months since his arrival at Larcombe. Erebus was aware of the potential for his successor at the helm of the Olympus Project and one of his most accomplished agents becoming involved.
Colin was not sure whether Erebus approved of such a liaison or not. He told him to tread warily because Athena was still vulnerable. She lost her partner in the London bombings in 2005. Athena had shown him affection before and after the Oxford Circus affair, indeed she spent an innocent night in his room on one occasion. Tonight had been inevitable, but whether their relationship would continue to develop, or be quashed by Erebus and the demands of the organisation was unclear.
Colin had other problems. There was Therese for a start. What was he supposed to do about her? Why was life so bloody complicated?
For the majority of men with this dilemma, the answer would be simple enough; to be fair, most men would not get themselves into this situation. Colin Bailey had always been a different kettle of fish. His parents neither wanted nor loved him. Karen Smith had been a good time girl who trapped him into marriage, falling pregnant after one night of passion. Colin did not know how to love her.
Colin discovered that he could truly love their daughter Sharon, and he did so without reservation, but a father and daughter’s love is something special and very different. Sue Owens taught him about sexual love and their affair had been passionate in the extreme. Over their decade together as lovers and eventually as man and wife that passion never diminished. Over time, it matured into a loving relationship that both partners contributed to and savoured in equal measure.
Colin loved Sue Owens; his grief at losing her to cancer turned his heart to stone. A lack of feeling that allowed him to hunt the targets he identified. Eight of the names he added to his list while in The Gambia. There had been more names on that list, but the close attention of DCI Phil Hounsell diverted him from his mission.
He should never have kidnapped the police officer’s wife; that had been a mistake. A mistake that almost cost him his life let alone his freedom.
As for Therese Slater, he bumped into her as part of his preparation for the Manchester job. There could have been anyone working behind the bar that afternoon. Therese happened to be an attractive woman with a body to die for and Colin with that itch that needed to be scratched. He was not proud of himself. Sex with Therese had been exciting and physical. She left him wanting more.
Events in Bath led to his plans unravelling in an instant. He was ambivalent; the coin was in the air. He could meet up with Therese and disappear into mainland Europe for a few months. Or he could go in another direction, perhaps to Ireland and rest up alone until the coast cleared for him to return. Phil Hounsell took the decision out of his hands. Therese travelled to Holland alone.
At Larcombe Manor, Colin had met Athena, and that itch resurfaced. Was that all it was? Was he capable of feeling something deep and meaningful towards her? The Scottish trip to eliminate Donald MacDonald changed everything. Who could have predicted that Therese would be on a station platform slap bang in front of his carriage window?
She recognised Colin, even after the minor facial surgeries he underwent in West Africa and at Larcombe. The few days in Blackpool satisfied that blessed itch for Colin, but he wondered just where Therese thought it might lead. That train trip back to Bath after he left her soon passed. As the scenery flashed by, Colin saw little of it as he weighed up whether it was time to dispose of the sexy barmaid.
Not because she had become a threat, she had not done so yet. He had not tired of her either. It was Athena. He had to admit that Athena was in his head every hour he spent in Blackpool. In fact, she was a constant presence in his thoughts these days. As his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, Colin wondered why relationships were so bloody complicated. He dropped off to sleep without finding the answer.
CHAPTER 5
Mornings at Larcombe Manor followed a regular pattern. Agents were either leaving for a mission at the crack of dawn or returning from a job well done. Erebus and his closest cohorts breakfasted early and arrived for their morning meeting at nine o’clock prompt. Permanent staff housed in the stable block had been out of bed, ready for work in the ice- house by eight.
When Colin awoke, Athena had left.
He looked at his watch. It was a quarter past eight. He needed to get moving and fast.
As he headed for the shower, he spotted a post-it note stuck to the screen of his computer. It contained a heart, a kiss, and ‘A’. Colin sighed. The conversation he knew they needed to have would not be happening right away, but it had to take place sooner rather than later.
Almost as soon as he re-emerged showered, shaved, and ready to face the day, his phone rang.
It was Erebus.
“Good morning Phoenix. I trust you slept well?”
Colin wondered if the boss knew about last night. Did he spot Athena creeping back to the main house? Erebus was a crafty old bugger he did not miss a trick.
“Like a log, sir. A clear conscience helps,” said Colin, with his fingers crossed.
“Touché Phoenix. I need to see you after the morning meeting. We have this damned vote to get out of the way first, of course, plus of other items on today’s agenda. It should be over in an hour though. Let’s say we’ll meet up in the orangery at half-past ten, alright old chap?”
“That’s fine with me sir,” replied Colin.
Erebus ended the call.
Colin finished dressing and walked across the manicured lawns towards the manor house. You could not help but be impressed by the magnificence of the old building. Especially on a bright morning such as this. The Georgian edifice towered over him
as he climbed the slope towards the patio. The secrets of the outbuildings had to stay hidden away from prying eyes but the manor house deserved to be open to the public. What a shame they could never wander unaccompanied in the grounds or go on conducted tours to see the exquisite furniture and paintings that graced the interior.
“A penny for your thoughts mate,” called Rusty, running to catch him.
“I was thinking how beautiful this place is,” said Colin.
“Whoa. Something’s perked you up and no mistake.”
“Yeah, well,” said Colin, a little flustered.
Rusty gave him a light tap on the shoulder.
“Only kidding Phoenix. Whatever has made you believe this world’s a beautiful place long may it last. I reckon things will get worse before they get better, but then again I always was a miserable bleeder.”
The two agents covered the last few yards into the meeting room in companionable silence. Colin respected Rusty; he was a tremendous ally. You would not want to be on the wrong side of him that was a certainty.
Rusty respected Phoenix too. When he arrived at Larcombe Manor, he had been wary of what Erebus saw in him. He questioned why the old man had brought him into the fold. Everyone else who worked for Olympus was ex-service personnel. Most field agents were ex-SAS with a proven track record. Even Giles and the intelligence people wore a uniform for part of their careers.
