Brute Force

by Andy McNab

Looking out of the bridge window, I could see a four-seat fibreglass powerboat bobbing alongside us in the swell. We couldn't be that far out to sea.

  The door had a weather latch on the top. I threw it. There was no way she was getting out. 'Just stay there, darling – I'll go and get Tally.'

  I hobbled back down the stairs. There was nothing more I could do for her right now.

  123

  The hold looked like a battlefield.

  Mairead lay in the corner where I'd first seen the four of them. There was no movement from her. The two Russians lay where they'd died.

  Tallulah ran up to me. 'Where is she?'

  My leg hurt big-time. 'Upstairs. Go and talk to her. Go look after her.'

  She looked down. 'Oh my God, Nick!' She put her arms out, whether to hold me or help me, I wasn't sure. Her breath clouded around us.

  'I'm OK. She's up on the bridge. Keep her up there. I haven't finished down here yet.'

  Dom hugged Siobhan under the arc lights. I pointed. 'Go with her, help her. Then wait up there for me, OK?'

  I dropped the medical box and I followed it onto the deck. Dom let go of his wife and ran over to me.

  'Pressure, mate. I need pressure on the wound.'

  He didn't need any second bidding. He knelt down and tipped the contents onto the floor.

  I looked over at Mairead. 'She dead?'

  'Nearly.' He shook his head. 'But not nearly enough.'

  He started bandaging my leg tightly to stop the leaks.

  I leant back, my hands flat on the steel. I suddenly became aware of how cold I was. Dom shivered as he tied off the bandage.

  I gripped his forearm. 'Check through their gear. They've got to have some clothing here somewhere. Get some warm stuff on. There's a boat parked up next to this thing. Get the girls wrapped up, get them all in it.' I nodded over to Mairead. 'I'm going to sort her out and then let's fuck off. Have a look at the nav gear; find out where land is.'

  124

  Her legs moved.

  'Go – get everything sorted and I'll be up there to meet you.'

  He tucked in the last of the bandage just above my knee. 'Are you going to kill her?'

  I didn't answer.

  He stood up and held out a hand. I pulled myself up.

  We grabbed an arm each and started dragging her out, just the same as the Russians had dragged me. She bounced over the threshold and into the corridor, then along the red lino and over the cabin threshold.

  I ripped off her duvet jacket, checked the pockets and lobbed it at Dom. 'Get this on Ruby.'

  125

  I leant down and gave her a couple of slaps to bring her round. 'Come on!' I wanted her to be fully aware.

  I felt in her jeans pocket for the knife or whatever it was she'd been going to unscrew the TPU lid with.

  I found a stubby flat-head screwdriver.

  'Come on, wake up.'

  She was sort of there. I sat on the bunk with her at my feet.

  Next door, the engines idled. I was getting warm again. My ears and hands stung as they came back to life.

  I stared down at her. Her mass of hair glistened with blood and was matted against her head.

  I didn't blame her for being pissed off with me. If I'd been close to my dad I'd have felt the same. And I understood, too, why she'd want to know the traitor who gave up the ship to the British in the first place. I didn't even have a problem with the car device, now that I knew that it was just a ploy. In fact, I admired her for not giving up. I'd admired her dad for the same reason. They might have been the enemy, but they were solid.

  The only reason I was still sitting here and she was on the floor was that she'd brought the other four into it, and they had nothing to do with the world that she and I moved in. They were real people, and none of them would be safe unless I put an end to this.

  She'd also killed Lynn. He died doing his job, even though it wasn't his job any more. He was one of the old school. We needed more like him. I would make a point of contacting his kids and telling them what had happened. They needed to know how the man they despised had met his end.

  126

  She began to come round.

  I eased myself off the bed. The pain in my right thigh had begun to register in my brain. It seemed that these deep, clean cuts really were every bit as painful as any other kind. Blood oozed from the dressings. It was going to be hospital time very soon. I'd have to go in and complain about these drugged-up muggers who not only took all my cash, but also seemed to take pleasure in slicing me up.

  I couldn't kneel because of the pain. I had to stoop, one hand on the edge of the steel frame of the bunk as I leant down.

  I pulled open an eyelid. The pupil reacted. She could hear me all right.

  'It was Richard Isham.'

  She took a big, involuntary breath and sobbed.

  'Yeah, you know, the one who's always been up for the cause, the local hero, ready to fight to the death. But you know what, he was on the make, just like everybody else.' I leant a bit closer so she didn't miss a word. 'He saw what was coming and made sure he was one of the survivors. What would your dad think of that? But he can't think anything, can he? Because while Richard is sitting behind a big fat desk with an expense account to match, your old man is dead.'

  She kicked out her legs.

  'It's a fucker, isn't it? But you know what? I agree with you. A traitor is a traitor, in anyone's book, including mine. I have more respect for you than I do for him.'

  She was still sobbing but it wasn't from pain or fear of dying. She was a player; she had more bollocks than that. She was grieving.

  She should have spent five minutes with me over a brew some time. I could have put her straight: never trust those fuckers, and don't waste your faith in them. They're always in it for their own ends, no matter what side of the fence they're on.

  'But the problem is, you're the enemy.' I pushed myself up using the side of the bunk. 'Regardless of what I think of you, we both know what that means.'

  I limped into the corridor and locked the door behind me.

  127

  The TPU box was made of wood and the lid was screwed down tight. Four screws, of course. And there were a good two metres of loose det cord before the detonator was attached, in case it was contaminated. She'd learnt her lessons well.

  The screws came out easily.

  I turned the Parkway to the full hour, and the plastic disc fell to the floor.

  The timer ticked gently as the spring started to unwind.

  PART TWELVE

  128

  Dom drove the powerboat. Siobhan sat shivering one side of him and I stood behind, a hand on a shoulder each to brace myself as we bucked through the waves.

  Everyone but me wore a mish-mash of bloodstained fleeces and black leather jackets. I had a duvet draped around me like a cloak.

  Little dots of light began to sparkle in the darkness ahead.

  Dom half turned his head and shouted against the wind. 'Terrible timing.'

  'What's that?'

  'Biggest story of my career and it has to break when everybody's away.'

  'What do you mean?'

  His face broke into a grin. 'Don't you know what day it is? Merry Christmas, Nick.'

  He turned back to concentrate on the sea. 'You know you're welcome to finish your holiday at the cottage.'

  'No offence, mate, but I've got a place in Italy. For a while anyway . . .'

  I sat down next to Siobhan.

  She smiled weakly. 'What are you going to do, Nick?'

  I shrugged. 'I might go into the antiquities business. It seems there's a lot of rich guys who pay good—'

  'No.' She tilted her head to indicate behind. 'What – are – you – going – to – do?'

  I knew what she meant, but I didn't know the answer. Tallulah hadn't exactly been all over me when I got into the boat, and I could understand that. She had an eight-year-old priority desperately holding onto her.

  I g
ot up and moved back a row. Ruby was still curled into her stepmother, no longer crying, just staring into I didn't know what. Her hair was being blasted about in every direction.

  I leant over to Tallulah as she put a protective hand to Ruby's head. 'Listen, she's going to need lots of care now, to get over this, and to get things right. I know, I've seen it before. If you want, I can be there and help her – and you.'

  The expression I got back wasn't the one I was hoping for. There were no nods or smiles, nothing encouraging.

  Her lips moved, but I didn't hear the words. A brilliant flash of light arced across the sky from behind us, and seconds later came the short, sharp, dull sound of brisance as the steel of the hull took the full impact of the shaped charges.

  I tapped Ruby's shoulder. 'Not the best Christmas fireworks you've ever seen, but give me points for trying?'

  A little smile creased her face.

  'And look at that lot.'

  We were approaching a small Irish port. A group of carol singers gathered around a Christmas tree on the quay. Their clear voices reached out to us across the water. A cluster of houses were lit up with Santas and reindeer behind them.

  Tallulah sank her head into Ruby's hair.

  'Sorry, Tallulah, what did you say just then?'

  I still wasn't getting the expression I had hoped for, but I guessed it was the words that were the most important.

  She looked up at me and nodded slowly. 'I said, yes, Nick. I would like that.'

  Ruby had the faintest hint of a smile on her face. She started to sing along.

  O tidings of comfort and joy,

  comfort and joy,

  O tidings of comfort and joy . . .