High Pressure

by Sam Blake

  ‘I haven’t got her number.’

  Reiss looked at her as if she was stupid.

  ‘You want me to believe you’ve flown all the way here from London, then come all the way out to this shack in the middle of nowhere and you’ve no idea how to get hold of Marissa?’

  He must be desperate. There were some distinct gaps in the logic of this plan.

  Anna shrugged, working hard to keep her voice level. ‘You’re the one who brought me down here. I have no idea where we are. I live in Dublin – I was trying to get a cab to my apartment in the city centre. I seem to remember I gave you the address when I got in.’

  Reiss turned towards her, his eyes narrowed.

  ‘You women – you think you’re so damn clever. I know you’ve been talking to her sister. I thought she’d sent the USB to Brioni, but it wasn’t in her stuff. So Marissa must still have it. I know she’s here somewhere – she emailed Brioni.’

  ‘Brioni has spent the last week thinking her sister was dead. There was a bus that blew up in the middle of Oxford Street, if you remember—’

  ‘Oh, I know all about that.’ His smirk made the hairs stand up on the back of Anna’s neck.

  Sitting in the armchair he’d pushed her into, Anna pulled her wrap around herself, as if she was cold. Glancing underneath the shawl, straightening it, she hit record on her phone.

  ‘You set that bomb, did you – the one on the bus? What did you hope to achieve, exactly?’

  ‘Apart from cleansing the streets of London?’ Reiss laughed. ‘Let’s just say it’s part of a bigger plan.’

  ‘The social media was clever. I guess that was your idea?’

  Reiss shrugged. ‘Obvious, really. That pop star paved the way. The secret –’ he seemed to relax for a moment, went and sat down on the end of the sofa, obviously enjoying his moment – ‘was to create accounts and pick up followers by location. The followers were easy to find. We search hashtags and key accounts. From there we started posting idiot content – food and pictures of buses, cats, anything.’ He sat back into the chair, looking smug. ‘We set up automatic retweets on key accounts and the people we followed, followed us back. Then –’ he smiled ‘– we set up incidents in specific locations, posted a few tweets and our followers did the rest. Nothing like a bit of panic to create a situation, put the cops under pressure.’

  Her heart pounding, Anna let him roll on, letting him enjoy the genius of his moment. He had no idea that Rob’s teams knew exactly what was happening, were focusing on pinpointing the original accounts, were searching IP addresses, going through every micro-detail. Someone would have slipped up somewhere.

  ‘That’s very clever.’

  ‘I thought so.’

  ‘And you’re the head of this organisation? It sounds big.’ She raised her eyebrows as if she was genuinely impressed.

  Reiss shrugged. ‘It’s growing, every day it’s growing. And yes, Steve and I were commanders-in-chief – grand masters, if you like. It’s just me now.’

  It took all her acting skills for Anna to keep her face straight, to hide the utter disgust that was sweeping over her. The Klan had reduced from a peak membership in the 1960s of five million, to only four thousand now, but the change in leadership in the White House had brought the National Socialist Movement – neo-Nazis – to strength. And South Carolina was the Confederate heartland; Charleston was a city built on slavery.

  She felt her mouth dry. ‘And what happened to Steve exactly?’

  Reiss shrugged. ‘He wasn’t ready to take the next step. He was fine with hoax incidents, but when it came to the real thing, he lost his nerve. Dissension is dangerous, and then when he thought Marissa had got caught in the explosion, he fell apart—’

  Anna interrupted him. ‘The explosion caused by the bomb you left on a crowded double-decker bus?’

  Reiss smirked again, shrugging. ‘That would be it. He was a liability. He wasn’t man enough to step up the action. Can’t fight with a weak link in the squad, you’ve got to be able to rely one hundred per cent on your men.’

  ‘So you killed him? As an example to others in the organisation? You were planning to lynch him to show them what would happen if they let you down?’

  Reiss shrugged. ‘You women don’t understand anything. You should focus on what you’re good at.’

  ‘And leave the terrorism to the men? You know, one day a woman might just surprise you.’

  He snorted. ‘What do you mean? Outsmart me? That’s never going to happen.’

  ‘What about Marissa? Wasn’t she supposed to be here? In this house?’

  Before Reiss could answer, they suddenly became aware of the distant sound of a helicopter. Anna’s heart rate increased, mirroring the beating of the rotors, but she didn’t react; instead, she kept her face passive.

  Reiss looked up at the ceiling, his face creased in a frown. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a handgun. Anna held her breath for a moment. She shouldn’t have been surprised at all, but seeing it so close shocked her. Had he organised to have it delivered to him at the airport before he’d picked her up? Guns were easy to get hold of in Dublin, if you knew where.

  Reiss jumped up and switched off the living-room lights, plunging them into darkness. Taking advantage of the distraction, Anna reached inside her wrap and switched off the voice recorder on her phone. He might be jamming the signals, but the other functions should be working just fine.

  He moved quickly to the window and looked out as the sound of the helicopter got louder. Anna strained to see its lights, but the sky was dark – and it was still behind the house, approaching from the sea.

  ‘It’s a rescue helicopter, they do a lot of night exercises along here. Sometimes they use army choppers. Despite it being an island, I think there are only a couple of coast guard helicopters to cover the whole county.’

  ‘Ssh!’ He held his finger to his lips.

  ‘They can’t hear me. Honestly, once it comes into view you’ll see. The sound travels much faster over water, it’s probably still miles away.’ He looked at her as if she was making it up. ‘Go and look outside if you don’t believe me.’

  She waved generally in the direction of the sound, as if she was totally relaxed.

  He turned from the window and, glancing at her, headed for the back of the house towards what she guessed was the kitchen. He disappeared along a corridor and she heard fumbling, and then a creak as a door opened.

  ‘Don’t move.’ His whisper was loud. ‘A bullet will get to you faster than you can run.’

  Gripping the arms of the chair, Anna stayed where she was, praying hard that this was the cavalry. She’d told Mike he didn’t need to send them, but she’d sure as hell be glad if he’d ignored that instruction.

  In the kitchen, Anna heard what sounded like the back door open. She tensed. Was Reiss really going outside to check what was happening? Did she have a chance to run?

  He was right about the speed of a bullet, but he needed her alive if he was going to find Marissa. After bringing her all the way here, she was sure he wasn’t going to shoot her until he’d got what he needed.

  Leaning forwards and glancing through the kitchen door, Anna could see the back door was open. She listened hard. Where had he gone?

  She wasn’t about to hang about and find out. If she could get to the other side of the car he’d parked outside, she’d have some cover.

  Jumping out of her chair, she ran to the front door, hauling it open, and bolted from the house, scrambling around the car and landing on the ground beside it, her back pressed to the cold metal of the rear door as she tried to catch her breath. The decision to wear her Converse this morning had possibly been the best one she’d made all day.

  Above her, the helicopter came closer, flying out to sea but parallel to the beach, the sound increasing. She still couldn’t see its markings clearly, but as it swung inland opposite her, its red tail light was like a jewel suspended in the night sky. The beat of her heart wa
s almost drowning out the sound of the rotors.

  Powerful landing lights suddenly floodlit the ground opposite her, illuminating another house, very similar to Brioni and Marissa’s, on the top of the next dune. The helicopter had barely touched the ground when what looked like black uniformed commandos began to pour out of it, running across the field, fanning out. Even from this distance, Anna could see they were wearing visors and crash helmets, had automatic weapons raised to their shoulders.

  Thank God.

  Anna knew she needed to get away from here and across to them before any firing started. Crouching, she hesitated for a split second and then ran into the darkness, across the drive and down what looked like a rabbit path into the hollow between the houses. The ground dipped steeply before it began to rise again, the long grass pockmarked with rabbit holes.

  Anna hunched down in the bottom of the dip. Glancing back up at the house, she couldn’t see any sign of Reiss. Was he inside looking for her, or had he come outside under cover of darkness?

  Anna knew she needed to move, but she’d be a clear target from the house if she climbed the far side of the hollow. At least here she was in the shadows, and if she kept still, he might not see her. Thank God she’d decided to wear a navy-blue T-shirt with her jeans today. She pulled her shawl over her head, conscious her hair was paler than the rest of her clothing.

  Anna inched forward on her hands and knees, a movement that must have taken her out of the range of whatever device Reiss was using to jam her phone signal. It suddenly begun updating, the message notification sound far too loud for her liking. Fumbling with it, she tried to turn it to silent.

  At least she’d show up on everyone’s radar now.

  The thought had hardly gone through her head when screen lit up and panicking, she snapped the cover closed, at the same time catching a movement above her out of the corner of her eye.

  A dark figure had appeared, crouching against the skyline at the top of the dune above her. Wearing what looked like night vision goggles, dressed entirely in black, the figure was armed with a short sub-machine gun. In one smooth movement, the commando tucked a shoulder into the ground and rolled down towards her, nimbly landing right beside her.

  Without a word, the ERU commando hooked an arm around Anna’s back and wordlessly urged her on, propelling her up the dune and towards safety. Stunned, Anna held her breath as she climbed. Her muscles were burning as she scrambled up the steep incline, focusing on the way forwards, trying not to think about the bullet that could come from the opposite side at any moment. The commando was in full body armour and, Anna realised, was pushing her from behind, shielding her as much as possible, but she’d never felt so vulnerable.

  In Paris she’d been one of many people lying on the floor of the bank; here she was a clear target, albeit one moving as fast as she could.

  Her mouth was dry, her heart exploding in her chest as she topped the incline and the commando pushed her, sprawling to the ground.

  Chapter 55

  The last thing Brioni expected was for Reiss Chanin to come out of the back door of her house, a gun in his hand, his eyes focused on the sky.

  She had literally just slipped across the scrub between the edge of the field and the house, and was moving in a crouch below the windows, her shoulder to the wooden wall of the house, when she heard the bolt being drawn back and the key in the door turning. Part of her was surprised it was locked at all; down here, miles from anywhere, it was rare they’d locked the house.

  Adrenaline coursing through her, she’d crouched down, making herself as small and as invisible as possible, very glad of her black hair. The back door was recessed beside the kitchen window; her dad had built a small porch over it so they could put out the bins without getting soaked, protected from the sea and the often-ferocious winter gales by the lee of the wall.

  Which meant that whoever was there had to take two steps out of the door to look up at the sky and the approaching helicopter. At least, that’s what Brioni guessed they must be coming out to do.

  Two steps in which Reiss Chanin wasn’t expecting Brioni to explode from the darkness with a punch aimed at a vein in his neck.

  Two steps that were very nearly his last.

  He fell heavily, his head hitting the edge of the concrete lid of the septic tank.

  Brioni let a smile curl across her face. She’d waited just long enough before striking to confirm that her suspicions were correct, and this was exactly who she thought it was. She knew from bitter experience that being punched in this particular location knocked you out stone-cold. Malachi, the Irish guy she’d met who had saved her sanity with space in his house share and spare pyjamas – to say nothing of a job – was a martial arts expert. He’d taught her the basics, waiting for her every evening on the beach in India, until, by the time he moved on, she’d got quite proficient.

  But she’d never expected to have to use what she’d learned – or, for that matter, that it would be used on her.

  The night that she’d been attacked in Thailand had made her suddenly conscious of her own mortality, and simultaneously made her realise it was time to get on with things – that she needed to see her sister and that actually, she didn’t want to spend more time drifting, that it was time for her life to get started. She knew herself better now than she had when she’d left Ireland. She’d found her space, and that was what the trip had been all about.

  Brioni took a step closer to Reiss, only too aware that it was possible she hadn’t hit him cleanly and that he was faking a faint. But he lay motionless on the sandy path, one leg twisted awkwardly beneath him, his eyes closed. A trickle of blood had appeared from behind his head, a dark streak in the white sand.

  Good enough for him.

  It had been the gift of surprise, as well as everything Malachi had taught her, that had made the punch land. But Brioni knew that it was also rage, a huge pent-up anger that this despicable creature, with his warped ideas, had caused something to happen to her sister that was so bad she felt she had to leave her whole life behind and run.

  And that wasn’t something Brioni was ever going to forgive him for.

  She was sorely tempted to follow up the punch with a sharp kick to the head, but the crack as he’d hit the edge of the septic tank had been very satisfying. She was pretty sure he was out cold.

  Bending down, she wrestled his belt out from his jeans. With all her strength, she rolled him over, pulling his hands behind him and wrapping the leather so tightly around his wrists she could see the edges cutting into his skin. The gun had fallen into the darkness when he’d landed. She’d heard it, but couldn’t be sure exactly which way it had gone.

  The question was, what did she do now? She had an overpowering urge to open the lid of the septic tank and haul his disgusting carcass into the concrete box below, packed full of organic-detritus-digesting bacteria. She pursed her lips, seriously considering it for a moment. It would take a long time for the body to fully decompose – what where the chances of anyone looking there?

  She glanced up. The helicopter was out of view, and from the change in tempo of the sound of the rotors, she guessed it had landed in Jim Phelan’s field behind Cara’s house.

  It had to be packed full of Gardai.

  Well, she sure hoped it was.

  She needed to let them know Reiss was here. Maybe the US had some sort of an extradition agreement that meant he could get the electric chair for everything he’d done? She wasn’t into capital punishment, but right now the thought of it was the only thing standing between her and murder.

  Brioni took a deep breath, her heart beginning to slow. The sound of the chopper blades had been replaced now by the waves crashing on the beach. She pulled out her phone. Much as she’d like to send Reiss Chanin to his maker, she needed to let Con Walshe know she was here, so nobody accidentally shot her, and she needed to find Anna and make sure that she was all right.

  And then she needed to find Mar.

  C
hapter 56

  ‘I need you to crawl. Keep as low down as possible and head for the house. The lads have us covered, but I need you to move as quickly as you can.’

  The commando’s voice was low and urgent, and, Anna was surprised to hear, female. With her body armour and helmet, it was hard to tell anything much in the darkness.

  ‘Yes, of course. They need to be careful, he might have the car booby-trapped. He put the bomb on the bus in London.’

  Anna couldn’t see the commando’s face, but she nodded and indicated with a gloved hand that they needed to head around the house in front of them. Behind it, Anna could see the dark hulk of the helicopter. She had no idea where the rest of the team had gone, but from somewhere to her left, a man’s voice suddenly rang out across the dunes.

  ‘This is Colm Hayes, I’m part of the Garda Síochána Crisis Unit. I’m here to listen to you and make sure everyone stays safe. Can you indicate you can hear me?’

  His tone was firm but calm. There was no way Reiss Chanin could not hear that.

  ‘Come on.’

  The commando tipped Anna’s elbow and tilted her head to indicate the other side of the field, where a low hedge ran up to the side of the house. Like Brioni’s parents’ house, it was single-storey with dark wooden shuttering on the outside. Huge windows looked out over the rolling grass-covered dunes and the sea.

  But Anna didn’t have time to look at it as she crawled off ahead of her ERU rescuer. The rabbits had cropped the grass shorter here, but Anna could feel her elbows bruising; the ground was hard and tiny pebbles cut into her skin. Halfway across, she spotted a movement to her right. The front door of the house was opening.

  She almost cried out, but the guard with her had seen the movement, too. She rolled over, putting her body between Anna and the door, the sub-machine gun raised to her shoulder.

  ‘Armed gardai! Put any weapons on the ground and come out with your hands raised.’