by Jo Black
‘Sleep well.’
‘You too honey.’
Zara departed and left Hunter in peace. She headed back to the kitchen, made a pot of coffee, took it back out to the terrace and put it on the table next to Nish. ‘Made you a coffee.’
‘Appreciate it.’
‘What you up to?’
‘Working on the files I built on Radic.’
‘Anything useful?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Well, I’m going to bed. Wake me up if you hear anything.’
‘Roger that.’
Zara headed upstairs to the master suite. She showered before turning in for the night, tossing and turning to try and get comfortable before turning over to stare at the empty pillow where Alex should have been. She closed her eyes, drew a deep breath and tried to shut her mind down from thinking too much before finally the fatigue took over and she drifted into sleep.
Zara’s eyes snapped awake again as the bright landing lights swept across the window before the cacophony of twin turbines and rotor thump grew louder. She squinted at the lights as the silhouette of a silver/grey Dauphin II helicopter, wheels down, slowed as it lined up to land on the villa’s rooftop helipad. The air pressure built against the window from the rotor down wash before the noise dampened a little from the reinforced concrete roof. She looked above her before she heard the subtle thump of the multi-ton helicopter land on the roof before the rotors and engines spooled to shutdown and the room fell silent again, save for the sound of waves breaking on the rocks below. She resisted the temptation to go and investigate, and instead feigned sleep as she listened intently to the faint murmur of conversations carried on the wind. An hour or so passed before she felt a presence enter the dark room, moving about in near silence. The faint whir of the extractor fan in the en-suite followed by the splashing of water from the shower for fifteen minutes before shutting off. Five minutes later, the gentle patter of bare feet on the marble floor then she felt the sheet lift and the mattress sink a little as it bore his weight. An arm wrapped around her and she felt Alex’s warm breath nuzzle behind her neck. She smiled a little.
‘You sneak around trying not to wake me, yet park a fucking helicopter on the bedroom roof.’ Zara took his hand and squeezed it.
‘Sorry. It was late. I didn’t want the long drive from the airport.’
‘I’ll forgive you. How was Russia? I was worried about you.’
‘Crimea? It was fine. I’m tired. It’s been a long day.’
‘Tell me about it. I’ve got your client.’
‘Nish said. We’ll talk about it over breakfast.’ Alex kissed her cheek gently, she turned to face him and he teased her lips with his. ‘I missed you.’
‘I missed you too. Take me with you next time. We’ve spent too much time apart already.’
‘I will.’
‘You promise?’
‘I promise. There is someone I want you to meet.’
‘Who?’
‘I’ll tell you soon.’ Zara nodded, too tired to press the matter. They kissed again and she wrapped around him resting her head on his chest. ‘I love this place. It’s so peaceful. At least when you’re not arriving by a helicopter at three a.m. The neighbours must love you.’
‘They don’t hear it.’
‘Are they deaf?’
‘No, I murdered them all last time they came round to complain about the noise.’ Zara grinned, then stopped grinning and frowned with a serious look.
‘You didn’t?’ Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘Fucker!’ She returned to his chest after giving it a playful slap. ‘I’ll go round and check in the morning.’
‘I’m sure they’re fine. They probably won’t get back from the clubs until past dawn. And the rest are too off their tits on pills to care.’
‘Now I see why you chose Ibiza...’
56
The early morning sun streaming through the patio windows woke Hunter from the first quality sleep he’d had for weeks. He stretched and yawned before he noticed the stranger present in his room. ‘I brought you coffee,’ Alex said softly.
‘Thanks,’ Hunter said with a nod. Alex walked over and set the cup down on his table.
‘May I?’ Alex asked, gesturing at the expensive designer lounge seat next to the bed.
‘Your house buddy,’ Hunter said with a nod.
Alex sat down nursing his coffee. ‘I wanted to thank you. In private. For what you did for Zara. She probably wouldn’t be here without you.’
‘I’m sure you’d have figured it out.’
‘I don’t think we could have. It was your intel that got her free, not my military op.’
‘She means a lot to me. She’s the daughter I never had. I’ve looked out for her for a long time. I’d have gone and got her myself, but then the cancer had other ideas.’
‘I’m sorry for your troubles.’
‘I’m sorry, that you’re sorry. That’s the expression isn’t it?’
‘You know us well.’
‘Not that well. No thanks required. She was my protégé, my responsibility in Pakistan. I got her into this deal. I had to help get her out of it.’
‘A man of honour.’
‘Just a good friend.’
‘The same thing.’
‘Not always. How is it in your world?’
‘The only friends are men of honour, the ones who aren’t may call you friend, but they aren’t. The Russian psyche is built to understand deception. Deception is in our nature, because during the great purge the only people who survived were those that mastered it.’
‘Explains why the K.G.B was so effective.’
‘Deception was life, even for the honest. Do you understand my meaning?’
‘I think so.’
‘I understand you spent a lot of time with Zara in Pakistan, you looked out for her and you are close. She loves you.’
‘I don’t think you have to be jealous, I’m a little too old for catching your girl’s eye.’
‘I’m not jealous. I know my wife’s heart.’
‘And she yours?’
‘The parts she understands.’
‘And the parts she doesn’t?’
‘We’re waiting for her brain to stop thinking of the million other things her inquiring mind flits from to focus. She’s like a curious cat chasing every ball of string she finds.’
‘I know.’ Hunter smiled sipping his coffee.
‘She’s my world Hunter. The sun rises and sets with her. If you want to understand anything about me, understand that.’
‘We met once.’
Alex nodded. ‘Yes. I remember.’
‘I’m surprised.’
‘Why should you be? Do you think I have a poor memory for faces?’
‘No, just that given how many people you must meet, that we were of any account to be worth remembering.’
‘Perhaps our destinies were intertwined, and we just didn’t realise it. You remembered.’
‘How could I forget? You scared the shit out of me.’
‘Really? It was not my intention.’
‘Can I ask you a question?’
‘Sure.’
‘The A.Q guys you warned us about. You knew they were there, but didn’t do anything about them. Why didn’t you kill them? You had the numbers.’
‘Their lives were not mine to take.’
‘They were A.Q.’
‘They posed no threat to me. You understand the Quran. You cannot take a life without just cause. I believe the bible shares the same sentiment,’ Alex said nodding down at the cross on Hunter’s chess.
‘Irish Italian,’ Hunter said with a smile. ‘But you’re a soldier, wasn’t that what you were there for? I assumed the men you were with were Mujahideen. The non A.Q variety.’
‘They were mercenaries, the same as me. We have no fight with The Man in the Cave.’
‘Bin Laden? And what about now?’
‘They were your tribe’s towers he destroyed, not mine. There is a good r
eason he does not turn his gaze east Hunter, since we departed Afghanistan we haven’t meddled in his affairs to the extent your house has. We respect the rights of the Arabs to govern their own lands, we don’t insist on enforcing capitalist democracy and freedom, whatever such a thing is, on all those we meet.’
‘No, you just force autocracy by sheer brute force. He was fighting against your side, long before ours.’
‘Touché,’ Alex said with a smile. ‘But we only set our eyes on the possessions we already once held. We have never taken lands that were not already ours to take. Unlike others who covet our former neighbours, and seek to bring their threats to our very door. But these are questions for politicians and statesmen Hunter, I am neither.’
‘And what are you, exactly?’
‘I try to keep order in my master’s house, the same as you do.’
‘How’s that working for you?’
‘These are difficult times.’
‘They are that. Which has led us here, me sat as a guest in your house.’
‘Well, I understand you are a client, so it seems I am at your service. You have fallen victim to my wife’s power’s of persuasion.’
‘You and me both.’
‘She can be very persuasive. In any case, you are a dear friend of Zara’s so you are most welcome to my humble home. You grace us by accepting our hospitality. May you find peace and well-being here.’
‘Not so humble...’
‘All homes are humble, if the master of the house deems it so. Would you like to see her secrets?’
‘I’m a spy, what do you think?’
Hunter got up and picked up his coffee.
‘Normally guests would not see what I am about to show you, but since you are a close friend of the woman who I hold no secrets from, and a client now, then perhaps we can make an exception.’ Alex led Hunter through the secret bookcase passageway down to the chapel.
‘It’s beautiful,’ said Hunter. ‘This is not the sort of place I imagined you to live.’
‘Perhaps you’ll find time to spend here. Given your health condition you may find it beneficial.’
‘For what?’
‘To prepare your soul.’
‘I think my soul is long lost to that cause brother, not so sure even Saint Jude has a good word to say for me these days.’
‘Nobody is ever lost, who does not want to find the right way in the end.’ Alex led Hunter through the crypt. ‘Don’t mind him. He’s having a siesta.’
‘How long’s he been asleep?’
‘About seventeen-hundred years.’
‘Spanish working practices eh?’ They went through to the library. ‘This is quite a collection.’
‘I’m sure you’ll find something interesting to read at bedtime in here, if the clubs don’t appeal.’ Hunter walked over and stared at The Guild Charter.
‘Can I be honest with you?’
‘Of course.’
‘All this stuff, very impressive. I assume you didn’t just have it chucked in here by the realtor to impress some chick with big tatas you pulled down the club. The thing is, what’s it all about?’
‘Read it for yourself. It’s all in here.’
‘Zara think you might be a lunatic. One of those S.F Operator as fuck guys who sniffed too much lighter fuel and went off base to dance naked round a chicken.’
Alex grinned with bemusement. ‘Is that what she thinks?’
‘Don’t tell her I said that.’
‘I won’t, don’t worry.’
‘So? Do you like dancing with chickens?’
‘No. I find they lack any reasonable sense of rhythm.’
‘Very good,’ Hunter said with a smirk. ‘Nice redirection as well.’
‘I’m not being evasive. Read what you will. Believe what you believe. Isn’t that what faith is? Do you really imagine God is up there on some fluffy cloud with a big beard throwing bolts of lightning at homosexuals because of something written in a book? Faith is just what helps us get through difficult times. We choose to believe the things that help us make sense of our world. We ridicule the things we don’t understand, even if they are sacred to others, to make ourselves feel better about our ignorance. All that matters is what helps you determine your actions, and make sense of them.’
‘Quite the philosopher.’
‘Perhaps. You can’t lead men into battle if you don’t understand what the battle is for. On that basis every officer who ever commanded is a philosopher.’
‘I thought they were just following orders.’
‘Which is all religion is. A set of orders. Some people follow them, some disobey, and some get court-martialled. Order from chaos. That’s religion, politics, and the military. Now, you must excuse me, I have my wife’s business demands to attend to. You’re free to enjoy the knowledge in here at your leisure.’ Alex departed and left Hunter in the room. He walked down the line of books, pulling a few out until he settled on one that caught his interest. He sat down at the table with it and began reading.
Alex made his way up to the terrace where Nish and Zara were having breakfast. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Zara asked.
‘He’ll be along soon. He’s just having a look at some books.’ Alex took a breakfast plate and sat down with it. ‘You made any progress on what you got?’
‘All roads lead to Radic...’ Nish said with a reluctant sigh. ‘Except a few that threw up a surprise or two.’
‘What?’ Nish took out some papers from the dossier and gave them to Alex to look at. He pointed at the circled company names on the balance transfers. ‘Where do I recognise that name from?’ Nish took out a company statement and circled the same company name. ‘Jesus. We’re working for Radic?’
‘No. The first one is a payment to. The second is a payment from. The company that paid us, was paid by them.’
‘And whose company is that?’
‘Mikhail’s.’ Alex stopped eating. ‘And the same group of companies paid Radic. So the question is, what were they paying Mikhail for?’
‘I assume he was supplying W.M.D components,’ Alex replied.
‘No. He wasn’t. I cross-referenced with our sources. If they’d bought that material it would have sold through someone else, Mikhail wouldn’t have used that company,’ Nish replied.
‘So what was he being paid for?’
‘I don’t know Alex. You tell me. What did the F.S.B want on the way to the airport last night?’
Alex looked at Nish then at Zara. ‘They don’t exactly know.’
‘What do you mean, I thought they were going to off you?’ Nish asked.
‘I’m sure the prospect did cross their mind. But you know how he operates. He’ll never take pieces off the chessboard until he has seen all the moves ahead that his opponent can make as a consequence. In this instance, he can’t see the moves so he is reluctant to start removing pieces.’
‘Do you want to explain that again in non-gibberish?’ Zara asked.
‘What your riddle-some Russian husband is suggesting is that someone is moving against the president, and he doesn’t know who,’ Nish explained.
‘Well Mikhail obviously. Fuck me. It doesn’t take a chess grandmaster to work that one out, does it boys.’ Zara said with a shrug and downed her orange juice.
‘She doesn’t get it,’ Alex said.
‘You don’t get it,’ Nish said in agreement.
‘Get what?’ Zara frowned.
‘It’s Russian politics, not British. You don’t ever see the guy who is moving on you, the guy carrying the dagger is the fall guy. The way the K.G.B operates you have to assume whatever you do has already been compromised so it works like a Russian doll, you hide it in layer after layer after layer in the hope that your plans come to fruition before they reveal the last doll inside.’
‘At that rate the new president must be a fucking midget. The current guy’s already quite short,’ Zara said.
‘It’s a metaphor.’
‘I know it�
�s a fucking metaphor. Do Russians ever speak normally? Why can’t you even order a train ticket without having a fifteen-minute existential philosophical debate about the nature of mass transit systems under Marxism? I’m sure you think it makes you sound like intelligentsia, but it’s a lot of time-wasting bollocks in my opinion. Silly Slavs. So why?’ Zara asked.
‘Why do you think? Russian carries the permanent security veto. When did we last vote in favour of anything the Americans wanted? Get rid of the boss, put in a puppet. New McDonalds and WalMart in Baghdad by Christmas,’ Alex said with a shrug.
‘Someone’s planning a coup in Russia?’ Zara asked.
‘Someone’s always planning a coup in Russia. We just usually manage to murder them or get them locked up for tax offences before you hear about it. This is business as usual,’ Alex said.
‘I thought the Tories were bad for backstabbing, your mob are on a whole new page...’ Zara sighed and shook her head. ‘So. Where does that leave us?’
‘As you say. All roads lead to Radic. Mikhail says we get the franchise back if we spring Radic out. Some horse-shit about national security,’ Alex said.
‘Why does everyone have a hard-on for Radic?’ Nish asked.
‘Only one way to find out. Ask him,’ Zara suggested.
‘We didn’t exactly part as chums,’ Nish said.
‘I can deal with him. He’ll be expecting them to send someone. Mikhail thinks I’ll be acting on his behalf. Only problem is you Nish.’
‘Don’t pin this shit on me Alex.’
‘Well, you spent a long time chasing him, letting him out wasn’t in the plan.’
‘That was before he was centre-stage in a major war in the Middle-East involving fake W.M.D plots and a potential coup in the world’s biggest nuclear power. I think that changes the perspective somewhat.’
‘So we’re agreed? We get Radic out?’ Alex asked.
‘Doesn’t look like we have much choice does it?’ Zara said.
57
Alex finished packing his bag, zipped it up and walked through to the bedroom where Zara was sat at Alex’s desk poring over documents. ‘We’re ready to go.’
Zara looked up from the document she was reading. ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?’
