by Andy McNab
Meanwhile Phil was already out of his Vauxhall. He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and put one between his lips.
He walked casually up to the Jaguar and knocked on the driver's window. As the man behind the wheel turned to look at him, Phil smiled and pointed at the unlit cigarette in his mouth. The driver didn't return the smile; he just turned away.
Phil knocked again, and this time the electric window slid down and the driver glared.
'Piss off.'
Phil looked offended. 'I only want a light, mate.'
'I haven't got a light. Now piss off before I get angry.'
Phil's right hand was in his jacket pocket. Before the driver had the chance to say another word, Phil whipped it out and jammed the Taser's two steel probes into his victim's shoulder. The driver didn't have a chance to react; he just shuddered uncontrollably as the electricity crackled. Phil gave him a five-second burst of 100,000 watts and he collapsed onto the passenger seat.
Phil opened the door and lifted the unconscious driver back into a sitting position. The Taser was designed to stun, not to kill, being high wattage but low amperage. But to ensure that the driver remained out of action until well after the operation was over, Phil gave him another fivesecond burst before closing the door and moving away from the Jaguar into the shadows to await further orders.
11
Siddie had reached the top of the building; the long climb up to the penthouse apartment had done nothing to cool his temper, which was always close to boiling point.
Fergus was waiting on the same floor, peering through the crack in the door to the service stairs. He watched the grim-faced Siddie go by and he waited.
By the time Siddie walked into the apartment, his two henchmen had hoisted Teddy up and then leaned his battered body against one of the expensive, but now bloodstained, sofas.
Teddy's face was a bloody mess; it would be some while before Mummy saw her son at his handsome best – if he lived that long.
Siddie looked down at Teddy and then back at the two gorillas. 'Which one is this?'
Mr Muscles and Blubber Man gazed at each other blankly and then back at Siddie. Mr Muscles shrugged his bulging shoulders. 'We didn't ask.'
Siddie sighed. 'Go and wait in the car while I talk to… ' He turned back to the young man on the floor and raised his eyebrows enquiringly.
The blood-soaked figure on the carpet swallowed a mixture of blood and mucus and managed to gasp out a single word: 'Teddy.'
'Siddie Richards. You might have heard of me.'
The two henchmen were on their way out when Siddie called after them, 'Use the stairs. And leave the paintings where they are.' This was exactly what Danny and Lee wanted to hear – they had picked up every word Siddie had spoken through the double-socket bug.
As Fergus watched the two heavies head for the main staircase, Danny and Lee were already out of the Mondeo and into the apartment building, also using the service entrance. Moving into the reception area at the front of the building, they pulled Tasers from their pockets before going through the doors to the main stairs.
Lee checked that Danny had a firm grip on the Taser before whispering to him, 'You all right?'
Danny nodded.
'Good. Don't worry, you'll be OK. You take the one on the right. Be sharp. Don't think, just do.'
Danny nodded again, his mouth suddenly dry and his hands clammy. He knew why Lee was concerned and anxious to reassure him. He was about to take offensive action for the first time; actually attack another person. Until this moment Danny had always been on the receiving end of an attack, only fighting to escape. This time it would be very different. Siddie was sitting in an armchair close to Teddy, who was still sprawled against the sofa, one hand holding his side. He was sure that at least one of his ribs was broken.
Siddie toyed with the baseball bat as he considered his options. When he spoke, his words terrified Teddy more than all the punches, blows and kicks he had received in the previous fifteen minutes.
'Now, I see it like this,' said Siddie in his highpitched voice. 'You've got a business that I want. I like the simple life, Teddy, so I'm giving you a choice.'
Teddy groaned; he was convinced now that he was going to die.
'I could make this long and extremely painful for you, Teddy,' said Siddie, standing up and giving the bat a gentle swing to and fro as if preparing to receive a pitch. 'But I can't be bothered with that stuff any more. So this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna ask you just once to tell me all I need to know about Meltdown: where you make it, how you sell it, distribute it – everything. Understand me so far, Teddy?'
Teddy nodded, then winced.
'Good. And you're gonna tell me everything. Right? Because if you don't, I'm gonna hit you once with this baseball bat. It will only take one blow to the side of your head. You'll be dead, Teddy. Gone. Capisce?'
Teddy swallowed hard and nodded again.
Siddie gave the bat a proper swing, as if he were attempting to hit the ball out of the stadium. 'And when you're dead, I'll just get everything I need from your brother. Time to start talking, Teddy. And remember, you only get one chance.'
Teddy drew in a breath and opened his mouth. But as he watched Siddie's fingers tighten on the baseball bat, his throat convulsed and he choked.
'All right, Teddy, you've had your chance…'
Teddy gasped and once again tried to speak, and then his eyes widened as he saw a figure appear through the door from the hall.
Siddie saw his victim's eyes flick to one side and then the tiny glimmer of hope that followed.
He wheeled round, grasping the baseball bat tightly; ready to take on whoever was behind him.
Fergus was less than three metres away, pistol raised and aimed at Siddie's head.
Siddie's narrow eyes registered a moment of total confusion.
A dull thud sounded and he staggered back, blood spurting from the back of his head like a red aerosol spray before his legs gave way and he fell back like a toppling chimney. He thudded to the floor. Both legs twitched for a moment and then were still.
Fergus walked over and stared down at the body. In death, Siddie's eyes were wide open.
At that instant Teddy's bladder finally gave way, and he pissed himself. He felt shame, terror, relief that he was still alive – and an overwhelming gratitude towards the man who had saved his life.
'You… you killed him,' he mumbled as Fergus turned towards him.
Fergus shrugged, hiding his disappointment that he had been forced to act before Teddy had revealed any of the info on Meltdown. He shoved the weapon back into his waistband. 'He won't be missed.'
12
Mr Muscles and Blubber Man were chatting contentedly as they made their way down the stairs. They rarely got the opportunity to pulverize posh boys; it was almost always other low-life like themselves. So when the chance came along, they liked to enjoy themselves and make the most of it. Their only regret was that it had been all too brief; they could happily have done a lot more damage before Siddie took over. Still, it was a job well done.
The staircase was little used; the residents of the apartment block hadn't paid over the odds merely for a canal view. There were two efficient lifts that made climbing stairs an unnecessary inconvenience.
So the two heavies were not expecting to meet anyone as they plodded down. They reached the landing of the third floor, turned and continued down the next flight of stairs.
Danny and Lee were waiting out of sight on the second floor, immediately after the next turn. Danny's hands were wet with sweat and he was repeatedly wiping his Taser hand on his jeans so that he could keep a firm grip on the weapon.
His face was a mask of concentration as he got the nod from Lee to go. They both held their Tasers in their right hands as they heard the approaching voices getting louder in the stairwell above them. As Danny turned the corner with Lee, he could see the two targets at the top of the stairs. The huge guys' conversation immediately
shut down when they caught sight of Danny and Lee and came down towards them.
Lee kept his eyes lowered: he knew the rule – never make eye contact with a target because he will be alert and suspicious. And no matter how hard an attacker tries to disguise it, his eyes will always show intent, or fear, or determination. The target's inner self-defence mechanism will always spot this.
The two pairs closed on each other, but the targets had no intention of giving way to the two young dickheads coming up towards them.
Lee stopped and stood to one side, with the targets about ten steps above, waiting for them to pass before zapping them from behind.
Danny's head was thumping in time with his heart. He could feel his pulse in his neck; he was certain everyone could hear it as he too stopped and waited.
Then Danny made his mistake. He knew he shouldn't have but he couldn't stop himself: his eyes moved upwards towards the two heavies. Maybe he was checking out where he was going to zap his target, maybe he wanted to see what they were thinking, or maybe he was just scared.
But he did it. He fixed his eyes on the target on his side of the stairs. Blubber Man's pupils closed down as he focused on Danny's eyes. And he knew. Danny had given him all the information he needed.
'Oh, shit!'
The rest happened in an instant. Blubber Man launched himself at Danny, and Lee had no option but to move up to take on Mr Muscles before he too had registered what was happening.
Danny didn't even have time to raise his Taser as the mass of fat slammed into him and projected him down the stairs. His head thumped on the last few steps before crashing back onto the landing.
Starbursts flashed in his head and eyes as his brain struggled to recover. His head was telling his legs to move, to get him up and ready to fight, but the message wasn't getting through. All Danny could do was keep a grip on the Taser as Blubber Man hurled himself down onto his body. Every bit of breath was forced from Danny's lungs and he fought for oxygen, kicking and bucking beneath the giant man as a massive hand gripped his neck and two staring, bloodshot eyes blazed into his own.
'Who the fuck are you?'
Danny didn't even attempt to answer. He didn't have the breath. He couldn't move his hand to zap the huge bulk on top of him. All he could do was writhe and twist as Blubber Man's face came closer. He could smell alcohol and tobacco and feel a couple of days' stubble rasp across his skin as the man shouted loudly into his ear.
'Little shit!' Then Blubber Man's free hand was reaching into the back pocket of his jeans for the pliers.
Danny didn't know if it was his survival instinct or training – it was as though he was on auto mode. He opened his mouth and sank his teeth into Blubber Man's stubbly face. The huge guy growled and Danny felt the skin break as his teeth sank into the flesh and scraped against cheekbone.
Metallic-tasting blood poured from the wound: Blubber Man screamed and pulled himself free, ripping his face from Danny's teeth. He drew back one massive clenched fist, intending to land a punch that would splatter Danny's brains across the floor.
It gave Danny enough room to move his arm and zap Blubber Man in the chest. But the 100,000 watts crackling into his body wasn't enough. Perhaps it was all those protective, insulating layers of fat, or maybe Danny just didn't ram home the Taser into his chest firmly enough. But as he pulled it away, Blubber Man got up and staggered back, looking stunned and bewildered, then growled like a wounded bear and came back at him.
Danny leaped to his feet, adrenalin driving away the pain and fear as he ducked under the giant's flailing arms, brought the Taser up hard into his guts and gave him a long burst. This time the fat man went down, crashing on top of the prone body of Mr Muscles, who was sprawled out on the landing.
Danny suddenly realized that Lee must have managed to down his target too – he had been aware of nothing but his struggle with Blubber Man.
Lee gave Mr Muscles another burst as he hissed at Danny, 'Give him some more! Keep him down!'
Danny gave the fat man another five seconds and then staggered back against the wall, sucking in air. He became aware of something in his mouth and almost gagged as he spat out a piece of Blubber Man's flesh. He leaned against the wall, gasping, fighting back the vomit that was rising in his throat.
Lee grabbed Danny's shoulders and pulled him upright. He knew exactly what he was going through; everyone has a first time.
He stared into Danny's eyes. 'You'll dream about it for a while but you just have to deal with it. OK?'
Danny took two deep breaths and then nodded. 'Yeah.'
'You did good, mate. Well done. Now clean yourself up.'
13
Danny nodded at his grandfather as he entered the apartment, confirming that Siddie's three thugs had been dealt with successfully. Teddy had managed to haul himself up onto one of the bloodstained sofas and was sitting clutching his damaged ribs with one hand and dabbing his bloodied nose and mouth with pieces of tissue with the other.
Danny's face was still red as the blood pumped around his body. He thought he'd wiped his face clean but there was still a little blood on his neck.
Fergus pointed towards it. 'Yours? You OK?'
Danny wiped his neck and shook his head. 'Theirs. I'm OK.'
But Fergus wasn't convinced. 'Bit of a drama down there?'
'I'll deal with it,' said Danny firmly.
Then he caught sight of the prone body of Siddie; his face had shattered where the bullet entered, and for an instant Danny had an image of Elena, lying dead on the ground in Central Park. He forced the thought away – he couldn't allow himself to dwell on it; it was too painful. He had to focus on the job; concentrate; stay professional.
Instead, he watched his grandfather. Fergus had his own game plan completely worked out. He'd given Teddy long enough to take in the enormity of what had happened in his apartment. Teddy was deliberately not looking at Siddie's body, which lay like a beached whale on the carpet, the blood soaking into the weave. Violence was something he could ask of others; he couldn't cope with it himself.
Fergus sat down next to him on the sofa. Now it was time to get the information he wanted.
'All right. As I've just saved your life, I think it's time I knew exactly what's going on, don't you, Teddy?' He nodded towards the body on the floor. 'And don't give me any crap about him wanting to take over your coach firm. Blokes like that aren't interested in executive travel.'
Teddy hesitated, dabbing at his nose again as he tried to think what to say. 'I… I don't know. I honestly don't. I can't imagine why someone like that-'
'Forget it.' Fergus was on his feet. 'Listen, Teddy, you're not paying me nearly enough to get involved in something like this. Consider our contract terminated. Come on, Danny.'
They headed for the door.
'Wait! Please!' Teddy couldn't stop himself from taking another look at Siddie's body.
Fergus stopped, looked back and waited for Teddy to continue.
'What do I do? About… that?'
Fergus didn't reply immediately. He was playing a part, appearing to consider whether or not he would help Teddy. It was all an act, and Danny knew it. But his grandfather was good at acting; he knew that too.
'I'll tell you what I'll do, Teddy,' Fergus said at last. 'As a gesture of goodwill. I'll get rid of it for you.'
'You… you can do that? But… but how?'
'You don't need to know. It'll be done, that's all.'
It would be simple. All Fergus needed to do was put in a call to Dudley and a team of 'cleaners' would come in, remove the body and dispose of it before clearing up the blood in the flat and on the stairs. By midnight the only sign that there had been any sort of disturbance in the apartment would be the smashed-in door. But that didn't matter: it was the top-floor penthouse so no one was going to see it.
'You'd better get yourself down the hospital,' said Fergus to Teddy. 'Check out that damage to your ribs. And by the look of it, you've got a busted nose as well.'
'But what do I tell them? They'll want to know how it happened.'
'Say you were mugged.' It was almost as if he was talking to a child. 'But don't get the police involved. And call your brother. Tell him not to come back here tonight.'
Fergus feigned indifference as he walked over to Siddie's body, but it was a deliberate move; it meant that Teddy couldn't avoid seeing the body yet again as they spoke. Teddy tried not to look down, but then Fergus kneeled to take a closer look at his handiwork.
'Tell your brother to meet you at the hospital and then go to a hotel. By the time you get back here tomorrow the body will be gone. And so will we.'
Teddy struggled to his feet, gasping as a new wave of pain shot through his body. 'Look, there is something more…'
Fergus had Teddy exactly where he wanted him; all he needed to do now was reel him in. 'Not interested. I'll call you about where to send the rest of my fee. Whatever's going on here is not our problem any more, mate. It's yours.'
Teddy almost gagged as he spoke – he couldn't help glancing down at Siddie's face, the eyes glazed over now like those of a dead fish. 'I want to tell you about it, I want you to stay involved, but I have to speak to my brother first. I have to convince him that it's the right thing to do. We're partners in this. And… and it's… what we do… it's not exactly… legal.'
Fergus stood up before replying, looking Teddy straight in the eye. 'You really think I expected legal?' He glanced down at Siddie. 'Illegal doesn't worry me as long as it's lucrative. Very lucrative. But you'd better be quick, Teddy. We've got plenty of other clients waiting out there. You want Danny to drive you to the hospital?'
Teddy shook his head. 'I'll manage.' He looked over at Danny. 'Perhaps you could help me to my car though?'
'Yeah. No problem.'
'Use the stairs, not the lift,' said Fergus to Danny. 'Best not to let anyone see him in that condition.' He saw his grandson's raised eyebrows and nodded.
