by John Kerr
Information passed to us about possible targets would go through our system. We would find out everything about them. Strengths, weaknesses, numbers, weapons, locations, and then we would watch them for as long as it took. Until we knew that they were for us. Once that was decided, they were then passed to what we called a deliveryman… for delivery.
Jake Silverman first came to our attention during Special Forces Selection. He was passing with flying colours but he had something different, something more than special. He worked better on his own than in a small team, which in the long run wouldn’t have worked for them but would work for us. So we knew we just had to have him. Jake was the best. He was very, very special. He developed over the years and did many things for his country that they will never find out about. When he received information, it had already been through every channel possible; there was no chance of a mistake. Jake would have in his head a full description of the target, a location, numbers etc. He remembers almost every conversation he’s ever had almost to the point of savantism. He knows the grid references of every house he’s ever entered where deaths have occurred and he knew that he didn’t need to ask any questions. He knew it was the wish of his Home Secretary, his Government and therefore his country that the target or targets be taken out… delivered. How he did that was up to him. For the first few months in ‘The Circle’ he was given arms and ammunition. In most cases they came from equipment we had liberated from terrorists in Northern Ireland. Some were bought on the black market. He deposited them up and down the country in places only he knew about. Again locations were stored deep inside his head. We knew he would keep them stashed halfway up a mountain or at the bottom of a deep gully. It didn’t matter because we knew they would be inaccessible to everyone except him. All the equipment was unaccountable and clean, and if it ever went tits up and we lost it, well, it was never ours in the first place.
Jake would pick up the nearest load of gear, make his way to the location, do a quick recce, carry out his delivery and be away. This he would almost always carry out under cover of darkness. Shit! He was good at it. Jake has the ability to do immediate appraisals in a hot environment. In the middle of a fire-fight he can find his target and deal with it. He can work out in an instant who to take out first. When Jake looks at something, pictures form in his mind’s eye and he reacts in a split second. It seems as if his trigger finger is connected directly to his eyes and brain. I’m really glad that Jake is one of ours because, believe me, if he was a bad guy, we would be in the shit, big time.’
Peter looked at Grant.
‘So he really is that good?’
‘Yes, Peter, believe me… Jake’s that good.’ Another drink arrived at the table and the Grant went on,
‘That was my reason for bringing you with me. We wanted you to be his forward link to the team. Your job was to be Jake’s new linkman. If he was coming back then we needed someone to replace me and pass information and jobs to Jake. But now we will need to rethink this; I don’t want to give up on him but we can’t push him.’ Grant fell silent for a few moments; he was deep in thought, his hand on his face. Peter waited.
‘Okay, here’s what we’ll do.’ Peter leaned forward in his seat as Grant’s voice dropped to a whisper.
‘I want you to move into the area, a small hotel in town perhaps, get to know the locals. You won’t have to find Jake, he’ll find you. See if you can find out what he’s got here… what it is that’s keeping him here. Don’t, whatever you do, try a ‘hearts and minds’ on him, because that will just piss him off big time and we’ll get nothing out of him. I will set up everything else and we will just wait and see if he changes his mind. If he doesn’t, I’m afraid it is going to get a bit hairy out there.’ He motioned with his head towards the window.
‘Right, let’s get back to London, we have work to do.’ They finished their drinks and left.
TWENTY-FIVE
Jake was halfway home, his head was buzzing and he couldn’t think straight. It had been good to see his old boss again. Nathan had been a good friend as well as his linkman, but it had been a hard existence and very dangerous. Jake was finished with that side of his life. He had moved on and was now completely satisfied with his lot. Vicky had more than filled the gap left by The Circle and he was absolutely focused on their life together. He wanted nothing to come between them, nothing to distract them from the perfect life they now had together. Jake hoped never to see another handgun or piece of plastic explosive again, because now he didn’t need it. He had done all of that, had done it for almost ten years and had been very good at it, but he had walked away and never wanted to look back.
Fuck, why don’t I just put it out of my mind? Why can’t I just forget about them? Let someone else do their dirty work, I’ve done enough. Jake was trying very hard to eradicate the thoughts from his mind but every nerve end in his body was tingling. He could feel his heart racing as adrenaline pumped through his entire body. What the hell was happening? This was crazy, he had to get a grip…What job had they for him?… Where was it?… Who was it?… How many were there?… Shit. Jake couldn’t get it out of his head.
‘Okay, Jake,’ he told himself.
‘Put it out of your mind. Go home and take Vicky out for few drinks. She is now the only target in your life and you know she won’t ever want to hurt you… wouldn’t ever want to do you any damage.’
* * *
It was a Saturday morning like a thousand others. Jake woke and found himself with his arms around Vicky. His eyes drifted towards the window, and through the open curtains he could see the hill as it climbed left to right before him. The flat plateau of King’s Point Mol close to the top looked down and, as usual, he could feel it drawing him like a giant magnet. But today it was not in his plans to go near it. Jake just lay there, watching both the hill and Vicky as she slept. He watched her eyes flicker slowly open and he squeezed her just a little tighter.
‘Morning, sweetheart, it looks like a nice day out there,’ Jake whispered.
‘Mmm,’ she answered, as she turned her head slowly towards him. She watched Jake as he stared past her and up towards the hillside.
‘Tell you what, why don’t you take me up there and show me your secret hidden valley… I’ve heard all about it, but you seem to be the only one who has actually seen it.’ Jake closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again he looked deep into hers.
‘Oh, it’s there all right, you just have to look in the right place, that’s all.’
‘Okay then, after breakfast we’ll go up there and you can let me see if I can find it…okay?’ she said in a defiant tone, as she returned Jake’s gaze. They kissed softly. Later, sitting at breakfast, Jake watched her and could almost see her brain work overtime inside her head… another game that lovers play was about to begin.
‘So, how long will it take to get to the top?’ Jake thought for a few minutes as he slowly shook his head.
‘Well, I can usually get to the top in less than an hour, so if we leave here about ten o’clock we should get there about two-ish… if we hurry,’ Jake replied with a wry smile. Vicky said nothing as she threw her last small piece of toast in Jake’s direction.
‘Just kidding, babe. I have every confidence in you reaching the top and looking into the secret hidden valley. It’s been there forever you know… believe me it’s the most beautiful thing you’ll ever see in your whole life. It would take you at least whole day to walk round the rim.’
‘But if it’s that big why has no one else seen it? I always thought it was an old wives’ tale…a legend,’ said Vicky.
‘Oh, it’s very real alright, but I’ve told you, you just have to look in the right place, that’s all.’
‘But I thought that if you stood on the flat section near the top of the hill, you could see it from there.’
‘That’s true, that’s been the legend all these years. Some people can see it and some people can’t. There’s nothing magical about it - it’s t
here. It’s always been there and it always will be there, all you have to do is look for it in the right frame of mind. With the pureness in your heart that you were born with. No-one can show you it; you’ve got to find it for yourself.’ He could see in her face that she was suddenly gripped by the story she’d heard over and over. Until now, though, she had never had any desire or inclination to find out if it was true or not. Up there had always been, and always would, be Jake’s world, but now, just this once, she felt the need to dip her toe into it. If nothing else she would satisfy her curiosity, find out if she could see it or discover that it was just a whole lot of silly people telling tales and gossiping in the pub. She had to find out. She cleared everything away in double quick time, threw on some old clothes and boots and stood outside waiting impatiently for Jake.
‘Jake, hurry up, will you? I want to get started,’ she shouted in through the back door.
‘Okay, okay,’ Jake said, stepping out into the small garden, locking the door behind him.
‘So, are you not taking your pack or anything with you?’ she asked.
‘No, it won’t take long, a couple of hours at most, and it’s not going to rain, so we won’t need anything other than what we’ve got with us,’ Jake said. They walked down to the edge of the garden and out through the gate. The sky was clear with very little cloud and it was not too cold. Jake took hold of Vicky’s hand and they slowly began to climb the lower slopes. The ground was hard and firm and it made the walk quite easy, but within a few minutes Jake could see her lift her shoulders as she attempted to fill her lungs with as much air as possible.
‘Sorry, babe, I’m going too fast for you. Why don’t you go on and I’ll walk at your pace?’ Jake said, as he dropped behind her and they pushed on even higher. The minutes passed and Vicky settled into her own pace. Jake was pleasantly surprised at how fast she actually did go. She said little and he let her pull away from him, watching her from twenty paces behind. She was doing great. Ninety minutes after they started out, they both threw themselves down onto the heather and stared up into the bright blue sky.
‘How far to go?’ asked Vicky, trying hard not to let Jake hear her pant for breath.
‘We are directly below the plateau; it’s about fifty metres above us. We’ll take five before we go for the top,’ said Jake, as he rolled over and pulled her to him, looking deep into her eyes… let the games begin.
‘Before we get up there I’m going to tell you a secret. It’s my most treasured secret and when I tell you I want you never ever to forget it, no matter what happens in the future… okay?’ Jake whispered. Vicky heard the seriousness in his voice and she suddenly felt herself tense slightly. She said nothing. Jake stared even deeper into the sea of dark brown that was her eyes.
‘I love you so much, it hurts,’ Jake said, softly brushing his hand through her hair.
‘I love everything about you, I love the sound your name makes inside my head and I want you to remember that the very last thing anyone will ever hear me say before I die will be your name. Vicky closed her eyes and gently let out the breath she had been holding. Slowly she shook her head. Her eyes opened and Jake saw the smile as it broke onto her face. Opening her mouth to speak, Jake stopped her by gently placing his finger lightly on her lips. He shook his head as he slowly moved his face closer to hers. The kiss was very soft. How long it lasted he didn’t know, but he just wished it would last forever… And then some. Jake lifted his head and Vicky watched him as he again mouthed the words ‘I love you’. Although this time there was no sound, she slowly nodded her head, kissed her finger and brushed it so very lightly against his lips. The smell of heather and the sight of the clear blue sky above Jake’s head told her that heaven did indeed lie up there. If there was any better place than right there and right now, they were at a total loss to figure out where it could possibly be. Jake quietly whispered to her,
‘How would you like to see the hidden valley where a thousand wild horses once roamed free? Where sometimes… just sometimes… if you listen hard on a dark night, you can hear them stampede far off in the distance.’ His words danced around inside her head.
‘Will you show me, Jake? Will you show me the hidden secret valley?’ she asked nervously. Slowly they picked their way up the last few metres… they were in no hurry. Vicky could feel the tension rise within her until it became almost unbearable. It felt so surreal. She had of course heard all the stories about the secret valley before. But to be truthful she hadn’t paid much attention and had never given it much thought. Now though it had gripped her imagination and she knew deep down that if Jake had promised to show her a secret hidden valley then Jake would indeed show it to her. The sun was behind them as they stepped over the crest and onto the plateau that was known to all as King’s Point Mol. They took three steps forward and stopped. Jake placed his hands on Vicky’s shoulders and squeezed lightly. She could feel herself begin to shake a little. Jake stood directly behind her and they looked at the scene before them. The flat plateau stretched for about fifty metres then dropped down thirty or so. It then became what could only be described as a featureless moor. Jake could feel the tension rise within her… Could she see it?… Could she see the secret hidden valley?…Of course she couldn’t…
Vicky could see nothing…because there was nothing to see. There was nothing there… No secret valley and certainly no wild horses running free. The disappointment flooded over her and she instantly felt a like a complete failure. She desperately wanted to see what Jake had seen. All she could see was… nothing… because there was nothing to see… She felt her shoulders drop as tears welled up in her eyes. Jake squeezed her.
‘Do you want to see the hidden secret valley, sweetheart?’ Jake whispered softly in her ear. She couldn’t speak, it was all she could do to simply nod her head and hope that Jake wouldn’t see the tears that ran down her face.
‘Are you ready, babe? Do you have the pureness in your heart that you were born with?’ Jake asked, as he gripped her more tightly than ever. She just nodded.
‘Okay… here it is, our secret hidden valley… It’s ours now… and it’s ours forever… you and me, babe… always.’
Jake very slowly turned and he and Vicky now faced the sun as it began its slow descent from the afternoon sky. Surrounded completely by the Alva hills, far below was their small village. She took a sharp intake of breath as she suddenly realised that what they were now facing was indeed the hidden secret valley. The village itself sat at the bottom. It was a natural valley, almost sixteen kilometres across, but it was most definitely a valley. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she clasped both her hands to her mouth. It was breathtaking. They stood and let the scene flood over them both.
‘What do you think, babe? Is that not life itself?’ Jake asked.
Vicky could say nothing; she was completely light-headed and was lost for words. ‘Jake… Jake… Jake… It’s… It’s… She could say no more.
‘Yeah, it is, isn’t it?’ Jake replied. There was no need for any more words.
* * *
The following week found Vicky and Jake standing at the bar in the Crown, enjoying all the comforts offered by their favourite watering-hole. The roaring fire filled the room with a glowing warmth that everyone enjoyed. The atmosphere was particularly good this night as drink flowed freely and friends got lost in each other’s company. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the front door opened, grabbing everyone’s attention. And there he was. Standing in the doorway, shaking the rainwater off his arms, was old Bob. Over his shoulders hung his old army great coat that, no matter how you looked at it, always had the ability to make him look like a cast-off from the Crimean war. Jake threw his arms around him, the respect between them evident for all to see. They never did worry about anyone seeing them embrace.
‘How are you doing, old timer? I thought you’d forgotten about me,’ Jake said as he helped Bob remove his coat.
‘Let’s get you over to the fire
and get you dried off… Listen everyone; this is a very good friend of mine, Bob Weir. We go back a long way and I know you will all make him very welcome,’ Jake announced to everyone in the bar. Greetings were thrown towards Bob from all around as hands were raised from here and there. The pub returned to normal after Bob’s dramatic entrance and they approached the bar with Jake’s arm still around his friend’s shoulder.
‘Vicky, this is Bob, an old bastard from my far away distant past. Bob, this is Vicky, who I told you about. She’s the reason I open my eyes every morning,’ Jake said, as he kissed her full on the lips. Bob took Vicky’s hand and gently kissed the back of it.
‘Hello Victoria, it’s a great pleasure to meet you at last, and I’m sure we’ll get on famously.’
‘Hi Bob, how are you?’
‘Yes… I’m good, a little wet as you can no doubt see. But the inside is perhaps a little too dry, which is one of the main reasons why I’m here. Someone not a million miles away promised me a small refreshment a little while ago and I hope he’s not going to go back on his word.’ The pointed comments were not lost on any of them.
