“What were you doing driving around out here?”
“Visiting friends. They bought a house up at Little Chalfont. I left a couple of days ago and I’ve been wandering around ever since.”
Bill opened the door wider. Katie assumed it was to let Aaron get a good look at the man and provide him with a good sightline in case the shit hit the fan.
“You don’t look in bad shape.”
“My friends had a lot of cake leftover from the housewarming. It’s just about the only thing that’s kept me alive.”
“What kind of car do you have that still works these days?”
“A classic, like yours.” He nodded to the Aston Martin still parked on the front-drive. You never know who you’ll run into these days. Boy am I glad I found you. There’s no telling who’s out there on these empty roads.”
That was precisely what grandfather was trying to ascertain with this guy. He was almost as tall as Bill, with short brown hair done in no particular style. He had an open face with an easy smile. The kind that was easy to befriend. He didn’t look dangerous to Katie, but what did she know?
“I’ll let you in,” Bill said. “When I do, I’m going to pat you down for weapons.”
The man took a step back. “Weapons? I don’t have any weapons.”
“We don’t want you packing when you come in here.”
The man looked from Bill to Katie and Aaron. “If there’s a problem here, I don’t want to be a part of it. I’d sooner be on my way.”
“There’s another house just down the road but their food isn’t as good as ours.”
The man didn’t look relieved.
“Hands up. On your head. Spread your feet.”
The man slowly complied. As Bill stepped outside, Aaron stepped forward, taking his former position. He didn’t blink as he waited for Bill to pat the man down.
The man gulped and looked everywhere but at Aaron. “Trust me to pick this house. I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll hit the road and get out of here. I swear you’ll never see me again.”
Bill finished checking the man for weapons. He shook his head at the others. “You can put your arms down now.”
The man didn’t look like he much wanted to. He looked like he’d much rather run away. Bill lowered the man’s arms for him.
“Now, are you hungry or aren’t you?” he asked.
16
Laurie kept a close eye on the assembled, making sure to keep his eyes nervous. He dipped the bread into his stew and enjoyed the taste. It was tasty.
He wasn’t surprised at his welcome. That was why he had considered it best practice to ensure he carried no weapons on him. But one thing did surprise him. It was the way they carried themselves. They were ex-military. He was certain of it.
One of the men part of his welcoming committee – the one they called Aaron – went upstairs, and two others came down. Twins. That meant there were at least five people there. Plus an additional one for replacing these twins. That brought the number up to six. Minimum. There could well be double that in total.
“Where will you head after this?” Bill said.
“Home,” Laurie said.
“And where’s that?”
“Central London. I’m a stockbroker.”
The twins hissed and their expressions turned aggressive. Laurie held the spoon halfway to his mouth as if frozen by fear.
“Don’t mind them,” Bill said. “They suffered a bad investment some years back. They never got their vengeance on the man that stole their money.”
Laurie put his spoon down. “I could look into it for you.” You don’t need to fully trust me, Laurie thought. Just show me enough to take back to the captain. That you’re not the terrorists.
“Is it just you guys here?” Laurie said. “The way you’re kitted out, I’d have thought you had an army at your back.”
Bill dodged the question. “You’re welcome to stay the night. The beds are full but we can make you up a pallet.”
The beds are full. Assuming the farmhouse had three bedrooms and they doubled up… No good. It didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know.
Laurie looked from one face to another. They might be tougher and better trained than the average civilian, but they had kind faces, not the type to knock over a supply depot. These people were a family out to protect themselves and their loved ones, nothing more. And although he suspected they carried a little more hardware than they should have been, would he have done any differently in their position?
“Thanks, but I should get back to my car.”
“Your car is thirty minutes away,” the old man said. “A pallet is right here. And it’s night time. It’s not safe.”
Laurie would have liked to have gotten a closer look at that barn they had outback, but he doubted they were going to let him anywhere near it. If they had quad bikes, that was where they would be housed. Along with the explosives.
Bill followed Laurie’s sightline and instead of associating his gaze with the barn, figured he was looking at the twins instead. “Don’t worry about them. Their bark is worse than their bite. Stay the night and get a good night’s kip. It’s likely to be the last one you’ll get for some time. We’ll even give you a little food and water to take with you to help you on your way.”
Funny terrorists.
“That’s very kind of you.” He hunkered down over his stew. But I won’t be here by dawn, and if I am, we’re all dead.
17
Katie was back in the barn at the slave labour camp. The old hag that called herself the madam leaned over her, her face resembling a tortured bird. Men came into her room. She tried to fight them off but with her arms and legs restrained, there wasn’t anything she could do. They tore at her clothes and fumbled at her body. Then she started awake.
Ella bent over her having woken her up, a keen sense of concern painted her face. “Katie. You were having a bad dream. Are you okay?”
Katie wiped a hand over her forehead. It was hot and covered with sweat. “I’m fine. I’m all right.”
“You scared me.”
“I’m sorry, baby girl. Come here.”
She opened her blankets wide like a giant wing and Ella climbed into bed with her. She lowered the blanket before spotting Scallywag on the floor looking up at them. His body was coiled, preparing to spring and join them, but she’d already shut the sheet door in his face. Katie sighed and opened it so he could leap up and join them. He circled, finding a comfortable spot in Ella’s arms.
“What were you dreaming about?” Ella said.
Katie stroked the little girl’s blonde hair. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
Ella made satisfied smacking noises with her lips before her eyes slid shut and she found sleep.
Katie lay her head down on the pillow and prepared to do the same but each time she shut her eyes and began to drift on the endless canal of sleep, she saw that old hag’s crooked face and beady eyes.
Creak.
A floorboard downstairs.
The trouble with old houses like this was they tended to make a lot of sound in the middle of the night. Almost as if they were talking.
Creak.
Katie sat up. But that noise wasn’t one of expanding floorboards. It was the sound wood made when pressure was placed on it.
Katie slid to the end of her bed.
“Where are you going?” Ella said.
“To get some water. Go back to sleep. I’ll come wake you in the morning.”
It didn’t take much to get Ella to listen to her. The little girl’s head fell back to the pillow and she started snoring softly again.
Katie eased the bedroom door open and shut it behind her. They were footsteps. Slow footsteps downstairs. Nobody in their little group had cause to creep around late at night like that.
Except for one person.
Leaning over the bannister, she saw him there, creeping one step at a time toward t
he front door. The man called Laurie. He wasn’t stealing anything or taking anything with him that belonged to them. He reached for the front door and was attempting to leave.
Katie came down the stairs, doing nothing to disguise her heavy footsteps.
Laurie turned to look up at her. A flash of surprise and his body tensed, prepared to take action, before recognising her for who she was. His expression slipped into a mask of fear, his hand frozen reaching for the front door.
“You don’t need to worry,” Katie said. “You can go anytime you like. I know some of the others look scary, but they’re really not. They’re like kittens when you get to know them.”
The twins lay on their pallets on the front room floor facing one another, snoring and snorting at each other.
“Pretty big kittens.”
Katie grinned. “Okay, tiger cubs then. If you’re going to leave, you should take some food with you. You don’t know how long it’ll be before you get another good meal.”
“I’m sure I’ll manage.”
He didn’t seem like a bad guy to Katie, so she decided to make one last offer. “Look, if you’re determined to go to London, then there’s no way any of us can stop you, but I’m telling you, it’s the worst place to go right now. It’ll only get worse there. I’m sure we can find something for you to do around here. We’ll always need an extra pair of hands.”
Laurie smiled at her. “You’re very kind. Really. But I can’t stay here. I have a family and a dog to take care of.”
Katie’s thoughts went to Scallywag and how much joy he brought to Ella. “A dog? What type?”
The question caught Laurie off guard. “Uh, a beagle.”
It wasn’t the fact the man forgot – people forget things all the time – it was how he now looked at her after he said it. He was looking at her in a way that suggested he expected her to notice something, to sniff something out that she might otherwise miss.
“His name’s Billy,” Laurie said. “Billy the beagle.”
Katie nodded, distracted. “Sounds cute.”
“The cutest. I need to get back to him or no one will be there to feed him.”
The story suddenly sounded false, paper-thin like tissue paper.
Laurie turned to the front door. “Thanks for your hospitality.”
“You’re welcome,” Katie said, only now she was pleased to see the back of him. Something didn’t add up. Her instincts were tingling, and she realized it’d been there the whole time, she’d only ignored it because it hadn’t seemed important.
Laurie opened the front door and stepped across the threshold. He turned left at the bottom of the path and followed the road back to wherever he’d come from.
Katie was left with that distant niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to shut it out the way she shut the front door, but couldn’t. She paused a moment, thinking over the conversation she shared with Laurie. Something wasn’t right. Something didn’t add up.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Like I’m being watched. She glanced inside the front room and saw a pair of eyes, white and bright with moonlight staring up at her. She couldn’t make out Aaron’s mouth, but if she could, she would have said he was smiling.
18
Laurie headed far enough away so those on watch at the house couldn’t see when he cut across the road and in the direction of the encampment at the bottom of the hill. He got closer than he expected when an armed soldier stepped out from behind a bush.
“Evening, sir,” the man said
It appeared Finnegan had taken the opportunity to tell his men to expect him shortly before dawn. Laurie wasn’t sure if he was relieved at that or not.
“At ease, private,” Laurie said, passing him. “And don’t let me get so close next time. I could have dropped you from a dozen yards.”
Laurie felt the early morning chill in the final few moments before the sun rose on a brand-new day.
The camp was alive with activity. Soldiers carried rifles and pistols, knives and grenades, arming themselves to the teeth. They’re going to need it, Laurie thought. The inhabitants of the farmhouse were better armed than he expected. Just how did people get their hands on such advanced weaponry? So far as he could tell, all the major players in the house were ex-military. They knew how to handle themselves. We need to prepare ourselves for that or, better yet, not attack at all.
Laurie marched into the middle of camp to Captain Burgess’s tent. A pair of guards stood on duty outside. One held up a hand.
“I’m afraid you can’t go in, sir,” he said. “The captain is preparing for the attack.”
“It’s about the attack that I need to speak with him about.”
Laurie stepped forward but the man blocked him again.
“I can’t let you in, sir.”
Laurie looked the two men over. If they were part of his team, not one of them would have stopped him from entering. But these men weren’t part of his team. They were Burgess’s men.
In the guard’s eye, he saw the determination hammered into him from his first day of training to follow his orders come what may. He was never going to let Laurie into the captain’s tent.
Laurie stepped back and nodded. “Fair enough.”
He turned to leave and then immediately pivoted back and dashed inside.
The guards chased after him and met him just a few yards inside.
Laurie stopped and the guards braced him on either side. “Apologies, sir,” the guard said. “We know you didn’t wish to be disturbed.”
Burgess was being helped into his gear by Finnegan. As if he’ll go anywhere near where the attack will happen.
“I only need a few minutes of your time, sir,” Laurie said. “It’s of the utmost importance.”
“We’ll be launching our attack in a few minutes,” Burgess said, tucking a packet of sweets in a breast pocket.
Laurie struggled against the two men. “I have information on the people inside the farmhouse. They’re not who we think they are. They’re not terrorists. They’re just a family out to protect themselves.”
Burgess waved a hand dismissively. “I’m not interested in what they appear to be. I’m interested in what they are.”
You old fool. “They are well-trained ex-military and they’re heavily armed.”
That got the old coot’s attention, but the guards had already wrestled Laurie to the entrance.
Laurie worked a leg free and stepped forward. “It’ll just take a minute, sir!”
Finnegan glanced at Laurie and bent over to whisper in Burgess’s ear.
“Stop.” Burgess considered his words carefully. “Let him go.”
The guards didn’t much want to let go, but they did.
Laurie straightened his clothes, panting from the exertion. “Thank you, sir.” He glanced at the guards. Burgess hadn’t asked them to leave. A threat.
“How do you know that?” Burgess said.
Time for the moment of truth. Getting the information was risky but he might just save the lives of the family inside the house and the military units about to storm them.
“I posed as a stranded man and asked for their help,” Laurie said. “They let me in and I learned a great deal about them.”
“What did you learn?”
Laurie felt relieved the captain was willing to listen. He still might prevent the attack from taking place.
“I learned they are highly trained, competent men with a lot of high-power weaponry. I saw no evidence of quad bikes, not even to the barn around back. They are not the people we’re looking for.”
The corners of Burgess’s mouth curled up. It was not a pleasant expression. “Thank you for being honest with me. I know you went over there to see them. I had a man follow you. He reported back to me where you were. There’s no way to know your true intentions. I can’t put a man inside your head.”
He stood up.
“You say you went over there to learn about our enemy.” Bur
gess’s eyes were hard as flint. “Or perhaps they learned a great deal about you.”
“Sir?”
Burgess waved a hand. Finnegan nodded and marched toward the exit. He glanced at Laurie as he passed, taking the guards with him.
“I was tasked with finding and destroying the terrorist cell,” Burgess said. “For these terrorists to operate as effectively as they do, they must have inside information.”
The insinuation was clear. Laurie blinked in shock. “You think I’m a mole for the terrorists?” The thought alone sent a shiver through his spine.
“It doesn’t matter what I think. But it has been suggested that perhaps someone could only have been so successful in meeting previous goals and targets by, shall we say, being creative with the truth?”
“I’m not a mole,” Laurie said through gritted teeth.
“And yet here you are, a man who betrayed my trust and that of our commanding officer in order to do what? Aid the enemy.”
“They’re not our enemy–”
“And now you’re even denying they’re our enemy.” A cruel smile curled Burgess’s lips. “I have a certain respect for the way you do things. Even if they are underhanded and lack honour. But the way to crush the terrorist threat is to wipe them out. No half-measures, no negotiations. Obliteration. They’ll soon get the message.”
“Not if the people we’re about to slaughter aren’t the terrorists.”
“The quad tracks led to this house. Even if they’re not the main terrorist cell, they must know about it.” Burgess moved for the exit. “We’ll take one of them alive if we can. I’ll even let you interrogate them as you seem to know them so well.”
“Sir?”
Burgess turned on his heel.
“What if I’m right and they’re not terrorists at all but a family trying to protect themselves in a world gone bad?”
“Then I hope the terrorists are watching. It might provide a valuable lesson.”
He marched out of the tent, leaving Laurie alone to hang his head for all those who were about to die.
Cut Off (Book 2): Cut Throat Page 7
