by Andy McNab
Mr Lover Man was shouting. Whatever it was about, it meant nothing to the crews around the two technicals. They looked jumpy and brandished their weapons left, right and centre. One lad even brought his RPG into the aim. Another swung the 12.7 on its mount.
Tracy and Stefan were waiting forward of Erasto’s wagon, just off to the right, twenty metres or so from the aircraft.
This was the bit I fucking hated on these jobs. In all the excitement, just one trigger-finger exerting a tad too much pressure was all it took to fuck the whole thing up.
BB shouted back at Mr Lover Man, like they were in some kind of High Noon stand-off.
We came to a halt behind Erasto’s technical. BB was still bawling out Mr Lover Man. Now I could hear him. ‘They don’t fucking speak English, you twat! Just give them the cash – give them the fucking cash now.’
Mr Lover Man and Genghis stood their ground, M4s still in the shoulder. These guys were chilled. Their expressions hadn’t changed the whole time I’d known them.
Now we were closer, I could see the wires snaking out of the bags. Each of Frank’s boys had the bottom three fingers of his pistol hand through the ring-pulls, with his trigger-finger free. They were ready to drop the bag and pull, then take casualties before they became one.
Joe was still in the left-hand seat. The electrics started to wind up, blanketing the area with their high-pitched whine.
Mr Lover Man’s eyes never left the crews. They bounced from man to man, checking where their hands and weapons were. He shouted loudly over the engine noise: ‘Put down your weapons!’ The crews screamed back and did nothing, still off their tits.
Genghis and Mr Lover Man stood their ground, one each side of the cargo-hold doors. Mr Lover Man spotted me. ‘Get the money-counter to tell them to stand down. We’ll all get onto the plane. We’ll throw the cash out as we taxi. No hostages, no deal. Tell him.’
BB’s head swung between us as he took all this in. It was only as he turned back to me that I noticed he now had Stefan. ‘We take the Georgians with us. We can’t leave them with these fucking animals.’
I stared back at him. I’d had enough of this fucker already. ‘Shut the fuck up or I’ll get one of these animals to stick a fucking rifle butt in your face. Shut it. Everyone fucking – calm – down …’
Awaale was at Erasto’s window. I walked over to him. The boss man was sitting precisely where I’d last seen him, not showing the slightest concern as he sparked up his two-hundredth Marlboro of the day.
‘Awaale, tell Erasto we have the two white guys for him. Tell him that we’ll now do the one-for-one swap. The money comes to him as the hostages come to us, OK? And then he can have the two lads in the back, and do with them what he feels like. Tell him that.’
‘No problem, Mr Nick. We’ve done this many, many times. You know, you must tell your guys to cool it.’
‘Mate, they’re not my guys, so that ain’t going to happen, is it? Tell Erasto that as soon as he gets the money he leaves with his crew. Tell him he’s to take two technicals with him, which just leaves your wagon, the two white guys, and your lads looking after them. All right? So that means everything’s calm, everything’s good, we can all relax, and you can make sure we get away. But right now, let’s all keep fingers off triggers, yeah?’
Awaale turned away from the window. ‘OK, Mr Nick.’ He gave it the full John Wayne. ‘Let’s do it.’
As I followed him towards the Cessna, Awaale started chatting like we were off to the pub for a pint. ‘So, I’ll give you my father’s number. We’ll all meet up in Minneapolis.’ He leant towards me and went back into conspiratorial mode. ‘Once I have taken over the clan I will then visit my father and tell him to come home. But, first, you’ll join us in Minneapolis, won’t you?’
‘Yep, no drama, mate. But we have to get out of here now, OK?’
I looked ahead at Joe and drew my index finger across my throat to signal that he should kill the engine.
We needed calm. No loud noises; no props turning; no fingers on triggers. We’d get the exchange done nicely and quietly and then we’d fuck off. If it did go noisy, at least we’d be doing it from a steadier platform.
Joe got the message. The electrics started winding down.
Awaale carried on talking. ‘Mr Nick, please, all is good.’ He swivelled and began walking backwards, talking coolly to his crews and motioning for them to lower their weapons.
‘That’s good, mate. It’s high time your lads took their chill pills.’
I could hear another aircraft’s electrics winding down in the distance. I peered into the gloom at the bricklike silhouette of the Skyvan.
‘Awaale – who the fuck are they?’
‘Just guys waiting to pick someone up, I suppose. Like you are doing, Mr Nick. It happens all the time.’
We now stood equidistant between the Cessna and the technicals. ‘OK, everyone, listen in!’ I felt like I was trying to marshal a school trip. ‘Everyone’s getting a bit too sparked up so we’re going to have a change of plan. This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to get the bags and bring them back here, to where we are standing right now. Have we got that so far?’
Awaale translated for his crews and Mr Lover Man mumbled away at Genghis. Frank’s lads still kept their weapons in the shoulder, no matter what the other fuckers were doing. The crews now had theirs down, held by the magazines or slung over their shoulders. A couple lit up. Another two even got on their mobiles again.
‘OK, once I start walking back with the bags, BB, Stefan and Tracy come over and meet me here. Has everybody got that? Awaale, make sure these people understand what’s going on. Shout at them, mate. I don’t want to leave any room for doubt.’
I spun round to Mr Lover Man. ‘Your friend getting this?’
He muttered something to Genghis and nodded.
Awaale went into Alexander the Great mode, rallying his troops while another cloud of cigarette smoke drifted from the back of Erasto’s technical.
BB couldn’t help himself. ‘Nick, you’ve got to fucking grip these boys. We—’
‘BB! Shut – the – fuck – up!’
The crews fidgeted. The shouting was making them uneasy. Awaale kept giving them commands, but it was turning back into an argument.
I raised my hands again and slowly brought them down, as if that was going to steady the situation the way Awaale had. ‘Everybody stay calm. Keep your weapons down.’
I turned and pointed at Mr Lover Man and Genghis. ‘That’s you as well. Fingers off triggers, lads.’
One fucking slip and this all went to rat-shit.
19
I GAVE IT about fifteen seconds after Awaale had stopped, everybody had calmed a little and AKs were lowered. ‘OK, I’m going to start walking … now.’
I moved towards the money and lifted each bag in turn, one over the right shoulder, one over the left, making a point of hooking a finger through each of the ring-pulls. I looked at Awaale, and then at everybody else, to make sure we were all on the same page. ‘OK, let’s get walking.’
I took the first few paces towards Awaale, making sure I could see the other three coming towards me.
We all converged beside Awaale. I bent at the knees and placed the bags on the tarmac. I kept my fingers threaded through the ring-pulls.
Awaale unzipped each bag in turn and checked their contents.
‘Nothing’s changed, mate. Check the wrappers – look at where you sliced them with your thumbnail.’
‘It’s all there, Mr Nick. We trust you. It’s all there.’
I let go of the ring-pulls and tucked them inside the bags.
‘OK, mate, now you start heading to Erasto, nice and slow, nice and controlled, and then you get your crews out of here.’
‘No problem, Mr Nick, no problem.’ He lifted the bags and we both turned to go our separate ways.
‘Tracy, BB – nice and slow towards the aircraft, when I say. Tracy, don’t cross in front of the lads
. Keep well to the right of them.’
If it went to rat-shit I didn’t want her in the way of their arcs of fire.
I pointed at Lover Man and Genghis. ‘We’re coming towards you.’
Five or six paces from the Cessna I turned to see the back door of Erasto’s technical open and Awaale passing over the bags. The first technical started to roll the moment the door closed again. Bob Marley filled the air once more.
Erasto’s wagon followed, but stopped level with Awaale’s. Erasto wanted to have a good look at the two Georgians. They were still on their arses on the flatbed, bollock naked, backs against the cab. The two crew guarding them laughed and pointed. Erasto’s vehicle moved off.
Mr Lover Man screamed at Joe, ‘The engine, let’s go, let’s go!’ He leant through the cargo-hold door, laid his M4 on the floor and turned to help Tracy.
Tracy ignored him and ran straight for me.
‘Nick, thank you, thank you, thank you.’ As the electrics wound up once more, she threw her arms around my neck and planted kisses all over my face. Her own was one big scabby grin.
‘Nick, thank you, thank you …’ The prop began to turn. Her words were now almost drowned by the engine.
She hugged me tighter, pulling me down so her chin rested on my right shoulder.
Awaale was waiting to exchange contact details and say goodbye but he stood back to let Tracy show her love and appreciation. Maybe he thought it was going to be his turn next. Everybody did love him so.
Her tone changed the instant her lips were at my ear. ‘BB is working with the two Georgians. That plane is theirs, Nick. They want Stefan, but he says he will kill him if I tell you. They want my baby. Please help us … Please …’
The navigation lights strobed under the fuselage. Everything unfolded around me like a series of rapid-sequence still photographs.
The Skyvan’s props were turning.
Stefan’s little legs were a blur as he struggled to get back to his mother.
BB’s eyes were fixed on the Skyvan.
‘Nick, please do something …’
Genghis was looking into the hold of the Cargomaster.
Now BB was moving.
Gripping Stefan tightly in front of him, he ran hard into Genghis’s back, using the boy as a battering ram. Genghis stumbled and fell.
BB grabbed Mr Lover Man’s M4 from the doorway and jammed the short barrel into the back of Stefan’s head. His shouts were almost lost in the prop-wash but their message was clear. ‘Stand still, everybody. No fucker move!’
The boy’s clothing was flattened against BB by the force of the propeller. BB moved out of its way.
The M4 barrel was firmly jammed into the base of Stefan’s skull.
20
GENGHIS QUICKLY RECOVERED, weapon back up, but BB kept moving away from the aircraft, making any shot Genghis might take a whole lot harder.
Tracy screamed and lunged towards her son. ‘My baby! My baby!’
I gripped her. I shouted to Genghis above the blast of the turboprop. ‘No fire! Don’t fire!’
He might be able to hit him, but he couldn’t guarantee that BB didn’t have enough pressure on his trigger to take the boy out with him. I had no doubt that he would. BB might be an arsehole, but he knew exactly what he was doing. If he was in a corner and going to die anyway, he wouldn’t give a fuck.
If I screwed this up and the boy got killed, Frank’s lads weren’t going to give a fuck about us – or anyone else they opened up on as they made their exit.
Mr Lover Man jumped out and I pushed Tracy towards him. ‘Take her. And tell your mate not to fire!’
I could see no other way of sorting out this shit. It was going to create more drama, but at least the boy would stay alive. Drama I could get to grips with. Dead kids – all I could do was bag them up and take them back to where they’d come from.
I made a move towards BB. Now I was closer I could make sense of his yells. ‘Get these fucking animals off the technical now. Get them off. I want them off – now!’
I turned to comply. Awaale was manning the 12.7.
It pointed our way.
I threw up my hands. ‘No, Awaale. No!’
His hand moved to the cocking handle.
‘No! Don’t fucking fire!’
The Skyvan rolled towards the runway with its ramp down. Its red interior lights glowed on the tarmac behind it. Its twin props whirled. I kept waving my arms like a madman at anyone with a weapon. ‘No firing! No firing!’
Everywhere I looked, there were too many fingers on triggers.
BB kept edging towards the technicals. ‘Get ’em out. Get ’em out!’
I shouted and motioned to Awaale to leave the wagon, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He had the biggest gun and he was going to use it if he wanted to. I took a pace forward and put myself between them, pointing at BB and bellowing, ‘Wait there, fucking wait there – I’ll sort it out.’
BB was almost foaming at the mouth. ‘Fucking do it. Get that technical. I’ll fucking drop this boy. You know I’ll do it.’
He’d be fucked if he did, but I had no doubt that he would. I held both hands out as if I was trying to stop two lots of traffic. I broke into a run towards the technical. The two covering the Georgians had their AKs pointing here, there and everywhere, screaming at Awaale, desperate to know what he wanted them to do.
Still manning the 12.7, Awaale couldn’t make sense of any of this. He could no longer feel the love. I reached the side of the wagon. He stared down at me.
‘Forget it. Let him take them.’
‘But this will look very bad, Mr Nick. My men … I am going to be their leader …’
‘That’s right, mate. But I’m going to beg, make it look good for you. You tell them later that you decided to let them go, for the boy’s sake. All good leaders must show wisdom and kindness, mate. The boy …’
I got down on my knees, hands together.
‘Please, Awaale, please.’
He liked the reaction from the two crew beside him.
‘But why does he want that child?’
‘Because everything is about the boy, Awaale. The man with the money, the powerful man – that is his son. Just leave the wagon, Awaale. We must keep the boy safe. We don’t need any more drama from the father, believe me. I told you, he can reach anywhere he wants …’
BB was still going ape-shit, but staying static. He knew this was his best option for now.
The two Georgians, still naked and against the back of the cab, began to taste freedom. They gave me a smirk. Dec gobbed at me as I got to my feet. It hit me on my right shoulder. I wanted to reach over and throttle the fucker, but that would have to wait. ‘Awaale, let it go. Fuck ’em.’
The Skyvan had reached the end of the runway.
‘And fuck Erasto. You’ll just have to take over tonight, won’t you?’
He was still struggling to compute. I had to scream like a drill sergeant to get through to him. ‘Give – them – the – wagon!’
His face crumpled. He almost looked hurt. I took a deep breath, forced myself to be calm. ‘Please, Awaale … Please …’
He thought about it.
Finally, achingly slowly, he waved an arm at the two crew to debus. The lads jumped off, and he followed.
Ant and Dec got to their feet. The driver was out. Ant vaulted over the side and took the wheel. BB reversed towards the wagon, muzzle still glued to the back of Stefan’s head.
The rest of us shuffled backwards towards the Cargomaster. Mr Lover Man shouted, ‘Tracy, no! No!’
Like a banshee, she zoomed past me.
Her body convulsed with sobs as she ran. ‘Take me, take me! Not my baby, please!’
I bellowed, ‘Tracy, stand still. Stand still!’
But she didn’t. Of course she didn’t.
BB threw the boy onto the flatbed with Dec and swung round to face the threat. Tracy hurled herself at him. He used her own momentum to fling her to the ground. As he cl
imbed on board, she came back at him. He tried to kick her off but she clung on. The wagon started to move. She slipped and for a second it looked as if she was going to fall, but with a desperate lunge she managed to grab the sill of the flatbed. Her feet dragged along the tarmac.
She gripped the sill and tried to swing her legs onto the back of the wagon.
Dec handed the boy back to BB and took the M4. He moved to the edge and stamped on Tracy’s fingers.
Ant swung the wheel from side to side.
Tracy managed to hook a knee over the edge of the flatbed and held on grimly, but her grip was loosening. The force of the seesawing technical was becoming too much for her. Dec took aim with the M4 and gave her a round. Her limbs flailed as she cartwheeled into the ground.
The technical roared towards the Skyvan. BB held onto Stefan like a vice, the boy’s face into his shoulder. Dec banged on the cab roof to get Ant to drive faster, then swivelled and gave a burst with the M4 in our general direction. Everybody ducked. I kept eye-to-eye with Genghis. ‘No. We don’t want anything to hit the boy.’
He got it. He understood. At last.
Tracy lay very still. The wound in her gut glistened. She panted for breath. Supporting her neck, I lifted her gently and leant back to take the weight. Her leg dangled over my right forearm.
‘Nick … My baby … My baby …’ Every word hurt.
‘It’s OK,’ I murmured. ‘It’s all going to be OK …’
Tracy kept trying to talk.
‘Stop … It’s all right. We’ll get him back, I promise. We’ll get him back …’
Her head fell across my arm. ‘I’ve been so stupid, Nick … I’ve been so … stupid … My baby …’
Mr Lover Man helped me lift her carefully into the Cargomaster’s hold. He and Genghis ripped open the medical kit to grip her.
Awaale was at the door, hand outstretched. I grabbed it.
‘Listen, mate, good luck to your clan. We’ve got to go. But you know what? We are friends. We really are friends.’
