by Jack Probyn
‘PS Hammond,’ the middle-aged and balding man said. Hammond outstretched his hand and took Bridger’s first. As they shook, Hammond glanced down and nodded at Bridger’s watch. ‘You gentlemen from Surrey?’
Bridger nodded.
‘Glad to have you with us. We’ve got this under control for now, but if we need you for anything, I want you on hand to assist.’
Jake stepped in. ‘Where is everyone? They should be here by now. Ridiculous.’
‘Excuse me?’ The uniformed officer advanced towards Jake, but before the situation was able to escalate any further, Bridger stepped in, jumping between the two of them.
‘Sorry,’ Bridger pleaded, the back of his arm pressing against Jake’s chest. ‘This is Temporary DC Tanner. He’s new, joining us on secondment from The Met. Think he’s used to things working a little differently up there.’
Hammond peered round the side of Bridger’s shoulder and pointed at Jake.
‘You’d better know your place, son. You’ll learn a few things quicker if you do it that way. Trust me.’
Jake retreated. ‘We don’t have time to be arguing.’ He quickly checked his watch. ‘We’ve got thirty minutes.’
‘It’s all under control,’ Hammond said softly. He seemed to have calmed down almost as quickly as his temper had flared in the first place. ‘Firearms teams are setting themselves up now. We’re cordoning off the road. And everyone back at HQ is trying to alert the captain to what’s happening. But until the firearms team arrive, I can’t tell you much more.’
‘Has Candice Strachan been cleared to enter?’ Bridger asked.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Our governor, DCI Pemberton, is on her way down here now with Candice Strachan. She’s got a spiked collar strapped to her neck.’
‘What’s she doing that for?’
‘Because the only people who can defuse it are inside that boat,’ Jake interrupted. ‘She’s going to die if she doesn’t get that key.’
Hammond sighed and placed his hands on his hips. ‘I’ll have to check whether it’s been cleared. Might take some persuasion. Why can’t bomb squad defuse it?’
‘It requires a key,’ Jake said after a long moment of looking deeply into the man’s face. ‘Danny Cipriano, one of the offenders inside that boat, has it.’
‘Has it been confirmed that Cipriano is definitely on board?’
Shit. In the rush and excitement of it all, Jake had forgotten to ask Danika whether all the tickets she’d found had been collected and whether the brothers had set foot on deck. For all Jake knew, they could be anywhere, and Jake was putting all his eggs in one basket in the hope that they were all on that boat.
‘We’re not sure,’ Bridger replied eventually. ‘We have intelligence that suggests both Luke and Danny Cipriano are on board, but no confirmation.’
Hammond held his hand in the air, stepped away from the conversation and made a call. While they waited, Jake turned on the spot, cast his gaze around him and surveyed the area. He hadn’t realised it, but in the short time that they’d been talking, the uniformed officers of Hampshire police had efficiently cordoned off all access points to the roundabout, blocking the road as far as the IKEA car park in the distance behind him.
But, as he stood there, waiting for the tactical firearms team to arrive, Jake couldn’t help but feel like it would all be a little too late.
A cough distracted him. It was Hammond.
‘The Strategic Firearms Commander has given the green light for Candice Strachan’s arrival. She’s good to attend.’
CHAPTER 55
LUKE CIPRIANO
Luke was lost. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. Everything he had ever thought about his family was a lie, a façade, an act. His entire life had been a tournament for them to fight in. And he was the prize. They’d used him for their own narcissistic gain. He was most hurt by Freddy. They had bonded the most during his childhood. Almost been inseparable. All while Danny was working somewhere, bringing in the money so that they could eat and drink that night. Freddy had been Luke’s confidant, his closest companion.
In the space of a few hours, their entire family had crumbled. A mother and their sons split up in the wild, each left to fend for themselves. The metaphor disturbed Luke as he conjured images of blood and massacre and death… and, eventually, a pride of lions being trapped by poachers. Surrounded by weapons. Forced to surrender and die.
Luke closed his eyes and banished the thoughts from his mind.
He found a nearby bench and sat on it, his head spinning as he removed the key from his pocket and rolled it in his fingers. The rusted metal was tinted a shade of green and brown, yet it still managed to glimmer in the sunlight. Luke hoped it was a sign, but he didn’t believe in that sort of thing. A higher power hadn’t helped him at any other stage in his life, so why would it start now? Besides, it was no use having it anyway. He had no idea where Candice was and no means of getting to her. He wished he’d taken Dennis’s number; he could use a somewhat friendly face right now.
Snap out of it, you idiot, he told himself.
A car sped past him, grabbing his attention. Luke’s head shot upward, and he glimpsed a police car roaring down the street. His eyes followed it until it parked up beside another police car in the distance. At the sight of the flashing lights, Luke’s skin turned cold. The hunters were closing in around him.
And Danny.
Guns at the ready.
A moment of epiphany startled him. It was a farce. It was all wrong. A mistake. The police would find his brother on the ship. Of course they would. Danny was stupid enough to be on there in the first place when they should have had a Plan C, something they’d never needed before. But Danny was too cocksure, too brazen. He had ignored almost all of Freddy’s rules – the mantra they had all sworn by when their former leader was still with them. And for what? A stupid bitch who was going to steal all of his money anyway? Luke wished they’d never gone to that pub on that day – that Louise had never entered their lives.
Ifs and buts don’t change anything, dickhead.
He stared at the bag of money in front of him. Contemplating. With the amount he had, he could live any life he wanted. Anywhere. There wasn’t much people wouldn’t give to have that same luxury. And yet, here he was, pissing about with it, considering throwing it all away. His mind turned to the people who had been hurt so that he could have the meaningless sheets of paper and diamonds sat before him. Luke thought of the employee Danny had shot mercilessly, the Audi owner, the police officer.
It was wrong. So wrong. They had gone too far. Too many people had suffered because of their evil – Danny’s evil. And both he and Michael were complicit, even though they’d never pulled the trigger themselves.
Luke’s mind switched to Candice. And then he realised: the police were after him, and they were positioned only a few hundred yards away; they would know where Candice was; they would be able to save her. He would be able to save her. Even if it meant giving himself up to the police. A small sacrifice to pay for the day’s events. A small chance of redemption.
Luke squeezed his head in his hands until everything hurt and glanced at the barricade of police vehicles in the distance.
A moment later, he’d made his decision.
It was better for everyone if he did it this way. Him. Danny. Michael. The families of those that had suffered. Candice. Everyone.
Grabbing his bag, Luke slung it over his shoulder and started to shuffle towards the army of law enforcement that were setting up a cordon in the middle of the street.
CHAPTER 56
NO MAN’S LAND
It didn’t take long for Hampshire Police to remove all seeds of doubt in Jake’s mind about their efficiency during the operation. Within minutes a plethora of police cars – both undercover and liveried – along with ambulances and fire engines had arrived at Mayflower Roundabout, with some of the vehicles spilling into the park on the other side of the treeline t
hat banked the south side, near the water. They’d evacuated the area and sent the city into lockdown. And, as Jake folded his arms and rested them against his chest, impressed with what he saw, a black van waded its way through the stationary police vehicles and pulled up a few yards away from the roundabout. It was the armed response and tactical firearms units.
Everyone in the area watched in high anticipation as the van came to a halt and six armed officers deftly disembarked from the back of the vehicle. They fanned out, making their way slowly to the front of the van. Two of them approached Jake, Bridger and Hammond. Both of the armed officers were of similar height and build to one another, their features hidden behind helmets and masks.
‘PS Grahams,’ the man on the left said. ‘I’m the Operational Firearms Commander.’ Strapped over his shoulder was a SIG MCX 556 Carbine. Standard issue. He turned to his colleague and said, ‘And this is PC Radcliffe.’
Radcliffe gave a curt nod at the mention of his name and tilted his visor skywards, revealing a small scar above his eyebrow. On his bare wrist, there was a scorpion tattoo stained into his skin.
Bridger introduced himself and Jake, leaving Hammond till last. All five men shook hands.
‘What’s the status?’ Bridger asked.
‘We’ve got sixteen plainclothes AFOs making their way on board now,’ Grahams said. ‘They’re going to conduct a thorough and methodical sweep of the boat, searching for the offenders.’
‘Do they know what Danny and Luke look like?’ It was Jake’s turn to speak. In the final moments of the pursuit, he couldn’t afford to let his timidity stand in the way of success. Still in the back of his mind were the damaging words of Freddy Miller, gnawing away at him.
We had help from the inside every single time. Someone working against you.
Danika had already proven herself to him, and just because he wasn’t certain who it could have been in Surrey Police, didn’t mean to say that he hadn’t met them yet. There were a lot of new faces in Hampshire Police too, and no time to get to know them.
‘They’ve been sent the visuals, yes,’ Grahams said.
‘You mean they’ve seen their mugshots?’ Jake asked.
Grahams nodded.
‘That’s not good enough. Those images are nearly ten years old.’ Jake paused for a moment while an idea formed in his mind. ‘I need to get on that boat. I can confirm their identities,’ he continued. ‘Before we arrested Michael, he’d shaved his head. Luke potentially could have done the same. But… this morning I ran into them. I saw Danny without the mask on. I know what he looks like. You’ll need to get me on board. The last thing we want is to arrest innocent people and alert them to our presence.’
Just as Grahams was about to respond, the roundabout filled with screams and shouts erupting from behind Jake. He spun on the spot and turned to face the source of the commotion. Fifty yards away, on the wrong side of the police cordon, was a figure sauntering towards them, carrying a bag in his hands that jolted and swayed with each step. Jake’s eyes widened. He sidestepped closer to Bridger’s car.
‘Is that…?’ Bridger asked.
‘Yes,’ Jake replied, unable to tear his gaze from the man approaching them.
‘Which one?’
Jake squinted to get a better view of the person’s face, and as the man came closer, he recognised the young features. The thin frame. The wiry arms. The red cheeks. The bald head that looked as though the hair had recently been hacked off.
‘Luke.’
At the mention of the Cipriano brother’s name, Grahams cried out, barking orders to the authorised firearms officers. Radcliffe and the rest of the armed officers raised their weapons and sprinted towards Luke.
Screams of ‘Armed police!’ pierced the air.
‘Wait!’ Jake said, rushing behind the officers.
Twenty yards away, Luke came to a stop and dropped the bag by his side. He was surrounded by tarmac on both sides. Behind him was the police cordon, and in front of him were five armed officers aiming their sub-machine guns at him. There was nowhere for him to go.
Tentatively, keeping his hands raised in the air, Jake crossed the threshold into the line of fire and entered his very own No Man’s Land.
‘Hold your fire!’ he screamed, his voice breaking mid-sentence.
He knew that what he was doing was risky, was breaking several procedures, and warranted having his arse handed to him later on, but he needed to step in. Something wasn’t right. And it was his job to get to the bottom of it.
After a few seconds of uncertainty and silence, Grahams ordered the officers to stand down. They lowered their weapons slowly.
Jake took a deep breath before beginning. ‘What are you doing here, Luke?’
The young man kept his head low and his arms raised, but there was no response.
‘Where’s Danny?’
Still nothing.
‘Luke – we can help you.’
At that, Luke’s head lifted.
‘Michael’s safe, Luke. He didn’t get hurt. He’s being looked after,’ Jake said.
Luke lowered his arms.
‘You need to keep them above your head, mate, otherwise these guys have got their instructions.’
Luke did as he was told, although he looked as though he’d given up – as though he’d lost all the fight left within him.
‘What’s in the bag, Luke?’ Jake asked, trying a different approach. It was then that he noticed the undisturbed silence around him. Even the traffic in the far-off distance, the gentle lapping of the waves, the rushing coastal wind, seemed muted.
‘Money,’ came the monosyllabic response.
‘The money you stole from Candice?’
‘We didn’t steal it from Candice – she gave it to us. She shared it with us.’ There was a hoarseness in Luke’s voice, as though there was a barrage of tears that would come flooding out as soon as the gates opened. All Jake needed to do was unlock them.
‘Yes. That’s right. She gave it to you. She was your mother, wasn’t she?’
‘Is,’ Luke corrected. ‘Is my mother. She ain’t dead yet.’ He raised his gaze and stared at Jake. They were of a similar age, yet both had led very different lives at opposite ends of the spectrum. Luke had led a life of crime and constant oppression, whereas Jake’s was normal, civilised. He had gone to school, university, and now here he was. There were opportunities available to Jake that Luke had never been considered for, and he couldn’t help feeling like the young man would be in a different position had his upbringing and surroundings been controlled better.
‘She won’t be alive for long, Luke. And you know it…’ Jake brushed his tie and loosened his collar; it felt as though it was strangling him. ‘She told us everything. About you. Michael. Danny. The device.’ Jake hesitated. ‘Help us, Luke. Help us arrest him. He’ll be out of your life and you’ll never have to see him again. If nothing else, do it for Candice. She’s dead if you don’t.’
Luke’s expression changed to a steely, cold glare.
‘How do I know I can trust you?’
‘Do you remember Freddy?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Did you know he had a wife and kids?’
Luke nodded.
‘Did you know he’s been writing to them and he’s not heard a single word from them in return.’ Jake swallowed, hoping he was convincing enough in his next few words. ‘Well, they’re going to see him tomorrow. I spoke with them earlier. Freddy wouldn’t talk to me unless I persuaded them to visit. Little Sammy is really excited to see his daddy for the first time. If I can get them to visit him, then I promise you that you can—’
‘Where’s my mum? I need to see her. I want to see her.’
‘And you will. She’s on her way down now. All I need you to do is make a call to your brother, and then she’ll be allowed to come out. So long as you agree to give us what we want.’
‘I’m not helping until I see her.’
Jake pursed his lips.
‘Then we’ll just have to wait.’
CHAPTER 57
BULLET
A few minutes of nothing passed, the sounds of city life in the distance picked up and moved away by the wind that rolled through the roads. In that time, Luke remained perfectly still, staring up at the sky, kept in place by the numerous SIGs trained on him. Deeming it safe to do so, Jake wandered back to Bridger, Grahams and Hammond.
‘What’re you doing?’ Bridger asked. There was an edge of concern to his voice that, to Jake’s ears, almost sounded paternal. ‘Do you have a death wish?’
Jake’s eyes bounced between Hammond, Grahams and the armed officers. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I needed to speak with him. Pointing your guns at him was only going to make him panic.’
‘You don’t know that,’ Grahams added.
Jake turned to Grahams. He felt like placing his hands on his hips but let them dangle by his side instead. ‘Have you ever been on the receiving end of six sub-machine guns, Sarge?’
Grahams didn’t have a response. Thought not.
‘Where’s Pemberton?’ Jake asked Bridger. ‘Every minute wasted is another minute Danny could escape,’ Jake said.
‘Don’t worry,’ Grahams added, apparently hoping for a chance of redemption. ‘We’ve finally managed to get through to the captain. He’s been made aware and is currently holding fire. He’s under strict instruction that under no circumstances is he to move the boat.’
‘You’re going to leave it waiting there?’
Grahams nodded.
Jake shook his head in disbelief. ‘With all due respect, I think that’s the wrong idea,’ he began. ‘Danny Cipriano is dangerous. His actions today have proven that he’s irrational and willing to exercise any form of protection against himself and the ones he loves. But the longer you keep that boat idle, the more suspicious Danny’s going to get. And the more he’s going to retaliate. None of us have any idea what he might have been able to smuggle on board. If he can bring on several million pounds’ worth of jewels, then he can also bring on some firepower.’ Jake swallowed before continuing. ‘Tell the captain to wait until I go on board. I’ll be able to identify the right man.’
