Fisher glanced at his watch again, aware they were early and that Sienna was picking up on his repeated sideways glances. They hit Trafalgar Square as a man dressed in a uniform labelled VLM security waved them towards Pall Mall. He cruised forwards, stopping the van outside Marlborough Road, where a cluster of police and security officials asked to see his identification.
His hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as a police constable radioed in to a colleague to record his name.
Sienna caressed his thigh in reassurance just as the security guard waved them both through, telling them to park and head for zone F. He accelerated through while admonishing himself inwardly for the bead of sweat trickling down his brow.
The high-visibility jacket one of the stewards was wearing caught his attention and he braked suddenly, causing Sienna to jolt in her seat.
The horizon appeared to be bathed in red. Beyond them, the finishing line and a small army of security staff, marshals and first aiders were visible.
‘Medals?’
Fisher turned to the aide who’d spoken and said, ‘Sure, where do you want them offloading?’
The marshal made little attempt at hiding her eye-roll before instructing him to turn the van around so they could unload the goods.
The marshal scuttled off. People were busying themselves with tasks. Sienna with an impish grin shot her hand out in front of him and handed him a cap matching those worn by the fray.
Fisher and Sienna exited the van and opened the twin doors, allowing the marshal and one of her colleagues to unload the boxes onto two large trolleys, before wheeling them through a set of thick curtains.
‘Hang on,’ came a shout, aimed at the pair when they turned to leave.
‘You need to stay here,’ the woman said, gesturing to Sienna. ‘We’re down on numbers, so get yourself into the briefing and they’ll tell you what to do.’ Then she turned to Fisher and added, ‘You’ll need to get your van out of the way as there are more deliveries coming.’
Her tone left little room for manoeuvre as she stood mere metres away from several security personnel.
He didn’t want to leave Sienna in the throng but with little choice he strode back to the van.