Chapter 37

I ducked down beneath the window and peered underneath the Jeep. Joseph’s dark blue Jaguar pulled into the empty bay and the garage door rattled closed behind it. Instinct told me to wait where I was. I heard the car door open and then a second, followed by a third. Two sets of legs climbed out of the passenger side, neither belonged to Joseph. I couldn’t tell if he’d exited the driver’s side.

“Nice place, Joey,” a voice said sarcastically.

“Thanks,” Joseph replied flatly. He had brought people back in his car. I couldn’t work out what was going on.

“Very nice indeed,” the accent wasn’t local. “How’s the boat running?”

“She’s fine.”

“Looks in good shape for the winter coming.”

“Let’s cut the shit, shall we,” Joseph replied. His tone was flat but there was aggression in his voice. “You don’t give a fuck about my boat so don’t pretend that you do.”

“Okay, Joey calm down. Where’s the nutcase?” The first voice asked.

“The television was on when we drove up,” Joseph sighed. “He’ll be upstairs.”

“Lead the way,” another voice said gruffly. “I can’t wait to meet this psycho.”

I thought about what they had said and the tone of Joseph’s voice. He sounded as if he was under duress but I couldn’t help but think he’d turned me in. I had no idea who the other men were, but I knew they weren’t here to wish us well on our mission. I had to assume at that stage that they were police. Whoever they were, I couldn’t leave as planned and I really needed to go, so I had no choice but to confront things head on. I reached inside the Jeep and grabbed the Mossberg.

“What’s going on, Joseph?” I aimed the shotgun over the bonnet. The three men turned quickly to face me. The strangers aimed automatic pistols towards me with two handed grips and a wide stance. They were either police or military. “Have you turned me in?”

“Hands up, Joey,” growled a wiry built man. Joseph made towards the door but one of them trained their weapon on him. He had a dark flattop, greying at the sides. “Over here, on your knees.”

“Who are your friends?” I kept my eyes on the two men not sure which one to shoot first if it kicked off. Joseph walked between the men with his hands up and his eyes on the floor. He looked embarrassed and annoyed as he followed their orders and knelt. “I don’t think they’re niners so I have to guess that they’re with the police. You’ve grassed me up haven’t you?”

“Put the shotgun down and come from behind the vehicle,” the second man growled. He had a smooth shaven head and blond eyebrows. He was the size of a small bungalow. “I won’t tell you again!”

“How does get fucked sound?” I grinned like a lunatic. They thought I was mad and maybe I was. “Does that fucking idiot think I’m going to put my gun down, Joey?”

“The nutcase is a comedian too, eh, Joey?” Flattop sneered. “You never said that he was a funny guy.”

“Why turn me in?”

“I haven’t turned you in,” Joseph shook his head.

“Who the fuck are Johnny Concrete and Charlie Bigspuds?”

“They’re mercenaries,” Joseph looked up. “They’re a couple of greedy mercs.”

“Fucking brilliant,” I whispered to myself. I recognised them from the photograph of the boat. They had been in the background. “Friends of yours though, obviously?”

“We did a few tours together in the green and we’ve done a few private missions since we left,” flattop smiled thinly. “They’re pretty lucrative, you know? Anyway Joey here asked me to ping a mobile didn’t you, Joey?”

“And?” I decided flattop was in charge so I pointed the Mossberg at his chest. I had more chance of hitting him if I aimed at his core.

“I always like to know whose phone I’m tracing,” he said matter of factly. “You know, just in case they’re someone who might have enough money not to be found. Turns out Lord Penrith is willing to pay shitloads not to have his number traced, and even more if we deliver you to him.”

“Sorry, Conrad,” Joseph said genuinely. “I knew something was wrong when they replied to my email. I didn’t want to walk straight into a trap so I went to find out what was going on. This is all about money.”

“Very touching, but I’ve heard enough of this shit,” the bungalow said angrily, “now put the fucking shotgun down and come from behind the Jeep.”

“Are they a bit thick?” I asked Joseph. He smiled and nodded. “They’re really are empty heads, aren’t they?”

“You’d better watch your mouth, sunshine,” Bungalow blushed red as he spoke. “Your smart mouth will get you killed.”

“You did say I was a cheeky bastard, Joseph.”

“You are,” Joseph agreed.

“Shut the fuck up, right now!” Bungalow was incensed. “Put that fucking gun down now!”

“He is verging on retarded, isn’t he?” I laughed and readied myself. My legs were shaking and I tried to melt into the metal. “Watch my lips, you ginger twat. I’m not putting the gun down, you fucking idiot.”

“Five seconds and then I’m going to shoot you.”

“You can’t count to five, fucking retard,” I goaded him further. His face was almost purple. “Anyway, I’m behind three tons of Jeep with a Mossberg pointing at your bum-chum here. What’re the chances of you shooting me in the head?”

“Much better than you think, you fucking psycho,” flattop narrowed one eye taking aim. “We’ve been following your little episode and to be honest, we’ve been impressed but don’t over estimate your abilities, dickhead. I can shoot you between the eyes any time I want to.”

“That would put an end to my troubles,” I nodded. I felt sweat running down my forehead. “No point in me shooting you in the head though, eh? There’s fuck all between your ears except fresh air, stupid twat.”

“Listen to me very carefully,” he said angrily. I was winding them up to boiling point. “Our client wanted you alive but he said that if we had no choice then we take your body to him anyway. So for the last time, put the gun down and walk around the vehicle with your hands up.”

“No.”

“Do it now!”

“Get fucked, retard.”

“Last chance.”

“That’s why I think you’re thick as pig shit, you see,” I laughed. They both looked set to explode. “If you were going to shoot me then you would have done it already. Lord fucking Paedophile or whatever his name is wants me alive doesn’t he?”

Joseph nodded his head silently. His smile widened. Flattop stepped behind Joseph and pushed his pistol against his temple. “Put the shotgun down now or I’ll blow his fucking brains all over this garage.”

“Thick cunt, you’re going to shoot him anyway otherwise he’ll come after you and you can’t risk that.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Or what, retard?”

“One more time and I don’t care how much money is involved. Put the gun down and we’ll let Joseph live. We could cut you in on the deal, Joey?”

“I don’t work with snakes.”

“Snakes are far more intelligent. At least they know which end is their head and which end is there arse, oh and they have a backbone, which is something you could use.” Something flickered in flattop’s eyes. He was at his limit. I looked at Joseph’s eyes and they told me what to do.

“Last chance. You come with us and Joey lives.”

“Do you think we’re as stupid as you?” I shook my head and squeezed the trigger. All hell erupted.

I aimed high with the first shot. Joseph grabbed flattop’s gun arm and I saw a chunk of flesh blown from the face of the mercenary. Shots exploded and in the confined space, they were deafening. The urge to curl up behind the Jeep was almost irresistible but I knew that if I did, they would pin me down and I’d either be shot or have to give up. The only choice was to return fire. I felt the Mossberg kick three times. Nine millimetre bullets whistled past my head and I could hear them ricochet off the walls behind me. A bullet pierced the bonnet eighteen inches to my left and at the same time Bungalow’s knee erupted in a shower of blood and bone. A second blast hit him in the shoulder and knocked him sideways. He continued firing the nine blindly, as he spun. The Mossberg clicked empty but I had no time to reload. I dropped her on the bonnet and grabbed the Glock from my belt. I aimed and fired. The windows of the Jaguar shattered into a million pieces. Power tools which hung on the wall exploded into shards of metal and plastic and the unrecognisable screams of the injured and dying were almost lost in the deafening gunfire.