SIXTY-FIVE

Anna shifted her legs aside to allow Elias past her and back into the copilot’s seat. Every few moments, she’d remember that she’d just killed a man. His name had been Andrei Lubov. She’d put a stun gun to his cheek despite knowing it would send him to his death. The enormity of this act was astonishing to her, yet not so astonishing as how fine she felt about it, despite the nightmares she sensed ahead.

Her ears began to ache. They’d begun their descent into Fenton Airfield. They dropped low enough for Elias’s phone to pick up a signal and ring. He snorted in amusement when he saw who it was, turned to offer it to Anna. ‘It’s Oliver,’ he told her. ‘I imagine it’s you he’s really after.’

‘About bloody time,’ cried Oliver, when she answered, but before she could say a word. ‘I’ve been calling and calling. Have you found her yet?’ 

‘It’s not Elias,’ she told him. ‘It’s me.’

‘Thank Christ,’ he said, with touching relief. ‘Are you okay? Where did you get to? I’ve been going crazy. And why the hell are you using Elias’s phone?’

‘I’m fine,’ Anna assured him. ‘Everything’s fine. I lost my own phone, is all. Elias lent me his.’

‘Thank Christ,’ he said again. ‘I’ve been imagining all kinds of horrors.’

‘Yes, well,’ she said.

‘Yes, well?’

She gave him a précis of events since leaving Newark Castle, from how she’d surprised de Bruin and Andrei in the back of her van through to their current return to Fenton Airfield. He listened in stunned silence. ‘I don’t believe it,’ he managed at last. ‘Are you okay? I mean… Jesus.’

‘I’m fine,’ she assured him. ‘Though I could use a lift. I’ve lost all my keys.’

‘You want me to come pick you up?’

‘Could you?’

‘Of course, of course. Anything. My god. Sorry, I’m still all scrambled up. Fenton Airfield you said, yes?’

‘You know it?’

‘I’ll find it. I’ll set off now. I’ll be as quick as I can. Oh, and I hope it goes without saying that if you need a place to stay again tonight…’

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘I might, at that.’

‘We’ll probably be needing your van for evidence anyway,’ Elias told her, when she handed him back his phone. ‘As well as another statement.’

‘No worries. I’m an old hand now.’

‘And for god’s sake don’t worry about that man. You saved my life.’

‘Only after you saved mine first. Leaping up onto the step like that. You must be nuts.’

‘Yeah, well. I never thought they’d still take off. And then it was too late.’

‘That’s not what my statement will say. I’m going to get you medals.’

Fenton Airfield came into view ahead, angled slightly for the breeze. Elias’s Leaf had been towed from the runway, which was lined by an astonishing number of police cars, ambulances and fire engines. There were so many, indeed, that it made her think they were in greater jeopardy than she’d realised. She looked again at their pilot Victor. For all his calmness, skill and experience, he was clearly still badly dazed from the blow he’d taken, and the gash in his scalp was bleeding so freely that he had to wipe his forehead every few seconds to keep it from his eyes.

She belted herself in. She placed her hands on her knees and pressed her feet against the floor to brace herself. They passed over the southern end of the airfield. It seemed to her that they were coming in too high. They lurched downwards and hit the strip so hard that they bounced back up again before touching down a second time. Their brakes shrieked. The cabin filled with fumes. They slowed to taxiing speed before coming to a gentle stop some thirty feet shy of the trees. And the way Victor leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes and let out his breath told her everything about how close they’d all just come.