“Try and keep it down Kevin because you have this one to swallow yet…….no I’ll tell you what, why doesn’t Gary try the unique taste”
As Kevin crawled slowly away Gary tried to make a run for it but with two or three weapons pointing at him he was going nowhere.
“Look Ron I fucking swear to you I don’t know…..please don’t do this I don’t know fuck all”
Bostock stopped and looked at Gary who now had a tear stained face and could tell he was telling the truth, he would have cracked by now. Throwing the remainder of Duncan’s testicle at Gary, Bostock approached him with his weapon drawn.
“If you hear anything about him and I mean anything tell me!”
Just like that Bostock and his cronies left, leaving a scene of desperation and grown men in tears wondering where and how their night had gone so horribly wrong. The noise of an ambulance and police cars could be heard approaching but all they found were victims of a vicious and brutal attack and a barman with a mop and bucket. An investigation would be made of course and it would go right to the top but Ron Bostock would never be held accountable. The incident would be blamed on gang violence or drug feud related. That’s the way it worked. Some black guy, most likely an illegal immigrant or a notorious Eastern European gang member would be pulled off the street and his DNA planted at the scene and the crime would be solved and a line drawn through it. There wouldn’t be any witnesses of course because who would dare testify after experiencing such brutality.
Bostock arrived back at the office block where Oliver was being held as Alex Richards walked into the coffee shop where Ruben was waiting for him in a village on the outskirts of the city.
“That’s your coffee Alex, have you got the card?”
Richards gave Ruben the card and waited with anticipation as he plugged it in to what looked like a laptop except it had a small box attached to the side where the USB would normally go. Like sliding a credit card into a hole in the wall to withdraw cash, Ruben slid it in then tapped away on the keys as Richards waited patiently.
“Right as expected it’s encrypted so we will have to bypass that by pressing this. Where did you get this anyway?” asked Ruben frowning.
“Let’s just say I got it off a dead man who was working for Ron Bostock”
Ruben stopped what he was doing and looked at Richards with a telling look. It was a look that said I’d rather be on another planet than have anything to do with him.
“You are kidding me right…..Bostock?”
“Oh come on you must miss all this Ruben”
“Yeah like a second arsehole. Why are you mixed up with him again…….no I’ll tell you what Alex I’d rather not know”
“Well if it makes you feel better there is a five year old boy and his mother’s life at stake so the quicker you can find the building and the door that the key card opens the quicker we can locate them”
“Bastard! Right well the good news is the location is somewhere in the Bristol postcode and so far it has narrowed it down to……the Bristol area, shit it’s not letting me go any deeper. Oh shit as expected it’s got a trace chip in it and if I don’t take it out in 3 minutes we’re fucked, no sorry I’m fucked” Rambled Ruben as he tried to unscramble the card.
Alex sipped his coffee and watched as Ruben tried to work his magic. If he could pinpoint where in the city it was used he felt sure that is where Oliver and Wyre’s wife Susan were being held. Ruben tapped furiously on the keys but to no avail.
“Right Alex start the timer on your watch when it gets to 2 minutes……..now”
Alex pressed the stopwatch on his watch and continued to observe as Ruben tapped the keys then plugged another device into the laptop. Ruben was normally calm when he worked but now he seemed anxious as the seconds ticked down.
“1 minute 30 seconds” announced Alex.
“Shit it’s not happening!” mumbled Ruben.
Ruben took a deep breath and focused even harder on the task as Alex continued to study the time.
“Christ Alex whatever door this opens they certainly don’t want anyone to see what’s inside. I haven’t seen an encryption like this before. It keeps bouncing me out every time I get near it”
“1 minute!”
“Right the only thing left to do is using this box I can send in a virus that will at least narrow it down to maybe a few streets if we’re lucky”
Ruben tapped the buttons again then just sat and waited. “Have you done it?” asked Alex watching Ruben’s expression.
Ruben had his hands clasped together under his chin and over his mouth almost like he was praying.
“Come on, come on!”
“30 seconds!”
Ruben shook his head as though to admit defeat then turned the laptop off and closed the screen.
“Shit!” said Alex as he glanced out of the window to across the street where a car had pulled up and three suited men climbed out glancing in all directions.
“Time to leave Ruben”
“I’m with you on that one” he replied as they left through the back, worked their way along the rear of the shops before re-entering the street and heading towards Alex’s car. He struggled to hide his disappointment at not finding the location of the key card but also realised whatever he had got involved in was getting more sinister by the day, even for Bostock’s standards. Encrypted key cards to a standard where Ruben could not crack the code was as far as Richards was concerned used only in extreme circumstances. Like the time Osama Bin Laden was kidnapped by the British and American special forces and then handed to the secret service in 2006, 5 years before he was killed. He was interrogated in the hope of striking a deal before he was released back into Pakistan with a tag surgically inserted into him in case he ran again. Only two people had a key card to where he was being held and one was the American president so Bostock’s men were asked to try and hack into it to find out where he was being held in America. Ruben was the man tasked with it because he was the best there was. He succeeded but only after 2 days of trying. If it was something Ruben couldn’t crack it was for a reason.
Richards sat in his car thinking about Oliver and pondering his next step. He could feel the dark forces consuming him once again. The mists of the past were slowly filling his mind and darkening his mood and the beast he thought he had put to sleep a few years ago was now doing its best to unleash itself again. The rage grew and he knew there was only one thing he could do and he took a good guess on where he had to go to do it. Richards parked the car in the street, opposite the doorway he wished to enter and studied it. To the unknowing eye it was just a stone building built in a gothic style, stained and dirtied by the years of neglect, traffic fumes and general pollution. To Alex Richards it was where he knew Bostock’s men socialised and planned various operations and the inside was in stark contrast to the outside with luxurious furnishings and a bar. It was one of many places SW1 occupied across the country and the only thing Richards was unsure about was how many guys were actually in there. The mood he was in at the moment, the more the better as he calmly and confidently crossed the main road, casually glancing up and down it before standing in front of the door. Looks were deceptive as at first it seemed the old looking door could be kicked in if wished although Richards had no intention of doing this. Instead he pulled out of his pocket a small circular key fob. Holding it next to the magnetic strip on the wall, the heavy wooden door clicked open and as the detective entered he quickly glanced at the security camera lens discreetly placed in the brickwork. It would only be a matter of seconds before he would have company. The immediate hallway was tatty with pieces of wallpaper peeling off and grime on the carpet and walls but on entering the second hallway you realised you were in a place that had money. The original tiles on the floor looked immaculate and the wooden doors that lined it were freshly painted and varnished. Chandeliers hung low and lit the route that led Richards to the room that had the bar and an endless supply of drink. His weapon was now drawn
as he slowly opened the large black wooden door at the end of the corridor and casually but efficiently walked in and picked his first target.
It was assumed that anyone in the building had a right to be there as security was tight so Alex took the first guy by surprise and before he could fully stand up from the large leather sofa and reach for a weapon to defend himself Alex had hit him square on in the face and kicked him square on the knee cap with all his weight, forcing a cracking and tearing sound then a scream of agony. This drew a reaction from the other two guys in the room who immediately reached for their browning pistols but they were too slow. Richards raised his weapon and fired it at their thighs and knees forcing them to drop straight to the floor. To make sure they were out of action without killing them Richards stood on the one guys hand until the bones gave way underneath him forcing more screaming from the victim. A foot to the head of the second one made sure he was unconscious. The door in front of him which led from the comfort lounge to the bar itself still hadn’t opened in response so he proceed through it. The reaction from the four guys in the bar area were initially all smiles and it was obvious to Richards none of them had heard anything that had gone on in the lounge due to a football match being played out on the large flat screen TV on the wall. On seeing that it was somebody armed who they didn’t recognise, they instantly went for their weapons. Suddenly a loud voice boomed out across the room before a shot was fired.
“Hold your fire for fucks sake hold your fire!”
All four of Bostock’s men had their weapons now pointing at Richards unsure of why they were being told not to fire. He too was stood with weapon ready to fire, the anger all too evident. The nervous stand- off enabled the four in the bar to glance through the door into the lounge where three of their comrades lay either unconscious or writhing in agony unable to pick a weapon up and arm themselves.
“You mother fucker do you know who we are?” said one of the four, his finger ready to snap back the trigger and open fire.
“He knows who we are alright and if any of you fire, Mr Richards here will kill us all” said the guy sat at the bar now lowering his weapon and placing it next to his drink. As he did this he picked up the remote control and turned the TV off plunging the room into an awkward silence.
“Where’s the boy and his mother?” asked Richards glaring at all four of them.
“I can’t tell you that Alex you know that”
“It doesn’t matter. Tell Bostock I will wait for his call tomorrow to arrange a meeting with him”
“What if he doesn’t call you?”
“Oh he’ll call me……….otherwise I take SW1 down and everybody in it” replied Alex coldly.
The guy at the bar breathed a sigh of relief as Richards turned and left. He now had to contact Ron Bostock and tell him about their unwanted guest.
“Who the fuck was that?” asked one of the suited guys still holding his pistol.
“It doesn’t matter who he is…..just think yourselves lucky”
The detective also released a huge sigh as he made his way back to the safe house. Something else was causing him some concern. Why was Bostock back in Bristol? All their dirty work was normally done in London where they were based, close to the government or abroad protecting the British interests. Alex knew from experience that they would base themselves wherever the operation was. This told him only one thing. To be travelling to different cities and hiring buildings out meant Bostock had an endless supply of money at his disposal and full backing from number ten. Perhaps Bostock was right this was bigger than he first thought.
Chapter 11
Andy re-entered the house to a beleaguered looking Wyre. Alex’s car could be heard disappearing into the distance on his way to meet Ruben. Sitting down next to Wyre he placed his weapon on the table.
“Wyre I’m going to do everything in my powers to get your family back. No doubt Richards has told you that you have to start trying to forget why this has happened and focus on getting them back safely”
Wyre nodded and perched himself closer to the edge of his seat looking at Andy eye to eye.
“Andy we have been friends and have worked together for a number of years now so I think under the circumstances I have the right to know why you were working for the bastard that has taken my family and why you were about to bloody shoot me in broad daylight? What the hell am I involved in here…..actually what the hell are you involved in?”
Wyre felt he was in a peculiar situation because the people who were helping him seemed to have been previous employees or at least on the payroll for this Bostock guy and what he stands for. The people who he despised right now were the only people he could rely on to stand any chance of seeing his family again. Andy Bristow seemed to be thinking about what to say before answering Wyre but a look of sorrow was clearly visible on his face.
“You’re right Wyre I owe you an explanation but understand me when I say the only reason I am telling you this is because I want to make you realise there is still a good chance of getting Oliver and Susan back. Has Richards told you anything?”
“No but having known him for only a few days I pretty much gather he was something to do with this bastard called Bostock. I’ve witnessed that one for myself which gives me belief in what you’re saying that I will get them back. I have another question though……..do you know Alex Richards?”
Andy shook his head.
“Not personally anyway”
“But you do know of him?” asked Wyre leaning in towards Andy.
“Listen Wyre I trust you so what I am going to tell you is just between you and me and you must never repeat it to anyone. The first part I guarantee will depress you and probably upset you so you have to bear with me. You see Bostock and his cronies are not a rogue group of the government working in the shadows behind the prime ministers back. SW1 and in particular Bostock hold the prime ministers and his advisors ears and he will pretty much sit in on meetings that involve the country’s future”
“How can this be?”
“It’s an advantageous tool almost every government exploits and that’s’ because everyone who is asked to serve is expendable. It’s not a black ops unit or a cloak and dagger organisation just a group who get given a free reign to protect the country…. supposedly”
“I don’t understand. Kidnapping children is classed as protecting the country or force feeding some guy another guy’s fingers is protecting the country?”
“Oh believe me Wyre this is mild for Bostock’s standards. Some of the things I’ve witnessed not only keep me awake at night but prevent me going to bed altogether. People think MI5 and MI6 deal with protecting the country but they have rules to abide by. They are what you would call window dressing…….but not Bostock. Let me ask you this then Wyre. What would you do if you were the political leader of a country in the Middle East and found out your wife was screwing your personal body guard?”
“I’ve no idea” sighed Wyre shrugging his shoulders.
“Well here is what Bostock does and this is what gives him his kicks. The Arab leader asked his close friend, the British Prime minister, in this case Tony Blair for someone who could deal with it quietly so he sent Bostock. The Arab leader didn’t want too many of his fellow government officials to know about his wife so brought in an outside ally to deal with it. A few weeks after Bostock was introduced to the ex-bodyguard I was there when the Arab leader asked Bostock angrily why he had not killed the man and demanded an explanation. Bostock himself nearly found out what punishment the Arabs deal out…..that was until the Arab discovered what Bostock had done. Bostock went out of the room and dragged in by the hair an Arab woman in traditional Arab dress. Looking bewildered the Arab leader watched as Bostock ripped down the top of the woman to expose a pair of breasts. He then tore off the rest of the cloths to reveal the woman was actually a man with breast implants. It then became obvious that it was the guy who had been caught with the leader’s wife. I was unfortunate enough
to then be a witness as this thing Bostock had transformed was raped over and over again by some inmates who had been brought in under guard from the local prison, much to the amusement of everyone in the room. From what I could gather the guy spent the rest of his days in the local prison in a living hell as a sex slave and god only knows what he had to suffer. I still hope he is dead for his sake”
Wyre was speechless and it was evident the anger was building.
“Is this guy a fucking sicko or something?”
“You see it’s not that they class themselves as protecting our way of life, it’s what they do and the fact they try and justify it. The answer is yes he is some sort of sicko but that’s why the government use him whoever that government happens to be. Unfortunately to be feared is sometimes more effective than being respected”
Wyre folded his arms defensively.
“And you and Richards worked for these bastards?”
“I’m not going try and justify why I worked for them Wyre but that was the one and only time I accompanied Bostock on a trip. After that I realised it was a place I no longer wanted to be. It was also a time I realised that you can’t just walk away from an organisation like that. Killing and torturing is a way of life for them so someone like me….well my contract with them could be terminated with a bullet, they don’t give a shit. My way of staying alive was to agree to do the odd job for them as long as the money was good which it always is. It started with me being sent out to some obscure place in the middle of nowhere, either in this country or abroad to kill someone. For me this didn’t seem out of the ordinary due to my background in the SAS. I would regularly be asked to do a job in the name of Queen and Country, whether it be to take out a drug lord or a suspected terrorist. My only brief relationship with these people was looking at them down a barrel of a weapon”
BEYOND THE SPRING Page 12