by John Kerr
The MP5 felt good in his bare hands and he could feel the adrenaline begin to push its way round his body as he neared his first target area. Why he did it would always remain a mystery to him, but as he moved through the night he felt in his pocket for the small silver heart. Jake had had it for the past two years. It was worth only a few pounds but to Jake it was priceless. He squeezed it in his hand deep inside his pocket. Jake had lost her picture… he would never lose her heart.
Within the next hour, he was there. He dropped off the ridgeline, and silently and slowly moved down the steep hillside, the tension starting to rise. He checked all round with his night-sight. All was quiet and still. The house lay directly ahead. Jake changed direction and moved off to his right, soon finding the cover of the trees at the right-hand side of the house. He lay down and surveyed the surroundings, spotting the bike at the back of the building, just where it had been before. Even with Jake some twenty-five metres away he could hear loud noises coming from inside the house. Something was happening, but Jake didn’t know what. He pushed back into the trees and dropped off his pack. He was ready. Shit! The back door suddenly opened and immediately the light from inside lit up the small lake behind the house.
Jake stepped off the small track that he knew ran all the way between the two target houses. He crouched low and tried to hear the conversation between the three men, but he was too far away and couldn’t make it out. Then Jake saw Riley place his helmet on his head…Fuck, he was leaving…No, he wasn’t!’ In an instant Jake was running back down the track… he had to put as much distance between the house and himself as he could. The small track twisted and turned through the trees and after a hundred metres or so Jake went down and started to feel his way about the ground in the darkness, looking for a suitable weapon. He lifted a large heavy branch; he could just manage to get his hands round it. It was more than sturdy enough for his purposes.
Jake stood behind a large tree, with the track only half a pace to his front and right. He heard the bike roar into life. It only gave him the opportunity to have a few practice swings, which he duly accepted. He pressed his frame hard against the tree and waited. The noise got steadily louder and Jake could see the light on the track as the headlight lit up the small forest. He stepped back with his right leg, keeping it within the shadow of the tree. Jake took a deep breath; the sound from the bike engine was deafening… then he was there… Jake stepped out of the shadows and swung the branch with everything he had. His point of aim was always going to be directly beneath the helmet, and he never failed to hit a target… CRUNCH! Jake felt the blow hit Riley squarely on his unprotected neck. His head flew backwards. He flipped over and flew through the air as the bike carried on for another fifteen metres until it came to a halt against a large tree.
Jake landed straight on top of his target and forced his hands over the still-intact visor. It was just automatic - there was no need for Jake to worry…Riley lay motionless. He would never move again. His neck had snapped and death had been instantaneous. Jake held his breath and listened for only a few brief seconds. Then he switched off the bike’s engine and headlight and dashed forward towards his next target. Jake jumped over the lifeless body, silently mouthing the word
‘One’.
Very carefully he made his way back up the winding track, his weapon staying always in the firing position, safety catch off. Jake was in the highest state of alert and ready for anything… Had they heard any noise? Had they heard the engine being switched off? Had they seen the light go off? All these thoughts were rushing through his head. Jake had to presume they had. But so what? They would all be dead soon anyway. Even if they hadn’t, they’d still be dead. In the blink of an eye Jake reached the edge of the tree-line and crouched behind a fallen tree. All was quiet. There was no noise anywhere, only the sound of Jake slowing his breathing down. He steadied himself as he prepared to take the men inside the house on their last, painful journey.
Jake lifted his weapon onto his shoulder and stepped out. He glanced left and right- there was no movement. He took a number of paces towards the house. Jake was very light on his feet and was soon up against the corner of the building. Slowly he made his way towards the door; the only sound he could hear came from the water to his right as it lapped against the small, pebbled beach. He couldn’t see it in the darkness but he knew it was there, only fifteen metres away. He pressed the side of his head against the wooden slats on the door. There was no sound from within and no lights were on. Jake instinctively placed his left hand on the door handle and pushed. The door gave slightly, indicating to Jake that it was unlocked. Had they forgotten to lock it, or were they just so sure that they would be undetectable up here in the wild wilderness? No matter, it was a mistake that was about to cost them their lives. The old door swung open without a sound. With the MP5 tucked into his shoulder Jake quietly stepped inside.
FIFTY-FOUR
The darkened hallway stretched out before him. There was a door halfway down to his left and two to his right. One appeared to be leading down to the basement and it was the only one which had light emanating from underneath. Jake quickly backed onto the left-hand wall and started to edge toward the first door. He pushed his head against it and listened, all the while keeping his weapon pointing across the hall, trained between the two opposite doors. Without looking, he pushed the handle down and slowly opened the door. In an instant he was inside and had cleared the empty room. Leaving the door open Jake quickly stepped across the hall and did the same with the second room - empty.
Less than a minute later he was standing outside the basement door, knowing full well that his targets were below him. Again the door was unlocked and it gave Jake a great lift to know that they were so confident that they had fallen into the very bad habit of leaving doors unlocked. He squatted down inside the door at the top of the staircase and listened. He peered through the banister into the small room below. There was a small lamp in the corner of the room, and a chair sat by the side of the table on which lay the unmistakable shape of an American M16 assault rifle. Jake slid down the wall, still in a crouched position. He looked through the banister and surveyed the room below. It appeared to be a sitting room, set up in the basement. It had a settee, a fire, a table with a few chairs and a fridge that sat against the wall on the far side.
Jake moved down another three steps and very slowly pushed his head over the balustrade. He could see that the room extended back under the stairs he was standing on, and ran the entire length of the house. The door under the stairs was slightly ajar and he could just make out two voices. He glanced around the empty room below him and knew exactly what he had to do… He reached inside his pocket, removed a small roll of para cord and moved over to the small lamp on the table. His weapon never once dropped from pointing towards the other door. With his free hand he tied the para cord onto the cable as close to the plug as he could. He ran the cord back to the stairs, stepped back onto the bottom step and took up a firing position. Placing his weapon back into his shoulder, he threw the clock he had picked up from the table onto the floor at the side of the settee; the silence in the room was shattered as the clock smashed onto the concrete floor under the well-worn rug by the fire. Jake heard the panic from the other room as the targets rushed through the half-open door. As soon as he heard the first guy call out, he yanked as hard as he could on the cord, at the same time stepping off the stairs into the room. It plunged the room into complete darkness. Both men were standing in the open doorway, the light from the other room silhouetting the targets. It made the two men almost impossible to miss. Jake’s weapon burst into life. Tap, tap, tap.
‘Two’. Tap, tap, tap.
‘Three’. The two men fell forward and landed hard on the floor. Jake was over the top of them and into the back room before they had time to die. He was now in the main factory room and quickly cleared everything around him; all the gear had been moved and the place was empty.
‘Fuck,’ Jake said unde
r his breath. Willoughby and Spencer Riley lay dead. Within sixty seconds Jake had made his way upstairs and was back out into the darkness. Without checking his map he came round the far side of the old house, threw his pack onto his back and fired his flare high into the night sky.
The moon had now joined him and the hill almost shone in the blackness. Denholme Ridge was directly ahead and he automatically opened his legs as he started up the hill. Let’s get over this ridge and see if we can put a few holes in the little guy’s bucket. The thought rattled through Jakes head as he turned his attention towards the next target that he hoped he would reach within the hour. There was no need to check his map - he knew exactly where he was and where he was going. This was his area: he knew every pothole, every lump and bump, almost every blade of grass. Jake pushed as hard as he could and soon he had crossed over the ridgeline and was down the other side. Christ, he felt good. His body had been honed to bloody perfection. He was back to his fighting best and he knew it. There was almost nothing that could stop him and he felt invincible. So why was it that the very second he thought of her his pace dropped considerably? Why wouldn’t she leave him alone?
‘Go away,’ Jake heard himself say quietly under his breath.
‘I don’t need this, babe. Not now.’
Fuck! He had started talking to himself now. Jake stopped and fell onto his knees. He placed his hand over his eyes and let his mind drift. He saw an image in his head of Vicky and himself sitting by the window in the pub. They looked a picture of happiness and he loved what he saw. Slowly he shook his head.
‘Never again, son… no more.’ Jake again mouthed the words quietly, as he dragged himself to his feet. He turned and looked all around at the darkness as it surrounded his whole world. ‘Where are you, sweetness? I miss you more than I can ever tell you, babe.’ Jake heard himself say the words, but it sounded like someone else speaking. He took a deep breath and stepped back into the darkness. Thirty minutes later something made Jake stop dead in his tracks… What it was it he didn’t know, but he suddenly felt something wasn’t right. He reached into his ammo pouch, removed his night-sight and checked out the area directly ahead. Night immediately turned into day and he could clearly make out the farmhouse below. Everything seemed normal… exactly the way it had been during his recent recce. He slowly checked out the area to the left and right of the house…nothing.
‘Hold on,’ he said quietly.
‘What the hell is that in the trees?’ Jake could make out the shape of a man standing at the very edge of the trees. He zoomed the scope in as close as it would go.
‘I know that shape…Bob. Now why would you stand there knowing I would see you?…Got it! You’ve either got something to show me or tell me, or you have completely lost it and just want to watch the fireworks.’ Jake was worried. He hated being interrupted so close to a delivery. Jake decided to get down and speak to his new minder before he tackled the next house. Now don’t you disappear before I get to you, mate.
Jake moved off and pushed to his left. He would have to approach Bob quietly from behind. He knew Bob would probably just stand and let Jake make himself known to him…That’s what Jake would do - no heroics, just stand and wait to be found. Fifteen minutes later Jake slowly approached from behind. This time there would be no rugby tackle to take the old man down, no rushing up to this target. Ten metres from Bob, Jake stopped and went down on one knee so he wouldn’t create a silhouette. He scanned the entire area - all clear. Holding his breath, Jake crept up and came round from behind the tree that Bob was leaning against. Jake felt Bob’s body tense as he brought the cold muzzle of the MP5 to rest against the back of Bob’s neck.
‘Jake,’ said Bob.
‘You on your own?’ Jake asked in a whisper.
‘Yes. Listen, Jake, the house is empty, they’ve already gone. There’s been a development and I was told to be here to meet you. I’ve got to take you back with me. Peter’s in the car a few kilometres down the track and we should be making a move. There may not be a lot of time left,’ said Bob.
‘A lot of time left for what?’ Jake asked, hearing something in Bob’s voice that he had never heard before.
‘Let’s just get going and Peter will fill you in as we go. I don’t know all the details; it’s still a little sketchy.’ Bob walked past Jake, pushed his way into the tree-line and out of sight. Jake reluctantly followed and moments later they had joined the small single track that led away from the farmhouse and down towards the road. Bob pushed out at an unusually fast pace, which surprised Jake, and the kilometres were covered in less than twenty minutes. As they approached the car Peter flashed the lights and joined them both at the front of the vehicle. Jake could hear the unmistakable sound of panic in his voice as he spoke in a whisper.
‘The rest of the delivery has been aborted. The boss wants you to take that leave he’s promised you and we will talk after you get back. I’ll drop you off at your place and you can get some rest before you go.’ said Peter.
‘Fucking bullshit!’ Jake said, just about managing to stop himself from exploding.
‘Come on, Peter, out with it. I know when someone is pissing me about… Out with it before I get really hacked off.’ Jake took a step closer to his new friend and said as quietly as he could.
‘I’m listening.’
‘Fuck!’ said Peter. ‘Fuck!’
‘Yeah?’ Jake answered. ‘Fuck.’
‘Okay, I’ll tell you, but you’re not going to like this, Jake.’
‘Try me!’ he demanded, getting very impatient.
‘They’ve lifted Vicky and Justin. They have him holed up in the bank and they are emptying it as we speak. We don’t know where they are holding Vicky. We think she’s being held to make sure Justin does what he’s told,” said Peter.
‘How many are in the bank with Justin?’ Jake asked.
‘Could be three or four, we don’t know,’ replied Peter.
‘Right, let’s go,’ said Jake in an overly calm voice.
‘No… Jake, you can’t go in there. It’s too personal… You’re far too involved, you’re way too close to this one. I can’t let you do this.’
‘He’s right, Jake,’ added Bob.
‘So who the fuck’s going to do it then? You know we are too thin on the ground, Peter. This one is mine. And you’re right, it is personal, but if you know anything about me, Peter, then you’ll know that I’m the only one who can do it. Now let’s stop pissing about and just do this.’ He walked round to the back of the vehicle and threw his pack hard against the back seat. Jake jumped into the front passenger seat and held the MP5 close. The thought that the weapon in his hand could determine whether Vicky lived or died made him grip onto it that little bit tighter. Peter and Bob joined him and they reversed out of the thicket and turned onto the small gravel track that would lead them off the hill and, within the hour, onto the edge of town.
Jake didn’t know if it was the thought of losing her, but as they drove he had an overwhelming desire to talk about her. He told Bob the story of the small silver heart-shaped pendant. The one she had given him as a lucky charm to keep with him as he trekked about the moors in the dark.
‘She gave me this as a talisman. I keep it attached to my compass and it always points to the way home. She doesn’t like jewellery unless it’s silver. She told me to keep this little thing with me and it would keep me safe until I came back to her… load of shit, isn’t it?’ Jake said.
‘No… and you know it’s not!’ said Bob.
‘Anyway, I don’t think I need it any more.’
‘What do you mean?’ Bob asked.
‘Well, she doesn’t care any more if I come off the hill or not so what is the use of it all now?’ he finally said. The Land Rover drew up outside the back of the bank. Jake replaced the magazine on the MP5. His watch said 3.15.
‘Okay, Peter, listen. I’m going in the back door. If it’s locked I’m going to have to blow it, so you wait here and stop any boys
in blue storming in after me with their truncheons out. By the way, either of you guys armed?’ Jake glanced between them.
‘I’ve got this!’ exclaimed Bob, and he pulled out a very large kukri knife.
‘Where the fuck did you get that thing?’ Jake asked.
‘I took it off a Ghurkha,’ answered Bob.
‘Yeah,’ Jake said. ‘I’ll bet you did. Well, if any bad guys come out of the back door after I’m in, do what’s necessary.’ Jake leaned forward towards Peter.
‘Just make sure he doesn’t do any harm to Justin, will you, or she’ll give me more grief than you could ever imagine!’ Jake quietly opened the door and stepped outside on to the street… it was deserted. It was approximately one hundred metres to the bank, and he checked his gear for the last time.
‘Good luck, mate.’ said Peter.
‘Yeah, go do it Jake.’ added Bob from the backseat.
Jake leaned back inside the car.
‘Tell nobody what I’m about to tell you… ever. What I’m about to do, I do for a little lady with eyes so fucking deep you could get lost in them for a thousand years and never find your way back out.’ Jake stepped back and quickly surveyed the whole area.
‘See ya soon, boys,’ he said, as he closed the door silently and briskly walked towards the back of the bank.
FIFTY-FIVE
Jake didn’t know what he would find inside. Would they still be there? Would Justin still be alive? Would anyone be able to tell him where Vicky was? Christ, she could be dead already. The thought stung him and a fear stronger than any he had ever felt before gripped him. It was bad enough that she belonged to someone else, that she fell asleep and woke up in someone else’s arms, but at least she was alive. He might not be with her any more, but at least there was always the possibility of bumping into her in the street or meeting her in the post office. Anywhere. But all this only mattered if she was still alive. Jake would never stop loving her. She would never know it but he would love her from across the room, from the other side of the street, even from the next table in the pub. Jake used to be her king, but now - The king is dead - Long live the king. ‘Okay, sonny boy, let’s go get her man out of the dirty stuff,’ Jake said inwardly, as he entered the small car park. ‘And remember, Jake… shoot straight and true… shoot straight and true.’ He placed his hand on the back door and closed his eyes before pushing down… the handle gave.