‘Come here,’ he said.
She slid across the seat to him, and he reached over his shoulder for one of the liberated bottles of water before pulling his t-shirt over his head. He bunched it up and poured some water onto it, soaking the material through, and reached out to Anna.
‘That bad, huh?’ she murmured.
‘Yeah. Can’t have you making us look bad when we turn up at our five-star hotel, can we?’
He gently swabbed the blood and matter from Anna’s cheek and tried not to stare into her green eyes as he tipped more water onto his t-shirt and swept it over her collarbone and shoulder.
‘There you go. Much better.’ He smiled.
‘Any excuse to get your shirt off, isn’t it?’ said Mitch.
Dan threw the empty water bottle at the back of Mitch’s head and heard a satisfying smack as it bounced off.
‘No respect,’ muttered Mitch, as Dan and Anna laughed.
CHAPTER 45
Thirteen hours later, Dan swung the vehicle to a standstill on a roadside promontory, braking to a stop at the steel barrier that gave way to a steep ridge at the edge of the small Spanish-held coastal enclave of Ceuta.
He’d swapped over with Mitch two hours ago, letting his colleague stretch his legs in the passenger seat and make a call to David and Mel as soon as they were within easy reach of their final destination. Dan thought it wise to keep their plans to themselves until the last minute, worried their position would be intercepted before he’d had a chance to get Anna to safety once and for all.
Despite his concerns, their journey out of the dunes had been uneventful, and both Mitch and Anna had fallen asleep to the drone of the pock-marked asphalt of the northern route passing under the wheels of the four-wheel drive. Anna had remained in slumber as he’d stopped the vehicle on the side of the road an hour ago to refuel the tank from two of the fuel canisters he and Mitch had liberated from the Russians’ vehicles earlier that day.
‘Do you think she’ll be okay once she gets away from here?’ Mitch had asked.
Dan had looked up from his position at the rear of the vehicle as he lowered the now-empty jerry can and peered through the back window at Anna’s slumbering form.
She’d curled up across the back seat, her features peaceful.
‘I think so,’ he’d said. ‘Her father will make sure of it – and her mother is amazing.’ His mouth quirked. ‘Actually, I’m pretty sure she’s going to be okay.’
Now, he leaned on the steering wheel, his eyes roaming the layout of the town sprawled out beneath their position, the late afternoon sun casting a dappled pink light across the roofs and terraces of the small Spanish enclave.
Anna yawned as she pulled herself upright and leaned between the front seats. ‘Are we there?’
‘Yes. It’s only a ten-minute drive from here to the hotel where we’re meeting David and Mel,’ said Mitch.
They sat in silence for a moment, savouring the view.
Dan chuckled. ‘I don’t know about you two, but I could murder a cold beer.’
Anna groaned. ‘I’ve been dreaming about a hot bath,’ she murmured. ‘What are we waiting for?’
Dan grinned and released the handbrake, steering the vehicle back to the road. ‘Come on then.’
The road dropped through a short series of narrow switchbacks until levelling out at the bottom of the hill, where the urban sprawl of the port town encroached.
Mitch navigated using his smartphone, and they found the hotel with ease.
Dan slowed, applied the handbrake, and got out, tossing the keys to the bewildered parking valet who was staring at Dan’s state of undress, his eyes wide.
‘Y-you can’t park there,’ he stammered. ‘It’s for paying guests only, not backpackers!’
Mitch roared with laughter as he helped Anna from the four-wheel drive. ‘Bad luck, pal – we are paying guests.’
Dan grinned at the valet, then joined Mitch and Anna at the wide double doors to the hotel. He glanced down at the assortment of paperwork Anna clutched to her chest that she’d liberated from the Russians’ vehicles. ‘Got everything?’
‘Yes. Thank you,’ she said. She placed a hand on his arm. ‘Thank you for everything, Dan. And you, Mitch.’
Dan nodded.
‘Taylor? Are you actually lost for words?’ said Mitch.
‘I think he is,’ said Anna, smiling.
‘Right,’ said Mitch, and held the door open for them to pass through. ‘In that case, last one to the bar buys the drinks.’
CHAPTER 46
Dan climbed out of the chauffeured car David had procured from the hotel concierge and slowly pivoted on his toes, his eyes searching for any potential danger amongst the silhouetted cars parked beside the entrance to the arrivals lounge of the international airport.
Once satisfied there were no imminent threats, he bent down, pulled a backpack from the passenger seat, and beckoned to Anna. ‘Okay, come on. We’re good to go.’
Upon arriving at the hotel, Anna had joined Dan and Mitch at the bar for a drink before she started leafing through the papers she’d retrieved from the military enterpriser’s vehicle.
Dan had grinned at her persistence. ‘You’ve got your investigator look going on,’ he’d said.
She’d smiled back before excusing herself and then spending half an hour in the hotel’s business centre studiously writing out all her notes and compiling a substantial record of the past few days’ events for David before allowing herself the luxury of the hot bath she’d craved.
When David and Mel had arrived, they’d been delighted with Anna’s progress. Accompanied by the photographs Mitch had taken of the dead Russian mercenaries, it gave them a head start on working with her employer in Rotterdam and other security agencies to hunt down the architects behind the attempted coup.
Mel had arranged flights for Anna back to the United States that same evening, correctly guessing that General Collins would be desperate to see his daughter after finding out Dan had brought her safely to the Spanish territory.
Now, Dan placed his hand gently at Anna’s elbow and steered her towards the automatic glass doors and into the air-conditioned building.
With no luggage to check-in, Anna’s seat was confirmed without delay, and Dan led her through the concourse to a café near the departure gates.
As they sat, he slipped the brand new backpack off his shoulder and handed it to her.
‘Mel put some things together for you,’ he said, ‘to make the trip home a bit more comfortable.’
Anna nodded and peered inside, her lip quivering. ‘Tell her I said, “thank you”?’
‘Of course.’
Sitting so close to her, his senses flared at the scent of the hotel’s complimentary soap and shampoo she’d used. He’d used the same, but on Anna, it seemed to blossom, filling the air between them.
He cleared his throat. ‘So, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home?’
Anna laughed, and Dan’s heart lurched as he realised it was the first time he’d heard her let her guard down so completely over the past five days.
‘I think I’m going to have another bath,’ she said. She slapped his arm playfully. ‘Don’t laugh – I swear I can still feel sand everywhere.’
Dan chuckled. ‘Yeah, I know what you mean.’
‘What about you?’ Anna pointed at the list of flights displayed on the departure boards. ‘Where are you going next?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said truthfully, then shrugged. ‘I’m sure I’ll think of something.’
Dan stayed with her until the moment the flight was called and walked with her to the departure gate.
Movement to his left caught his eye, and he reached out for Anna’s arm, pulling her to a stop.
She turned to him, her eyes wide. ‘What is it?’
Dan smiled. ‘There’s someone here to see you,’ he said, and pointed.
The tall form of General Bartholomew ‘Bart’ Colli
ns stood in the doorway to a private room off the concourse, his imposing form dwarfing the airline representative that appeared at his side.
Although his silver hair still resembled a military crop, his face was etched with the stress of the past week waiting for news of his daughter, and his eyes were bloodshot.
‘Dad?’
Anna let out a whimper and crossed the corridor, her father’s arms wrapping around her as she burst into tears.
Dan lowered his gaze. He could tell the general was struggling to keep his emotions in check in front of him, and knew he’d be an emotional wreck if it had been a kid of his in the same situation.
‘Dan,’ the general managed to choke. ‘I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.’
Dan glanced up and met the man’s eye. ‘You don’t have to,’ he said.
‘Any time you need me, you ask, understand?’
The man’s stare bore into him as he held out his hand, and Dan nodded, shaking it.
‘I will, thanks.’
‘What are you doing here?’ Anna said, taking a paper tissue from the airline representative and wiping her eyes.
‘I couldn’t wait until you got back home,’ said Collins. ‘I had to come.’
The airline representative cleared his throat. ‘I’m sorry, sir, but you need to board the plane.’
‘Of course.’
The general took his daughter’s hand and smiled. ‘Let’s get you home.’
Anna turned to Dan and seemed to be lost for words.
He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. ‘It’s over,’ he said.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
They turned at the voice of the airline representative, who frowned and pointed at his watch.
‘Go,’ said Dan. ‘Say “hi” to your mom for me.’
Anna pulled away and squeezed his hand, tears welling up in her eyes.
‘Miss? You need to board,’ called the airline staff member. ‘We’re going to close the gate now.’
Dan gave Anna a small push. ‘Go on. I’ll talk to you on the phone in a few days, let you know what we’re up to, if I can.’
‘Okay.’
Dan stood with his arms crossed, watching until Anna had followed her father through the departure gate, until she’d disappeared from sight.
He wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling window and waited as the aircraft pulled away from the gate, taxied across to its allocated position, and lined up for take-off.
He didn’t move until the plane was safely in the air, its navigation lights a mere speck in the night sky.
CHAPTER 47
Dan excused himself from the small group at the table, pushed open the door to the sweeping balcony of the hotel’s restaurant, and rested his bottle of beer on a table overlooking the town.
Salty sea air filled his senses, and he took a deep breath, filling his lungs.
He wandered over to the edge of the hotel restaurant’s balcony and rested his forearms on the rail while he collected his thoughts.
David had already made it clear that he wouldn’t be participating in the hunt for the people who tried to organise the coup; it would be handed over to another agency that had a long reach into Eastern Europe and beyond.
Dan pulled out the photograph the Russian had handed to him and gritted his teeth. Somehow, he had to convince David to include him. He had a message to deliver.
He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of the balcony door opening to see Mel walking towards him, a glass of wine in her hand, and tucked the photograph away.
She placed her wine on the table next to his beer bottle and then joined him at the rail.
‘Penny for your thoughts?’
Dan’s mouth quirked. ‘You don’t think they’re worth more than that?’
Mel smiled. ‘Not in today’s economy. The department’s watching its finances too closely.’
‘I’ll bet.’
Mel sighed. ‘Thinking about your boat?’
‘Yeah. And where I’m going to live now.’
‘You’ve still got the house outside Oxford?’
Dan nodded. ‘I just don’t know if I’m ready to go back yet, Mel. I kind of liked being on the water.’ He straightened, turned his back to the view, and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘What have you found out about the explosion? Do you know who’s responsible?’
Mel’s gaze dropped to the floor. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But David wants to talk to you about that himself.’ She raised her eyes to meet his. ‘So, please, wait to speak to him, okay?’
Dan frowned and then shrugged. ‘Okay. When?’
Mel peered over her shoulder. David and Mitch were still deep in conversation at the table, seemingly oblivious to their missing colleagues. ‘Soon.’
‘Why can’t you tell me?’
Mel smiled. ‘Because I don’t have all the facts yet – David was still checking some things out and waiting on some phone calls. I also know what your temper can be like.’
Dan conceded the point and gestured towards the table. ‘Might as well finish these while we wait.’
He pulled out a chair for Mel, waited until she was seated, then sat next to her, both of them drifting into a companionable silence as the warm night air carried the sound of cicadas from the trees below.
Dan took a swig from his beer bottle and ran his hand over the condensation-soaked label. ‘Have you spoken to Sarah?’
‘She knows you’re safe.’
‘Thank you.’
His on-again, off-again lover would probably kill him when she saw him, especially after he’d had to leave England in such a hurry and had avoided all contact with her in case he endangered her.
‘She also asked me when you might return. I told her that was up to you.’
Dan grunted, his eyes flickering to the older of the two men who sat inside. ‘I don’t want to come back, just to get arrested or face another inquiry.’ He sighed. ‘Life was so much simpler before all this.’
Mel leaned forward and rested her hand on the back of his. ‘From what I heard, you were drinking yourself into a hole.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘I think you like complicated.’
Dan raised an eyebrow and took another sip from his beer. ‘Maybe.’
She chuckled, removed her hand, and picked up her wine glass, her eyes seeking out the yacht masts that rose above the marina beyond the north of the town. ‘Whatever you say, boss.’
Dan had to smile. He’d only been working with Mel a short while before he’d left England in a hurry, but he was impressed by her intuition.
‘So, what have you been up to while I’ve been sailing around the Med?’ he asked. ‘Apart from spying on me?’
She had the decency to choke on her wine. ‘I wasn’t spying,’ she insisted. ‘I was just, you know, keeping an eye on you.’
‘Of course.’ Dan grinned. ‘So, spill it. What’s been going on?’
‘Well, we’re obviously keeping an eye on developments in Russia,’ said Mel. ‘Although this attempted coup caught us off guard.’ She shook her head. ‘We were lucky Anna and her colleague worked out what was happening so quickly.’ She put down her glass. ‘There are some who think Russia will implode over the coming years – splinter into smaller states, all of whom will probably pick a fight with each other.’
Dan grimaced. ‘That’s not good. The current leadership is difficult to deal with at the best of times, without separate factions all chasing their own agendas.’
‘Quite. And then there’s the Middle East, of course,’ said Mel. ‘And goodness knows where that’s going to lead. What with that and Asia, I think we’re going to be kept busy for a while yet.’
She broke off as the door to the balcony opened.
David appeared, closely followed by Mitch, who balanced a collection of freshly poured drinks in his hands. David waited until he’d joined Mel and Dan at the table and then locked the door, preventing anyone else from exiting the restaurant in their wake.
Dan waited until everyone had settled, then took the fresh cold bottle of beer Mitch handed to him, and eyed David.
‘So, who blew up my boat?’
CHAPTER 48
David shot a warning glance at Mel, who ignored him and sipped her wine, her legs crossed, one foot bouncing in the air.
Dan frowned as Mitch edged a little further away from his right, and recalled Mel’s comment about his temper. He turned his attention back to David.
‘Well?’
‘It took a while to get the forensics from what was left of the boat,’ began David. ‘But we’ve managed to retrieve some of the components that might have been used to fix the bomb to the bottom of your boat. You can imagine the state they’re in. We also found CCTV footage from the bank you’d used to get the money out to pay for the replacement fuel pump,’ he added. ‘And it looks like you were being followed.’
Dan frowned. ‘But I’ve been checking for tails,’ he argued. ‘I’ve seen no-one.’
‘This guy got lucky,’ said Mitch. ‘Trust me, he wasn’t a professional – he wouldn’t have been caught on camera otherwise.’
‘Do you know who he is?’
‘Nasir Abbas,’ said David. ‘Basically, he’s a gun for hire. Algerian by birth, but he’s cropped up all over the Mediterranean – he tends to work for whoever happens to be paying him that day. No allegiances.’
‘Do you know who hired him?’
David sighed. ‘Yes. Harith Gulzar.’
Dan’s mind worked as he tried to recall where he’d heard the name before. It sounded familiar, yet...
He shook his head. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Harith Gulzar is Yasmin Gulzar’s older brother,’ said David softly. ‘You knew her as Antonia Almasi.’
Dan pushed his chair back from the table and stalked across the balcony to the railing.
He wrapped his fingers around the cool steel and closed his eyes, blood rushing to his head as the shock of David’s revelation began to sink in.
Behind the Wire (A Dan Taylor thriller) Page 19