The Hidden Gift

by Ian Somers

  ‘You won’t as long as you do as I tell you. Just follow whatever–’ he went silent and leaned forward then wiped the condensation from the inside of the windscreen.

  I looked up at the tower block and there as clear as day was Ania Zalech on one of the balconies. She was leaning her elbows on the rail guard and looking over the small town. Oddly, she looked like any other teenage girl who hadn’t a care in the world.

  ‘You think she knows what her brother has been up to?’ I asked. ‘She looks pretty relaxed to me.’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I didn’t hear her voice when I scanned Hanley’s son which could mean she wasn’t in the house and didn’t take part in the murders.’

  ‘She sure knows about what he did in Switzerland!’

  ‘We don’t know that,’ Farrier intervened as she leaned into the front to get a better view. ‘Edward might have moved her off the property before he set the fire.’

  ‘The house burned down,’ Hunter said. ‘My bet is that she used her gift to do it.’

  ‘Always so quick to judge, Michael.’

  ‘Give me a break, Linda. Why do you always see the worst in me?’

  ‘I don’t. I just don’t like you to go unchallenged.’

  ‘There’s no fear of that, seeing as though I’m stuck here with you and Bentley.’

  A heavy shower broke out and I watched Ania slowly receding from the balcony into the shadows. The night rolled on, as if it would never end.

  We sat there watching the building as the last of the nocturnal hours drifted by and sunlight gradually seeped into the sky. By 8am I was delirious with hunger and so was Hunter. He asked Farrier to continue the vigil while we walked to a nearby service station where we picked some packaged sandwiches and snacks. It wasn’t wise for us to linger in the open so we ate on our feet and were back sitting in the 4x4 by 9am. Farrier had nothing to report.

  The morning turned out to be as excruciating as the night that preceded it; all we did was sit there watching the apartment block, but nothing happened and neither the Zalechs nor Sarah Fisher appeared. I was considering a nap when a transit van slowly turned the corner and parked across the street. Hunter seemed to recognise the driver and gave him a nod.

  ‘About bloody time,’ he said under his breath. ‘I better go over and talk to them. You two stay here.’

  He walked to the rear of the van and banged on the back doors. They were opened for him a few seconds later and he climbed inside.

  ‘Did you know you left your raincoat at Hunter’s place?’ I asked Farrier. I couldn’t think of anything else to say to break the uneasy silence. I just blurted it out not realising that it might seem like I was implying something.

  ‘I was aware of that,’ she said evenly. ‘I used to visit him quite a bit.’

  ‘Oh … you two must be good friends.’

  ‘We used to be.’

  ‘Not anymore?’

  ‘It’s not easy being his friend.’

  ‘You should try living with him,’ I laughed. ‘He is one seriously grumpy man.’

  Farrier went quiet. Whatever had happened between them had probably ended badly, not that relationships ever ended any other way. Just when I thought she wouldn’t say another word to me, she climbed from the backseat and sat in the front.

  ‘Tell me, Ross,’ she said shrewdly, ‘does he ever talk about me?’

  ‘He told me you can beat the crap out of a grown man.’

  ‘Yes,’ she giggled. ‘I can do that, even without using my gifts.’

  ‘Best not to get on your bad side, eh?’

  ‘Don’t worry, Ross. You haven’t given me a reason to kick your ass yet.’

  I didn’t like the way she ended her sentence with yet. I liked her smile even less. When we locked eyes I knew this was Linda Farrier’s way of giving me a little warning not to be prying into her private life. Even the women of the Guild were hard as nails!

  After a few moments of awkward silence Hunter emerged from the van and waved at me then pointed at the van. I gave Farrier another rather nervous grin before slipping out the door and quickly jogging over to the van.

  ‘Now I know why you dumped her, Hunter.’

  ‘Did she give you the smile?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Terrifying, isn’t it?’

  ‘It sure is.’

  ‘Oh, speaking of girlfriends, get in the back of the van. Someone wants to talk to you.’

  He opened the rear double doors and there were two lines of people sitting down on rows of seats. The passengers, six of them in all, turned to me in unison. Cathy was the only one I recognised.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ I asked as I stepped forward and grabbed her hands. ‘Damn, it’s good to see you.’

  She leaned forward and kissed me passionately.

  ‘Hey!’ Hunter hissed. ‘Get in the van, Bentley, and control your hormones!’

  ‘All right, all right.’

  I jumped up and almost landed on what I first thought was a black sack lying between the two rows of feet. It was only when the dark object turned and looked at me that I jumped straight back out onto the street. It was a black panther and its pale green eyes were fixed on me as if I was a juicy pork chop.

  ‘Ross, get back in the van,’ Cathy laughed. ‘He won’t hurt you. His name is Nightshade; he’s one of Peter Williams’s animals. I’ve learned to tame him since you went away.’

  ‘Oh, that’s the cat you told me about in the letter.’ I climbed back inside and cautiously manoeuvred around the large feline and sat next to Cathy. ‘He’s bigger than I expected.’

  ‘Enough about the cat,’ Hunter snarled as he climbed inside and slammed the door. He switched on the interior light and sat opposite me. ‘I’m sure you all know this is Ross Bentley.’

  They stared at me and smiled, but there was an air of tension and I didn’t know if it was because of me for some reason or the situation with Edward Zalech. Either way it killed the enthusiasm I got from seeing Cathy, who was now squeezing my hand very tightly.

  Hunter went on to introduce me to the Guild members. First was Imelda Chapman, who was a thin woman with cold eyes; I thought she was a bit old to be engaging in combat – she looked about sixty! Then there was Steve Barker who was a jittery guy in his twenties who wore thick spectacles. To my right was Janice Powell who was younger than the others – maybe a year older than Cathy – and hers was the only smile that was genuine. There was also John Adeyemi who was the toughest-looking of the lot and made a point of shaking my hand. And last was Robert Motson, a middle-aged man wearing a very formal suit. He didn’t offer his hand and barely made eye contact with me. I took an immediate dislike to him.

  These people were different to the likes of Ballentine and Hunter and Farrier who were battle-hardened agents and seemed able and willing to walk into any situation, no matter how perilous it might be. They seemed more like people who worked in an office, all getting ready for a night out together. I had the feeling they’d be terribly outmatched by someone as vicious as Edward Zalech, but I couldn’t openly say this, and after all, they didn’t need to look tough to be very powerful. Still, I didn’t want my life, or Cathy’s, depending on any of them.

  ‘Right, before we go any further I want to make it very clear that I am in charge of this operation.’ Motson almost boasted, as if anyone in their right mind would want to be one making the decision to go head to head with the Zalechs. ‘And I have a fair idea of how we should proceed.’

  ‘What are you on about, Motson?’ Hunter sneered. There was bad blood between them already and my companion was making it very clear he had no respect for the older man. ‘You’re not an experienced agent. You’re only a mole. You work as an accountant for God’s sake!’

  ‘Mr Ballentine asked me to take control of the situation. I have some experience in hostage scenarios and he felt that it would best that an even-tempered person be in charge.’

  Adeyemi nodded despondentl
y at Hunter and it was obvious he’d had the same argument with Motson, and lost.

  ‘This is totally unacceptable,’ Hunter said. He rummaged in his trouser pockets for his phone then punched a number on the screen. ‘Ballentine,’ he bawled when the call was connected. ‘What the bloody hell is going on? Did you put Motson in charge of this mission?’

  ‘Yes and no.’ Hunter was sitting close enough for me to hear what Ballentine was saying. ‘I told him to take charge, but it wasn’t my decision.’

  ‘What fool made the decision?’

  ‘The decision was made by the Council. They didn’t want you taking control after what happened in Finland.’

  ‘That was ages ago!’

  ‘It was twelve months ago and the Council ministers have good memories. I suggest you obey this order. Otherwise you’ll end up being struck off the list of agents. Got it?’

  Hunter ended the call and stuffed the phone into his pocket. He leaned back and folded his arms then stared at Motson. ‘So, fearless leader, what do you suggest we do?’

  ‘I thought that would have been quite obvious: we must kill Edward. The two girls should be taken alive, if circumstances permit.’

  ‘Hold up,’ I butted in. ‘One of those girls has been kidnapped and she’s done nothing wrong. You can’t just kill her!’

  ‘Bentley’s right,’ Hunter said. ‘We can’t sacrifice the kid. That’s out of the question.’

  ‘We don’t have a choice,’ Motson replied. ‘We cannot, even though we have superior numbers, get drawn into a battle with a mageleton.’

  ‘I agree,’ Chapman nodded. ‘It’s a fight we cannot win.’

  ‘You want to go up there and attack the apartment?’ Hunter asked. ‘Is that it?’

  ‘No,’ Motson shook his head. ‘We wait until they leave then strike while they’re in the car.’

  ‘What if someone comes to pick up the girl?’

  ‘Then we allow them to leave with the girl and we can follow them while the second group prepares an attack on the Zalechs.’

  ‘We’re to split up into two groups?’ I asked. ‘Wouldn’t we be stronger together?’

  ‘We are stronger together, but there must be two groups in case there are two objectives.’

  ‘I reluctantly agree,’ Hunters said. ‘Splitting the group in two is the wisest course of action. Not only if someone shows up to collect the girl, also in case the Zalechs split up for some reason.’

  ‘I want to be in Ross’s group,’ Cathy announced, squeezing my hand when she said it.

  ‘No,’ Motson replied. ‘Ross will remain with Hunter and Farrier and I would like Janice to join them.’

  ‘Why her?’ Cathy frowned.

  ‘Because we need you with us. Or should I say, we need Nightshade with us.’

  ‘Right,’ Hunter said. ‘Edward might leave the apartment if they need something. If he does, which group gets the job of tackling him?’

  ‘My group,’ Motson replied. The others looked at each other with concerned eyes. They sure weren’t confident that they could take Edward Zalech on. But Motson had made up his mind and Hunter wasn’t arguing with him.

  ‘That settles it,’ Hunter announced. ‘We’ll go after the prophet.’

  ‘Very well,’ Motson said. ‘Try not to mess it up.’

  ‘I’ve never failed the Guild,’ Hunter boasted as he stood and moved to the door. ‘I don’t intend to start now.’

  ‘You be careful,’ Cathy whispered to me. ‘Don’t do anything stupid.’

  ‘I can look after myself. I’m more worried about you. This Zalech guy is a serious nutcase, Cathy.’

  ‘You don’t have to worry about me, Ross. Nightshade does my fighting for me. I’ll be sitting here the whole time.’

  ‘Good.’ I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek then whispered in her ear, ‘Hunter said I might not have to stay in Scotland when all this is over. We might be able to spend some time together again.’

  ‘I want nothing more.’

  ‘Bentley, get a move on.’ Hunter shouted. ‘We don’t have time for canoodling!’

  I turned to him and smiled. ‘There’s always time for canoodling.’

  Hunter and I returned to our seats in the front of the 4x4 and Janice sat next to Farrier in the back. There was very little said and each of us was feeling the pressure of the situation. Motson didn’t inspire confidence at all and none of us truly approved of his plan. It was a dangerous state of affairs to begin with, but having a fool like that in charge made it doubly so.

  The rain cleared up as the afternoon wore on and I struggled to fend off tiredness. My eyelids were growing heavy and all I wanted was a comfortable bed and a few hours sleep. Nothing broke the monotony of the stakeout and eventually I nodded off, only for Hunter to nudge me with his elbow seconds later.

  ‘Stay awake. Our enemy could emerge at any moment.’

  ‘Sorry,’ I grumbled. ‘I’m not used to this sort of thing.’

  ‘You can’t get used to it, believe me. I’ve been doing this for twenty years and I still have trouble keeping my eyes open on stakeouts.’

  ‘Hunter,’ Janice spoke up finally. ‘We won’t really have to kill that little girl, will we?’

  ‘I’d like to say no.’

  ‘It doesn’t seem right that harm would come to her. Aren’t we supposed to be rescuing her?’

  ‘Edward Zalech’s betrayal has made this more than a rescue mission, Janice. This is one of the lessons you learn when you join the Guild: innocents who get in the way often end up dead.’

  ‘That’s not what I was told when I was training in Holland.’

  ‘They don’t teach you how to kill in school, Janice. It’s not something you can be taught in a classroom.’

  ‘Why don’t you stop scaring her,’ Farrier snapped. ‘Don’t worry, Janice, we’ll do everything we can to get that girl out of there safely.’

  ‘I’m not trying to scare her. I’m getting her ready to deal with the reality that faces us. They might use the girl as a shield. It’s not the first time that’s happened.’

  He was obviously referring to something that they had experienced in the past and Farrier fell silent as soon as he mentioned it and slumped back in her seat. I tried to lighten the mood by turning to Janice and asking where she was from and what gifts she had.

  ‘I’m from Belfast originally, we moved to Birmingham when I was very young. Can’t say I was ever happy at living at home with my parents – not because of Birmingham, I quite like the city actually – but I always knew I was different to everyone else and some people treated me really badly. When I was fourteen I ran away from home and made my way to London. I don’t know what I was thinking. I had no plan at all. Eventually I started begging outside a café; I wasn’t earning enough to eat. I decided to use my gift to entertain people and I started making a tidy sum.’

  ‘What is your gift?’

  ‘I’m …’ she broke off eye contact and started fidgeting with the end of her jumper. ‘I’m … er …’

  ‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.’

  She looked back at me and smiled, but her eyes were full of uncertainty. ‘I’m a space-rupter.’

  ‘Wow,’ I breathed. ‘Isn’t that the rarest gift of all?’

  ‘That’s what they say. I can make myself disappear, and then reappear in a different location. I can also make objects disappear – that’s how I made so much money entertaining people.’

  ‘You can slip right out of reality into some … alternate place, right?’

  ‘It’s more complicated than that.’

  ‘Uncomplicate it for me?’

  ‘Bentley, don’t harass the girl,’ Hunter said. ‘Janice, ignore him. He’s a pest.’

  ‘I’m just curious, Hunter.’

  ‘I can cut through the fabric of time and space,’ Janice said unexpectedly. ‘I go to a place where there is no time, where there is no substance or life. It is a place that is not a place.’r />
  ‘Doesn’t sound very nice.’

  ‘It’s calm, as long as I can keep a doorway open to this universe.’ She smiled nervously again. ‘And as long as doorways to other places don’t open.’

  ‘Other places?’

  She nodded then looked out the window. Whatever Janice had seen was not easily shared and it opened up all sorts of crazy ideas in my head. I started thinking about alternate universes and alien invasions and I quickly decided that I didn’t want to know anymore about the gift of space-rupting.

  The afternoon became evening and the sun slowly fell to the horizon. It looked like we were in for another night of watching the apartment block and I doubted I could keep my eyes open for much longer. It was then that we all leaned forward in unison, as if the earth beneath us had tilted.

  Edward Zalech was walking towards his car.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Fire & Water

  We watched Zalech climb into the silver saloon and drive through the car park onto the main road. The car was followed seconds later by the transit carrying our colleagues from the Guild. Hunter waited until both vehicles were out of sight before starting the engine of the 4x4. He took a deep breath before turning to us.

  ‘I’m going to park outside the apartment block. Linda and I will go in and try to smuggle the girl out. If we’re not out of there in five minutes …’ There was a long pause and I was expecting him to order us to drive away and not look back, ‘… you two have to follow us in and finish the job.’

  ‘What the hell does that mean?’ Janice asked.

  ‘Bentley knows what to do.’

  I knew exactly what he meant, without him saying it. If he and Farrier were killed then I would have to go into the building and try to save the child. But if Ania attacked me I would have to use my gift to destroy everything inside the apartment. There could be no caution – that would be suicide. Sarah Fisher’s life was no more important than mine or Janice’s. It was a dreadful mission to have and I was starting to question if I really wanted to be an agent for the Guild. It meant I had to be an indiscriminate killer and that was not in my nature.