Under Fire: (A Dan Taylor thriller)

by Amphlett, Rachel

  Dan glanced down at the register. ‘Do you mind if I take a look?’

  Sylvia shook her head and turned the register to face Dan.

  He casually flicked through the pages, figuring that just because people provided details, it didn’t mean they were correct, or were even checked in the first place.

  ‘The yacht that disappeared,’ prompted Antonia. ‘Whose was it?’

  Sylvia took the register back from Dan and traced her finger down the page. ‘Here. Paul had brought it from Rhodes at the beginning of the week. He was supposed to be leaving yesterday for New York.’

  Dan fished into his jeans pocket and pulled out a photocopy of the news report about the missing yacht. ‘Apparently a film producer had bought the yacht after seeing it during filming in Rhodes,’ he read, then folded up the page. ‘I guess he’ll be screaming at his insurers right now.’ He leaned on the counter. ‘What about family? Is anyone over here looking for answers?’

  Sylvia shook her head. ‘Paul was a loner. I remember we had a party at our house once and a few of us got pretty drunk. He sat on the terrace with Antony, my husband, and said that’s why he loved crewing yachts for people – he got an adopted family every now and again.’ She gazed sadly out the window. ‘I don’t think anyone’s looking for him.’

  ‘How good a sailor was he?’ asked Antonia.

  ‘Very good,’ said Sylvia. ‘Some people just think they are, but Paul had years of experience in some very tough conditions. Just disappearing into thin air off the coast here…’ she frowned. ‘Impossible.’

  Chapter 24

  ‘So, Daniel,’ said Antonia, easing herself forward on her elbows and squinting at the house in the distance, ‘what exactly is your plan?’

  ‘It’s not Daniel.’

  She turned. ‘What?’

  Dan smiled. ‘My name – it’s not Daniel.’ He lifted the binoculars and peered at the villa.

  ‘So what is it?’

  He sighed. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  Antonia grinned. ‘Come on – tell. What embarrassing name did your parents give you?’

  He groaned. ‘It’s on a need to know basis – and you don’t.’

  ‘I’ll find out anyway.’

  ‘Dante.’

  Antonia put her hand over her mouth and tipped sideways into the grass, laughing.

  ‘It’s not that funny.’

  ‘It is,’ she wheezed. ‘Oh my god – you should be selling artwork or something, not working for the British Government!’ She broke off, coughing.

  ‘Be careful you don’t choke,’ Dan growled, and put the binoculars to his eyes, ignoring the giggling next to him.

  Antonia nudged Dan in the ribs. ‘Give me the binoculars.’

  ‘In a minute.’

  ‘At least tell me what you see.’

  Dan swung the binoculars to the right of the outbuildings, being careful not to raise his head and shoulders too high above the rocky outcrop in case someone spotted his silhouette against the ridgeline.

  ‘Okay, there’s a dirt road leading up an incline – that drops down to the villa. A set of wrought iron gates with a guard behind them. Looks like he’s pacing backwards and forwards to stay awake at the moment. Must be the end of his shift.’ He slowly swung the binoculars to his left. ‘The outer perimeter has a concrete wall around it. Hang on.’ Dan adjusted the binoculars. ‘There’s razor wire along the top of the wall.’

  ‘Electrified?’ asked Antonia, leaning forward on her elbows.

  ‘No – can’t see any transformers along the wire.’

  ‘Good.’

  Dan raised the binoculars slowly. ‘Past the gates, there’s a small outbuilding, single storey.’

  Antonia shaded her eyes with her hand. ‘I see it.’

  ‘Looks like it’s being used for storage,’ said Dan. ‘There’re two guys standing outside it, smoking – maybe it’s doubling up as accommodation too.’

  ‘That would make sense,’ agreed Antonia. ‘Give me the binoculars.’

  ‘In a minute.’ He winced and moved his elbows, small sharp stones sticking to his skin. ‘Further up the track you’ve got the main villa and a smaller outbuilding – by the looks of it, it’s being used as a garage. I can see a small Jeep.’

  Antonia banged her fist on the dirt in front of her. ‘Enough.’ She slapped Dan’s arm. ‘Hand them over.’

  Dan took the binoculars from his eyes and held them out. As Antonia reached out for them, he snatched them back and grinned.

  She punched his arm.

  Dan stopped grinning and dropped the binoculars on the dirt in surprise. ‘Where the hell did you learn to punch like that?’ he hissed.

  ‘I have an older brother,’ Antonia smiled, picking up the binoculars and holding them to her eyes.

  ***

  The rhythmic chirp of cicadas pierced the evening breeze as the team sat in their vehicle hidden behind a low wall on the farm track.

  On his arrival from London that afternoon, Mitch had run through the telecommunications equipment with Dan, selecting the best kit for the job. He now handed earpieces and throat microphones to Dan and Antonia, then switched on a tablet computer, checked the comms channel was working, and nodded to Dan, his face illuminated by the screen’s low glow.

  ‘You’re good to go.’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you instead?’

  Dan shook his head. ‘I want you here as my eyes and ears,’ he said. ‘This is going to be tricky enough as it is.’ He put the earpiece in place, and tapped the throat mike to check it. ‘Is David watching this?’

  ‘Yes I am,’ a dismembered voice came over the comms channel. ‘So don’t fuck up.’

  ‘I hear you.’ Dan leaned forward and pointed at the image on the tablet computer in Mitch’s hands. ‘I’ll go in here – the trees on the other side of the wall will give me a bit of cover to start with.’

  Mitch nodded. ‘As soon as Hassan leaves the property, I’ll use the satellite feed from London to track his movements and give you a heads up when he’s on his way back from Valletta.’

  Dan grunted and checked his watch. ‘Good – that should give me half an hour to get away from the property.’ He turned in the passenger seat to face Antonia, who was twisted on the back seat, pulling a long-sleeved black sweater over her head. ‘I need you to boost me up the wall so I can cut through the wire – think you can take my weight?’

  She nodded. ‘I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Where do you want me to wait for you?’

  Dan took the tablet computer from Mitch and held it up so Antonia could see the live satellite image of the property. ‘There’s a ditch opposite the wall here. Get me over the wall then wait here. Don’t move until one of us tells you to.’

  ‘Copy that.’ Antonia pulled a black woollen mask over her head.

  ‘Hey, that’s an improvement,’ grinned Mitch, and then flinched as Antonia slapped him on the side of the head.

  Dan scowled. ‘Let’s go.’

  ***

  Dan and Antonia sprawled in a ditch opposite Hassan’s property. Dan felt his heartbeat in his ears as he cupped his hand around the luminous face of his watch.

  ‘How are we doing for time?’ Antonia whispered.

  Dan pulled his sleeve down over his watch, using a piece of electrical tape to tighten the cuff so the watch dial wouldn’t give away his position once he was over the wall and enveloped in darkness.

  ‘We’re fine,’ he murmured. ‘Any moment…’

  He broke off. They ducked simultaneously at the sound of a vehicle approaching the opposite side of the wrought iron gates to their right.

  Dan peered over the edge of the ditch as the gates were opened by the guard on duty, then it turned and swept down the road away from them. Its rear lights flashed as it rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

  Dan held up a hand to Antonia until the sound of the car’s powerful engine had completely faded.

  They slowl
y raised their heads, peering over at the gates as the guard pushed them closed and looped a chain around them. Satisfied, he reached into the top pocket of his coat and pulled out a cigarette. A flame flared brightly, then disappeared, leaving the tell-tale pinpoint of a cigarette end glowing in the darkness.

  ‘While the cat’s away…,’ murmured Antonia.

  The guard turned away from them, and began to walk away along the inside length of the wall. Dan counted to ten in his head.

  ‘Go!’ he whispered.

  Crouching low to the ground, they scurried across the rough track, hugging themselves to the concrete wall on the opposite side.

  Silently, they listened for any movement on the other side of the wall.

  Nothing.

  Dan eased himself away from the wall, glanced down at Antonia and nodded, pulling a set of wire clippers from the pocket of his black trousers.

  Antonia cupped her hands, bent down and braced her back against the wall.

  Dan slipped his boot into her hands, steadying himself with a hand on her shoulder. He glanced up at the wall, then at Antonia and winked.

  ‘Ready?’ he whispered.

  She nodded. ‘Just don’t take too long to cut that wire.’ She shuffled her feet, planting her boots firmly on the ground. ‘On my count…’

  Dan launched himself at the wall, his momentum boosted as Antonia straightened her legs, grimacing under his weight, until she was standing upright. Dan then stepped onto her shoulders, her back supported by the wall, and quickly snipped through the wire. He dropped the wire cutters to the ground and pulled apart the broken pieces of wire. Placing his hands on the top of the concrete wall, he heaved himself up onto its surface and kept low.

  Antonia gasped and stumbled from the relief of shedding his weight. Gaining her balance, she grabbed the wire cutters from where they’d fallen into the long grass at her feet, checked the road each way, then ran across the track and threw herself into the ditch.

  Turning, she looked up to see Dan lowering himself over the other side of the wall. He glanced up, gave her a brief wave, and dropped from view.

  Antonia tapped her throat microphone. ‘Tango One, this is Tango Three. Confirm Tango Two is live, I repeat, Tango Two is live.’

  Chapter 25

  Dan dropped to the ground, kneeling until his heartbeat slowed. He remained still, straining his ears.

  No-one approached.

  He slowly drew himself up to his full height, glanced down at the ground, then carefully placed his feet one after the other through the rough undergrowth.

  Ducking under a low branch, he peered through the trees, getting his bearings.

  ‘Okay, I can see your heat signature,’ said Mitch over the radio.

  Dan slowly made his way through the trees, keeping the driveway to his right within sight. He crouched behind the trunk of the last tree and peered out across the barren earth towards the larger of the two outbuildings.

  On the ground, the structures looked more dilapidated than through the binoculars earlier that day, but one was in better condition and appeared to have had its walls recently rebuilt. Modern concrete blocks jostled for position with older limestone hand-hewn stone, weathered by time and the elements.

  The roof of the structure was constructed from salvaged tin – rusty in some places, newly galvanised in others. A sturdy wooden door had been fixed to the front, and new bolts gleamed in the moonlight.

  He glanced up at the night sky. Clouds scurried intermittently across the moon, providing better cover than the full moon.

  He touched his throat mike. ‘Where are those guards Mitch?’

  The line crackled once, then Mitch’s voice reached out through the static. ‘Other side of the property. Hang on, I’ll zoom in to your position.’

  Dan waited, silently watching the building in front of him. It was only fifty metres away, but it was across exposed ground.

  ‘Okay,’ said Mitch. ‘I’ve got two people inside that building, in the room to the far side of your position. You’ve got a clear approach.’

  ‘Copy that. Waiting for cloud cover.’

  Dan stood, watching the clouds scuttle across the night sky. A faint breeze blew salt air into his face and he took several deep breaths to calm his nerves, while he peered across the low ground ahead, looking for any rocks or obstacles which could trip him.

  Then the moonlight waned.

  Dan sprinted across the bare earth, his footsteps muffled by the dirt under his boots. In seconds, he threw himself against the stone wall and dropped into a crouch.

  He waited, catching his breath, then reached into his pocket for the case of micro-transceivers.

  ‘How are we doing, Mitch?’ he murmured.

  ‘All good. Guards in your building haven’t moved – looks like they’re playing cards. Two on patrol have reached the covered area east of your position. Estimate they’ll be turning back towards you in five minutes.’

  ‘Copy that.’

  Dan opened the case and picked up one of the disguised micro-transceivers between his fingers. Returning the case to his pocket, he edged slowly round the back of the outbuilding until he was under the window of the room where the guards were playing cards.

  He glanced up. Light shone through the glass, pooling onto the ground.

  ‘Mitch – confirm there’s no-one to my nine through to three o’clock position,’ he murmured. ‘I’m going to be very exposed here.’

  A few seconds’ silence preceded the other man’s response.

  ‘You’re clear.’

  Dan tapped his throat mike twice in confirmation. He pulled off the cover of the adhesive grips on the base of the cicada and slowly edged his body into an upright position next to the window frame. Breathing deeply to steady his hand, he turned to face the wall and slowly moved the tiny cicada-shaped gadget into position. His hand stopped at the edge of the wooden frame. If the guards saw any movement on the glass as he placed the transceiver, their mission would fail.

  ‘Guards are turning back,’ said Mitch. ‘Estimate you’ve got fifteen minutes.’

  Dan closed his eyes. Fifteen minutes, and he still had three more micro-transceivers to put into position.

  A sudden roar from within the room made him jump. Then laughter and voices, as a good-natured argument ensued.

  Now .

  Dan reached across and carefully placed the cicada on the glass, then dropped into a crouch once more.

  ‘Are you getting the signal?’ he hissed into his throat mike.

  ‘Copy that. Works perfectly,’ said Mitch. ‘Sounds like someone was trying to cheat.’

  ‘Okay.’ Dan lifted his sleeve, glanced at his watch then tapped his throat mike.

  ‘Three more to go.’

  ***

  Antonia grimaced and shifted her weight to alleviate the prickling sensation in her arms and legs. The temperature had dropped since sunset and a chill breeze whipped along the dirt track.

  In her earpiece she could hear the exchange between Dan and Mitch, her heart beating in a shared adrenalin rush as Dan had sprinted towards the outbuilding.

  She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, and glanced up.

  ‘Shit!’ she murmured.

  A guard had appeared to her left, walking along the outside of the perimeter wall.

  ‘Mitch!’ she hissed into her throat mike. ‘What the hell? I’ve got a guard on the outside of the wall heading my way!’

  Mitch swore at the other end of the comms link. ‘Get your head down in that ditch and don’t move!’

  ‘Why didn’t we know about an outer perimeter guard?’ David’s voice demanded over the link.

  ‘Maybe something changed at the villa today,’ said Mitch. ‘Perhaps they’re in lock-down?’

  ‘And you didn’t spot him?’ asked David.

  ‘I was busy watching Dan’s back!’ hissed Mitch.

  Antonia whipped off her balaclava and pushed her nose into the dirt. If she was spotted,
it’d be a hell of a lot harder to explain herself with a mask covering her face.

  She stayed silent, listening to the voices in her ear.

  ‘Antonia – do not engage,’ said David. ‘I repeat – do not engage. Not unless he finds you. Let him walk past.’

  Antonia tapped her finger on the throat mike twice as an affirmative, not wanting to risk her voice carrying down the track towards the approaching guard.

  She held her breath as the guard’s footsteps drew closer. The beam of his flashlight swept each side of the dirt road, momentarily brightening the grass beside her, before sweeping across the road to the wall.

  Her heart sank as the guard halted in front of her, and uttered a curse under his breath.

  Antonia slowly raised her head.

  The guard was shining his torch up the wall, craning his neck as he shone the light onto the broken wire at the top of the structure.

  Antonia raised herself up into a crouching position, her fingers curling tightly around the handle of the wire clippers in her pocket. She drew them out, and tapped on her throat mike three times.

  ‘Shit,’ said Mitch. ‘She’s going to engage, David – she’s got no choice.’

  ‘Engage confirmed.’ said David. ‘Make it clean.’

  Antonia launched herself up and across the track.

  The guard turned, his left hand fumbling for his radio, his right hand tucked into his jacket, searching for his weapon, his jaw dropping open in surprise.

  Antonia didn’t hesitate. With a low snarl, she jumped on the guard’s back and thrust the wire clippers into the side of his neck.

  As he dropped to the ground, Antonia grabbed one of his legs and dragged him gasping into the ditch.

  Blood started to gush from the wound, the guard’s strangled breaths forcing blood out from between his lips.

  She stared down at him dispassionately, grabbed a piece of the wire Dan had cut from the wall and wrapped it quickly around the guard’s neck. Bracing her feet against the side of the ditch, she began to pull, until the barrel of a gun pressed hard against her temple.