'Tony,' he said, and put a reassuring arm around her shoulders.
Tony placed a shopping bag on the floor and slumped into a chair. 'Did you know the front door is wide open?' he said. 'And what's all the broken pottery on the floor?'
Ada smiled. His curiosity and his innocence of what had happened were almost funny.
'If you check around you might see a few bullet holes as well,' Alex said tersely.
Ada let Alex explain the events of the past hour and watched as Tony's eyes widened and his concern mounted.
'Then he did follow me here this morning after I left Paddington,' Tony said, with a touch of guilt in his voice.
'Not necessarily,' said Ada. 'Zina was tracking Alex's phone. She could easily pinpoint this location.'
'I wish I'd been here to help.'
'If you'd been here then you might be dead now,' said Alex. 'Zina is serious about getting what she wants.'
'I've got the new phones.'
'Forget them for the moment. Go close the door. Lock it from the inside. I don't think the Russian will be back, but we shouldn't take any risks. Then clean up the porcelain mess. I don't want my father to go ballistic until I've had a chance to explain what happened. Tidy up the cue sticks in the billiards room, then strip off and jump in the pool and get the gun that Tursunov was using. It's lying somewhere on the end nearest the patio exit.'
Tony opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and then went off to do as he'd been told.
'Don't bully him,' Ada said, half in jest.
'He's used to it,' Alex said. 'Are you giving me an order?' He squeezed her shoulder playfully.
'Pick up the porcelain. I'll help you.'
'Relax. I'll do it to keep you happy.'
He found a garbage bag and broom in the kitchen and busied himself cleaning up the mess.
Ada stood and watched him. He showed the same air of confidence whatever he was doing. It was in his nature, and seeing it calmed her. But it was the calm before the storm that she knew was on its way. She had to regard Zina as her enemy now. It pained her to do so, but the woman she'd known most of her life was leaving her no other choice. She removed the blanket from her shoulders and went into the billiards room to tidy up the cue sticks. She needed something to do with her hands.
Tony passed through the room with a surprised look on his face, but said nothing. In a few minutes he returned with wet hair and Tursunov's gun.
Ada sat beside Alex and watched closely as he unscrewed the long silencer then removed and replaced the magazine. 'It still has a dozen rounds in it,' he said. 'We can use it tonight.'
He looked at the clock above the bar. 'It's past four,' he said. 'Why hasn't Zina rung?'
'We've disrupted her plans,' Ada said. 'She's reassessing everything. She'll ring eventually.'
'We need to know what she's doing before we try to get to your grandfather. If she tells you she'll release him at a certain hour, we know he'll still be underground at St James a couple of hours before that.'
Ada placed her hand on his wrist. 'Be patient. Let's set up the new phones.'
'Tickle loaded all the contact numbers,' Tony said. 'They're ready to go.' He took them out of the shopping bag handed them over. 'The last one's for your father.'
They heard a loud banging at the front door.
Alex nodded at Tony. 'Right on cue. Let the man in. Offer to carry his bag. That'll put him in a good mood.'
Tony hurried out and returned with a suitcase and a tall, heavyset man in a grey suit who paused at the lounge entrance.
'What the hell happened to my security alarm!'
Alex turned to Ada. 'Meet my father Ralph.'
Ada stood and smiled at him. Ralph was an older, heavier version of Alex, but the resemblance was clear. 'I'm pleased to meet you, sir.'
'Call me Ralph. Is my son causing you any problems, young lady? If so, I expect you to tell me.'
'He's been very considerate.'
'Glad to hear it,' Ralph said, with a tinge of pride in his voice.
Ada tried to hide her smile. She decided she liked Ralph. He was open and direct, unlike his son, who tried to force his feelings below the surface. Until he let them show through.
'Sit down, dad. We've had some developments.'
Ralph crossed to the bar and poured himself a whiskey.
'Give it to me straight,' he said.
Alex described the events of the last two hours, pausing occasionally to answer a question from his father. As his son spoke, Ralph walked around the room checking the damage. When Alex reported the fate of the porcelain vases, Ralph winced but said nothing. Ada's success in wounding Tursunov elicited a smile and a 'Well done!'
When Alex had finished, Ralph sat beside Ada and took her hand.
'Lorenzina Stone has violated my house and the safety of my guests and she'll pay for it. I promise you that. I want to apologise for the danger my son and I have put you in.'
'Dad...' Alex began.
Ada made an attempt to protest but Ralph raised his hand.
'You're a brave young woman. You're taking an enormous risk for an important reason and I can understand why my son wants to help you. Despite what you might think, this is more than just a big story for him, and for me. It's also a cause. Some might even call it a patriotic cause. If Argentum is conspiring with foreign governments to steal business and government data, we have to stop it. Given what you've been through, I'd understand if you wanted to pull out now. However, I don't think that's what you want. Am I right?'
Ada smiled at him with a mixture of affection and relief. If the son was destined to become the kind of man his father was, she would be more than happy to consider a long-term future with Alex Marlowe.
'You're right,' she said. 'I want to see this through to the end.'
'And I'll help you do it,' Alex said.
Ada wanted to say that the two men on either side of her on the sofa made her feel safer now than she could ever remember, but all she could do was smile with pleasure. She even allowed herself to hope that her troubles might be close to an end. But she knew that was a naïve wish.
'My first instinct was to involve the police,' Ralph continued, 'but our immediate responsibility is to your grandfather. Police involvement might endanger him. Zina's action in sending a gunman to kill my son tells me all I need to know about what she's capable of.'
'We need to get out of this house,' Alex said. 'Zina might send another thug for a second attempt.'
Ada nodded. 'Zina doesn't like loose ends. But where can we go?'
'Bondi Beach?' said Tony.
'I have a small apartment there,' Alex explained.
Ada knew the extent of Zina's reach. 'Zina will have it in a database somewhere.'
'Unlikely,' Alex said. 'I bought it through a shell company. My name doesn't appear in any property records. Because of the work I do I need to disappear sometimes. It's a safe hideaway.'
Ada was still uneasy. 'Someone might follow us there.'
'Not unless they have a helicopter,' Ralph said, taking out his phone. 'I'll call in our Millennium chopper. It'll pick you up from the helipad out back and you'll be in Bondi in ten minutes.'
'Use this secure phone,' Alex said to his father. 'Leave your old phone here. Zina is tracking our location.'
Ralph shook his head in amazement. 'The wonders of modern technology.'
After his call, Ralph was quiet. Ada could see he was thinking hard. She caught a concerned look from Alex.
'You're not planning anything dangerous, are you dad?' he said.
'I can call on friends for help,' said Ralph, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
'Your influential contacts?' said Alex. 'Remember, Zina has influence in government circles. She has more clout than you.'
'I'm talking about my pals from the old days.'
Ada was intrigued. 'The old days?'
'Vietnam,' said Alex.
'Zac, for example,' said Ralph.
Alex shook his
head. 'Zac's a hothead.'
'He's a good man,' Ralph said defensively.
'They might not be needed,' Alex said. 'Ada is certain she knows where Zina is hiding her grandfather.'
Ada repeated what she'd told Alex and Tony about her grandfather's friendship with Zina's husband Jason and their caving adventures. She described the underground command centre room she'd seen with her grandfather as a child below the St James rail station and how to get there. She sketched a simple map on the back of a magazine cover as she spoke.
'There's a ladder entrance at ground level behind the street cafe used only by engineers,' she said. 'But you need a key and Zina almost certainly has one. Alex and I need to take the alternative route off the southern end of platform two. We need to be careful that no station staff see us on the tracks. We can get to the unused tunnel and the command room through some old connecting doors. They're never locked for safety reasons. The command room is always locked.
'Fascinating,' said Ralph, wide-eyed. 'I never knew that underground world existed.' He picked up the map. 'We need a plan so we can work together.'
Ada protested. 'You shouldn't put yourself in danger, Ralph. This is my problem.' She took Alex's hand, ignoring Ralph's mild look of surprise at their closeness. 'Alex and I can handle it.'
'My son is involved, Ada. I can't stay out. Anyway, even though you have an advantage it's still risky. You don't know who's guarding George, or how many. We need greater numbers and we need to plan this like a military operation.'
'Do what you have to do, dad,' Alex said, 'but keep us informed so we can coordinate our moves when the time comes. At the moment we don't know when that time will be. It might be in the next hour, or it might not be until midnight. We need to move soon and get to George before Zina decides to make the exchange and rings Ada. I'd like to move right now but we'll never get underground during peak hour without being seen. Don't spend much time organising your army buddies. We won't wait for you when it's time to go. We'll have no choice. When you're ready to move, call me and we'll plan our steps from there.'
Ralph stood, ready for action. He checked his watch. 'I need to make some phone calls. The chopper will be here in thirty minutes. You'll be in Bondi by six.'
'Leave the old phone here,' said Alex. 'Take your new phone when you leave.'
'Weapons?' said Ralph.
'I'll take your old Colt. Tony can use Tursunov's gun.' He handed the Glock to Tony. 'I hope we don't need them.'
'Zac has an arsenal,' said Ralph. 'And it's all licensed.'
Alex shook his head. 'I was afraid of that. Dad, remember, you're not twenty-one any more. Be careful.'
'I'm taking Tony as my 2IC,' said Ralph.
'Second in command,' Alex explained to Tony.
Ralph smiled at Ada. 'Bear up, young lady. We're on the verge of triumph.'
Ada returned the smile. She felt encouraged by his confidence and old-world charm but she was concerned by his apparent enthusiasm for the coming danger. The worried look on Alex's face showed he felt the same.
Ralph held out his hand to Alex. 'SUV keys, please. You'll have to use a taxi from Bondi.'
Alex nodded and handed over the keys.
Ralph marched out of the lounge followed by Tony carrying his camera and Ralph's travel bag.
'My father's enthusiasm runs away with him sometimes,' Alex said. 'I'm sorry he's become involved. I hope he doesn't get hurt.'
'I feel the same,' Ada said, 'but I'm glad he's on our side.'
'We'll be safer when we get to my Bondi apartment. We'll also be completely alone.' Alex put his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. 'Completely alone,' he repeated.
Ada could think of nothing more appealing, but how could they relax and enjoy themselves under these circumstances? Zina might call at any moment and set off a night of violence. Could she prevent it in any way? She couldn't see a peaceful way through it all. She had to steel herself for what might happen in the night ahead and hope that those around her who'd been dragged into her life would escape without harm.
'Pack your bag,' Alex said. 'The chopper will be here soon.'
'I'll have to take my old phone. Zina will ring me on that number. She'll be able to track my location.'
Alex thought for a moment. 'We'll have to risk it. My old phone and my father's phone will still be here and they'll show this location. If she's still tracking us, she might assume your new location signal is a system glitch. Let's get ready. I'll wait for you out near the pool.'
By the time she joined Alex outside, the helicopter was setting down amid a rush of wind and noise on the helipad in the centre of the vast back lawn.
She handed Alex her bag and he stowed it with his rucksack under the double back seats. She got inside and strapped herself in, surrounded by camera equipment and cables. Alex passed her a helmet and helped her set it up. She heard the pilot in her earpiece telling her to sit back and relax, and then felt herself being lifted slowly off the ground.
Alex searched for her hand and held it, and she squeezed back. They were an hour away from sunset but the western sky was already filled with a faint pink glow and the harbour was laid out before her like a blue carpet. They curved away to the east and within minutes the pilot was easing down gently in parkland near the coastal walk at the southern end of Bondi Beach.
Ada disentangled herself from the cables and got out onto the grass. She stood with Alex and watched as the pilot gave them the thumbs-up and lifted off.
Alex strapped on his rucksack and shouldered her bag. 'Eighteen hours ago you were halfway up a mountain,' he said. 'Now you're at the seaside. Is it all moving too fast for you?'
'Not fast enough. I want it to be over.'
'Ten minutes walk, and then you can rest. By end of the night your troubles will be over.'
'Is that a promise?'
He smiled down at her and took her hand. 'You can count on it.'
They walked with backpackers and crowds of afternoon strollers along the cliff top, past the Icebergs swimming club and down onto the beach promenade. She followed him through the traffic on Campbell Parade to a tall, modern apartment block in a tree-lined back street. This was to be their safe haven until Zina rang with instructions that would lead them all into an underground world where the very worst could happen.
Could she still prevent what was coming? There had to be a better way.
CHAPTER 8
Alex's apartment was on the top floor with a view that took in the entire stretch of beach from the northern rock pools to the southern line of cliff faces and sea-polished boulders.
The apartment walls were mostly blue-tinged glass partitions that gave the outside light a misty quality. The floor space was scattered about with black leather sofas and armchairs in no particular order. A wide outside balcony was stuffed with a lively tangle of leafy pot plants. For Ada the place gave the impression that it had never really been lived in, which matched Alex's description of it as a convenient hideaway.
Alex deposited their bags inside a large bedroom.
'We'll be safe here,' he said. 'Are you hungry? There's fruit in the refrigerator but it's a couple of weeks old. The apples will still be crisp.'
Ada sank tiredly into a sofa. 'Don't you ever cook?'
'I never learned, and I don't plan to start now. Unless you want me to.'
He sat down beside her and kissed her softly.
As tired as she was, she couldn't fail to feel an electric kick in her heart as he looked into her eyes. His dark hair had been blown about by the wind and he needed a shave, but these only enhanced his attractiveness. She was still stunned at the speed of his transition in her eyes from the pushy, slightly arrogant man on the mountain road to the man of warmth and quick understanding who'd kissed her for the first time only a few hours ago.
Why had she allowed it all to happen so fast? The answer, of course, was that she'd sensed his underlying nature from the start but she'd been too stubborn to follow her instinct.
As a result she'd wasted half a day, and now she was about to take risks that might lose her everything she'd won.
'It's good to be alone again,' he said.
'I can't feel alone when I know that Zina might call me at any moment. It's as if she's looking over my shoulder.'
'The minute we find your grandfather and release him, Zina has no bargaining chip and you're free to go to the authorities. She'll be out of your life for good.'
'I just wish we could avoid the violence.'
'If someone is guarding George when we get there, we'll make every effort to catch them unawares and avoid violence. That's all we can do. The only other way is to give in to Zina, to hand over the code copies for George and let her win. That's not what you want, is it?'
Ada could only shake her head. Did she mean no or I don't know? Her new feelings for Alex that had come so suddenly and so strongly had put her in two minds. She needed to think, she told herself, to examine the possibilities. But that was her logic talking. Her heart told her what she wanted to do. There was only one way to guarantee the safety of both her grandfather and Alex, and neither would favour it. Alex had just said as much.
She could feel the tiredness in the man beside her as he leaned back into the leather, his handsome features softening in the evening light. Soon he began to breath slowly and evenly and she realised he was drifting into sleep. No surprise, given the long day and the exertions of his battle with Tursunov.
Ada reluctantly unlinked her arm from his and got up. She went into the kitchen and picked at some fruit, but she was too tense to eat.
She took her old phone from her bag and stood out on the balcony, staring out to sea. The beach crowds had begun to thin but swimmers and surfers still played among the waves. In an hour darkness would chase them from their games.
An alternative approach to rescuing her grandfather was forming in her mind. Go it alone. Wait until Zina called, follow her instructions to exchange her grandfather for the code at the appointed time, but give Alex a deadline for action beyond that point. By the time he acted, her grandfather would already be free and Alex and the others would never face danger.
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