'Mr Twist,' Zina said calmly,' shoot Mr Marlowe.'
Twist gripped his gun with both hands, stood with feet apart to steady himself, and took aim.
Ada, without thinking, threw herself forward and pushed him hard to the ground. As she made contact she heard the gunshot and saw the bullet strike the tunnel ceiling above Alex's head in a spray of grey dust. She saw Alex whip around in surprise. He pushed her grandfather inside the command room, followed him in and closed the door. They were trapped inside but at least they were protected from gunfire.
Twist scrambled angrily to his feet. Zina was calm but cold.
'That was a stupid and risky thing to do, Ada. Your grandfather could have been accidentally shot. And what for? To save the skin of an interfering journalist who's been nothing but trouble for us all.'
'Trouble for you, not for me. He's helped me to see the truth about you.'
Zina's look was piercing. 'Tenderly spoken. Does that mean you've become his lover? You move quickly, Ada. Well, never mind. The more important question is why you didn't join him here in his puny rescue effort? Why did you come to me?
'I thought I could convince you to stop what you're doing and release my grandfather without any violence.'
'And Marlowe agreed with you? How heroic of him to let you take all the risks.'
Ada couldn't answer. Zina was right. She'd made a mistake in thinking she could resolve the whole problem herself. She'd put herself in jeopardy and made Alex doubt her. Did he doubt her still? He must have seen her when he turned toward them at the sound of the shot. Did he realise she'd saved his life? Perhaps even that wouldn't be enough to forgive her after the way she'd behaved. Perhaps he thought she'd worked against him and now she'd changed her mind. She wanted to be next to him now, talking to him, explaining. Given the chance, she knew she could make him understand.
Zina smiled shrewdly. 'He didn't know, did he? You acted alone. How foolishly romantic. You deceived your lover and it's all been for nothing. He's now my prisoner, and that must make him very angry, don't you think?'
'He won't see himself as a prisoner,' Ada said coldly. 'He has a weapon, protection and a phone. It's only a matter of time before he gets out of there.'
'A phone? It must be a new one. I lost his location earlier this afternoon. Bravo again, Ada. You've organised your team remarkably well. Nevertheless, you're right. I must clean up this mess quickly.'
'Ma'am,' Twist said,' Nikolay is making his move.'
Ada watched tensely as Tursunov crawled toward the platform edge, dropped down onto the rails out of Alex's sight and made his way toward them.
'When he's within range, throw him your gun, Mr Twist,' Zina said. She took her own pistol from her jacket pocket.
Tursunov reached the end of the platform near the metal stairway and laid there, his hand outstretched.
Ada watched the command room doorway and saw it move slightly. If Alex had noticed that Tursunov was gone, he must have figured out what was happening.
Twist moved as close as he could to the bend in the track and threw his gun underarm toward the Russian.
The gun clattered on the track and Tursunov snatched it up. He crawled up the metal stairway warily then sprang toward the inner platform wall and flattened himself against it. He edged along the wall toward the command room door, the gun held stiffly out in front of him.
Ada felt for the phone in her jeans pocket. Could she send a text to Alex? Impossible. And probably unnecessary. He would know that an attack must come from either side of the doorway and he would be betting on the approach end of the platform. Was he thinking about her? Was he concerned for her safety? At this stage he had to concentrate on taking care of the Russian and protecting her grandfather.
She heard a scraping sound in the distance that came from near the command room doorway. A metal chair was being dragged slowly along the wall to the door's edge. She smiled. Alex had found something to hook the chair's legs and pull it closer. Tursunov would be forced to either move the chair to gain entry or step around it. Either movement would betray his presence.
She heard Twist curse under his breath.
'Marlowe shows initiative,' Zina said. 'Let's see if our Russian friend can succeed where he failed yesterday afternoon. I'd dearly love to see the end of Marlowe.' She turned to Ada. 'I won't apologise for saying such a thing, my dear. I've explained my position to you and why I'm obliged to take these extreme measures. I have no choice.'
'And I've told you that you do have a choice. You can stop this right now and we can all walk away. If you don't, you know how it will all end.'
'Do I, Ada? We're a long way from the civilised world down here and I'm in control. I can predict my ending. You cannot predict yours.'
Ada felt Zina's coldness again. The Zina beside her was another woman, far away from the Zina of her childhood. The bond between them was almost gone and Ada knew that her life was now in the balance. The success or failure of Alex in the next few minutes would determine her future. If he failed, she and her grandfather were lost. Zina could never allow them to live after all they'd witnessed. Their last and final hope was Ralph and his friends, and Tony. Where were they?
She watched Tursunov as he continued to edge warily toward the command centre doorway. The door was half open, as if Alex were inviting the Russian to enter.
A metre away Tursunov halted, then jumped forward, kicked the chair up against the door and leaped across the open space, firing wildly into the room. The shots echoed loudly around the tunnel. On the other side of the doorway he pressed himself up against the wall and waited.
'Reckless idiot,' Twist muttered.
Ada watched the door carefully. No movement. She was certain neither Alex nor her grandfather were injured. They were insulated behind the door and inviting Tursunov to take a chance. The Russian appeared crazy enough to do just that. And then he did. Without warning he jumped directly into the doorway, throwing his full weight against the door, gun blasting. Alex must have been waiting for the move. Suddenly the heavy metal door swung outward with force, striking Tursunov hard and knocking him onto his back.
Ada saw Alex's hand with his father's Colt extend through the open doorway. The Russian began to get up and raised his gun to fire. Alex fired one shot. Tursunov's body jerked with the force of the bullet and he sprawled backward. The gun spun from his hand and skidded off the platform edge. Then he lay still. It was a cold response by Alex but Ada knew he'd had no choice. He and George were defending their lives.
She heard Twist curse. Zina quickly lifted her gun to fire, but just as quickly Alex's arm disappeared and the metal door closed.
Zina's silence spoke volumes. Ada could see she was furious, concerned less with the Russian's death than the delay to her schedule.
'Retrieve your weapon, Mr Twist. But first, please give me the limousine keys, in case you should suffer an injury.'
Twist smiled sourly and handed the keys over. He crawled toward the platform end and once there, crouched beneath its ledge and hurried to the point where the gun had fallen. Zina stood with her gun raised, waiting for any response from the command room. Twist scrabbled around in the dust, found his gun and hurried back. When he stood after crawling the final distance past the platform end, his clothes were filthy and his face ragged.
Ada tried not to smile. She could see no movement from the room but she knew Alex was slowly winning the battle. All he had to do was stay put and repel any attack by Twist, or wait until Ralph arrived. Had he contacted Ralph to warn him? Were the transmission boosters in the active tunnel beside them strong enough to pick up a weak signal? All Ada knew was that right now she wanted to be standing with Alex and her grandfather in that room. Until then, she had to do what she could from the outside. But what?
CHAPTER 11
Alex realised that Ada had saved his life when Twist had tried to kill him. When the bullet hit the ceiling above him he'd turned and caught no more than two seconds of the scene nea
r the end of the platform. What he'd seen was Twist on the ground and Ada standing over him.
Had he been wrong about her? Had his father been right in thinking that Ada had tried to do a deal independently with Zina to protect them all? Maybe. Had she been against him but found at the last second that she wanted no part in murder? No, he was being too suspicious. If he wanted to get over his past he had to believe that he was wrong about Ada and that she'd always been on his side. He had to stay on that path until he saw clear evidence that he was wrong. So far he had to admit that the evidence was unclear, that he'd been selfish with his own feelings and hasty in assuming the worst.
The feelings he had for her were making him more determined to get to the truth. What were those feelings? Love? After so long, was he ready to speak that word again? What had begun to tip the balance was the honest and genuine nature of George Byron. Being in this room and in danger had brought them together quickly, and Alex felt the old man would have been hurt to hear his suspicions about Ada. A man like George could not have a granddaughter who would betray the man she'd just made love to. It didn't fit.
'Try your phone again,' said George.
Alex dialled Ralph's number. No connection. He'd had a partial connection earlier that had dropped out almost immediately. He had to warn Ralph about what was happening so his father could refine his plan and avoid danger. He also wanted badly to talk with Ada, but the questions he wanted to ask and the words he wanted to say were better spoken face to face. And if she was still on his side, as he was now beginning to accept, she was concealing her phone from Zina and couldn't reply anyway. He was stymied. The phone might work outside this room, but outside was where Zina and Twist were waiting.
Killing the Russian had left a bad taste in his mouth. That was the first time he'd ever been responsible for another person's death, but he'd had no choice. Tursunov had tried twice to kill him and Alex couldn't allow him a third chance. He hoped he never had to do such a thing again. He was certain the police would see it as self-defence. But how would they see his other transgressions? His decision, with Ada and Ralph, to avoid police involvement had broken certain laws. His father's legal experience and contacts would smooth the way to a resolution, but this whole mess would take some untangling in the weeks to come. If they got out of here alive.
'All we can do is sit tight and wait for Ralph,' Alex said. 'We can't fight our way out of here. Zina and Twist have the advantage outside. And Ada might get hurt if we all start shooting.'
'Zina knows that and she'll use it,' George said.
'Maybe Twist will try something stupid like Tursunov.'
George shook his head. 'He's too cunning, but if Zina told him to take a risk he'd do it. I know Zina. She'll be extremely impatient. She might push Twist to try something. We've got to be ready.'
'I hope Ada doesn't try to act bravely,' Alex said. 'If she waits for Ralph she'll have a better opportunity to get away from Zina.'
'I can't stop worrying about her,' George said. 'She's smart, but she's not used to violence.'
Until she has a gun in her hand, Alex thought, recalling the pool incident when she'd saved his life. But he couldn't stop thinking about her either.
Ada was still certain of one thing: Zina would never kill her in cold blood. Their lives together went back too far and Zina had limits. Those limits might have seriously eroded over recent years but Ada was willing to gamble they were still strong enough to protect her. She decided to test those limits.
Twist was standing slightly in front of her, holding his gun loosely, his gaze concentrated on the doorway of the command centre. Ada reached out and plucked the gun from his grip. He turned, startled. Ada walked around him and pointed the gun at his head. Zina looked on from the side with a sharp intensity.
'Ma'am,' Twist said, 'you have a gun. Exert your authority.'
Ada could see that Zina was in conflict. Several times she raised and then lowered her gun, and her hand trembled. When she spoke, her voice shook slightly.
'Ada, my dear, your disobedience will be your undoing. I know what you're thinking, I know your mind. I beg you to put down that gun and stop threatening Mr Twist.'
Ada pointed the Glock at Twist and held it steady. She advanced toward him, forcing him back a dozen steps down the track beyond Zina's hearing.
'You know what I'm doing, don't you?' she said quietly. 'You know the game I'm playing.'
Twist tried to regain his composure but failed. He swallowed nervously. 'What do you want?'
'I want you to disappear, and fast. You know how this is all going to end. You know Zina has gone too far. Save your own skin, Twist. If you don't run, I'll start to shoot. One of the bullets might hit you. The door we came through is just behind you. I'll count to five, and then I'll shoot.'
Twist's face showed his desperation. He'd spent his life obeying one master or another, and now he was about to break a lifetime's habit.
Ada heard Zina's steps behind her. She would probably try to wrestle the gun from her. She had to act now.
Ada grasped the gun in both hands, aimed it to the left of Twist's head and squeezed the trigger. The sound bounced around the walls and Twist stumbled backward in fright. His floundering disturbed several rats that scurried around his feet searching for escape. Twist gave a high-pitched screech and lunged for the door behind him.
He pulled hard and the door swung open with a powerful rush of air and the sound of spinning wheels on tracks.
'No,' Ada shouted. 'Wait!'
Twist was moving too fast. He stepped through the doorway and disappeared from view. She heard a sound like a heavy thud that lasted no more than a second and then was lost in the swirling air.
For a second Ada was numbed by what had happened. Zina took advantage of the moment. She snatched the gun angrily from Ada's hand and stood back.
'What have you done, Ada, what have you done?'
'He panicked,' Ada said.
Zina worked hard to calm herself. 'So unlike him,' she said finally. 'He was a loyal employee. I'd pledge the company to provide support for his family, but he has none. Poor Mr Twist.'
Ada felt ill, as much by what had happened to Twist as Zina's callousness at his horrible death.
Zina pointed both her guns at Ada. 'I think this has gone far enough, don't you? You took advantage of my feelings for you, and I'll never allow that to happen again. Never. My hopes for your redemption have finally withered. I can only regard you now as my enemy. I know that you'll never see things my way again. Perhaps you never did, except when you were a child. But those days have gone forever. I'm justified now in regarding you as my hostage. I'm distraught to think that it's come to this. If Marlowe and George do not give themselves up, I propose to threaten your life in their very presence. My heart will break to do it, but it's the only way I can bring this distressing matter to an end. My associates will expect me to clear up this whole business and put it away for good. In an hour this area will be swarming with railway personnel as a result of poor Mr Twist's violent death, and I have no desire to be here then. Walk ahead of me to the command room. I need to talk to your Mr Marlowe.'
Ada climbed the stairway onto the platform with Zina close behind and walked toward the command centre door full of apprehension. The body of Tursunov still lay near the platform edge where he'd fallen. She no longer felt that Zina would hold back from killing her if she thought it necessary. Zina was at the end of some great change in her mentality that had taken her close to the edge. All Ada knew was that she could no longer trust Zina with her life. Twist's death was the turning point. Ada had tested Zina's goodwill towards her, and that goodwill was now exhausted.
She could see that the command centre door was half open and she thought she saw Alex's dark shirt at the doorway's edge.
'Don't come any closer, Zina,' Alex said. He moved out of the doorway, holding his father's Colt waist high, ready to fire. 'We heard a shot. What happened?'
Ada felt the breath rus
h from her body with relief at the clear sound of his voice. She was only three paces away from him. Despite her precarious position, she felt safe in his presence. His brown eyes were wary but hopeful. She gave him a tentative smile that he returned quickly.
'Twist is dead,' she said. 'An accident.'
Zina nudged her aside and pushed forward, a gun in each hand.
'I won't waste words, Marlowe,' she said. 'If you and George don't surrender your weapons, I swear I will shoot Ada. I never thought that I would ever hear myself speak such words, but I'm in a position that leaves me no choice. I have certain commitments, and to meet them I find that I must resort to extremes. I insist that you surrender your weapons.'
Ada looked into Alex's eyes. 'I think she'll do it.'
She saw her grandfather standing directly behind Alex and caught his reassuring smile. He calmly stepped out past Alex and into the open, carrying a blanket. He unfolded it and laid it over the body of Tursunov, then walked back to stand beside Alex.
'What's the point of all this, Zina?' He said. 'Are we to stand here indefinitely with our guns pointed at each other? Do you want another death? How will this end?'
'It will end when Marlowe gives up his mission to destroy me.'
'You know that's impossible. If it's not Alex who tells the world about Argentum it will be someone else. You've gone too far and committed too many crimes to think you can just make it all go away. My own contacts tell me that certain authorities are ready to act against you as a result of their own enquiries.'
'And I'm not the only journalist investigating you,' said Alex. 'I'm just the only one with a TV program and the money to fund me. Your world is crashing down around you, Zina. Why can't you see it?'
'Stirring little speeches from both of you, Marlowe. Except that none of it is true. I have my own contacts and they assure me otherwise. I have every reason to expect that my actions here tonight will protect my enterprise and maintain my control. If I choose not to carry out my threat tonight, my agents will do so on my behalf in a few days. If I walk away right now, my ultimatum will still stand. Stop your efforts to destroy me, or you will lose Ada.'
Unwelcome Protector Page 13