Assassins Hunted

by Rachel Amphlett

‘I’m not sure what’s going on,’ she admitted. ‘That’s why I’m here. I was hoping you could help me.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘How?’

  ‘What’s the chatter on the network? Anything unusual?’

  ‘Like what?’

  Eva bit her lip. If she pushed too hard, Scott would guess where she’d been, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to divulge that information to him. Yet.

  ‘A shooting in Berlin. At a hotel.’

  Scott folded his arms across his chest. ‘What’s in it for me?’

  ‘I’ll never tell them I spoke with you,’ promised Eva, and jerked her chin at the door. ‘Those people out there will never know what you really do for a living.’

  Scott swore and stepped away from her.

  Nathan moved towards the door to make room for the man as he paced the small room, his fists clenched.

  ‘Do you have any idea how long it’s taken me to build this cover after what happened three years ago?’ he growled. ‘I nearly lost my job when my government found out I’d been socialising with Douglas Bolton.’

  ‘Tell me what’s being said on the wire.’ Eva began to walk towards the door. Her hand had grasped the handle before she heard a sigh.

  ‘Okay, stop.’

  ‘What have you heard?’

  ‘An incident, at a hotel in Berlin,’ said Scott. ‘That’s all. They’re reporting it as a drugs bust gone wrong. Shots fired, five men dead, and the perpetrator has escaped.’

  Eva raised an eyebrow.

  ‘That’s it, I swear,’ said Scott, his hands raised.

  Eva turned and opened the door. ‘I don’t believe you,’ she said, and stepped out into the passageway.

  ‘Eva! Wait!’

  She heard Nathan’s indignant exclamation a moment before a strong hand wrapped around her arm and pulled.

  Eva spun on her heel, broke Scott’s grip and used his own momentum to slam him against the wall, ignoring his cry of pain.

  ‘I’m done with being played,’ she hissed in his ear.

  ‘You didn’t have to do that.’ Scott straightened, his fingers finding the blood that trickled from his nose.

  ‘Here,’ said Nathan, and passed him a silk handkerchief.

  ‘Thanks.’ Scott glared at him.

  ‘Any time.’

  Scott held up the handkerchief, his eyes resting on Douglas’s initials embroidered into one corner, his eyes flickering to Eva.

  She ignored his raised eyebrow and kept her stance as wide as she could, blocking any escape he might be thinking of making.

  ‘I want the truth, Scott. Now.’

  He sighed. ‘Okay.’ He dabbed at his nose a moment longer, then shoved the handkerchief in his pocket. ‘The Section put out an alert on you and him.’ He jabbed his finger at Nathan. ‘About six hours ago, the CIA received a Code One alert on both of you.’

  Eva felt the colour drain from her face.

  Nathan’s eyes widened. ‘What does that mean?’ he asked, looking at each of them in turn.

  ‘It means they’ve changed the game,’ Eva whispered.

  Scott nodded. ‘They sure have.’

  ‘Wait. What? What’s a Code One?’ said Nathan.

  Scott tried to smother the triumphant look in his eyes, and failed. ‘It’s a shoot to kill order,’ he said. ‘According to the Section, you’re both a national threat to UK security. So,’ he added, standing to one side and pointing to the back of the building. ‘You might want to take the fire escape again.’

  Eva met his gaze. ‘You bastard,’ she said. ‘You know everything that’s happened in the past forty-eight hours. Why won’t you help me?’

  ‘Because, sweetheart,’ said Scott, lowering his face until his broken nose almost touched her own, ‘you always were bad news.’

  Eva ground her teeth, pushed away and began walking back in the direction of the gallery. ‘Come on, Nathan. We’re leaving.’

  ‘What about the back door?’ he asked, hurrying after her.

  ‘I won’t be scared into running away,’ she fumed, and shoved the door open, narrowly missing a waiter carrying a tray of empty glasses, and ignoring the startled looks from the nearest guests. ‘We leave the way we came in.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Eva reached into her clutch bag as they descended the carpeted staircase and pulled out her mobile phone.

  She pressed the speed dial for Decker, then cursed under her breath as the voicemail service kicked in after three rings.

  She tucked the phone back into her bag while Nathan nodded at the doorman who raised a finger to the brim of his hat as they passed by and out into the cool night air.

  She tried to cool her frustration. She’d known Scott would be difficult to deal with, and would probably expect a favour in return, but she didn’t expect his downright dismissal of her.

  And the fact that someone in the Section had put out a Code One on both her and Nathan was disturbing – they were evidently being set up for something, but what?

  What had she missed three years ago?

  She squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath. If they wanted a fight, they’d get one. She just had to work out what she was fighting for first.

  As they left the façade of the art gallery and began walking, her old instincts kicked in.

  Something was wrong.

  Very wrong.

  Her head jerked to the left as she sensed movement on the opposite side of the road.

  Two men had emerged from the shadows. One of the figures had his wrist close to his head. The other checked the traffic, his hands in his pockets.

  Eva pulled out her phone again, and redialled Decker’s number.

  Still nothing.

  She peered to her left as she dropped the phone back into her bag, adrenalin fuelling her frayed nerves.

  The first man dropped his hand, then leaned forward and tapped his colleague on the shoulder. The man’s head turned, and Eva felt her heart lurch.

  She ran through the scenarios in her head.

  One, Decker was simply busy with Alex and couldn’t answer his phone.

  Two, for some reason Decker had left the apartment with the boy, and couldn’t answer his phone.

  Three, the apartment had been compromised and—

  Eva tightened her shawl around her shoulders, and slipped her arm through Nathan’s, then increased her pace to match his long strides, cursing her decision to wear heels.

  He jerked slightly in surprise, then relaxed under her touch. ‘Well, this is nice.’

  ‘Don’t get the wrong idea,’ she murmured. ‘We’re being watched.’ She tightened her fingers on his forearm. ‘Don’t turn around. Keep walking. Act normal. Tell me about where you grew up.’

  ‘Where I grew up?’ he spluttered. He followed her lead though, and they began walking at a brisk pace along the street. ‘Why?’

  ‘It’ll help keep your mind off being followed, and it’ll help me give them the impression they haven’t been spotted.’

  ‘They? How many of them are there?’

  ‘Where did you go to school?’

  He sighed. ‘Oh, have it your way. Abingdon Boys Grammar. In Oxfordshire. It’s a mid-sized town, I suppose. Army barracks nearby. Went from there to Cambridge – bit of a spook tradition, I suppose…’

  Eva let his low voice wash over her, straining her ears to listen to their pursuers’ footsteps.

  Behind them, a car horn blasted, closely followed by a squeal of tyres and a loud string of Czech cursing. After a few seconds, the vehicle sped past them, and turned left at the next intersection, its brake lights flashing briefly before it disappeared from sight.

  ‘You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?’

  She glanced sideways. ‘Your favourite colour is green.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You told Alex. When we were at the hotel lobby, before we came to Prague. Your favourite colour is green.’

  He stopped and glared at her. ‘What the hell
has that got to do with anything?’

  Her mouth quirked. ‘I listen to everything you say.’ She heard movement in the street behind them, and looked over her shoulder, then swore.

  ‘Run!’

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him into an alleyway off to their right, away from the main street, and prayed it wasn’t a dead end.

  The brickwork next to her head exploded as a muffled crack reached her ears.

  ‘Shit, they’re shooting at us!’

  ‘I know,’ said Eva through gritted teeth. ‘So, keep up.’

  The alleyway narrowed before gently curving to the left, and Eva’s heart leapt at the sight of another street beyond. ‘Thank goodness.’

  Her feet blistered in the high heels as she led Nathan across cobblestones, careful not to roll her ankles. If she sprained them, they’d never escape.

  They were only a few metres away from the exit when a car screeched to a stop on the pavement, blocking their path.

  Eva and Nathan slid to a halt, their breathing heavy.

  ‘Oh, no.’ Nathan groaned.

  The driver’s door opened and Decker leaned out.

  ‘Get in!’ he bellowed.

  ‘Go!’

  Eva led the sprint towards the car, slid across the bonnet and took the gun Decker thrust through the passenger window at her, then sighted it on the alleyway.

  Nathan ripped open the back door.

  ‘Hi, Nathan.’

  Eva nearly dropped the weapon. She wrenched open the door and peered between the front seats to see Alex slip from the back seat.

  He bolted from the car and wrapped his arms around Nathan’s legs.

  She glared at Decker. ‘You brought Alex? Are you crazy?’

  ‘You think leaving him at the apartment was a better idea?’ he snarled. ‘They’re onto you, Eva.’

  ‘We’ll talk about this later.’

  A gunshot sounded from the direction of the alleyway, and a split second later, the car took a direct hit.

  Eva straightened. ‘Get in!’ she yelled, and fired twice.

  Nathan spun round, sheltering Alex, and shoved the boy back into the car.

  Eva heard a muffled grunt, then Nathan fell into the car, pulling the door shut. She fired twice more, and saw one of the figures closing in on them tumble to the ground before she launched herself into the vehicle.

  ‘Go!’

  Decker floored the accelerator so hard, Eva’s head snapped back.

  She slipped the safety on the gun, then strapped her seatbelt across her chest, and allowed herself a few seconds to catch her breath.

  ‘Christ, that was lucky.’ She glanced in the wing mirror. No vehicles were following – yet. The uninjured pursuer was standing at the entrance to the alleyway, his hand to his ear once more.

  ‘How did you know?’

  ‘Bad feeling,’ said Decker. He swung the car away from the street, narrowly missed an oncoming delivery truck, then settled the car into the outer lane and increased his speed.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Somewhere safe. You haven’t been there before, so they shouldn’t be able to trace you.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘You’ll see.’ She saw his eyes flicker to the rear view mirror. ‘Too much excitement for someone,’ he said, and jerked his head towards the back seat. ‘Look.’

  Eva spun in her seat.

  Alex was crouched over Nathan who had lolled back in his seat, his eyes closed.

  His face was pale, contorted.

  She frowned, her heart rate increasing.

  Something wasn’t right.

  Alex shifted and turned round to her, holding up his hands. They were covered in blood.

  ‘Help,’ he said.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Berlin

  * * *

  Miles shoved open the double doors, and ignored the crash as the handles hit the thin plaster walls.

  The woman behind the mahogany desk rose as he approached, as if she anticipated his next move.

  ‘He’s not to be interrupted.’

  ‘Out of my way.’

  ‘He’s on the phone to Number Ten.’

  ‘I don’t care if he’s talking to the Queen. Open the door.’

  She glared at him, but refused to move. He was about to weigh up his career prospects, wondering whether it was worth manhandling her out of the way, when the door was wrenched open and Knox peered out.

  ‘I heard a commotion. I might have known it was you, Miles.’

  ‘We need to talk. Now.’

  The secretary’s eyes shot upwards at the tone directed at her boss, and glanced over her shoulder at him.

  ‘It’s all right, Joyce. Miles and I need to talk. Please make sure we are not disturbed.’

  Miles mumbled a “thanks” in her direction as he passed, and followed Knox back into the office. The man stepped to one side, waited while Miles walked in and then shut the door.

  ‘What the hell is going on, Gerald? I’ve just been informed that a Code One has been ordered. On Eva.’

  ‘It’s not what you think.’

  ‘It’s a kill order.’

  ‘It didn’t come from me.’

  ‘Then from whom?’

  ‘From the top.’

  ‘You mean Number Ten?’

  ‘The Prime Minister is aware of it, yes.’

  ‘Jesus, Knox. We have to get them out of there. We can’t let this happen.’

  ‘It’s out of our hands.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘From now on, until the Code One is lifted or executed, we’re to provide a watching brief. That’s all.’

  ‘This isn’t right, Knox. You know isn’t right. Eva didn’t kill those five agents. We have images of your rogue assassin.’

  ‘The people at the top have taken the view that she was colluding with him.’

  ‘But what about Nathan and the boy?’

  Knox shook his head. ‘The teams have been told to preserve life if they can.’

  ‘“If they can”? Are they even going to try?’

  The Section chief remained silent.

  Miles growled in frustration and launched himself from his seat. He couldn’t sit still. He had to do something.

  ‘There is another option open to us, Miles.’

  He spun on his heel. ‘What?’

  ‘You find Eva before they do.’

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Prague

  * * *

  ‘He’s been shot.’

  ‘Alex?’

  The car swerved a little.

  ‘No, Nathan.’

  ‘How bad is it?’

  Eva forced her heart rate down and tried to concentrate.

  ‘Nathan? Can you hear me?’ she said, her hand on his knee. ‘Where did the bullet hit you?’

  ‘Shoulder,’ he gasped. ‘Hurts like hell.’

  ‘Okay. Let me take a look.’

  She reached up and turned on the interior light.

  ‘Eva? Not a good idea,’ warned Decker.

  ‘I just need a second.’

  In the yellow light of the ceiling bulb, Nathan’s left shoulder was a mass of blood and torn clothing.

  She snapped the light off, her mind racing. She needed to stop the bleeding.

  She twisted and leaned back between the seats.

  ‘Take off your coat,’ she said to Alex. ‘Give me your sweater.’

  Alex squirmed in his seat until he could shrug the heavy wool coat off his shoulders, then pulled his sweater over his head and handed it to her.

  She snatched it from him, bundled it up into a tight ball and held it against Nathan’s shoulder.

  He’d closed his eyes again, his lips parted slightly as his breath caressed the back of her hand. His face was pale, a thin line of sweat forming on his forehead.

  Eva shuffled closer, and tried not to swear as the handbrake caught on her hip, then reached out and pressed two fingers against Nathan’s neck.
>
  ‘His pulse is faint,’ she said over her shoulder.

  ‘I know someone who can help,’ said Decker.

  ‘How far?’

  ‘Not far. Keep the pressure on.’

  Eva turned her attention back to Alex. ‘Here, move across so you can hold this for me. I can’t keep the pressure on at this angle, and we don’t have time to stop and change seats.’

  The car bucked and swayed as Decker navigated the narrow city streets. Eva lost track of time and direction, and didn’t look up until the car slowed and he applied the handbrake.

  He had parked outside a tall narrow terraced house, dimly lit, in what appeared to be a side street.

  ‘Keep a lookout while I grab him.’

  She slipped from the passenger seat, kept her gun lowered, and let her eyes sweep the street.

  ‘What is this place?’

  ‘It’s okay,’ said Decker. ‘You can trust him. He’s helped me out a couple of times in the past.’

  * * *

  Eva nibbled at a fingernail, the top of Alex’s head against her shoulder.

  Her gaze roamed aimlessly over the whorls in the slate floor tiles of the kitchen, the acrid stench of antiseptic permeating the air despite the closed door to the treatment room.

  Exhaustion threatened, but she wouldn’t sleep, not until she knew Nathan was out of danger. Not until they were far away from the Czech Republic.

  ‘Hey.’

  She glanced up.

  Decker held out a steaming mug of coffee. ‘Take this. You’re going to need it.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  He pulled out a chair and sat next to her, wrapping his large hands around an identical mug. ‘Why on earth did you come back to Prague?’

  ‘I thought I might be able to retrace my steps,’ she said quietly. ‘I thought I might have missed something last time.’

  ‘And?’

  She twisted in her seat. ‘I don’t think this is just about the Section wanting to get rid of me to avoid the embarrassment of my existence,’ she said. ‘There’s something else going on.’

  Decker’s gaze dropped to the sleeping boy in her arms. ‘You think this has something to do with what Douglas was working on?’

  ‘Yes.’