by Helena Smith
It wasn’t the pension that fucked him off, it was the fact that they were threatening to disgrace him and chuck him out. That was what really got him. So he started as a deniable operator and did so with rebellion. Everyone who had to deal with him, dreaded dealing with him. He could tell by their arrogant tone, the way they looked at him. They just made it worse. So whenever he could piss them off, even if it was childish... he would do it. He wore that Reg badge with pride. He was part of a team, a family.... the closest family you could ever have. But now, he was a solo operator. Now and again, he was paired with someone, rarer.... he would be put into a group. But it was difficult, working with different people all the time. You didn’t know if you could trust them, how they worked, if they were capable. Chris only trusted himself, but he had worked with Bob a few times... so he knew he was good. It was great when there was a regular person like Bob that you worked with now and again.
Chris could sense movement to his left and he froze. Breathing in and out through his mouth, his training and everything he has ever learnt, proves automatic. As he breaths in and out through his mouth his hearing becomes sharper. He tunes into his peripheral vision so he doesn’t turn his head and cause unnecessary movement. Ever so slowly, with the arm furthest away from where the noise came from, he places his binoculars down and places his hand on his weapon. Not his rifle, it’s too big to pick up, but his Sig Sauer handgun. He hears the noise again, and again, it’s moving closer. Chris keeps still... and then he sees it at the corner of his eye. It’s a bird, looking for food. Chris takes a deep breath.
Lifting his binoculars back up he focuses back on the house and the surrounding area. There is always two guards on watch duty up the tower. Around 20 guards that do perimeter checks every 20 minutes. As he sweeps the surrounding dense jungle area slowly, he sees a glimmer in the distance. It’s difficult to make it out until it hits the clearing which is a couple of miles from the house. After a minute or two, the glimmer comes more into focus and it turns out to be a convoy of vehicles. Big hummers, 4x4’s all robust vehicles. He presses on his mic
‘Nob head.’
‘Fuckin hell. Do you just wait until it’s my turn to sleep.’
‘Haha.. Joker. I think this could be it. We have a convoy coming down. I am looking at hummers and some other vehicles. Hold on they are coming into more view at the clearing 2 clicks from the house... there are 1..2...3....4.... 5.....6... 7....8....9.... I think we have 9 vehicles en route.’
‘Hold out, keep watch, I am on my way.’
Chris flicks his binoculars back to the house, and the tower must have spotted them as well. The guards are all out, standing guard... but not from the on coming convoy, at the perimeters to welcome their guests safely. Nob head is behind me now and he crawls next to me and my camouflage den to watch. He is looking through his binoculars and he has his radio phone at the ready.
As the convoy pulls up, Chris and Bob use their powerful binoculars to zoom into the faces. They need to spot the 10 guests that they have etched into their memory from photographs.
‘There is one... two... three.... four...’
‘five... six... seven.. eight.... and yep outta the hummer makes it nine and ten.’
‘This is it then, the meet we have been waiting for.’
‘It sure is, I will call it in now.’ Pressing the radio phone to his ear, Bob says.
‘This is Charlie Tango. I repeat, Charlie Tango. The last supper is ready and lit. I repeat the Last supper is ready and lit................. understood.’ He hangs up and says.
‘Light it up then dick head... they will be 10 minutes.’
Chris, points the special weapon on the building, and through the lens he can see a giant red dot on the roof. To the naked eye, you wouldn’t see a thing.
‘Well they must have fucked off the government pretty bad. I mean taking out 10 cartel leaders at once is pretty extreme.’
‘Yeah mate... I know. I always wonder though.... why now? They have been in their jobs for a long time as the cartel. Why is it such a problem now for our chiefs?’
‘Chris... we will never know that. You know that. We are just the paid muscle.’
‘Yeah true.’
‘Hey you never know... maybe they have been screwing the wrong wife!’
‘Hahaha yeah probably’.
They lay there waiting, for the familiar sound that they have heard countless times. In the distance just at that second, they hear a rumble. At first it sounds like distant thunder, which is typical in the jungle. It’s never the same back home, in the jungle thunder sounds like an explosion. The rumble gets louder and louder. Suddenly the jet gets louder, and comes into view. The guards in the tower are shouting at one another and talking frantically into their radio. But it’s too late for them. Even if they started to run right now it would be too late. The air strike takes place so quickly. As they have seen the jet the house is now a ball of an explosion. The boom blasted their ears even when they anticipated it, and it echoed around them. It made their body vibrate. Bob and Chris put their equipment down, as you don’t need anything to view this now. You would be able to see it for miles. The air strike is a success, and the flames are reaching up high. Plumes of smoke start balling out of the explosion. Bob and I stand, there is no point in hanging around now. They destroy the den that was made out of fern leaves and palm tree leaves. Walking back to the sleeping hole under the tree and double check there is nothing there.
In a quick escape, of course there is no chance to check. Which is why they always have to work with constant precision. Never leaving a trace. But if there is no pressure on, it is always best practice to check. It took seconds, and now they had to make their way back to the town. A hike that would take about 10 hours through dense jungle. They couldn’t exactly use the road. Before they reach the edge of the jungle, they would take out their tourist outfits and burn the clothes they were stood in. Knife belts, cargo pants and camouflage gear could arouse suspicion. They would break down their weapons and store them in their bergens that will be mistaken as a back packs.
CHAPTER 32
I wake up in Roberts arms, our bodies stuck together. As I stir, he holds me tighter
‘Morning’
‘Morning’
‘Are you okay Bella?’
‘Yeah, I’m okay.’
‘You were having more nightmares last night.’
‘Did I? I don’t remember’
I get up and go for a shower and when I come out, Robert is sat at the table with breakfast laid out. I go and join him and pour myself a coffee in a hotel cup that’s too small for my coffee needs, so it will definitely be refilled very soon. I decide on trying to eat some cereal today, I think the toast might stick in my throat.
‘Bella, I think we should go back to Sicily today.’
‘No I can’t. What about Ash?’ My voice gets loud.
‘There is nothing that you can do here, and if she has been in Dover, it is likely that she isn’t even in the country. If at any point you need to rush back, then you can.’
‘But I.... I can’t ... Robert... what if I am needed?’
‘You are coming Bella, where I can look after you.’
I put my head down. What do I do? Is there anything I can do here? I guess not, not from what the Detective had said. If she has gone out of the country, she could be anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. Breakfast was pushed around the plate just like dinner, but I did manage to sink enough coffee to fuel a small jet. I packed my belongings in silence. When Robert had gone in the shower I text the Detective to let him know Robert was taking me back to Sicily but if there was anything going on please could he let me know. He responded, telling me that the sighting in Dover was accurate, I was to call him when I could. I didn’t even think and hit dial.
‘Hi Detective, it’s me Bella.’
‘Hi Bella, the sighting was accurate as I said in my text.’
‘Where has she gone? Was she with someone?... sorry I
’m asking so many questions. Please tell me what you know.’
‘She was in a car asleep in the passenger seat and there was a man driving the car. The men that worked at the ferry port had stopped the car to do the usual checks, and asked if she was okay. The man had explained to them that she had recently been in an accident and he was treating her to a week away. That she was indeed shattered from the shock of the accident. It turns out Ash never woke up during this period. So we know that there they have gone to France, but as we know, days have passed. We are now asking all airports and ports to look at Ash’s picture to see if they have stayed in France or if we should indeed start looking elsewhere.’
Robert walks out of the shower and looks at me, on the phone. No doubt wondering who is on the phone.
‘Is there any detail on this man? What he looks like?’
‘We do have a very brief CCTV image, but he has a baseball cap on. No doubt so he wouldn’t be seen. So you can’t see his face.’
‘Does, she look okay?’ I can barely stand to even ask this question.
‘Well, when we enlarged the image, she looks bruised and asleep. The good news is, that she is alive Bella. We were beginning to think the worst. So now we know she is alive, but they are clearly keeping her alive for that reason. Our problem is at the moment, we don’t know the reason. Even if we knew who has taken her, we don’t work out why. But we are drawing a blank on both issues.’
‘Is there anything I can do? Anything at all, you must tell me.’
‘Bella, really, right now... I just need you to sit tight. Keep me posted with where you are in case I need you. Don’t forget let me know if you ever need help okay?’ I can see Robert going back into the bathroom and I whisper quietly to the Detective.
‘Maybe I should go to France, and start looking there?’
‘Where would you start Bella? We have a team out there working with the authorities. So the French police are now involved, alerting everyone.’
‘Okay, Bye’
‘Bye’
Why does he keep saying that if I need help to contact him? It’s annoying.
‘Who was that Bella?’
‘It was the Detective, I wanted to know if there were any developments. Turns out that the sighting in Dover was correct. A guy with a baseball bat was driving her, in the passenger seat. She was asleep and bruised. So they have gone to France, but we don’t know if she has stayed there. ‘
‘Right’
He is quiet, clearly thinking. Wandering off back into the bathroom I see his shirt and pick it up automatically and take it back through to the bedroom. His suitcase is on the stand and I lift the lid up and put his shirt in there. I see the peak of his blue cap sticking out and I pull it out. Robert walks into the room and can see the horror on my face.
‘Bella, what’s the matter?’
‘You have a cap in your suitcase.’ I stare at him and he stands there looking innocently.
‘Christ Bella! I wear it when I go out running. What on earth are you thinking? Surely not!’
I feel so confused, I stand there, and my legs wobble. He rushes over and moves me over to the bed and sits me down.
‘Bella, I would never hurt Ash. Why would I?’
I put my head down now and feel ashamed. How can I possibly doubt him. He is right. What would it achieve?
‘Sorry’ I mutter.
‘Its okay, your head will be swimming with everything. That Detective won’t have helped putting doubt in your head asking questions about me.’
‘Yeah.... exactly’ I stand up and finish packing. On the way to the airport I call Sarah and then Emma. Explaining what the Detective had learned and that there was nothing we could do. There was no point in us going to France to look for her. Robert looked at me, but said nothing. I had not explained to him that I was even considering going to France, but as far as I was concerned if it would have helped, I would have done it. I told them I would be in Sicily but would be in regular contact. I explained that I was still not allowed to go home as it was still sealed off as a crime scene.
Then it struck me, I could find an answer to my niggling doubt over Robert. I text the Detective
*What colour is the baseball cap on the guy? Bella*
The car rumbled along, passing people who are laughing and smiling. People looking happy on the streets as they socialise and go about their daily business. Drivers in their cars look frustrated, in a rush to get to where they need to get to. Typical.... one guy gesturing and not in a polite way to another driver who has cut in, in front of him. Oh wow, he is going for it now. I can’t hear him, but I can tell exactly what he is saying and it’s not friendly. My phone vibrates and I hope its the Detective. I open up my messages and tilt the phone so Robert can’t see what it says.
*The baseball cap is red. Why?*
I felt sheer relief that Roberts was blue. As if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. How could I have even questioned him?
I press reply and happily type.
*Stupid reason. Sorry for bothering you. Keep me posted. Flying to Sicily now. *
The journey to Sicily was quiet. I had no interest in people watching like I usually would. I just sit, tied up in my own thoughts, racking my brains. Who and why would anyone take Ash? It just didn’t make sense. Why was the Detective so intent on the fact that I will need help? I would get in touch with Chris if I knew how. Not that he could do anything, but he loved Ash. He would want to know what was going on, but I guess he would probably see it in the news. I had no way of contacting him now anyway.
As we land, Sicily is as beautiful as always. The sun was shining and the ground was lush with richness. But it seemed duller than the last time I was here. The last time I arrived here, I was full of excitement and love. Anticipation of Ash’s arrival, so we could take the island by storm. Now I return, not knowing where the hell she is. I return in a different mood.
As we pull up to the grand house, I lift my head, and Robert squeezes my hand. Have I done the right thing by coming here?
‘Bella, are you okay?’
‘Just worried.... I mean I feel so far away from everything here. Maybe I should be back in the UK’.
‘There is nothing you can do there.’
I walk up the steps to the grand doors, and there is no Uncle that swings the door open. The maid opens the door this time and she rubs my arm in a motherly way and gives me a warm smile of sympathy. I smile back at her, she is lovely. Then Giuseppe walks through with purpose. He puts his arms around me and kisses me on my cheek.
‘Bella, I am so sorry. How are you feeling?’
‘Like I have done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and I lost.’ I smile at him, trying to lighten the mood. He smiles back.
‘Have you heard anything?’
‘She was in Dover, there was a guy driving but he had a baseball cap on so we couldn’t see his face. Ash was asleep. They have gone to France, but that was on Monday. We don’t know... if she is there..... or if he has taken her somewhere else.’
‘Okay.’
‘Why was she asleep?’ I blurt my thought out aloud. It has only just struck me. ‘Why didn’t she wake up and scream for help? I don’t understand.’
Robert and Giuseppe look at each other and Giuseppe keeps his arm around me and Robert is at my other arm stroking it. Then Robert speaks.
‘Bella, they had probably drugged her. She wouldn’t have been asleep.’
‘Oh no.... oh ...’ I can feel the panic rising in me, in my chest. ‘That... bastard.... how could he. Oh shit. Do you think the police will know that?’
‘Yes... yes they will know that.’
Giuseppe leads me outside to the terrace.
‘Come Bella, I have had lunch made for us.’
Wow, all people try and do is feed me before I fall asleep. But I sit down and reflect on how sweet it is for Giuseppe to be so kind. I am pleased that the rift that I first felt has gone now. Especially now, the last thing I need is to have a battl
e over such petty matters. We eat a little lunch and Robert explains how he has arranged for a beautician to come over.
‘Why? Do I look that dreadful?’
‘Hahaha... no Bella. You look beautiful. But your body is full of tension, so I thought it would be good if you could have a massage.’
‘Thanks.’ Its a thoughtful thing for him to do. At least it should waste a few hours that instead I would just spend by the phone.
She comes in looking every inch the perfect beautician. A stunning Sicilian, with long dark hair, dark eyes and a golden tan. Wearing a black beautician top and black trousers, she smells of cocoa butter. We go upstairs and she sets out her table and gets her lotions and potions out. She can’t speak English and just indicates when I need to do anything. Like strip off, get on the table. We get by, mainly through gestures rather like a game of charades. In fact I am pleased that she can’t speak English, it means I don’t have to make small talk. I don’t have to talk about things that right now mean nothing to me.
CHAPTER 33
My body feels a bit easier, I just wish she could have massaged my mind as well. I stay upstairs for a bit, and then realise I had not called my Mum. How do I tell her this? The little girl that used to have a sleepover once a week, the little girl that came over for birthday dinners, the little girl..... has now gone missing. Robert comes in the bedroom.