by Alex Shaw
“Which is?”
Major Hammar did not quite know how to deliver the news. “Someone has kidnapped the Princess.”
“Kidnapped? But she is in Brighton, at Roedean.” The prince in the Saudi Embassy was suddenly anxious.
*
Shoreham by Sea, United Kingdom
Fox checked his watch. The job interview in central London had been a complete waste of time, in and out in less that and hour. The interviewer – some hair gelled kid in his twenties – had attempted to grill Fox about his suitability for the job. A job that he was overqualified for. The boy had seemed offended when Fox had refused point blank to elaborate on his military career. His CV mentioned only his parent unit, the Gordon Highlanders and not ‘the Regiment’.
On Fox’s way out he’d seen the other applicants, ten years younger and twenty pounds fatter. He had no chance and didn’t give a ….he turned into his street and saw a familiar car. The dark red BMW Z4 of his former boss, Leo Sawyer, parked four houses away on the bend. Complete with number plate that indeed did confirm he was a ‘wanker’, LE07 SAW. Fox frowned. Why would the jumped up salesman be here? A dark thought struck him, and an anger of the type he had not felt for years, deep inside. Fox stopped and retrieved his mobile, dialling Tracy’s number he continued up the street then saw her car in the drive. A mini moto buzzed past him from behind making him flinch. Silly old git, getting jumpy.
“Where are you?” She answered.
“Just getting on the train at Victoria, and you?” He lied, eyeing her car in the drive.
“Still in the office, should be home when you are though. I’m just seeing to something.”
Fox almost threw the phone but managed to control himself. He snapped it shut. ‘Eagle Eye Action Man’ was shagging his wife. He walked down the path, dropping his jacket and briefcase onto the grass, then tried to open the door. It was closed from the inside – the key still in the lock. He could feel the anger rising as he pressed the bell. There was no answer. He started to bang, then pound with his fists. “Open the door!”
There was movement inside, a twitch from a curtain. Fox took a step back and was about to shout again when another mini moto shot past. He turned in the direction of the noise just as two saloon cars swept into the road. Both were going too fast for the bend.
Fox watched on and, as though he were seeing it in slow motion, the first swerved to avoid the youth on the mini moto. The bike bounced up onto the curb and carried on but the car hit the opposite curb and the wall to the garage compound.
There was a heavy crunch and shrieking of metal as the Ford Mondeo hit the wall. The second car some fifteen meters behind slammed on its brakes and stopped sideways on. At the same time noises and movement from his house. Fox ran across the road to the Ford, joy riders or not they needed help. The driver’s side had hit first and what was left of the screen was covered in blood. Fox’s eyes scanned the vehicle, the driver was dead – he was sure but the passenger was moving. He reached down to pull at the door when he saw a weapon in the footwell. There was a whimpering from the back.
Fox peered in; laying half on the seat was a girl, an Arab looking girl with duck-tape over her mouth and arms fastened behind her back. A man was lying under her; he tried to push her off. Fox saw the second weapon, this one a semiautomatic. The girl locked eyes with him and Fox recognised the pleading look of fear.
Without hesitating, Fox grabbed the hand gun from the front of the car, took a step back and shot the passenger though the ear. The sound was like thunder in the enclosed space. Momentarily deafened, he pulled the rear door and the girl half fell out. The second male passenger opened his eyes and reached for his weapon. Fox dragged the girl clear and put a double tap directly into his temple. His head exploded.
Shots from behind. Fox threw himself over the girl and pulled the door in front of him. It was the only protection they had. More rounds and now shouts. Fox sprang to his feet, weapon held in both hands, instantly acquiring a target. A passenger from the second car was running at full sprint towards him, with what looked like an assault rifle in his hands. Fox fired the first round hitting the assaulter in the chest, the second in the head. The man spun sideways and crashed to the ground.
Movement from his right. Another X-Ray, this one using the houses for cover, was heading his way. Both men fired, Fox ducked again and looked at the girl. She was shaking beneath him. He took a breath and sprung back up. He let off a single shot at the target. The man was moving now back towards the car as the driver was shouting at him wildly. Another target came into view blocking his line of fire to the retreating car; this figure was wearing a dark blue shirt and was racing directly towards the Z4. Taking a millisecond to decide, Fox fired a round into the man’s back.
The second car spun its wheels in a ‘J turn’ and screeched away. Fox, out of rounds, had no time to grab another weapon as he tried to catch the number plate. All around he saw curtains twitching. Two teenagers wearing hoodies were standing stunned next to their mini motos, holding up mobile phones, videoing the whole event. On seeing Fox now staring at them, they both ‘legged it’, carrying their toy bikes.
Fox bent down and pulled the girl to her feet, he spoke to her in Arabic. “You’re safe now. I’m going to take the tape off.”
The girl let out a moan of pain as the tape was removed then started to sob as he undid her bonds. She was about seventeen and beautiful, she held her hands to her face.
“Come with me.” Fox reached out gently and took her by the arm. He walked her up his neighbour’s path. Reynolds opened the door, a shocked expression on his face. Fox pushed the girl at him.
“Jim, look after her.”
Without waiting for a reply Fox moved back to the street and, bending down, checked the nearest X-Ray for a pulse. There was none, he kicked the assault weapon away to the side of the road and then moved towards the man with the dark blue shirt, his former boss Leo Sawyer. The sales director lay on his back, his eyes open, his breathing laboured. Fox’s single round had ripped through him, puncturing a lung. Fox aimed the empty weapon at Sawyer’s head and let him hear the dead man’s click.
Fox felt no remorse; the man had tried to screw him and had screwed his wife. It had been a split second, but a conscious decision, his anger and the urge for revenge had manifested itself in the single bullet. He cared neither way if Sawyer lived or died.
Fox didn’t need to check on the two X-Rays in the car – he had drilled them at point blank range, half their skulls were missing. He knew they were dead.
Fox took out his mobile and dialled 999. The operator confirmed his mobile number and asked him which service he required, then transferred him. Before he could speak he heard sirens nearing. Fox sat on the curb and waited to be arrested. He had once again demonstrated to the world that he was only good at one thing – killing.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
EPILOGUE
Extract from Cold Black by Alex Shaw
100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share