by Tom Benson
“Okay, calm yourself, Dennis. Come in and tell the sergeant and me about it.”
“It was like a bloody battle.”
Hamish led the distressed man into the station. “Sarge, Dennis is going on about gunshots—”
“There have been a dozen calls,” Sgt Donaldson said. “It sounds like the big house—you know, Mr Hartley’s place. There’s been shooting, and an explosion.” Dennis had given an accurate report.
Hamish said, “What do we do ... there are only two of us on shift?”
“You stay here, and man the phone. I’ve called Divisional HQ and requested an armed response unit. I’ll take a drive up to the manor.”
Andy Donaldson reached the driveway of Hartley Manor ten minutes later. He drove between the two large stone pillars near the entrance and kept his speed down—no sirens, no flashing blue lights. He covered two hundred metres of the driveway before he saw anything out of the ordinary. A burnt-out van stood at the rear of the main building, and at least two bodies lay on the ground.
The slow-moving police car quietly made progress around the west wall of the building. A small group of people were standing near the van. One looked like a woman in camouflage gear. A rifle was hanging over her shoulder on a sling, and she was holding a handgun to a man’s head.
Andy lifted his hand-held radio. “Hullo Hamish, it’s Sgt Donaldson, I’ve reached the back of the—”
The woman in the camouflage outfit turned, dropped to one knee, and aimed the pistol at the car.
Andy simultaneously dropped his radio and hit the brakes. He slammed the small car into reverse and floored the accelerator. The tyres screeched as they spun on the tarmac, and the vehicle skidded when it reached gravel. Long, dark, grooves were made in the turf of the front ornamental garden.
Andy pulled on the handbrake and spun the steering wheel with the heel of his other hand. He rammed the gear stick forward and pressed the accelerator. A double wavy line of deeper furrows appeared as the patrol car skidded left and right across the lawn.
It had been over fifteen years since Andy had used evasive driving techniques, but he was back in the zone. He spun the car to a halt across the entrance to the property and called Divisional HQ on the car radio. He upgraded the firearms team request—urgent.
Andy brought Hamish up to date using his hand-held radio. He took the binoculars from the boot, his portable radio, and crept into the forest. He was determined to see and report as much as possible to the firearms team when they arrived.
It took a while to find a vantage point. Andy peered at the wreckage and recognised the black van had been a Ford Transit. He called in the registration number. When he moved left with his binoculars, the camouflaged woman and one of the men were missing.
All four of the surviving criminals were bound to the windowless doors of the wrecks in the burnt out garage. Hartley was unconscious and barely alive. MacDonald was a snivelling wreck. Metcalfe was mumbling about his political career. Davenport was praying for the young man upstairs to keep his mouth shut—for a change.
Phil and Annabel made an improvised stretcher for Dave, using clothing, adapted with rake handles from the stables. It was a hard climb up through the forest to her car, but nobody would be rushing into the woods to find them.
Annabel concentrated on keeping the journey back to Glasgow as smooth as possible for Dave, who was fully reclined on the front passenger seat. Phil followed them in the white Transit van.
Using a hospital in a small town would produce too many questions. They headed to Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary. Annabel had changed into her tracksuit. She took Dave in and said he’d been to a fancy dress party, and a gang of youths had beaten him in the night. She said she’d found him lying in the street when she was jogging.
Phil called the regiment at Hereford, pretending to be a doctor. He said the casualty would need a few days to rest before he could travel back to his unit.
In the evening, Phil picked up Annabel to take her for a meal. He arranged a booth where they would have privacy to talk—and they had plenty to discuss. Recriminations were low on Phil’s list when he considered the pressure Annabel had been under, and how she had performed as his sidekick.
As had happened to his team in Kentobi, she’d been hoodwinked by doing her duty. They agreed to work together to locate whoever else was corrupt in the decision-making, apart from Metcalfe. It might take months, but they’d get a result.
.
Sunday 28th July
Three bikers went on a strange tour. They first rode to a heavily wooded area outside Glasgow, where they picked up several packages wrapped in cellophane. From there, they journeyed to a fancy house in Cumbernauld. The nameplate on the door said, ‘Davenport’. Nobody saw the young woman bury the packages near the back of the house.
The trio rode to a smart house on the outskirts of Hamilton. It was 07:30 when they left. Kevin McDonald’s garage was easy to access, and the packages were hidden inside a toolbox and a cupboard.
The bikers headed south for the long trip to Chatham on the other side of London. The third special delivery was made to a small shed in the back garden of Lawrence Metcalfe’s fancy home.
When their mission was completed, the messengers booked into a motorway hotel overnight had an early breakfast and returned north to Glasgow. They already shared a bond of trust, and the strength of the relationship grew with their special task.
Mike and Colin rode with Rachel until she was safely home in Scotstoun.
Rachel called the number left for her by DI Griffiths. “Thank you for the merchandise. All packages have been delivered.”
Phil received a call from the police to say the white Transit van he’d reported stolen on Saturday had been found. It had been re-sprayed black by the thieves and was apparently found in Balquhidder, but it was damaged beyond repair. He was given an incident number to send to his insurers.
.
Monday 29th July
Phil arrived at the lockup at 07:30, dressed in his preferred outfit of T-shirt and jeans. He removed and folded the maps, and other information from the back wall. He placed everything on the folding table, including three bulging manila envelopes. He opened the curtain door up to halfway.
The throaty rumble of a motorbike engine approached, and a few seconds later, Rachel was parking in the lockup. The pair nodded to acknowledge each other, and Phil stepped outside. Annabel’s red VW was being parked, and she had a passenger.
As Phil lowered the curtain door, he turned to appraise his small, special team.
Jake was dressed in a dark blue tracksuit and stood as if a wooden board was attached to his back. His expression gave no indication of his injuries.
Rachel’s hair was braided in pigtails, hanging to the front of her shoulders. When she removed her leathers, she was in her trademark T-shirt and Daisy Dukes. Her new black leathers were neatly folded on the saddle of her bike.
Annabel was stunning as always. Her hair was immaculate, and she was wearing a light floral summer mini-dress with thin straps. Her stiletto heels enhanced her elegance.
Phil surveyed his crew with a sense of pride. Since their arrival for debriefing, he had watched the interaction with interest. After Rachel had removed her leathers, she and Annabel embraced, and Rachel nodded to a whispered question. She wiped her eyes and turned to Jake. She stepped forward, and they hugged—carefully.
Phil walked to the corner of the lockup, where he had prepared five mugs. He handed a brew to each of his people, who were all sitting on folding chairs, waiting expectantly.
A light tapping sounded on the curtain door. Jake and Rachel exchanged a glance, and both turned to Annabel, their brows furrowed.
Phil said, “Would you mind, Annabel?”
“Got it.” She grinned as she went to the door. Before the side door was opened, it had the full attention of the younger operatives.
Annabel swung the door open, and a man in suit and tie entered. He was in his mid-thi
rties, and six feet tall. His deep tan was accentuated by his blonde-streaked fair hair and the crisp white collar of his shirt.
“Yes please,” Rachel whispered, which got a snigger from Jake.
Annabel and the handsome stranger embraced and kissed each other on the cheeks like old friends. The man walked straight across to Phil.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Phil said.
“Great to see you mate,” the stranger said, taking Phil’s hand in both of his.
“Rachel, Jake,” Phil said. “I’d like to introduce you to Sierra.” He turned and smiled at Stuart Fowler. “He’s the patron of our enterprise and our man in London.”
Stuart took Rachel’s hand, they kissed each other’s cheeks, and their gaze locked on each other briefly.
Jake eased himself to his feet and gave his firmest grip as he shook hands with this blonde version of Hawk. How was he ever to compete with these men?
As the others had done, Stuart pulled up a chair and accepted a mug of coffee.
Stuart said, “I spoke to Hawk last night by phone, and he invited me to this special meeting.” He turned to Jake and Rachel. “I already know Hawk and Annabel, and I’m honoured and delighted to meet you two. Well done on great results.”
“Thank you to everybody for getting here early,” Phil said. He looked at each of them in turn. “Where do I start?” His gaze returned to Annabel. “Thank you.”
Phil’s tone was softer than any of them had heard. “I want to thank all of you, for your efforts, taking chances, and believing in our purpose.”
Jake swallowed hard, and Rachel made no effort to disguise the wiping of an uncharacteristic tear. Annabel smiled and gazed at Phil as she listened to every word.
“This will be unlike our regular sessions,” Phil continued. “If you have a question today, please speak up.” He received nods of acknowledgement. “Before establishing our team, I had a meeting with a man in London.” He nodded to Stuart. “This is the man, and I’ll shut up in a minute and let him speak.”
“My original intention was to return to Glasgow and tackle the scum on my own. Sierra heads up a clandestine department. He listened to my idea. We had a few drinks, and he agreed if I had the right team, my idea would work.”
Rachel said, “Why didn’t you recruit other ex-soldiers instead of us?”
“Good question,” Phil said. “All soldiers are trained to shoot, and given the opportunity, they will obtain a weapon if they think shit is going to fly. If you carry a firearm, the bad guys are going to take it as a sign to escalate their violence. A lot of innocent people could have been injured or killed.”
“It’s one of the reasons the British police forces don’t carry guns,” Jake said. “Firearms officers are trained to deal with incidents.”
Annabel said, “If you arm those in routine law enforcement, the crooks take it as an open invitation, to become armed.”
Jake said, “Do you mind if I ask how you paid for all we’ve done?”
“Part of my agreement with Sierra, was for his department to provide a percentage of funding.”
“Why are there only four of us?” Jake asked.
“The fewer people we had on the team, the more money could be spent on each one.”
Rachel turned to Annabel. “How did you get involved if you weren’t military?”
“Both Hawk and I were on the same operation a while back. I met him briefly a few years ago, and admired him from the first time I set eyes on him.”
Rachel looked from one to the other and nodded slowly.
Phil said, “I don’t want this to get boring. We’ll let Sierra have a word, and then the floor is open.”
“Thank you, Hawk.” Stuart looked around the small group and smiled, showing teeth which belonged in a toothpaste commercial. “Your exploits have created a stir in high places. Some folk in London would like you all hunted down, and brought to justice.” He paused. “As long as I’m watching your back, it won’t happen. You guys are justice.”
Rachel said, “Have you come to join us for a while?” Her tone didn’t mask her hopes.
“Sadly ... no, Rachel.” He gave her a lingering look. “I flew up here this morning to meet you, thank you, and congratulate you.”
Jake said, “Are you in a similar line of work to us?”
“I was mate, but now I’m an organiser, rather than a player.” He smiled and nodded towards Phil. “I know this man won’t boast about it, but my life is one of many he’s saved, and I’d follow him into hellfire. Through his leadership, your team has produced amazing results.”
Jake said, “Perhaps I’m a bit slow, but why are the results so impressive?”
“It’s hard to explain the figures. In a nutshell, you take the number of villains, and illegal operations you’ve terminated, and work out how many police, and legal hours it would have taken to get the same result ....”
Jake nodded as the impact struck home.
Rachel said, “When do we find out if we go on?”
Stuart turned to Phil. “Your question mate?”
Phil said, “I’d like to know what each of you has taken from our project, and if you’d be interested in continuing.” He nodded to Jake.
“Until I met you guys, I thought I lived dangerously.” Jake smiled and shook his head. “In the past few weeks, I’ve learned about teamwork, bravery, dedication, selflessness, confidence, and growing up.” He turned to Rachel. “And I learned those from Rachel.”
The others all laughed, and Rachel laughed the loudest.
Phil said, “Would you like to go on?”
“I would love to go on, but I don’t make the grade,” Jake said. “I’m pleased to have been given the opportunity to work with you Hawk.” He turned to Annabel and Rachel. “I feel privileged to have worked with these two gorgeous and courageous women. I’ve thought long and hard, and I’m joining the Army.”
“Well done mate,” Phil said. “Do you know which regiment?”
“I was hoping while my body repairs, you might give me some pep talks.”
“Count on it mate,” Phil said. “Rachel?”
“I agree with Jake—it’s been a privilege to work with you guys.” She placed a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “I mean all of you.” She turned to Annabel. “I don’t know if it’s premature, after a few missions, but I think I’ve found my role model, and what I want to do for the foreseeable future.”
Phil said, “If we continued, and you were a part of the operation, is there anything you’d change?”
“Yes,” Rachel said. “I’d like to learn other skills, like how to shoot. I’d like to understudy you guys.”
Annabel reached out and placed a hand on Rachel’s thigh.
“As Hawk would say, ‘Count on it’ and I’ll help.” She let her hand linger, and a knowing look passed between them.
Phil said, “I have no need to ask about Annabel’s intentions because as you’ve heard, she’ll help—and I will too.”
Stuart said, “If I may interrupt for a moment. I know the intention is to take a short break. I’ve arranged financial backing, which means you’ll be stepping up from these humble surroundings. The final choice of an operational HQ will be left to your team.”
“Congratulations,” Jake said. “Maybe if I make it, I’ll read about you guys when I’m in some foreign country fighting for people I don’t know.”
“You’ll make the grade,” Rachel said, “or you’ll have me to answer to.”
“What have I told you about teasing?”
Phil and Annabel both laughed.
“I’d give you a ride home,” Rachel said, “but you haven’t got your leathers. Besides, it would be too painful for you.”
Jake opened the holdall he’d brought with him and lifted out his helmet and leathers. “If you help me get into these, I’ll handle the pain.”
“Don’t try to impress me. You’re enlisting, and no man of mine is going away for months at a time.”
&nbs
p; Rachel and Jake got dressed, ready to ride.
Annabel hugged them both. Phil shook Jake’s hand and kissed Rachel on the cheek.
Stuart shook Jake’s hand. “I’ll be watching you, and expecting great things.”
“You’ve got it,” Jake said.
Stuart embraced Rachel, and they kissed each other on both cheeks.
“I’ll be watching you too,” Stuart said.
“I hope you like what you see,” she replied sincerely.
Phil said, “One of us will be in touch with you guys. Hang on to your phones.” He handed the pair a thick manila envelope each.
Jake and Rachel tucked the money inside their leathers, put on their helmets, and mounted the Norton. Annabel pressed the button for the curtain door, while Phil and Stuart stood to the side.
Rachel touched her visor with her right forefinger, and Jake imitated her salute, before wrapping his arms around her. The bike revved and roared away.
Stuart stepped outside, and a black 4 x 4 with tinted windows pulled up. Stuart shook Phil’s hand but looked from Phil to Annabel. “Take care of each other.”
Annabel came forward and embraced her official boss. “Have a good trip back.”
Stuart climbed into the front of the black car and mimicked Rachel’s salute. The gesture was copied by Phil and Annabel, the window closed silently, and the car pulled away to disappear among the myriad of buildings as it left the industrial estate.
Annabel pressed the button, and the door slowly descended. She walked across to the back of the lockup and Phil followed her.
He turned to face her. “I was wondering if you’d join me for dinner?”
“Tell me more.”
“I’ve provisionally booked a table for two at a Chinese restaurant in the city.”
“Well, we shouldn’t disappoint them.”
“No, I don’t suppose we should,” he said and gazed into her brown eyes. Phil didn’t understand nervousness, but he was ill at ease.
“Would you mind if I made a suggestion?” Annabel moved closer.