Gray was warming to the idea when Len Smart’s reply came in, shattering the illusion into a million pieces.
Eva said you have to come with us. Help us to find them and put an end to this.
CHAPTER 9
Gray read the message over and over.
Eva said you have to come with us. Help us to find them and put an end to this.
Unpleasant as the thought was, he had to accept that simply moving to another country was no solution at all. He wasn’t running from a debt collector or the tax man; these people ran most countries in the world and had technology he could only dream of. They would find him in a heartbeat, and Melissa would be squarely in the line of fire.
Eva was right. Gray had to help them end this; otherwise he and his family would spend the rest of their shortened lives looking over their shoulders.
The first thing he needed to do was find somewhere safe for Melissa. He couldn’t leave her with Ken and Mina, and he certainly wasn’t going to take her with him. The bullets would inevitably start flying, and he wanted her nowhere near him when that happened. He needed someone who was comfortable with kids, and preferably someone he knew and trusted.
Only one name sprang to mind.
Gray replied to Len’s message.
Ok, I’m in. Meet with Andrew Harvey and ask him to arrange a new passport for me and a way to get out of Heathrow undetected. I’ll send flight details later.
Smart replied in an instant.
Will do. Send me a recent photo for the new passport. See you soon.
With that message, Gray’s quiet life was over. He’d been in a few scrapes since leaving the SAS all those years ago, but this promised to be one of the toughest challenges yet.
He looked up flights to Heathrow and bookmarked one for that evening. It had a stopover in Milan but would get him to London by 11 p.m.
Gray checked the area, then drove back into town. His first stop was the ATM, where he withdrew his daily allowance, then to the bank to draw another thousand euros over the counter. After that was the travel agency, where he purchased the plane tickets in cash and used the name Grayson. He still had a valid US passport in that name, as did Melissa. Andrew Harvey had given it to him when he’d wanted to disappear and start a new life in America. A venture that had lasted only a few short weeks.
With the tickets purchased, he went to a different store and bought another cell phone, then drove back to the cottage, where Mina was dishing out lunch.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, about that,” Gray said. “Can we go outside for a minute?”
He handed Mina her coat and they walked into the garden.
“We have to leave,” Gray said after closing the door.
“Who? All of us?”
“Me and Melissa, definitely, but I’d feel safer if you and Ken disappeared, too. Some very powerful people were behind the attack this morning, and I’ve been told they may be back. I think they’re using me to get to Len and Sonny, and if I’m gone, they might take it out on you.”
Mina looked stunned. “But . . . where would we go?”
It was a good question. If they didn’t have new identities, the ESO would track them down in minutes. They needed to disappear, completely off the grid, for as long as it took to bring down the ESO once and for all.
Gray thrust his hands into his pockets and looked around the garden, hoping for inspiration. He didn’t find much, just a reclaimed iron table and four folding chairs. The rest was a large square of grass surrounded by a border of flowers. His eye was drawn back to the chairs. They’d taken them on their last holiday, to a campsite on the southern coast.
“Does Ken still have the tent?” he asked her.
“Yeah, it’s in the loft.”
“Great. Then you two are going camping. I’ll look up a suitable location within driving distance, but first, a few crucial ground rules. Leave your phones in the house when you go. I’ve bought you a new one and I’ll put Andrew Harvey’s number in the contact list before I leave. If you have any worries, give him a call. Until then, keep it turned off, and never connect it to Wi-Fi. And don’t use your computer before you go. You need to stay offline from now on.”
“Are you sure all this is necessary?”
“Trust me, your life could depend on it. And don’t tell anyone you’re leaving.”
Gray immediately regretted saying it as tears welled up in Mina’s eyes. He pulled her close and hugged her tight.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this, but I’m going to do all I can to end it.”
Mina got herself together, then nodded and wiped her eyes. “I guess I should start packing.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
They walked back inside and split up, Gray going to tell Melissa that they were going on a trip, and Mina to break the news to her husband.
Two hours later, the quartet were in the car. Gray drove to the airport, just in case the bad guys showed up again, but the journey was mercifully uneventful.
He followed the signs for departures and pulled up at the drop-off point. Melissa bounced out of the car, thrilled at the prospect of another plane ride. Gray took their bags from the trunk and said his final goodbyes to the Hatchers as they got into the front of the car.
“Remember what I told you. Only use the cash, and don’t give the campsite your real name.”
Gray had given Mina fifteen hundred euros from the money he had in his safe, leaving him a shade under four thousand for his own use.
“Please, just get this over with as soon as possible,” Mina said, on the edge of tears once more.
Gray stooped next to the window and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
He turned and took Melissa by the hand and led her into the terminal, then found the check-in desk for their flight. It was due to open in another twenty minutes and a line had already formed, so Gray took his place at the back. He used the time to check for anyone likely to be with the ESO, but all he saw was the normal mix of passengers, some heading out on business or holiday, others returning home.
Once through security, Gray relaxed completely. They had a sandwich and a drink in an eatery, then walked to the departure gate. Gray scanned the faces for trouble, but no one looked as if they wanted to kill him.
It was a short flight to Milan, then a quick change and they were on their way to Heathrow.
He only hoped Andrew Harvey had been able to make the necessary arrangements. Len hadn’t got back to him on that point, and the ESO was sure to know which plane he was on.
He would find out in a couple of hours’ time.
As Gray led Melissa to passport control, he kept an eye out for anyone who looked out of place. If the ESO were going to make a move, it would be soon, though he expected it to be outside the airport, not where armed police officers could intervene.
He joined the queue for non-EU passengers, and when he eventually reached the front he handed over the two US passports in the names of Tim and Melissa Grayson. The official studied the documents, then ran them under a scanner and looked at his screen. He looked back up at Gray, then picked up his phone and said something Gray couldn’t quite hear.
Another member of airport security came over and looked at the documents, then at Gray.
“Could you come with me please, Mr. Grayson?”
It was more an order than a question, and Gray wondered if the ESO had infiltrated the UK Border Force. If they had, then disappearing into a room with this man would be a big mistake.
Gray was sizing up the options when the tension was broken.
“Mr. Harvey is waiting,” the officer said, his manner devoid of threat.
Gray released the breath he’d been holding, then took the passports back and followed the man down a corridor and into a room with no windows.
“Good to see you, Tom.” Andrew Harvey smiled and held out his hand. He was Gray’s height but wearing
a couple of extra pounds, and the brown hair was a little longer than military regulations would have allowed. Gray shook it, and Melissa wanted in on the act.
“Uncle Andrew!”
Harvey crouched down and gave her a hug. “Someone’s getting to be a big girl.”
“I’m five now,” she beamed.
“Thanks for helping out,” Gray said.
“Any time. Len said you were in a tight spot. He dropped a note at the reception at Thames House, and I met him briefly at a deli around the corner. He said he’d explain more once you got here.”
“Then let’s not hang around.”
Harvey led them out of the room and through a maze of corridors to a fire exit. He pushed through and they found themselves outside. Harvey’s car was parked a few yards away, and they all got in. Harvey had thought of a booster seat, and Gray strapped Melissa in before getting in the front.
“Where to?”
“I booked a hotel room,” Harvey said. “Len and Sonny are already there.”
Harvey drove them out of the airport via a service road, and showed his ID when he got to the gate. It was then a quick drive into the heart of London, and they made idle chit-chat for Melissa’s sake.
“Congratulations on the new arrival,” Gray said. He’d sent a card when Harvey’s daughter Alana had been born, but this was their first time face to face since the MI5 man had become a father.
“Thanks. Still getting used to it.”
“I’ll bet. They turn your lives upside down from the minute they appear.”
Harvey managed a strained laugh. “Couldn’t have put it better myself. Though if you asked Sarah, she’d say you were playing down the situation.”
“Not coping well?” Gray asked.
“It hits some people harder than others,” Harvey said. “Poor Sarah’s always tired—which is understandable—but she stresses over the littlest things. Suddenly the house isn’t clean enough, or the TV is always too loud, or the rooms are too cold.”
“That’s normal, mate. They want the perfect conditions for the baby. I remember spending most of my time in the dirt when I was two years old, playing marbles or building roads for my Dinky Toys. It helps to build the immune system, but tell that to most mothers these days and they’ll eat you alive.”
“Amen to that. But I don’t dare mention it to Sarah. She’ll tear me a new one for even suggesting it.”
They pulled up at the hotel, which turned out to be The Ritz, where Harvey had booked a junior suite. When they got to their floor and used the key to get in, Gray saw that Len and Sonny had already made themselves at home.
It was good to see his friends again, though not under these circumstances.
Len was sipping a glass of wine, his ubiquitous Kindle resting on the arm of his chair. He’d brought a little extra baggage with him, most of it concentrated around his waist. Wherever he’d been for the last couple of months, he looked like he’d enjoyed himself.
Sonny was halfway through an ice-cold bottle of beer, but the only change Gray could see was a huge improvement in his dress sense. Gone were the jeans and T-shirt; he now sported smart slacks and a designer polo shirt.
“Looking good, Tom. And who’s the little lady?”
Melissa giggled and ran over to Sonny, who picked her up and plonked her on his knee. “How old are you now? Fifteen?”
Melissa was loving the attention. “I’m five.”
“And it’s after midnight,” Gray said. “Time you were in bed.”
He let her say goodnight to everyone, then took her through to one of the two bedrooms in the suite. He pre-empted her stalling tactics by making her go to the bathroom while he filled a glass of water for her, then helped her into her pajamas after she’d brushed her teeth.
“Can I have a story, Daddy?”
In his haste to leave Italy, Gray hadn’t thought to pack a book for her, so he fell back on an old favorite she’d heard a thousand times. He got as far as the big bad wolf blowing down the house made of sticks when her eyes closed and he heard the soft purr of her sleeping.
Gray crept back into the living room, took a bottle of beer from the fridge and popped the top off. “Sorry to drag you guys into this,” he said.
“Nonsense,” Smart replied. “If we hadn’t taken the job with Eva, this wouldn’t have happened. They only came for you to get to us. We’re the ones that should be apologizing.”
“That’s right,” Sonny agreed. “We never imagined it would come to this. If we’d known, we’d have blown Eva off. The last thing we wanted to do was put Melissa in danger.”
“I know. No worries. So, what’s the plan?”
“I think, first of all, we should fill you and Andrew in,” Len said.
For the next hour, Sonny and Len recounted their experiences in America the previous summer. After being recruited by Eva Driscoll to help find the men behind the ESO, they’d found four names. One was Henry Langton, the leader of the group, and another his son, who was also a member. They also learned about Alexander Mumford and Joel Harmer. The former had been killed by Eva, and the latter was arrested on the US president’s orders. Langton Jr. had been killed by the authorities, and Henry Langton had died of a heart attack shortly after being arrested. Unfortunately, Len and Sonny had been taken in by the police, too. Despite being the ones who had exposed the ESO’s activities, including the murder of a group of schoolchildren committed in order to flush Eva out, they had been tried for murder themselves, and sentenced to spend most of their remaining lives in prison. They’d actually only spent six days behind bars before President Russell had granted them secret pardons and given them false identities.
Now, it seemed, the ESO had not only survived, but also recovered sufficiently to seek out Driscoll and her associates. Farooq’s friend had been murdered, and he himself had been tailed to Lyon, where the ESO had tried to get to Eva. That attempt had failed, and so they’d turned their attention to Gray.
“If it wasn’t you guys telling me this story,” Gray said, “I’d have called that tale a huge pile of conspiracy theory bullshit.”
“Trust me,” Len said, “it’s real.”
“Thankfully, when they targeted Tom, he had his head screwed on and didn’t get straight on the phone or email us, otherwise we wouldn’t be sitting here now,” Sonny concluded.
“They probably know I’m in London,” said Gray. “I used the American passport Andrew got for me a couple of years ago. I’m sure that’s in the CIA database, so they must have known I’d be on that flight.”
“Not necessarily,” Harvey said. “That was a favor between friends. I asked Doug Wallis over at the CIA station in the London embassy to keep it off the books. If he was true to his word, then you’re safe. The document relates to a real person, otherwise it would flag up at immigration, but it shouldn’t have any ties to you.”
“For now,” Gray said, and took a pull on his beer. He looked at Len. “It took you and Sonny a couple of weeks to identify the people at the top last time round. This time they’re going to be a lot more careful. How do you plan to root them out?”
“I was hoping Andrew could help us there.”
All eyes turned to Harvey.
“It depends on what you need.”
“Names,” Len said. “The ESO isn’t just a US phenomenon. They have major influence in just about every country in the world, including England. We need to know who they are.”
“We’re talking about powerful people,” Sonny added, “with lots of influence in government, banking, and major industry. People who put their own interests over those of their nations.”
“Sounds like everyone in the Houses of Parliament is a suspect,” Gray joked.
“You might not be wrong,” Len said. “Not all, but a lot will be doing the ESO’s bidding. I mean, if someone proposes a bill that makes it law for a rental property to be fit for human habitation, and over three hundred MPs vote against it, they aren’t exactly out to benefit the peopl
e. Especially when over a hundred of them are landlords themselves.”
“We have to think bigger than just MPs,” Sonny said. “The ESO might have them in their pockets, but they’re just pawns being manipulated like everyone else. Henry Langton was probably the richest man on the planet. We need to start thinking in those terms.”
“So, we just eliminate everyone on the Forbes list,” Harvey quipped.
“Not even close. Langton never appeared on that list, even though his fortune made the top ten combined look like paupers. If we want to get to the men at the top, we need to focus on old money, not Silicon Valley’s finest.”
“I could probably get you a list of those people,” said Harvey, “but it wouldn’t prove their guilt.”
“That’s fine,” Len said. “We just need a starting point.”
“Okay, but I’ll have to run it past Veronica. She’s been . . . difficult the last few weeks. Wants everything done by the book and recorded in triplicate.”
“Do you think she’ll let you get involved?”
Harvey shrugged. “All I can do is ask.”
“There’s one other favor I need from you,” Gray said. “Can you look after Melissa until this is over?”
Harvey sighed. “I wish I could, but I’ll be at work all day and Sarah is struggling to cope with Alana. She hasn’t slept in six months, and having to look after Melissa, too . . .”
“I understand,” Gray said. “What if we got a nanny in to look after both girls? You could vet them, and make sure they’re qualified and not some whack job.”
“I thought about that, but it’s well outside our budget. I’d have to sell a kidney, and that would last us about week and a half.”
“Sonny and I can help on that score,” Len said. “If we said fifty grand, would that be enough to hire one for, say, several months?”
“Sure,” Harvey said, “but where would you get that kind of money?”
“Let’s just call it a productivity bonus from our last assignment,” Sonny smiled.
“That’s settled, then,” Gray said. “I’ll bring Melissa round to your place in the morning.”
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