Fire Force(123)

‘Christ,’ said David. ‘Next time I do a job, I’m only taking blokes with the flag of Saint George tattooed on their arms.’

Ollie stood up. ‘At the risk of sounding like Zebedee, boys, I reckon it’s time we all got some kip. There’s going to be a long hard fight to get out of this country, and the fitter we are, the more chance we’ve got.’

Nick and David had prepared the beds for the night while the food was being cooked. They laid out the sleeping bags on top of the groundsheets, and used some of the cardboard packaging to create a separate, screened-off area for Sam. They drained their teas, then rolled into bed one by one. Steve checked that Sam was OK, then kicked off his boots, and pulled the sleeping bag around himself. They were taking it in turns to keep watch, with Nick taking the first shift. One of the gas burners was sitting at his side, but otherwise the cave was completely dark. As he closed his eyes, Steve could hear the beating of the waterfall behind the entrance, and the noise was comforting. He’d only just realised how tired he was. He’d been running for days now on nothing apart from pure adrenaline. And, if he was being honest with himself, there wasn’t much left in the locker. A couple more days, he told himself, then we’ll be out of this hell-hole.

And this time I’m out of the game for ever.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, will make me put myself through this again.

No sooner had Steve closed his eyes than he was asleep. When he woke, Ollie was shaking him vigorously. ‘Your watch, mate,’ he said. ‘I’m getting some more kip.’

Steve wiped the sleep from his eyes, knocked back a slug of boiled water from the cup he’d stashed next to his bed, and stumbled to his feet. It was just after four in the morning. In the next bag, Maksim was snoring loudly. Steve was taking the last watch, bringing them through to dawn. Ollie put a mug of hot tea in front of him from the pot keeping warm on the burner, and Steve swilled it down his throat. ‘How much longer to the wedding?’ he asked softly, glancing up at Ollie.

‘Ten days, I reckon, unless I’ve lost track.’

‘We should make it.’

Ollie shrugged. ‘That’s the least of my worries right now.’

Steve swilled back the last of the tea and poured himself some more. ‘I promised Katie I’d get you there. I don’t mind taking on the rest of Batota’s army, but I don’t fancy telling that bird her big day with a white dress has been rained off.’

‘I’ll be there,’ Ollie said irritably. ‘It’s my big payday, remember. Right - I’m off to bed. See you in the morning.’

Steve took his tea and walked towards the ledge that looked out into the waterfall. He sat down, letting the cold spray spit across his skin, and allowed himself to enjoy the peace of the moment. There would be more hard fighting ahead, he reminded himself. One of the unit had already died. And Chris might well not be the last.

He’d been sitting there for almost an hour, just watching the water swirl past him, and wondering if there were any fish he might be able to catch for breakfast, when Sam joined him. He didn’t notice her at first. She slipped into the space beside him, making no more noise than a whisper of wind. Somehow, she’d managed to wash her hair using hot water and soap, and even though she was wearing a pair of men’s combat trousers, along with the worst-fitting sweatshirt Steve had ever seen on a woman, she still managed to look better than anything that ever stepped across a catwalk. At least to my eyes, thought Steve to himself. He looked at her and grinned.

‘It’s not exactly what Bridget Jones used to call a romantic mini-break, is it?’ he said. ‘Eight sweaty blokes and a ferocious Army on your back.’

‘Some girls might like it.’

‘I’ve never met one.’

She dangled her toes in the water. ‘I used to swim here all the time as a kid. Sometimes I’d come and hide in this cave with the General, and we’d play pirates together.’

‘I bet you were his princess.’

Sam just smiled, but remained silent. ‘A place like this is hard to find,’ she said eventually.

‘We’ll go somewhere nice, once this is all over, just you and me,’ said Steve. ‘Find our own bit of paradise.’

‘Take one of the cars from your garage, maybe.’

‘The choice is yours.’

‘An Aston or a Jag, I think.’

‘We’ve got DB4s, DB5s,’ said Steve. ‘Or if it’s a Jag you want, we’ve got the XK 120, the Mark III, the E-type . . .’

‘Any chance of a DB5 Vantage, the one with the Weber carburettor that took it up from 282 to 314 horsepower?’ Sam asked.