The Invisible Assassin(61)

There was a wait of what seemed like an eternity, though it was possibly less than a minute. Then the two armed men returned, alone.

‘Have they gone?’ asked the voice.

One of the masked men nodded.

‘Good,’ said the voice. ‘Now, Mr Wells, the book.’

Jake nodded and laid the book down on the ground.

‘Step away from it,’ ordered the voice.

Jake stepped back from the book. One of the masked men went to the book and picked it up, examined the seal on the cover, and then raised one hand with his thumb sticking up to confirm it was the book. He took the book and disappeared out of sight behind one of the stacks of crates.

‘OK,’ said Jake. ‘So, I guess that’s our business done.’

‘Not quite,’ said the voice. ‘You surely didn’t believe we could let you go. We don’t know how much you know.’

‘I don’t know anything about you,’ said Jake.

‘No, but Ms Graham does,’ said the voice. ‘She saw our people when they took her. She can describe them.’

A chill went through Jake.

‘But . . .’ he began.

The voice chuckled. ‘I hate to disillusion you, Mr Wells, but I have been known to tell lies. One was that we would release your friends.’

‘But your men took them outside! And then they came back!’

‘After they’d handed them over to our other operatives who were waiting outside, as back-up.’

There was a scuffling sound from the door, and Jake saw Lauren and Robert being pushed along. This time both had tape fixed firmly across their mouths to stop them warning him, and their hands were behind their backs.

The men shoved them both hard, and Lauren and Robert stumbled forward, crashing into Jake. The three of them stood, recovering and unsteady. Lauren looked at Jake, an apology in her eyes. The armed men had now withdrawn to take cover behind the stacks of crates.

‘So, Mr Wells, feel free to blow yourself and your friends up,’ said the voice. ‘If you don’t, then my men will shoot all three of you. You have three seconds. One . . . two . . .’





Chapter 28




Jake began to run for the exit, grabbing hold of Lauren as he did and hauling her towards it. He heard the deafening sound of gunfire burst out, smelt the burning of metal as bullets tore into wood and the ground around them, chips of concrete flying up. He was aware that Robert was with them, and then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Robert collapse and tumble.

He pushed Lauren harder, aiming for the door, but as they turned the corner of the stacked crates they ran into a wall of men dressed from head to foot in black pointing automatic rifles at them.

We’re dead! thought Jake.

‘Down!’ barked one of the men. Jake and Lauren found themselves grabbed and forced face down on the ground.

Meanwhile, the sound of gunfire continued behind them, punctuated with screams and yells of pain.

They’re not going to kill us, Jake realised. They’re here to rescue us!

Suddenly, a voice was heard shouting, ‘Cease fire!’

Jake started to lift his head, but a boot was placed on his back, pushing him down again.

‘Stay down!’ growled a voice.

He lay flat, his face pressed against the dirty cold concrete floor. He was able to see Lauren next to him, still gagged with the tape, but alive.

After the gunfire stopped, the warehouse had an eerie echo. The only sound was that of heavy boots stomping around. Then Jake was aware of more footsteps, quieter ones, approaching. They stopped by him. He twisted his head and saw a pair of shiny black leather shoes close by him.

‘All correct, sir!’ barked a voice.

‘Excellent,’ said a calm voice. Gareth!

Ignoring the boots near him, ready to push him back down, Jake looked up, and saw Gareth smiling down at him, with that same smile which was meant to ooze sincerity, but now chilled Jake to the core.

‘Well, well, Jake,’ said Gareth, his tone gently chiding. ‘You do get yourself in some difficult situations.’



It was about an hour later. Jake and Lauren were sitting at a table in a basement room. Security cameras were fixed to all the walls, pointed at them. Jake guessed there were microphones installed as well, recording everything that was said. It was less obvious than his experience at the hands of Detective Inspector Edgar, but this was an interrogation room, nevertheless. Jake had guessed where they’d been headed as the car had brought them towards the large building on the banks of the Thames. MI6 HQ. He’d seen it often enough on his way to work at the Department of Science. He’d heard it given other names. The official address was 85 Albert Embankment, but it was also known within Civil Service circles as Spook Centre, Legoland, and Babylon-on-Thames because of the design of the building, which looked like a massive ziggurat from ancient Babylon when seen from the river. Viewed from land, it looked just like any other huge building in London. It was a building Jake had never thought he’d see the inside of. And now, here he was in an interrogation room somewhere deep in its basement.