The Last Enemy(56)

A lay-by, Guy had said. A hundred metres from the main gate. Shielded by trees. Where was it?

Then he saw it.

He pulled the car into the lay-by and turned urgently to Guy.

‘The phone call!’

‘Of course.’ Guy nodded. ‘OK. Get out of the car.’

‘Why?’ demanded Jake.

‘Because I need you at a safe distance from me while I make the call,’ said Guy. ‘And even with a gun in my hand pointed at you, I don’t trust you, Jake. I think once I’ve made the call, you’ll try and jump me.’

‘Make the call!’ begged Jake.

‘Out of the car!’ repeated Guy.

Jake pushed open the door and stumbled out. Guy stepped out of the rear of the car, moving back from Jake, keeping a safe distance between them. He had his gun in his hand, but no phone.

‘Your phone!’ urged Jake. ‘You’ve got The Index! Make the call!’

Guy sighed and shook his head. ‘It’ll be a waste of time, Jake. They’re dead already.’

‘No!’ shouted Jake. He held his watch out towards Guy. ‘There’s still one minute!’

Guy shook his head again.

‘You really are so gullible, Jake,’ he said sadly. ‘That business of my crew at the castle waiting for a phone call from me not to kill them. Why would I be stupid enough to let them go free? They can tell everyone about me, and about what happened.’ He shook his head. ‘Sorry, Jake. She’s dead. That’s what I whispered to Des, just before we left. I told my people to kill her after we’d gone, along with your boss, Gareth Findlay-Weston, and poor old Dan, and then clear out.’

Jake felt himself tremble, and he battled to stop himself shaking.

‘You’re lying!’ he snapped.

‘Why would I lie about that?’ Guy shrugged. ‘All I was ever after was The Index. Now I’ve got it, thanks to you. As long as you and your girlfriend, and Findlay-Weston, and even Dan, are all alive, you’re a danger to me. In the old clichéd phrase, you know too much. You were always going to die.’

‘No!’ roared Jake, filled with more pain and anger than he’d ever known in his whole life. He threw himself forward at Guy, just as Guy fired. Jake felt the bullet pluck at his clothes and then felt a searing pain in his shoulder, but by then he was on Guy, grabbing for his gun-hand. The force of his rush brought both of them crashing down as Guy fired again, the bullet this time going harmlessly up into the late-afternoon sky.

Desperately, Jake held on to the wrist of Guy’s gun-hand with one hand, forcing the barrel of the gun away from him, while with his other hand he grabbed Guy around the throat, trying to choke him. Guy brought up his knee sharply into Jake’s groin, and the sudden pain made him release his hold on Guy’s throat.

Guy smashed his head forward, butting Jake full in the face, and Jake felt blood pour from his nose. Guy tried head-butting Jake again, but this time Jake jerked his head to one side, and Guy’s head thudded into Jake’s shoulder.

Jake turned his head, seizing Guy’s ear between his teeth, and bit hard, while at the same time scrabbling with his free hand for the gun, desperate to wrench it out of Guy’s hand. Guy howled with pain, and then kneed Jake in the groin again. A sick feeling surged through Jake, and for a second he lost his grip on Guy’s gun-hand. Frantically, Jake grabbed for the pistol again, but Guy was too fast, and he used the gun as a club, smashing it into Jake’s face. Another strike from the gun, this one to the side of Jake’s neck, made him reel. He was aware of Guy struggling to his feet, and then standing, pointing the gun down at him. Jake tried to struggle to his feet, but a kick from Guy struck him hard on the side of the head, and he went down again. He tried to claw his way up, tried to leap at Guy, but Guy had moved back out of range, and now the gun was trained firmly on Jake.

Guy grinned vindictively.

‘Goodbye, Jake,’ he purred. ‘It was interesting knowing you.’

A shot rang out and instinctively Jake closed his eyes . . .

Nothing happened. There was no tearing pain, no shattering thud as a bullet tore into him. Instead, Jake heard a crashing sound. He opened his eyes and saw Guy on his knees, his mouth and eyes wide open in shock. There was the sound of another shot, and then Guy fell face forward on to the ground.





Chapter 28




Everything happened fast in the next few moments: a man completely covered from head to foot in black, and holding an automatic rifle, appeared, pointing the rifle at Jake. Jake felt his arms being grabbed and himself being lifted up off the ground, and then he was being hurried towards a large van. He was aware of another man, also dressed in black, standing nearby, his automatic rifle trained on him.