rest it another day, maybe you’ll be able to get in on the action.’
Two Moons’ scowl deepened. Then he sighed.‘I guess you’re right. Only I don’t like to think of you guys blundering around out there without me to look after you. Getting yourselves blown up, and stuff.’
‘And getting shot,’ grinned Mitch.
‘So,’ asked Two Moons, ‘what’s next?’
‘We’ve been summoned to a meeting at Spook Central,’ said Mitch. ‘I guess that, after what happened with Sparks and the Russian, they’re having to come up with a whole new plan.’
In the briefing room at MI6 HQ, there was a new air of determination about the men of Delta Unit and the MI6 agents. Any reservations Gerald may have held about the team seemed to have gone.
The fact is, thought Mitch, Two Moons has been shot and is in hospital; I’ve nearly been blown up by Deacon; one of the spooks has been murdered, and one of the assassins, Dmitri Pavel, is dead. The stakes have been raised, and everyone knows it.
‘Pavel may be dead, but Deacon, Smitt andLavall are still out there,’ said Gerald.
‘And under surveillance?’ asked Tug.
‘Smitt and Lavall are, yes. Despite what happened to Pavel, they don’t seem to have been startled into taking cover.’
‘Maybe Deacon hasn’t told them Pavel’s dead,’ murmured Benny.
‘And maybe he won’t,’ added Nelson.
‘But he must know we’re watching them,’ said Mitch.
‘Perhaps he’s assuming that when the time is right, they’ll give us the slip,’ said Gerald.
Nelson shook his head. ‘He wouldn’t take that much of a chance,’ he said. ‘Deacon knows us. He knows what we’re like. Once we’re on someone’s tail we’ll hang right on there.’
‘Maybe Lavall and Smitt are just decoys?’ suggested Mitch. ‘We’re kept busy watching them instead of looking for Deacon.’
‘Maybe,’ agreed Benny. ‘But we do know there’s a connection.’ Benny gestured at Mitch.‘Remember, Mitch, Deacon said to you “You killed my operative”.’
‘True.’ Mitch nodded.
‘At the moment, these two assassins are the only leads we’ve got on Deacon,’ said Gerald. ‘So what I’d like to do is keep them under surveillance. Sooner or later they’ll lead us to him.’
‘Hopefully sooner, rather than later,’ said Nelson. ‘The conference begins in just a couple of days.’
‘Have your IT people been able to get a fix on their mobile phones yet?’ asked Benny.
Gerald shook his head. ‘Not yet, unfortunately,’ he admitted.
‘OK, so we stick to the old-fashioned way,’ said Nelson. He looked at the file on the two men again. ‘Lavall is staying at the Manxman Hotel on the Strand, and Smitt is in a bed and breakfast place near Victoria station. I suggest this time Mitch and Benny trail Lavall, and Tug and Gaz look after Smitt. I’ll stay in reserve, so either team can call me in as backup.’
Gerald shot him a hard look. ‘You’re excluding my personnel,’ he said, tight-lipped.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Nelson. ‘I got the impression you didn’t want to work with us so closely any more.’
Gerald was stony-faced. ‘This is still an MI6 operation,’ he replied curtly. ‘However, in light of what happened to John Sparks, perhaps it might be better to keep our teams separate.’
‘What happened to Sparks wasn’t our fault,’ said Mitch.
‘I’m not saying it was,’ said Gerald. ‘I’m just saying it might be better if our people followed you at a distance. We’ll keep in contact by the same communications system.’
‘So, you watch us watching them?’ asked Benny, with a wry smile.
‘It does seem logical,’ said Gerald. ‘That way, if there are any slips, our people can move in unseen and continue the surveillance.’
‘If we get killed you mean,’ said Gaz with a grim smile.
‘No one else is getting killed,’ grunted Nelson. ‘Not on my watch.’
‘Then I suggest we continue the operation,’ said Gerald. ‘The sooner
Two Moons’ scowl deepened. Then he sighed.‘I guess you’re right. Only I don’t like to think of you guys blundering around out there without me to look after you. Getting yourselves blown up, and stuff.’
‘And getting shot,’ grinned Mitch.
‘So,’ asked Two Moons, ‘what’s next?’
‘We’ve been summoned to a meeting at Spook Central,’ said Mitch. ‘I guess that, after what happened with Sparks and the Russian, they’re having to come up with a whole new plan.’
In the briefing room at MI6 HQ, there was a new air of determination about the men of Delta Unit and the MI6 agents. Any reservations Gerald may have held about the team seemed to have gone.
The fact is, thought Mitch, Two Moons has been shot and is in hospital; I’ve nearly been blown up by Deacon; one of the spooks has been murdered, and one of the assassins, Dmitri Pavel, is dead. The stakes have been raised, and everyone knows it.
‘Pavel may be dead, but Deacon, Smitt andLavall are still out there,’ said Gerald.
‘And under surveillance?’ asked Tug.
‘Smitt and Lavall are, yes. Despite what happened to Pavel, they don’t seem to have been startled into taking cover.’
‘Maybe Deacon hasn’t told them Pavel’s dead,’ murmured Benny.
‘And maybe he won’t,’ added Nelson.
‘But he must know we’re watching them,’ said Mitch.
‘Perhaps he’s assuming that when the time is right, they’ll give us the slip,’ said Gerald.
Nelson shook his head. ‘He wouldn’t take that much of a chance,’ he said. ‘Deacon knows us. He knows what we’re like. Once we’re on someone’s tail we’ll hang right on there.’
‘Maybe Lavall and Smitt are just decoys?’ suggested Mitch. ‘We’re kept busy watching them instead of looking for Deacon.’
‘Maybe,’ agreed Benny. ‘But we do know there’s a connection.’ Benny gestured at Mitch.‘Remember, Mitch, Deacon said to you “You killed my operative”.’
‘True.’ Mitch nodded.
‘At the moment, these two assassins are the only leads we’ve got on Deacon,’ said Gerald. ‘So what I’d like to do is keep them under surveillance. Sooner or later they’ll lead us to him.’
‘Hopefully sooner, rather than later,’ said Nelson. ‘The conference begins in just a couple of days.’
‘Have your IT people been able to get a fix on their mobile phones yet?’ asked Benny.
Gerald shook his head. ‘Not yet, unfortunately,’ he admitted.
‘OK, so we stick to the old-fashioned way,’ said Nelson. He looked at the file on the two men again. ‘Lavall is staying at the Manxman Hotel on the Strand, and Smitt is in a bed and breakfast place near Victoria station. I suggest this time Mitch and Benny trail Lavall, and Tug and Gaz look after Smitt. I’ll stay in reserve, so either team can call me in as backup.’
Gerald shot him a hard look. ‘You’re excluding my personnel,’ he said, tight-lipped.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Nelson. ‘I got the impression you didn’t want to work with us so closely any more.’
Gerald was stony-faced. ‘This is still an MI6 operation,’ he replied curtly. ‘However, in light of what happened to John Sparks, perhaps it might be better to keep our teams separate.’
‘What happened to Sparks wasn’t our fault,’ said Mitch.
‘I’m not saying it was,’ said Gerald. ‘I’m just saying it might be better if our people followed you at a distance. We’ll keep in contact by the same communications system.’
‘So, you watch us watching them?’ asked Benny, with a wry smile.
‘It does seem logical,’ said Gerald. ‘That way, if there are any slips, our people can move in unseen and continue the surveillance.’
‘If we get killed you mean,’ said Gaz with a grim smile.
‘No one else is getting killed,’ grunted Nelson. ‘Not on my watch.’
‘Then I suggest we continue the operation,’ said Gerald. ‘The sooner
Similar Books
