“More!” Luther snarled.
Drake brought a flying elbow down on the man’s neck, finally staggering him. The returning punch stopped him though, making him wheeze. Hands on knees, bent over, the two regarded each other.
“Give it up, Drake.”
“I… can’t. Too much at stake.”
“We’re taking you to justice.”
“The people you work for haven’t a clue about justice.” Drake’s chest eased and his breathing began to come a little easier. “When Coburn finds out, it will put them and anyone that has helped them in the firing line.”
“The President doesn’t know half of what happens out here,” Luther growled. “And that’s for his own good. Don’t try to manipulate me or my team.”
“Another time, another place, we would have been teammates.”
“Maybe. I read about SPEAR. Shit, I followed you in three times, though you never knew. Babylon.” He nodded. “Hawaii, and New York. I was part of your backup.” He dropped his eyes. “I knew Komodo. Good soldier.”
“And still you think we’re rogue? I don’t get it.”
“Not me. I admit I was surprised, but you’re going down, Drake. You and the rest of SPEAR.”
“Not today.”
Drake raised both guns and aimed them at Luther. “Even that mountain you call a head wouldn’t deflect a bullet.”
Luther stared impassively and then turned his head slightly. “2015.”
Drake found it hard not to gawp, impressed, at the fifty-millimeter scar. “Shit. But do you wanna gamble on that pony twice?”
Luther went to back away, but Dahl was at his rear, also a gun in each hand, one of which lodged into the small of Luther’s back. The battle was at a stalemate, guns aimed, nobody giving an inch. It was entirely clear to Drake that Luther would never concede out loud.
“We’re leaving,” he said. “Catch us later.”
Crouch called over from the far side. “Can’t go forward.”
Drake waved a gun. “We’re taking the Hummer.”
Steadily, with incredible care, the team inched their way inside the oversized military vehicle, weapons unwavering. Luther and his team didn’t give an inch, never said a word, but made no aggressive moves.
“Now that’s spooky,” Alicia whispered over the comms. “What is that? Extra sensory perception?”
Nobody spoke, trying not to break the spell. Crouch found the starter and checked the rearview.
“Moving now,” he murmured. “Stay frosty.”
Drake realized his eyes were still welded with Luther’s. He watched the larger-than-life figure until they were out of sight and saw not one flicker in the man’s frame, not a single movement.
Apart from the eyes. They spoke a grim and dangerous vocabulary.
Crouch heaved a huge sigh as they drove away. “Everyone okay?”
Affirmatives were received, so the team settled in a little, combing the Hummer for useful items.
“He’ll find out where we’re going,” Crouch said.
“You said yourself — it’s huge,” Hayden said. “We’ll be careful.”
Crouch looked unconvinced.
Drake, beside him in the front seat, said: “Now I know what you mean.”
“That the guy’s a walking apocalypse?”
“Yeah. He’s relentless; crazy; clever. I can see why the Americans send him in.”
“Good guy to have at your side.”
“Oh yeah, and a monster to have at your back.”
Drake stared out the window, wondering how they could possibly hope to deal with the new threat, especially on top of those that already existed. Luther was acting on orders, but if the guy threw any more missiles at them Drake knew they would retaliate in kind. Not to do so would be fatal.
“You know something,” he said. “When Lauren left to carry out her plan I wasn’t entirely sure it was the right thing to do. But now… now…”
Hayden nodded in agreement. “She feels like our last hope.”
“Depends on the bloodhound.” Alicia pointed her thumb back at the town. “And how far he wants to take it.”
“Don’t be fooled,” Mai said. “He’ll follow your own creed, Taz. He’ll go all the way, every time, hard in, as often as he can. And he’ll take no prisoners.”
Drake saw worry even in Dahl’s eyes.
It was reflected in his own.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Another hour of the day and another safe house — this one in the center of Luxor City, as close as prudence would allow to Hatshepsut’s temple. Once the capital of Ancient Egypt, Luxor, then called Thebes, was situated close to many of the famous sites — Karnak, Hatshepsut’s Temple, and the Valley of the Kings. The main city was modern and shining bright under the midday sun as the team arrived; with wide through-roads lined with rows of trees and a variety of transport. In sharp contrast, within the contemporary environs lay the remains of the old city, the temple ruins of Karnak and Luxor still standing inside the new city. Before they arrived Crouch told them he had visited Luxor many times, likening the city to one large open-air museum, a fantasy theme park for an old archaeologist like him.
The Nile cut through, and across the west bank Necropolis lay the Valley of the Kings, and the Valley of the Queens.
“Feels even hotter down here.” Alicia fanned her face, trying to bask in the air-conditioning.
“It doesn’t get much hotter than this,” Crouch agreed. “Or sunnier. We’ll be at the safe house soon.”
“Please tell me it has air-con,” Smyth pleaded.
“Well, it has decent sized windows.”
“Crap.”
Ten minutes later they were ensconced in their apartment, a modern block this time with three different rooms and a modicum of comfort. Hayden walked over to the TV and switched it on, searching for a news channel.
“I was hoping this would be prime news.” She threw the remote down.
On screen, a reporter spoke live from the streets of Cairo, a government building in the background. It was a BBC broadcast and came across in English.
“With the deadline fast approaching, officials in Egypt, Turkey and Greece remain steadfast but nervous. A terrorist organization that call themselves FrameHub continue to hold these countries hostage, reiterating just an hour ago that the first country to capitulate wins.” The reporter enunciated the last word and the picture cut to an image medley of each country as a robotic, unidentified voice spoke over the top.
“We will send the other two countries back to the dark ages. Your missile sites will be used against you. Network disruption will cripple you; roads, hospitals and all crucial services will be rendered useless. You have two hours to comply or we will be happy to give you a small taste of what we can accomplish.”
Hayden sat down heavily, still watching as the picture cut back to the reporter. Most of the team watched with her as they rechecked weapons and reloaded. Drake changed his stab vest; the team wiping sweat away with towels. Kinimaka found the air-con unit and switched it on; though the feeble machine barely managed to huff out a decent blast of air.
“Awful, brahs,” he complained. “If we got Lancelot Smyth upset we’d get better airflow.”
Smyth was studying his cell and quickly returned it to his pocket. The look on his face told them he hadn’t heard Kinimaka — his mind was in an entirely different place. Dahl shrugged back into his gear, eyeing the covering T-shirt with trepidation.
“Just once,” he said. “I’d like to step out of the door in a hot country in just my T-shirt.”
Alicia raised a brow. “Really? I’d pay to see that.”
Dahl sighed. “You know what I mean.”
“Cool it,” Drake intervened. “That’s my bird you’re stirring up there.”