The People Traders (23 page)

Halif nodded his understanding and turned to leave. At that moment Sirec's mobile telephone began to ring. He pressed the buttons and listened. However, as he listened Halif became nervous. Never had he seen Sirec so angry.

Eventually he switched the telephone off before slamming his hands on the roof of the car in anger. "It's bad, Halif, these people have hit the warehouses. I'm being told its total destruction." He fell silent a moment, deep in thought, then spun round, facing Halif.

"Raise the bounty for their capture to half a million. Let our friends know in the different factions, I want these people no matter what the cost. With that sort of money at stake there'll be nowhere to hide. Our eyes and ears will be in every village and on every street.

By the time Halif had arrived at Saeed's, it was well after dark as his driver turned into the narrow street. Another car missed them by inches when it roared out. Halif glanced behind and made the last two numbers of the plate. He wasn't sure but it might be important. His car stopped outside Saeed's and Halif quickly walked through the courtyard and banged hard on the front door. Four times he banged before he heard shuffling and complaints from inside and the door opened slowly. Saeed's mother stood there in her nightclothes.

"You bang enough to wake the dead. I suppose you want that lazy son of mine. They're in the main lounge, when they start with cards the house can collapse around them, nothing will bring them out."

Halif pushed past her without a word, striding quickly across the hall into the main lounge as she followed slowly. When she arrived he was standing looking around at the destruction. "I think perhaps you should be calling for an ambulance, there's been some sort of accident," he said softly.

The old woman stood for a moment transfixed at the carnage, then seeing her son she let out a blood curdling scream before going into hysterics, running over, cradling Saeed in her arms, moaning softly. Just at that moment Saeed opened his eyes, raising his hand, touching her face. Her eyes opened wide, first convinced he was dead, now realising he wasn't.

"Please, Sir, call for help. My son's alive, please I beg you," she pleaded.

Halif raised his telephone and spoke quickly.

Saeed pulled his mother close. "It was Karen; she came as you foresaw."

The mother shook her head vigorously. “You're mistaken, my son, Karen is with Sirec, she will not return. No girl escapes Sirec."

"No… No, she was here. How, I don't know, but it was Karen," he whispered, now very weak.

She looked up a Halif. "My son's saying this is the work of the girl we sent for Sirec, but that cannot be."

Halif frowned. "The girl's missing. He could be right, old woman. Tell me, does your son have a car?"

She nodded. "It is an old BMW, grey with a black roof," she replied.

Halif began making his way to the door. Then he stopped and turned. "I wish your son well. If this girl is the killer then when she's brought back and when Sirec's finished with her, it is he who will decide her future."

Then he made to leave the room but the mother called after him. Halif returned reluctantly, already convinced the car that had nearly collided with theirs earlier was Saeed's BMW.

"What is it you want, old woman?"

She held a blooded hand up in the air, pointing at it with her other hand. "I read her palm. That girl brings only death and destruction; she has revenge in her heart. Saeed sees me as a silly old woman. That maybe so, but ignore this warning at your peril. I beg you, Sir; do not bring that girl back into this house."

Halif smiled softly. "I believe you, old woman. The death and destruction is already with us. It is time our honour, your son and his friends, be avenged. The girl will be caught within the hour. She will be punished no matter what her destiny holds."

Saeed's mother remained silent. Halif left and she looked down at her son when she heard the front door close. Saeed was looking up at her, weak but stable.

"You wouldn't listen to your mother, my son. That man also... will not heed my words. Karen walks with the ‘Angel of Death' at her side. I have no knowledge as to why she came to our shores but until she leaves them, death will always be a part of her life. You see... in her hand, I saw the unmistakable sign of death, but I did not see Karen's death."

CHAPTER 14

Karen sat quietly in the back of the car. She'd changed into her jeans and jumper. Mark was driving; Garry was busy trying to contact Commander Farrow but all he got was static.

Mark glanced across at Garry. "I think we've got company. That car behind has been with us for the last mile or so. When I sped up so did they, and now as I've slowed, they've slowed."

Garry frowned, removing the machine-gun from Mark's bag before checking the magazine. He seemed confused and snapped out the ammunition clip and studied it carefully. "Did you use this gun in the villa?" he asked, at a level that Karen couldn't hear.

Mark shook his head. "No, you used yours. Why do you ask?"

"The clip's nearly a third empty," Garry replied.

Mark glanced in the rear view mirror; Karen had bunched her clothes up and made a pillow. She seemed asleep.

"Check the silencer; see if it's been used," Mark whispered, dreading Garry's reply.

Garry placed his nose to the silencer and glanced across at him. "This has been used as well," he whispered, now beginning to realise why she'd been so insistent she went alone. Her remarks about Saeed and herself had clearly been contrived to make him think they were more than just friends, but it would seem they were not even that.

"I'm a bloody fool, Mark. She said Saeed would help if she went in to see him alone. She even made me believe they were really good friends and he'd give her the key. He fucking did, but not before she put a bullet in him."

Mark’s eyes narrowed. "You mean to say Karen's used it? No, I can't believe that! It would take an awful lot of guts to shoot somebody. Anyway she wouldn't know...," then he suddenly hit his forehead with his hand, realisation spreading across his face. "We both fucking showed her didn't we, spent half the bleeding day telling her how it operated?"

Garry touched his arm. "Not a word, but from now on, keep the guns away from her. God knows what she's done back there, but if she has killed someone we're in the shit and that car behind could be radio on ahead. I thought it was funny they'd not tried to stop us."

"So what do we do now?"

"We get off this road, force them to follow and make an ambush. I'm not prepared to be caught, especially after what that bitch might have done."

Garry picked the map up and studied the road. "My guess is they would have set up an ambush about five miles further along this road. Apart from a few sidetracks there's no way off for a mile. After that there are plenty of options. Watch out for a track on the right in about two miles. It cuts across towards the coast before changing to just a foot-track out. We'll dump the car, then make our way across country and pick up the road about ten miles further on."

Mark never replied but began to slow slightly so as not to miss the track. In the meantime, Garry had prepared the guns
.
He'd no illusions that they would have to fight but was still not entirely convinced Karen had killed Saeed.

As they approached the junction, Mark slowed quickly and turned hard into it.

Karen woke and looked around. "Are we there then?" she asked sleepily.

Garry turned and grinned. "Sorry, kid, we've had to take a small detour. I'm afraid we may have to walk a little. Are you up to it?"

She just shrugged and collected her things then glanced back at him. "If you don't mind, I'm not a kid. I've a name and I expect you to use it," she said curtly.

Mark laughed. "Oh, stuck up, are we?" he mocked.

Karen glared at him. "No, I'm not stuck up, but it's not a lot to expect to be called by my name, rather than ‘kid’."

Mark was getting fed up with this girl's 'holier-than-thou' approach. "We'd also expect someone we're helping not to take the law into their own hands," he said scathingly.

"And what do you mean by that?" she demanded.

The car jerked to a stop and he spun round, looking her directly in the face. "What I mean, Karen, is how did you really get these keys. Did you let him give you a quick shag when you went into Saeed's house, or did you blow his balls off with my gun?"

Karen opened the door and began to climb out, glancing back inside and pulling her bag out. She stopped and looked at the two lads sat there watching her. "You make me sick. It was me who got you the keys; you two would still be pissing about trying to pinch a car. So how I got them is my business, not yours."

Mark reached across the seat and grabbed her arm before she could pull it away. "No, Karen, it's not your business, it's ours. We've put our lives on the line for you. We're entitled to know just what you've let us into. I know my gun’s been fired. What Garry and I need to know now, is just what went on in that house?"

She snatched her arm away from his grip, climbed out, then stood at the side of the car. Both lads also got out.

"We're waiting, Karen," Garry said.

Karen shrugged indifferently. "So I killed the bastards, what of it?" she said without remorse.

Before any of them could answer, the car that had been following suddenly appeared from around the bend. It was approaching fast; two men hanging out of the doors on either side were holding machine-guns.

"Shit, let's get out of here," Mark shouted.

They all ran for their lives, stumbling over boulders and into scrub. The two men were firing their guns, bullets spattering around the three of them. With Garry leading, then Karen and Mark lagging behind, they stumbled on. Moments later, Mark screamed in pain and fell forward. Garry stopped, knelt to the ground and trained his gun in the direction of the pursuers. Karen had also fallen to the ground and she crawled back to Mark. She touched his shoulder and felt the wetness of blood; Mark didn't move. Pulling the gun from his hand, she lay flat on her tummy and waited. There was not long to wait. Three men came crashing through in the same direction they'd run seconds earlier. These men must have been convinced that the people they were pursuing were still running, but that wasn't the case and seconds later both Karen and Garry fired virtually at point-blank range. The men had no chance to escape or dive for cover. They were all dead before they hit the ground.

Silence came suddenly after the guns and Garry whispered to her. "Don't move. There could be more."

She did as he asked and after a few minutes of inactivity, Garry moved over to her side. "I'm going to take a look, you stay here with Mark. I'll be back soon."

She'd no chance to object or even to tell him she thought Mark was dead. But she did as he asked and waited, her gun ready for action. Within minutes there came a single shot, then somebody was coming towards her.

"It's me, Garry, don't shoot," he shouted.

She stood and watched him approach. "How's, Mark?" he asked as he came closer.

She shook her head. "I think he's dead. There's an awful lot of blood and he won't move," she said quietly.

Garry knelt down and lifted Mark's arm, holding his wrist for a moment, trying to find a pulse. Then he looked up at her. "So are you satisfied now? Getting your pound of flesh were we? Just how many more are going to die for you, Karen, before you're satisfied?"

She looked back at him, tears in her eyes. "That's not fair. I never asked you to come. I didn't shoot Mark."

Garry looked back at his friend and started to turn him over before removing the dog tags, going quickly through his pockets. "That may be so, Karen, but we had it under control until you let loose in that house."

She glared at him. "Oh yes? I'm not stupid you know. I do know the sound of a muffled gun shot."

He looked up at her. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying, Mr. Bloody Perfect, is that it was you who killed the two people in the villa. Do you not think that's more of a reason for these people following us, rather than Saeed's death?"

Garry stood there, saying nothing at first, then he handed her Mark's bag. "Okay, from now this argument stops, till we're safe. Then you can explain the pros and cons to my Commander. I don't think, no I know, you'll not get very far with him."

She snatched the bag and followed him back down the path. A man lay alongside the other car. Garry pulled him away. "We'll take this car; they probably know your man friend's car by now."

Karen allowed it to pass over her; Saeed was dead and in her mind, that was all that mattered.

Without another word they climbed inside and Garry turned the car round, before driving slowly up the track to the main road. They'd travelled for some time before Karen stretched then pointed at a roadside cafe. "Let's stop and eat, I'm starving," she suggested.

Garry couldn't see any reason why they shouldn't, so he pulled the car off the road and drove across the small car park before stopping in the shadows of some trees. "I'll do the talking, we eat, then move on," he said softly.

Karen nodded and they went inside. A few people were sat about; nobody, after a cursory glance at the strangers, took any more interest. Garry, with some grasp of the language, managed to order chicken and rice for both of them. Whilst waiting for the food, he was looking at a notice in the corner offering accommodation for the night. It was getting on for midnight and what better place to hide out than in a hotel bedroom?