Blackout - By Tom Barber Page 0,59

the hospice since they’d arrived.

'Mason and Spitz are on their way with two cars,' Cobb told Archer and Jackson, putting his mobile phone into his pocket. 'We go straight back to headquarters.'

He turned to Jackson.

‘From there, you can either stay with us or head back to the Embassy.’

‘I’m staying,’ he said, nodding his head at the four task force officers. ‘Truth be told, I’m liking this armed escort more and more.’

Cobb nodded. ‘OK.’

'What about Fletcher?' Archer asked.

'What about him?' Chalky said.

'They'll know he's here by now, Chalk,' Archer said, turning to him. 'He'll be one of the top names on their list.'

'So? The man said he's ready to die.'

'So why don’t you go in there and do him yourself?' Archer said, his irritation rising

'Relax you two,' Cobb said. 'It's OK. There are two armed officers from an ARV on their way down already. Fletcher is staying. He's too sick to move. But they'll be guarding the desk and his door 'til this is over.'

The group of men nodded, and they all looked back across the parking lot at the smoking ruins of the two cars.

Cobb saw the destroyed shell of his Mercedes.

‘Thank God for thieves,’ he muttered under his breath.

At the command post across town, the leader of the Panthers was in a foul mood. He rose and kicked his chair across the room, letting out a long stream of expletives in Albanian. It had all started so well. Worm had tailed the group to the hospice, then moved around the building and saw which room they entered. He got a glimpse of the man in the bed before they closed the curtains, and there was no mistaking who it was. Corporal Simon Fletcher, the missing man from the list, the last piece of the puzzle. Once the curtains were drawn and his view obstructed, Worm had moved back into the quiet parking lot and taking advantage of no one being around, had quickly placed the two devices under each car. Both charges were hooked up to the ignition, and would detonate once they received a current. Worm had taken up surveillance in a coffee shop across the street, waiting for the men to leave and to watch Cobb and Jackson die.

But then some lowlife kid had car-jacked the Mercedes and blown himself and the two vehicles up, saving Cobb, Jackson and their four-man escort. Worm had slipped away down the street immediately, calling his commanding officer and letting him know what had happened.

The big soldier was furious.

Three times these two men had cheated death today. But rather than make him desperate, their run of luck made the man even more determined to kill them. He realised that without these setbacks, this would all be too easy. Their revenge was systematic but not sweet. He would have to earn the deaths of Cobb and Jackson.

He would have to get it done himself.

Taking deep breaths and getting a grip on his fiery temper, he walked across the room and scooped up the chair, bringing it back to the table and sat down. Anger wouldn't achieve anything here. He needed to think clearly with a level head. Feeling his white-hot rage start to evaporate like mist, he leaned back in his chair and looked at the selection of weapons lying on the floor across the dark safe-house. Two of the Kalashnikovs were gone, but they still had five left, as well as all the silenced MP5s, Dragunov, bazooka and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Looking at the guns, he started to form a plan of attack. They had gone to visit Fletcher, so clearly they had put two and two together and realised what this was about. Cobb and the American would most likely head back to the ARU police station. They’d been taken by surprise before, but now would be on their guard and would figure they could foil another attempt. After reconnaissance, Worm had told him that there were armed officers stationed at the entrance of the building, just inside in the reception area. If either Cobb or Jackson left, they would go to a safe-house or into hiding somewhere. The Panthers had a number of options. It depended on which choice the two men took.

He started running different scenarios through his mind, different plans of attack. Spider and Bug were on their way here, and together with their commanding officer and Worm, the quartet would get this done once and for all.

No mistakes this time.

Both Cobb and Jackson would be