far enough not to have noticed the noise. He strained his ears to hear their voices, and was relieved that they sounded more distant now.
Ethan knew there was no more time to lose. He started climbing again, powering upwards as fast as he could go – foot . . . hand . . . foot . . . hand . . .
He felt no fear now, only determination. Just because the men had headed down to the beach didn’t mean they wouldn’t be coming back up again in a few minutes’ time.
At last Ethan could see the top of the cliff. A little further and then he was pulling himself up over the edge and onto the flat ground. He didn’t give himself a moment to think about what he’d just done or get his breath back; instead he jumped up and ran as quickly and quietly as possible to the top of the path.
He was only a few metres from it when he saw movement up ahead. It was just a blur, a shadow moving quickly through other shadows, but he instantly recognized Johnny. Ethan knew that unless he stopped him now, Johnny would be racing down the path, totally unaware of the two x-rays below. So he did the only thing he could.
He jumped, the weight of the bergen on his back adding momentum.
For the split second that he was in the air, Ethan felt like every sense was heightened. He could hear the waves crashing on the beach below. He could taste the tang of the sea in the air around him, even smell the damp rock he’d been climbing.
Then he crashed into Johnny – hard, tumbling him backwards into a hellishly prickly bush. Before Johnny had a chance to struggle or shout, Ethan wrapped himself round him, slapped his hand over his mouth and pulled him deeper into the bush.
Johnny struggled, but Ethan had him fast.
‘It’s me,’ he hissed. ‘Where the hell have you been?’
He felt Johnny relax and immediately let his friend go.
‘I had something to do,’ said Johnny. ‘What’s up?’
‘Two x-rays on the path,’ replied Ethan, and he knew he sounded pissed off. ‘I had to do something to stop you running into them and getting us both killed. You shouldn’t have left me.’
Johnny looked at Ethan, surprise in his eyes. ‘You were OK, weren’t you? You’re alive!’
‘Not the point,’ said Ethan. ‘We work as a team, remember? This isn’t the goddamn Johnny Show.’
Johnny nodded. ‘Point taken. So what were you doing on top of the cliff?’
‘The x-rays came after you went,’ said Ethan. ‘I had to climb over them to reach you.’
‘So they’re still down there now?’
Ethan nodded.
Johnny looked thoughtful. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘You’ve seen them. You’ve got a better idea of the situation than I have. What are our options?’
‘They’re armed,’ said Ethan, the images as clear as day in his mind, ‘so we don’t want to take them on. I think we need a diversion – something to draw them away so that we can get down to the beach.’
‘Like what?’ asked Johnny.
As if in answer to his question, an explosion ripped through the air, lighting up the night around them as flames and shockwaves blasted across the island.
‘That’ll do,’ said Ethan, and he could feel himself smiling.
30
A second shockwave hit them as another explosion followed the first. Ethan had never heard anything like it in his life. He could smell burning in the air, his ears were ringing, and he could feel his teeth tingling, as if the shockwaves were jarring every last part of him.
‘What the hell are they using?’ he hissed. ‘Are the explosions supposed to be that big?’
‘Sam wants a diversion, that’s what he gets,’ said Johnny.
Ethan heard the sound of running feet. ‘Down!’ he hissed, and pulled Johnny further into the bush.
The two x-rays shot up from the cliff path, racing towards the explosion.
‘You really have to stop hugging me,’ said Johnny as Ethan let go of him again. ‘I’ve told you before, you’re not my type.’
‘And you’ve really got to start taking this seriously,’ Ethan replied. ‘I can’t be arsed with getting killed tonight.’ He looked around. ‘The path’s clear. Let’s go!’
Without giving Johnny a chance to argue, he bolted from the bush, dragging his friend with him. He gave a quick glance up towards where the explosions had come from. He could hear people running around in panic, screaming at each other.
Another explosion lit up the night, followed by the sound of gunfire.
‘Come on!’