Dead Centre - Andy McNab [123]
Awaale unzipped each bag in turn and checked their contents.
‘Nothing’s changed, mate. Check the wrappers – look at where you sliced them with your thumbnail.’
‘It’s all there, Mr Nick. We trust you. It’s all there.’
I let go of the ring-pulls and tucked them inside the bags.
‘OK, mate, now you start heading to Erasto, nice and slow, nice and controlled, and then you get your crews out of here.’
‘No problem, Mr Nick, no problem.’ He lifted the bags and we both turned to go our separate ways.
‘Tracy, BB – nice and slow towards the aircraft, when I say. Tracy, don’t cross in front of the lads. Keep well to the right of them.’
If it went to rat-shit I didn’t want her in the way of their arcs of fire.
I pointed at Lover Man and Genghis. ‘We’re coming towards you.’
Five or six paces from the Cessna I turned to see the back door of Erasto’s technical open and Awaale passing over the bags. The first technical started to roll the moment the door closed again. Bob Marley filled the air once more.
Erasto’s wagon followed, but stopped level with Awaale’s. Erasto wanted to have a good look at the two Georgians. They were still on their arses on the flatbed, bollock naked, backs against the cab. The two crew guarding them laughed and pointed. Erasto’s vehicle moved off.
Mr Lover Man screamed at Joe, ‘The engine, let’s go, let’s go!’ He leant through the cargo-hold door, laid his M4 on the floor and turned to help Tracy.
Tracy ignored him and ran straight for me.
‘Nick, thank you, thank you, thank you.’ As the electrics wound up once more, she threw her arms around my neck and planted kisses all over my face. Her own was one big scabby grin.
‘Nick, thank you, thank you …’ The prop began to turn. Her words were now almost drowned by the engine.
She hugged me tighter, pulling me down so her chin rested on my right shoulder.
Awaale was waiting to exchange contact details and say goodbye but he stood back to let Tracy show her love and appreciation. Maybe he thought it was going to be his turn next. Everybody did love him so.
Her tone changed the instant her lips were at my ear. ‘BB is working with the two Georgians. That plane is theirs, Nick. They want Stefan, but he says he will kill him if I tell you. They want my baby. Please help us … Please …’
The navigation lights strobed under the fuselage. Everything unfolded around me like a series of rapid-sequence still photographs.
The Skyvan’s props were turning.
Stefan’s little legs were a blur as he struggled to get back to his mother.
BB’s eyes were fixed on the Skyvan.
‘Nick, please do something …’
Genghis was looking into the hold of the Cargomaster.
Now BB was moving.
Gripping Stefan tightly in front of him, he ran hard into Genghis’s back, using the boy as a battering ram. Genghis stumbled and fell.
BB grabbed Mr Lover Man’s M4 from the doorway and jammed the short barrel into the back of Stefan’s head. His shouts were almost lost in the prop-wash but their message was clear. ‘Stand still, everybody. No fucker move!’
The boy’s clothing was flattened against BB by the force of the propeller. BB moved out of its way.
The M4 barrel was firmly jammed into the base of Stefan’s skull.
20
GENGHIS QUICKLY RECOVERED, weapon back up, but BB kept moving away from the aircraft, making any shot Genghis might take a whole lot harder.
Tracy screamed and lunged towards her son. ‘My baby! My baby!’
I gripped her. I shouted to Genghis above the blast of the turboprop. ‘No fire! Don’t fire!’
He might be able to hit him, but he couldn’t guarantee that BB didn’t have enough pressure on his trigger to take the boy out with him. I had no doubt that he would. BB might be an arsehole, but he knew exactly what he was doing. If he was in a corner and going to die anyway, he wouldn’t give a fuck.
If I screwed this up and the boy got killed, Frank’s lads weren’t going to give a fuck about us – or anyone else they opened up on as they made their exit.
Mr Lover Man jumped out and