Exocet - Jack Higgins [71]
Wanda was cold and very hungry. She moved to the corner of the loft, raised the trapdoor and descended a flight of wooden steps. She found herself in the stables Roux's men had used as their quarters. There were sleeping bags in the stalls and various items of equipment laid out on a trestle table, including an assortment of weapons.
She opened the door and looked outside. It was still raining and she tiptoed cautiously across the cobbles towards the kitchen door. Gabrielle, who had been peering out through the cellar window, saw her coming.
'Wanda!' she whispered urgently. 'Over here.'
Villiers was on his feet in a second. 'What is it?'
Wanda hesitated, then crossed to the wall and crouched down at the window. 'They've all gone except Rabier, the pilot.'
'I know,' Gabrielle said. 'Come down and let us out as fast as you can.'
Wanda nodded. 'I'll try,' she said. 'But Rabier's on guard.' She stood up and hurried to the back door, opened it cautiously and started along the passage, pausing at the kitchen door which stood ajar. Rabier stood at the table opening a fresh bottle of Cognac. Wanda tiptoed past him and opened the door into the hall. It creaked slightly in spite of the care with which she closed it and in the kitchen, Rabier paused in the act of pouring Cognac into a glass and listened, a slight frown on his face, head cocked to one side. He went out into the passage, still holding the bottle of Cognac.
Wanda paused in the hall for a moment. The house was silent. She crossed to the door leading to the cellar steps, opened it and went down. At the bottom, she felt for the light switch and whispered, 'Gabrielle, where are you?'
'Here, Wanda! Here!' Gabrielle called.
Wanda hesitated at the cellar door, peering in through the bars, aware of Gabrielle inside, Villiers at her shoulder. There was a great rusting bolt at the top of the door which pulled back without too much difficulty, but the other bolt at the bottom of the door was a different proposition. She got on her knees, tugging at it with both hands. Suddenly there was a movement behind her, a hand fastened in her hair, pulling her head back painfully, dragging her to her feet. She twisted round to find Rabier smiling at her.
'Naughty,' he said. 'Very naughty. I can see I'm going to have to take you in hand.'
He was very drunk and thrust the neck of the Cognac bottle into her mouth. It jarred painfully against her teeth and she choked as the fiery liquid poured down her throat. He laughed again, not pleasantly, eyes fixed, an ugly look on his face, and put the bottle on a shelf beside them.
'And now,' he said, 'I'll teach you how to do as you're told.' He forced his mouth on hers, holding her against the wall, one hand still fastened in her hair, the other pawing at her breasts.
Gabrielle cried out in anger and then Villiers pulled her to one side, reached through the bars with one hand and got Rabier by the hair, yanking him back against the door with considerable force.
'The bottle, Wanda!' he ordered. 'The bottle.'
For Wanda now, Rabier was every man who had ever used her, the anger, the humiliation of the years welling up in a killing rage. She grabbed the Cognac bottle by the neck and clubbed Rabier across the side of the head. He cried out, staggering back and she hit him again, sending him to his knees. She kicked him out of the way and the rage in her was still so strong that this time when she reached for the bolt, it opened with no difficulty and Gabrieile and Villiers moved out to join her.
* * *
When the phone rang, Ferguson was just out of the shower. He listened to what Villiers had to say and then said, 'Right, Tony. You stay where you are. Let the French handle it now. Good work.'
He slammed down the phone and ran into the sitting room, clutching the towel around him.
'Harry, where the devil are you?'
Fox appeared from the study. 'You wanted me, sir?'
'Tony's cracked it. Now all we need is some fast action from the French. Get Colonel Guyon in Paris for me now. Top priority. Most urgent.'
He