Exocet - Jack Higgins [75]
* * *
Donner, back in Espinet's office, heard the grenade explosion and then the rattle of small arm fire that followed it. He moved to the window, glass in hand and saw Stavrou running down the slope on the other side of the huts.
Montera said, 'Could something else have gone wrong, do you think?'
Donner turned round, still smiling, but the eyes were cold and very dark. He said, 'You really do presume on my good nature, old sport, don't you?' He took a quick step forward and punched Montera in the face, catching him high on the right cheek, sending him flying backwards out of the chair.
He opened the door and stepped outside as Stavrou ran across the street towards the entrance to the tunnel to the missile pens. Stavrou saw him at once and veered towards him.
'How bad?' Donner demanded.
'Villiers caught us in a ravine up there. Had at least half a dozen men with him.'
'Jarrot and the others?'
'Grenade. I only got out myself by the skin of my teeth. What do we do now?'
Donner appeared to consider the matter, although he had already made his decision, at least as regards his own future. A shambles, no other word for it and one thing was for certain. The presence of Villiers and his men meant that much stronger forces wouldn't be far behind. Last stands were for fools and the Chieftain on the beach at the foot of those cliffs was a much more attractive proposition.
He said to Stavrou, 'Get up to the radio room, Yanni, and contact the captain of the trawler. Don't whatever you do, tell him what the situation is or the bastard will simply turn tail and get the hell out of it. Just tell him my orders are to come ahead at his best possible speed. Once that's sorted out, get the others. I'll meet you down at the harbour.'
'And the Exocets?' Stavrou demanded.
'Yesterday's news. If we get out of this one in one piece we've done well. Off you go!'
Stavrou went out. Montera said, 'You can say I'm a cynic, but I get the impression you've just sold our friend right down the river.'
'He shouldn't have joined.' Donner reached for the bottle of Krug. 'Might as well finish this.'
'There's nowhere to go,' Montera said softly. 'It's over, or hasn't that sunk in yet?'
'There's always somewhere to go, sport, especially when you have a plane on the beach and the pride of the Argentine air force to fly it for you.'
He emptied his glass in one quick swallow and hurled it into the corner to smash against the wall.
* * *
Villiers ordered his men to stay down and moved to the edge of the escarpment, in time to see Stavrou cross to the radio tower, open the door and disappear inside. The entire base was laid before them like a map.
Villiers pointed to the tunnel entrance to the missile pens. 'Presumably you were briefed before this posting,' he said to Sergeant Albray. 'Would that be where the Exocets are?'
'That's right,' Albray said. 'The radio room is at the top of the tower.'
There was another long, low concrete building to the right where two of Donner's men appeared to be standing guard.
'And that?' Villiers demanded.
'As I remember from the plans, that's the fuel store.'
Villiers nodded. 'They've probably got most of the personnel on the base imprisoned in there.'
'No sign of the trawler,' Albray remarked, looking down towards the harbour.
'Probably on her way in right now. Even if Donner thinks things have gone badly wrong, he won't want to be left stranded. On the other hand, he might decide to go all Russian on us and sacrifice himself for the sake of the dear old motherland. Order that trawler to get the hell out of it, which would be a pity. Nice to think it's going to end up in the bag with everybody else.'
'So what do we do?' Albray asked.
'We'll tackle the tower, you and I. Probably there's only the creep who just went in, Stavrou, and a radio operator up there.' He turned to the rest of the soldiers. 'Give Sergeant Albray and me five minutes, then move in and move in hard. Take out those two guards at the fuel store, then block the mouth of that tunnel.