Midnight Runner - Jack Higgins [27]
"And Beirut?" Dillon put in.
"Of course Beirut."
"The Children's Trust, which is a front for Hezbollah," Ferguson told her.
She sighed. "Prove it, General. Again, prove it. Everything my Trust does is aboveboard."
"What about your trip to Hazar tomorrow? Is that aboveboard, too?"
She shook her head. "Enough. General, as you well know, Rashid Investments derives most of its billions from oil in Southern Arabia, the Empty Quarter, and Hazar. I go there all the time. I'm weary of this, Rupert, and suddenly I seem to have lost my appetite. Let's go." She stood up. "Thanks for the hospitality, gentlemen. But I warn you, stay out of my affairs, or you'll regret it."
"Come on," Billy said, his eyes burning. "Come on and try, any time you want."
"Cool it, Billy," his uncle told him.
"Goodnight." She nodded to Rupert and he followed her out.
At that moment, Fernando and a posse of waiters arrived with the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.
"Well, it looks good to me," Harry said. "So let's eat. I've had enough of that bloody woman for the moment."
O utside, the line had disappeared. Rupert and Kate Rashid drove off, but as they approached the end of the wharf, Rupert said, "Pull in."
Kate said, "What are you up to?"
"I think I'll hang on to watch the fun. I'll catch up with you later." He got out.
"Take care, darling," he said as he closed the door and walked away.
W hen they'd finished eating, Harry Salter ordered brandies all round and told Billy to cheer up. "You've got a face on you like death itself. Don't worry, Billy, we've got her number."
"She's a nutter." Billy tapped his head. "Who knows what she'll do next? I bet even she doesn't bleeding well know."
"I take your point," Dillon told him. "But she does have an agenda and we're part of it."
"I said we'll sort her," his uncle told him. "Trust me."
"I'd listen to him, Billy," Dillon said. "He said the same thing before the two of you sorted the Franconi twins the other year. Rumor has it they're in cement on the North Circular Road."
"Yes, well, that was business," Salter said. "You know what happened there, don't you? They got some IRA explosives expert to stick a bomb under my Jaguar. Lucky for me and Billy, he got the timer wrong and the bleeding car blew up just before we got there." The brandies arrived and he shook his head. "Terrible times we live in, General. Anyway, here's to all of us 'cos we're still here." He swallowed his Hennessy in a single gulp. "Come on, Billy, let's walk them out."
They stepped out the front door and Rupert Dauncey watched from the darkness as they reached Ferguson's car, his chauffeur at the wheel. Suddenly, there was a shrill cry, and five men erupted from between the cars, carrying baseball bats. They were all Chinese, all wearing black silk bomber jackets with the Red Dragon insignia, and the two in front were the two from the queue.
One of then rushed in and swung at Billy, but Billy raised his right foot into the man's crotch. Dillon avoided a similar blow, grabbed for a wrist, and rammed his assailant headfirst into a Volvo. The others pulled back and circled.
The one with the Cockney voice said, "We've got you now, mate. You're going to get yours."
Harry Salter showed not the slightest fear. "Red Dragons? What is this, carnival night in Hong Kong?"
The one Billy had kicked had dropped his baseball bat and Billy picked it up. "Come on, let's be having you."
The leader said, "He's mine," moved in close and swung. Billy fended off the blow, let him get close, tripped him, and put a foot on his chest. The others started forward and Dillon took out his Walther and fired in the air.
"This is getting boring. Get your arses out of here, and leave the bats behind." There was dismay on their faces, and yet hesitation, so he fired at the second man who'd been in the queue, shooting off the lobe of his left ear. The man screamed and dropped