Pirate - Duncan Falconer [15]
The Chinese agent had probably worked out the same scenarios and appeared content to give Stratton time to come to terms with them.
Stratton looked up along the highway that cut between a distant hillside. He looked at the village on the coast. He looked back at the Chinese Secret Service officer with the semi-automatic. Then at Ramlal. There was another option.
‘Right turn coming up,’ he said. ‘Brake hard so they miss it.’
‘Hajur, sab,’ Ramlal said.
The Gurkha saw the turn coming up and waited for the last possible moment. Ramlal slammed on the brakes and the Cruiser pitched and slid towards the bend, all four wheels smoking. Then he released the brakes and took the turn as the first 4×4 shot ahead and the one in rear swerved hard to avoid a collision.
The Cruiser bumped furiously over the edge of the tarmac and down on to a sandy track, and accelerated hard along it.
Stratton looked back and saw the pursuing vehicles manoeuv -ring to follow. He focused ahead. ‘When we get to the village, Hopper and I will jump out with our man,’ he said.
‘You want me to stop?’ Ramlal asked.
‘No. Keep your speed. Maybe slow a little as you pass the first houses,’ Stratton added, having second thoughts.
Stratton looked around at the Saudi who was wide-eyed with everything going on. He saw for the first time that the man was younger than him and somewhat athletic. ‘You want to be a British prisoner or a Chinese one?’ he said.
The Saudi didn’t ponder the question for long.
‘Keep them in pursuit of you for as long as you can,’ Stratton said to Ramlal. ‘If they start to shoot, pull over and show them your empty hands. Don’t fight back. I don’t think they’ll harm you when they discover we’re gone.’
‘We would rather make a run for it into the darkness,’ Ramlal said.
‘We’ll give you lots of time before that,’ Prabhu assured him.
Stratton realised the Gurkhas didn’t want to surrender to anyone, let alone a bunch of Chinese. Too great of an indignity. He regretted asking them. ‘Sorry. You’re right,’ he said. ‘Remember to toss the keys.’
Stratton opened his door slightly as the vehicle bumped heavily along the track. Hopper opened his directly behind Stratton and kept it open with his leg.
‘Past this first house!’ Stratton shouted.
Everyone braced. Hopper took a good hold of Sabarak while Prabhu grabbed him from the other side, giving him a look that stated unequivocally he was going out the door.
‘Stand by!’ Stratton shouted, looking back at their pursuers to gauge the distance. He was pleased to see the dust they were kicking up had obscured the 4×4s completely.
As Ramlal drove at speed past the first house on the edge of the village, Stratton shouted, ‘Go!’, and hurled himself out of the Cruiser.
He landed hard on his feet, which he kept together as if for a parachute landing, spun on to his back and shoulders and rolled several times in the dirt before coming to a dead stop against the wall of the neighbouring house.
The Saudi didn’t fair quite as well. Hopper jumped out holding on to him while Prabhu shoved him with all his strength. More by luck than design, Sabarak ended up directly under Hopper. Every bit of air was forced from the Saudi’s lungs as he hit the ground with the combined weight of Hopper and himself. When he finally came to rest, he remained where he was, unable to move. And had it been up to him, he would have stayed there. But Stratton and Hopper grabbed him under the arms and dragged him away from the track behind the house as the two 4×4s bounced past through the dirt.
Stratton watched the tail lights disappear.
‘What’s the plan from here?’ Hopper asked.
‘I’m working on it,’ Stratton said, scrutinising Sabarak. The guy was sitting up holding his chest and looking like he might go unconscious again.
‘On your feet,’ Stratton said. ‘I’ll make this simple for you. I only have to get you back alive. No one said anything about unbroken. If you make life difficult for us, Hopper here will break your