Sad Wind From the Sea - Jack Higgins [55]
They crossed the open space and moved back towards the prison but Hagen said, 'Now what?'
They paused outside the hut and the Russian gazed up at him seriously. 'You've got half an hour,' he said. 'The girl can stay with you. The attractions inside may help her to make up her mind.' He turned and gestured towards the little group in front of the headman's hut. 'I don't need to threaten. If, when I come for you in half an hour, you are not prepared to lead us to your boat, then one of you will have to be next.' A strange expression was in his eyes as he added: 'Believe me, Hagen. I do not want to do it. Don't make me.' He walked away and the two soldiers pushed Hagen and the girl into the hut and closed the door.
Hagen led her into the corner that was farthest away from the two bodies and held her very close as her whole body shook with sobs. After a while she seemed a little better but when she spoke there was still horror in her voice. 'That was unbelievable,' she said. 'It was like something out of a horrible dream.'
He pulled her down into the corner. 'Don't worry,' he said. 'It won't happen to you, I'll see to that.'
'You're going to tell him?' Her voice was very quiet.
He nodded. 'He doesn't make idle threats. He'll carry out his promise.'
She was silent for a while and finally said: 'Mark, why did you deceive me? I trusted you. I really did.'
He shrugged. 'Does it matter now? I needed the money. It was an escape.' He laughed shortly. 'Maybe you won't believe me but you were going to get a fair share. I wasn't going to leave you on the beach.'
She nodded and said sadly: 'Yes, I believe you. I believe you.' Suddenly she cried out sharply and hammered a clenched fist into his shoulder. 'Oh, that damned gold. Why does it change people so? Why does it have to be so important?'
He put an arm around her shoulders. 'It doesn't change people, angel. Just shows them in their true colours.'
She leaned against him and closed her eyes and Hagen stared blindly into space and wondered how he could have been such a fool. I should have listened to Clara, he thought, and a tiny smile tugged at his mouth because he knew that it wasn't so much anger or fear that was annoying him. It was the fact that she knew him for what he was and he admitted to himself that it was important to him to have her good opinion. From somewhere in the region of his back there came a tiny, persistent scraping sound.
For a few moments he did not move and then he quickly placed his mouth to the girl's ear. 'Don't make a sound,' he breathed. He turned and crouched beside the wall and listened and then a tiny hole appeared and a knife blade was inserted and suddenly a large piece of the dried mud flaked away. Hagen peered out into the pale, haggard face of Mason.
For a moment they stared at each other and then Mason whispered, 'Surprise, surprise!' There was a bloodstained piece of rag tied round his head and deep pain in his eyes. 'Bullet only creased me,' he said. 'I was watching that little show of Kossoff's from the reeds. Saw them bring you to this hut.'
Hagen had never been so glad to see anyone in his life before. 'The two monkeys on the door won't bother us for a while,' he said. 'Have you any arms?'
Mason passed the sub-machine-gun through. 'Slightly damp but it should still do the job and I've still got two grenades. Lost the others in the water.' Rose pushed her face against the hole and he grinned and said, 'Hello, baby. Let's have you out of there.'
He and Mason started to pull away large pieces of the mud and wattle wall with their hands. In a few moments the hole was large enough for them to pass through. Rose crawled out and he followed her. They crouched by the side of the hut and Mason motioned them to