State of Siege - Tom Clancy [14]
Georgiev and Vandal had been watching as the police helicopter crashed into a block near the river. There was a small, white explosion. A muffled boom reached them a moment later. They began to shut the door.
"An arrogant ass," Barone muttered. "That's what I'm working with. An arrogant, Australian ass!" Before Georgiev and Vandal could finish closing the hatch, Reynold Downer suddenly slapped both hands on the front of Barone's uniform. The Australian grabbed it so tightly that his fingertips sank into the meat of the smaller man's chest. Barone screamed in pain as Downer swung him around and pushed him toward the still-open hatchway. He leaned Barone back so that his head and shoulders were hanging over Paris. "Jesus!" Barone yelled.
"I've had enough of this!" the Australian shouted. "You've been riding me for weeks!"
"Stop it!" Vandal shouted. He ran over to the men. "I spoke my mind is all I did!" Downer said. "I also did my job and took down the bloody damn chopper, so climb off!"
Vandal forced himself between them. "Get away!" he said as he grabbed Barone's arm with his left hand. At the same time, he used his right shoulder to nudge Downer back.
Downer pulled Barone inside, then stepped away willingly. He turned and faced the bags stacked against the other side of the cabin. Behind him, Georgiev quickly shut the door. "Everyone calm down," Vandal said quietly. "We're all excitable right now, but we've accomplished what we set out to do. All that should matter now is finishing the job."
"Finishing it without any more complaints," Barone said. He was shaking with anger and fear.
"Of course," Vandal said calmly.
"It was a bloody observation," Downer said through his teeth. "That's all it was!"
"All right!" Vandal said. He remained between the men and glanced back at Downer. "I would like to remind you, both of you, that in order to complete this part of the mission and move on to the next, we need every member of the team. Now, we all did our jobs here, and did them well. If we take a little extra care in the future, we'll be fine." He looked back at Barone. "Even if anyone heard his voice, I'm confident that we'll be out of the country before anyone can figure out which Australian that accent belongs to."
"Which Australian with commando experience to pull off a job like this," Barone shot back.
"They still won't find us in time," Vandal said. "If they heard him, the police will still have to go to Interpol, which will check with authorities in Canberra. We'll be long gone before they even have a list of possible suspects." Cautiously, he moved from between the men. He looked at his watch. "We'll be landing in ten minutes, and we'll be airborne again before nine o'clock." He forced a smile. "Nothing can stop us now."
Barone was glaring at Downer. He looked away and angrily smoothed the front of his uniform.
Downer took a long breath and then smiled back at Vandal. The Frenchman was right. They did do well. They'd gotten the money they needed to pay for bribes, for the plane, and for the documents they'd need for the next part of the operation. The part that was going to make them wealthy.
The Frenchman relaxed and walked toward the cockpit. Barone turned his back toward Downer and kept it there. Downer sat down on a stack of money bags and ignored Baroneonce more. When the Australian reached the combustion stage, he burned hot but fast. He was cool again, no longer angry at Barone or at himself for having screwed up.
Georgiev locked the door and walked over to the cockpit. He didn't make eye contact with Downer as he walked past. It wasn't an intentional snub, just another habit that came from years spent working for the CIA. Always try to remain anonymous. Vandal was once again in the copilot's seat, monitoring the French police radio communications. Georgiev stood behind him in the open cockpit door. Barone was looking out the window in the sliding cabin door. Downer shut his eyes. He enjoyed the soothing vibration of the floor. He enjoyed the soft bed of money beneath his head. Even the slamming loud