Sim rolled her eyes. ‘Batter the door in. It’s a classic for a reason.’

‘Or we could go for something less dramatic and just ring the bell.’

She wobbled the plastic pipe at him. ‘Or maybe we try the handle first? ’ It took a couple of goes, but eventually she got one end wedged over the doorknob then twisted.

Click, and the door swung open an inch.

Sim smiled. ‘See, boys, that’s the way the professionals do it.’ She pushed on the pipe. ‘Never send a man to do a—’

A loud boom tore through the wooden door, splinters ripping through the air like shrapnel. Sim flew backwards, arms and legs out in front of her, then slammed into the weed-flecked grass of the back garden and lay there, twitching.

Chapter 48

48

A ball of smoke coiled up into the drizzle as Logan and Rennie dived to the ground. Then a moment of silence, broken only by Sim groaning.

The door lay half-open. A shotgun was fixed to the back, mounted in a makeshift metal frame, both barrels sawn off down to the wooden grip. Barking exploded from somewhere down the gloomy corridor. Then the scrabble of claws on tile and a gigantic Alsatian burst into view, going so fast it skidded into the wood cladding on its way around the corner. Big red mouth snapping around a million glittering teeth as it charged down the hallway at them.

‘Gah!’ Rennie lunged forward, grabbed the end of the blue pipe and hauled the door closed again.

THUD – the Alsatian slammed into the back of the door, barking and growling.

Logan scurried over to Sim, through the wet grass.

She lay on her back, both arms curled up and in, clawed hands covering her face.

He pulled them apart. . . Blood trickled down her left cheek, more from her forehead. Little slivers of wood stuck out of her skin like quills.

‘Are you OK? ’

‘Oh . . . poop!’

Logan helped her to sit up while the dog hurled itself against the door.

So much for the element of surprise.

The front of her stab-proof vest was a mess – the Kevlar torn and peppered with splinters. Logan undid the straps and hauled it off her.

The black T-shirt underneath was soaked with sweat, but other than that, she was fine. He sat back on his heels. ‘You lucky sod.’

‘Ow. . .’ She stuck a hand in the middle of her chest and pushed. ‘Like being kicked by a cow. . .’

‘Door must’ve taken most of the blast.’

‘Jeepers. . .’

Rennie peered in through the hole in the door, then ducked back as the dog lunged, teeth snapping, at the gap. ‘Aaagh! Good doggy, nice doggy.’

‘Can you stand? ’ Logan pulled her to her feet.

‘Ow. . .’

The whole bloody thing was a disaster.

‘Will you shut that dog up? ’

Rennie flattened himself along the side of the door. ‘If you’ve got any good ideas. . .’

Sim grimaced, levering herself upright. Then stuck out her hand. ‘Pepper-spray.’