Chapters (45)
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Prologue
- 2046
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- About the Author
‘What’s on the other side of the blue light?’ Alpha asks. He lowers the gun and fires into Malcolm’s kneecap. A gloved hand comes over Malcolm’s face, cutting off the scream. The knife in Konrad’s leg twists and saws side to side. ‘What’s on the other side?’
‘FUCK YOU,’ Konrad roars. ‘FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK—’
The hiss of air is lost under his booming voice that cuts off as the bullet goes through his heart. He slumps down as the pistol is put to the back of his head and fired. Malcolm screams under the hand over his mouth. Pain in his guts. Pain in his knee.
‘What’s on the other side?’ Alpha asks.
Malcolm closes his eyes. Konrad is dead but Harry and Safa were both dead and Ben got them back. This is not the end. They will come. He jerks sharply, yanking his mouth free to scream out. The gun fires. He slumps dead.
The assault is coming. She knows that. They are professionals. They move like professionals. They cluster round Konrad and Malcolm like professionals and although she cannot hear the words, she can guess at what is being said. Polite at first, soft and earnest. Threaten death while offering wealth. Play to both fear and greed at the same time.
Now they have blown their cover. They have assaulted two men in a public street. She looks past the cluster of seven men to the junction and spots more operatives. Men and women looking oh-so-casually in every direction except down the back road. She watches as the long truck slides across the mouth of the junction, blocking any passing motorists’ view. She nods in a show of respect. That was very well-timed. Getting a truck through a city to arrive the second you need it is no easy feat. That tells her they are big. They have resources. She knew they were here. She knew they were watching the warehouse. She watches as the operatives go to a side compartment of the truck and start drawing long-barrelled assault weapons. More operatives converge. More men. More women. She flicks back down to the cluster of seven and tuts sadly at the sight of Konrad shot dead and Malcolm squirming to break free. He too is executed. Time to go.
Alpha and his four wait. The truck is in position. Operatives come down to scoop the bodies up and carry them back to the truck. Workmen at both sides of the junction unfold huge screens that are fixed from the building line to the sides of the truck, effectively sealing the back road and shielding it from sight of anyone passing.