Contents ( 84)
- 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
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- Acknowledgements
It was Dempsey who covered the rear of their three-man procession. Still injured, he carried just his Glock 19 in his good right hand, with another secreted inside his utility jacket alongside six full clips of ammunition and the two pilot knives he had brought with him from Manhattan.
They moved further into the village, away from the road and up a shallow incline that led to the second, third and finally the fourth rows of houses that made up this side of the village.
Shah strode forward with confidence. He knew where he was going, and he seemed unconcerned who might see them as they made his way.
It was a lack of concern which was not shared by Dempsey and Grace.
Shah took a left turn as he reached the mid-point in the row of buildings. A change in direction that would take them to a fifth row of homes. Larger than the ones they had passed before, although still small by American standards.
Grace had already lost her bearings as Shah hurried them through the maze of streets.
‘Is there a town square in this place?’ Dempsey asked. His voice was whispered, yet it somehow carried in the cold wind. A skill that could only be learned in deployments like this, Grace guessed. ‘Anywhere a little more open?’
‘No town centre in a village of this kind,’ Shah answered. ‘But there is an area where trade takes place. That is as large and open as you will find here.’
‘And where is that, exactly?’
‘It is five hundred yards southeast of here,’ Shah pointed as he spoke, not breaking his stride for a moment. ‘You cannot see due to the other buildings.’
Dempsey followed Shah’s direction and nodded.
Grace threw Dempsey a quizzical look. Why would he need to know that? He offered her no explanation. His attention remained on Shah.
‘Are the streets always this empty?’
‘No, sir,’ Shah replied. ‘Tootkai is not busy like your towns. But it is still alive. Today? Today there is no one. They know danger is coming.’
‘Do you think Blackspear got here before us?’
‘I don’t know. I hope not, but we must hurry.’ The concern on Shah’s face was clear to see. ‘If they are here, we have to reach Aryo Bahnam before them. Before they can silence him forever.’
SEVENTY-SIX
The sight of the makeshift wooden door that marked the entrance of Aryo Bahnam Karzai’s single-storey residence made Dempsey’s heart race.
It was barely a minute since Jangi Shah had revealed his concern about the arrival of Blackspear. A minute which Dempsey, Grace and Shah had spent at full-sprint through the final snow-covered alleyways of Tootkai. Each determined to reach Aryo before anyone else could do so.
The sight of the door – ripped from its rope hinges and trampled underfoot by whoever had reached the house before them – told Dempsey that they were too late.
He raised his pistol and indicated for Grace and Shah to line up behind him, against the front wall of the house. Shah first, Grace last. It was where Dempsey wanted them, ensuring that the woman he knew he could trust had constant sight of the man he hoped he could trust.