‘We have a deal, then,’ said Mahsoud. ‘So where is the new location?’

‘It’s a place in Houn,’ said the other. ‘Down in the Fezzan, at Al Jufra. Two hundred kilometres, maybe three. Half a day.’

Chapter 85.

85.

JOHN CARR AND his team had made excellent time, averaging forty klicks an hour – mostly on ancient camel-train tracks, but on metalled roads when Carr thought it safe.

He’d weighed the risk of compromise against the need to get to their lying-up point and get heads down.

‘We’re just two pickups,’ he’d told Kev McMullen, when the latter had queried him. ‘It’s dark, and we’re miles from habitation. If we see anyone up ahead, we’ll just go off-road.’

As a result, they reached the LUP at a little after 03:00hrs, just as Zeff Mahsoud and the one-eyed man were wrapping up their conversation.

They’d found a long, deep wadi, with a re-entrant that curved round to the left, and into which McMullen and Fred West had reversed their wagons – allowing for the quickest possible exit should it be necessary.

Carr had scrambled back up the scree and was scanning the area with his night-sight as Geordie Skelton arrived at his side.

‘What d’you reckon, John?’ whispered the big northerner.

‘About as good as we’re going to find,’ said Carr.

A moment later, the other two men joined them, weapons in hand.

The night air was still, and for a moment all they heard was the ticking of two cooling engines below them, and the scuttering of some small creature nearby.

‘Okay, guys, listen in,’ said Carr, quietly. ‘Situation is we don’t know if the target is still in the Sirte area, or if they’ve moved somewhere. Hopefully we’ll find out soon enough, but until we do this is home. Clear?’

Three nods.

‘Normal routine. One on stag, one awake by the vehicles sorting out his admin – scoff, weapons, usual shit. The other two sleeping, and we rotate through every hour. Agreed?’

Three thumbs-up.

‘Geordie, you’re on stag first. I’ll send the SITREP, and see about any update. Kev, Fred – fuel up the vehicles, get some scoff and a brew down you, and then get your heads down. And well done, the pair of you. That was a long drive – you must be fucked.’

‘Nah, I’m raring to go,’ said McMullen.

West chuckled at the sarcasm.

‘We’ve got plenty of time, we’ll all get plenty of kip,’ said Carr. ‘Last light is 20:00hrs, so tomorrow we’ll all stand-to at 18:00 hours for a last bit of scoff and a brief, in case Six have pulled their fingers out and got us some targeting intelligence. Any questions?’

Three shakes of the head.

‘Crack on, then.’