He leaned over her, raising his hand as though to slap her across the face, and said something to her in a foreign tongue that she didn’t understand.

But she understood his message, and was silent.

Chapter 89.

89.

ALL BANTER HAD ceased in both vehicles now.

No-one gave the order; it didn’t need giving.

Fifty klicks from Houn, an hour after dark, Carr had pulled them over for a final brew and to get kitted up.

Few words were spoken as they stood in the evening humidity to put on their body armour and equipment carriers. As they climbed back into the vehicles, they pushed their seats all the way back to give them as much room as possible. It was still tight – the Hiluxes were not designed for this – but they barely noticed the discomfort.

They were almost within touching distance of the enemy, and they had to be ready for anything.

They moved closer to Houn, travelling more slowly now, and very alert.

At just before 23:00hrs, they reached the metalled Houn-Misrata highway, and went firm in a slight dip a hundred metres shy of it, lights and engines off.

Carr got out of his vehicle, and scanned north and south with his night-sight.

The road was long and straight, and the terrain flat, so he could see for miles in either direction.

It was all quiet.

After ten minutes, when not a single vehicle had passed, he got back into his seat and turned to McMullen.

‘Crack on, Kev,’ he said.

McMullen nodded, started the engine, and drove slowly onto the tarmac, turning south, and picking up speed, driving with lights off.

Five or six kilometres out from Houn, the road undulated slightly as it dropped into a large wadi, and as they climbed out on the other side they entered an area thick with vegetation, which suddenly sprouted out of the otherwise arid earth on either side.

And there, on the right, fifty metres ahead and backed into the undergrowth, was a vehicle.

Several men stood alongside it, well-positioned to catch anyone coming unawares out of the climb.

As long as they were alert.

Luckily for Carr and his team, the men had relaxed, with the road empty, and were clearly not expecting any traffic. And while they must have heard the two vehicles coming at speed, they had been thrown by the fact that they were unlit.

As his Hilux drew level, Carr could see the men – three of them, all armed – reacting, heads swivelling, weapons being raised.

He keyed his pressel.

‘Geordie,’ he said. ‘Company on the right, mate.’

Next to him, Kev McMullen reacted instantly himself, gunning the accelerator.

The pickup surged forwards, picking up more speed, and they were through and beyond the group in the trees, and charging onwards.

Behind them, Fred West was also stamping on the pedal, as the first flashes from the weapons lit up the night to his right.