that?' Alex's blue eyes were steely. 'What do we do all this training for?'
'These guys are like terrorists,' said Paulo. 'I think the war's getting dirtier.'
The other boys in the pool watched Amber for a while, shouting encouragement and hoping she would notice and let them join in the game. But she was intent on racing Hex until he ran out of puff. In the water, her ankle didn't hurt much and she was enjoying every moment of the race. Hex accepted the challenge gleefully and showed no signs of flagging. The two of them powered up and down the pool like torpedoes.
Finally the three boys got out of the pool and walked over to Alex and Paulo. The blond one held out his hand. 'I'm Ralph, this is my cousin Toby' - he indicated the black-haired youth who had been trying to chat up Amber. 'And this is his brother Ben.'
Paulo thought Alex looked as though he wished they'd go away again, but he felt there was no harm in being friendly. He introduced himself.
'So, what are you doing here?' said Ben, sitting down on the sun lounger. 'You here for the game?'
'You could say that,' said Alex, a little curtly.
'We've been on loads of holidays together,' said Ben. 'Our dads shoot together and we've been shooting since we were small. Last summer we went to the Rockies. We were hunting deer and we took a pop at a bear.'
'That was me,' grinned Toby.
Paulo was shocked. 'You shot at a bear? Why? Was it going to hurt you?'
Toby shrugged. 'If it's there, you've gotta shoot it. Law of the jungle and all that.'
Alex looked at their eager faces as they boasted about their brush with danger in the wild. He was perfectly willing to shoot an animal if it was a question of his survival, but to kill it for fun was simply offensive.
Ralph didn't notice Alex's expression. 'I shot a stag in the Black Forest,' he said. 'It was huge.'
'That must have been difficult,' said Paulo, though like Alex he wasn't impressed. 'It's almost impossible to creep up on deer.'
'We had a telescopic sight, of course. Leupold Vari-X Three tactical scope. That's on my dad's gun. He's got a Blaser Lapua tactical rifle. Have you seen them? They're cool. They look really futuristic, all points and curves like my mum's Philippe Starck chairs.'
Alex's mind boggled at the whole idea of designer rifles. 'Er, no, I don't know them,' he said.
'Does your dad shoot, Alex?' asked Toby.
Alex caught Paulo's eye. A smile played across his lips. 'From time to time,' he replied.
'Oh, cool,' said Ralph. He obviously thought he had found even more evidence that Alex was a kindred spirit. 'What's his favourite gun?'
Alex savoured the moment. 'Nine-millimetre Heckler and Koch MP Five.' It was the submachine gun used by all the world's anti-terrorist units, famous for its reliability and precision engineering. Now he'd see whether these boys really knew their guns. Paulo was hiding his face in his hands, digging his nails into his cheeks to stop himself laughing out loud. Alex sat straight-faced, waiting to see if Ralph twigged what it meant if that was your favourite gun.
Ralph didn't. Instead he stood up. 'Hey, guys,' he said to Ben and Toby, 'let's show them something.' He looked at Alex and Paulo. 'Come with us.'
Alex stood up, bemused. Paulo followed.
Ralph led the group into the lodge, through the hall and out to the armoury. It was a large, window-less room lined with tall, locked glass cabinets. Paulo peered into the first cabinet. It held tranquillizer guns, standing upright on their stocks, each secured with fine chain and small padlock. The outside of each cabinet was secured with a more sturdy padlock.
Patrick came in carrying an AK-47, which he took to a long wooden bench in the centre of the room. 'Hi, Patrick,' said Paulo.
Patrick nodded in acknowledgement.
Alex watched, fascinated, as he began to strip it down and clean it. The AK-47 was a gun for serious battles, light years away from the luxury toys used by trophy hunters. Alex noticed that Ralph, Ben and Toby did not acknowledge
'These guys are like terrorists,' said Paulo. 'I think the war's getting dirtier.'
The other boys in the pool watched Amber for a while, shouting encouragement and hoping she would notice and let them join in the game. But she was intent on racing Hex until he ran out of puff. In the water, her ankle didn't hurt much and she was enjoying every moment of the race. Hex accepted the challenge gleefully and showed no signs of flagging. The two of them powered up and down the pool like torpedoes.
Finally the three boys got out of the pool and walked over to Alex and Paulo. The blond one held out his hand. 'I'm Ralph, this is my cousin Toby' - he indicated the black-haired youth who had been trying to chat up Amber. 'And this is his brother Ben.'
Paulo thought Alex looked as though he wished they'd go away again, but he felt there was no harm in being friendly. He introduced himself.
'So, what are you doing here?' said Ben, sitting down on the sun lounger. 'You here for the game?'
'You could say that,' said Alex, a little curtly.
'We've been on loads of holidays together,' said Ben. 'Our dads shoot together and we've been shooting since we were small. Last summer we went to the Rockies. We were hunting deer and we took a pop at a bear.'
'That was me,' grinned Toby.
Paulo was shocked. 'You shot at a bear? Why? Was it going to hurt you?'
Toby shrugged. 'If it's there, you've gotta shoot it. Law of the jungle and all that.'
Alex looked at their eager faces as they boasted about their brush with danger in the wild. He was perfectly willing to shoot an animal if it was a question of his survival, but to kill it for fun was simply offensive.
Ralph didn't notice Alex's expression. 'I shot a stag in the Black Forest,' he said. 'It was huge.'
'That must have been difficult,' said Paulo, though like Alex he wasn't impressed. 'It's almost impossible to creep up on deer.'
'We had a telescopic sight, of course. Leupold Vari-X Three tactical scope. That's on my dad's gun. He's got a Blaser Lapua tactical rifle. Have you seen them? They're cool. They look really futuristic, all points and curves like my mum's Philippe Starck chairs.'
Alex's mind boggled at the whole idea of designer rifles. 'Er, no, I don't know them,' he said.
'Does your dad shoot, Alex?' asked Toby.
Alex caught Paulo's eye. A smile played across his lips. 'From time to time,' he replied.
'Oh, cool,' said Ralph. He obviously thought he had found even more evidence that Alex was a kindred spirit. 'What's his favourite gun?'
Alex savoured the moment. 'Nine-millimetre Heckler and Koch MP Five.' It was the submachine gun used by all the world's anti-terrorist units, famous for its reliability and precision engineering. Now he'd see whether these boys really knew their guns. Paulo was hiding his face in his hands, digging his nails into his cheeks to stop himself laughing out loud. Alex sat straight-faced, waiting to see if Ralph twigged what it meant if that was your favourite gun.
Ralph didn't. Instead he stood up. 'Hey, guys,' he said to Ben and Toby, 'let's show them something.' He looked at Alex and Paulo. 'Come with us.'
Alex stood up, bemused. Paulo followed.
Ralph led the group into the lodge, through the hall and out to the armoury. It was a large, window-less room lined with tall, locked glass cabinets. Paulo peered into the first cabinet. It held tranquillizer guns, standing upright on their stocks, each secured with fine chain and small padlock. The outside of each cabinet was secured with a more sturdy padlock.
Patrick came in carrying an AK-47, which he took to a long wooden bench in the centre of the room. 'Hi, Patrick,' said Paulo.
Patrick nodded in acknowledgement.
Alex watched, fascinated, as he began to strip it down and clean it. The AK-47 was a gun for serious battles, light years away from the luxury toys used by trophy hunters. Alex noticed that Ralph, Ben and Toby did not acknowledge
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