He
handed the mobile back to Danny.
'You going?'
'Dunno. What d'you reckon?'
'I'm not your dad, Danny. You don't need to ask
my permission. But if you are thinking of going, you
should talk to Fergus – and not because he's your
granddad, but because he's your boss. The blonde
bombshell's not just some good-looking bird, she's
a target.'
Danny nodded. Sometimes the fact that Fergus
was his grandfather as well as his boss made him
uncomfortable when he was with Lee and Phil. It
was a bit like a football manager playing his own
son in a team; other people might not be convinced
he was really there on merit.
But Fergus made a point of never showing Danny
any special favours; if anything, he was even
tougher on him, but Danny had never been certain
how Lee and Phil felt about it.
'Are you OK with the granddad thing? Him and
me working together on this, I mean?' he asked Lee.
Lee smiled. 'Listen, Danny. Dudley wouldn't
have wanted you if he didn't think you had a part
to play. And from what I've seen of Fergus, he
wouldn't have agreed to you being in unless you
could do a job. That's good enough for me.'
'What about Phil – what does he think?'
'Phil keeps himself to himself, like Fergus, but if
he wasn't happy about it all, he'd let Fergus know
soon enough. Some day his life could depend on
you.' He looked at Danny closely. 'And so could
mine.'
Danny finished his pizza, thinking about what
Lee had said. He pushed away his plate. He wanted
to see Storm away from the office again. He'd enjoyed
being with her in the coffee shop; for a short while
he'd let himself relax and be normal for once. They
got on well and Danny liked the way Storm seemed
to be so impressed by the action-packed life she
assumed he lived.
He brought himself back to the present. 'Well, I
suppose I'll have to go clubbing then. All in the line
of duty, of course.'
'Just make sure it is.' Lee laughed through a
mouthful of pizza. 'And call your—'
But Danny was already punching in the number
on his mobile. He told his grandfather about
Storm's text.
'I didn't learn much this morning. She may not
know a lot but I reckon it would be a good idea if I
met her, don't you?' he asked him.
Fergus couldn't hold back his laugh. 'I'm sure it
would. Seems you do have some charm after all.
But you're working, Danny, remember that. We
need to find that DMP. Keep focused. Tell Lee I
want him to back you – you might well meet people
who are worth following. We've got to make the
most of these opportunities when they come up.'
'Right.'
'And before you meet Storm, give Phil a call. Make
sure he knows what's going on. And be careful.'
'Right,' said Danny again. He hung up, thinking
that his date with Storm had already turned into
much more than a date. Quickly he passed on his
grandfather's orders.
'Yeah, thought as much,' said Lee, wiping pizza
crumbs from his mouth. 'Why is it that you always
get the girl and I get the surveillance?'
Danny grinned. 'Must be my good looks.'
'Something like that.' Lee smiled, then took out
some cash and beckoned to a waiter. 'Call Storm,
tell her you're up for it. And then you'd better
smarten yourself up. Don't want to disappoint the
lady, do you?'
Phil was sitting at a small table in the bar of the
Malmaison Hotel, holding his mobile to his ear. He
couldn't help smiling to himself as he listened to
Danny telling him the score.
'So you did make sure you flossed, eh?'
'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'
Danny closed down and Phil put his mobile away.
At the tables all around him, people were chatting
and laughing as wall speakers pushed out soft
lounge-lizard music. Phil thought back to the bars
in what was left of the best hotels in Baghdad,
where the background music had been a cacophony
of helicopters whirring overhead, machine-gun fire
and exploding shells, some of them close enough to
make the building shudder.
Phil checked his watch: it was nearly 11.20. He
glanced up and saw Teddy coming down the
carpeted, sloping entrance to the
handed the mobile back to Danny.
'You going?'
'Dunno. What d'you reckon?'
'I'm not your dad, Danny. You don't need to ask
my permission. But if you are thinking of going, you
should talk to Fergus – and not because he's your
granddad, but because he's your boss. The blonde
bombshell's not just some good-looking bird, she's
a target.'
Danny nodded. Sometimes the fact that Fergus
was his grandfather as well as his boss made him
uncomfortable when he was with Lee and Phil. It
was a bit like a football manager playing his own
son in a team; other people might not be convinced
he was really there on merit.
But Fergus made a point of never showing Danny
any special favours; if anything, he was even
tougher on him, but Danny had never been certain
how Lee and Phil felt about it.
'Are you OK with the granddad thing? Him and
me working together on this, I mean?' he asked Lee.
Lee smiled. 'Listen, Danny. Dudley wouldn't
have wanted you if he didn't think you had a part
to play. And from what I've seen of Fergus, he
wouldn't have agreed to you being in unless you
could do a job. That's good enough for me.'
'What about Phil – what does he think?'
'Phil keeps himself to himself, like Fergus, but if
he wasn't happy about it all, he'd let Fergus know
soon enough. Some day his life could depend on
you.' He looked at Danny closely. 'And so could
mine.'
Danny finished his pizza, thinking about what
Lee had said. He pushed away his plate. He wanted
to see Storm away from the office again. He'd enjoyed
being with her in the coffee shop; for a short while
he'd let himself relax and be normal for once. They
got on well and Danny liked the way Storm seemed
to be so impressed by the action-packed life she
assumed he lived.
He brought himself back to the present. 'Well, I
suppose I'll have to go clubbing then. All in the line
of duty, of course.'
'Just make sure it is.' Lee laughed through a
mouthful of pizza. 'And call your—'
But Danny was already punching in the number
on his mobile. He told his grandfather about
Storm's text.
'I didn't learn much this morning. She may not
know a lot but I reckon it would be a good idea if I
met her, don't you?' he asked him.
Fergus couldn't hold back his laugh. 'I'm sure it
would. Seems you do have some charm after all.
But you're working, Danny, remember that. We
need to find that DMP. Keep focused. Tell Lee I
want him to back you – you might well meet people
who are worth following. We've got to make the
most of these opportunities when they come up.'
'Right.'
'And before you meet Storm, give Phil a call. Make
sure he knows what's going on. And be careful.'
'Right,' said Danny again. He hung up, thinking
that his date with Storm had already turned into
much more than a date. Quickly he passed on his
grandfather's orders.
'Yeah, thought as much,' said Lee, wiping pizza
crumbs from his mouth. 'Why is it that you always
get the girl and I get the surveillance?'
Danny grinned. 'Must be my good looks.'
'Something like that.' Lee smiled, then took out
some cash and beckoned to a waiter. 'Call Storm,
tell her you're up for it. And then you'd better
smarten yourself up. Don't want to disappoint the
lady, do you?'
Phil was sitting at a small table in the bar of the
Malmaison Hotel, holding his mobile to his ear. He
couldn't help smiling to himself as he listened to
Danny telling him the score.
'So you did make sure you flossed, eh?'
'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'
Danny closed down and Phil put his mobile away.
At the tables all around him, people were chatting
and laughing as wall speakers pushed out soft
lounge-lizard music. Phil thought back to the bars
in what was left of the best hotels in Baghdad,
where the background music had been a cacophony
of helicopters whirring overhead, machine-gun fire
and exploding shells, some of them close enough to
make the building shudder.
Phil checked his watch: it was nearly 11.20. He
glanced up and saw Teddy coming down the
carpeted, sloping entrance to the
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