of Petty Officer Stephanie Wright. We suspect Hands may have acted as the go-between. The
Lizard
’s next port of call is Gibraltar, from where Bald will unload the cocaine and, presumably, sell it on—’
‘To the next link in the chain.’
‘Exactly. You see, Mr Gardner, why we don’t want to pull the plug on Bald’s grand plan just yet?’
Gardner stared out of the window. The bar’s speakers gurgled Latin jazz. Hundreds of other voices in the background seemed to rise in volume, until they swelled inside his ear, as if he was standing next to a turbine engine.
‘Where do I come into all of this?’
‘Now we’re getting to the nitty-gritty.’ Land licked his fingers. ‘We want you to follow Bald to Gibraltar. Once the exchange has been made with Wright, your orders are to take Bald by force. We need him alive. He knows the various links in the chain, and we’ll have to break him to stand any chance of destroying the ring.’
Gardner thought about what Land said.
‘You faked my death because otherwise John would think his deal had been compromised?’
‘Just so. As for his accomplices, the BOPE captain is dead and Mr Hands is currently lying in a coma at the Copa d’Or hospital around the corner. At taxpayers’ expense. I’m led to believe he has a nice view of the sea – if he ever wakes up.’
The waiter reappeared and cleared away the plates of half-eaten tapas. He gestured to the drained bottle of Antarctica.
Another?
Gardner shook his head and asked for a glass of water.
‘I understand what you get out of busting the ring, but what’s in it for me?’
Land wiped his lips with his napkin, and Gardner could have sworn he was hiding a smile beneath it. ‘Spoken like a true opportunist. God, we train you chaps well, don’t we? Name your price, Mr Gardner. I have mine, you no doubt have yours, and I’m sure we can meet somewhere in the middle.’
‘I’m not interested in money.’
Land frowned. ‘What, then?’
‘I want a way back in.’
‘To the Regiment?’
Gardner nodded.
‘I’m afraid that’s quite impossible. We carry a lot of clout around Whitehall, as you know, but breaking the rules on entry to the world’s most elite unit is not in our gift. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a problem, but that hand of yours, well—’ He shrugged the rest of the excuse.
‘Sorry, mate. It’s the Regiment or nothing.’
Land was quiet for a moment, eyes drifting over his wine glass.
‘Possibly we could arrange something else. Not on the frontline. I mean as a grey man. Working in the shadows. Eliminating national security threats in countries under the radar. Strictly deniable, of course. You’d officially be in Regiment colours and rank, but answerable to the Firm. If I could wangle that, do we have a deal?’
A year on the sidelines had hardened Gardner, made him more cynical about the world and its workings. But fuck, the offer was tempting. A voice scratching at the base of his skull told him that he’d trusted the Firm before – and had got his fingers burned. Land’s proposal sounded too good to be true.
‘I’ve skimmed your file,’ Land went on. ‘Being a Blade, it’s all you’ve ever known. I’m offering you a way back into the magic circle.’
‘And if I say no?’
‘Then you’ll leave me with no option but to green-light your immediate termination. I speak of no idle threat. At this very moment dozens of agents are in Rio. Indeed, eight of them are based in this very hotel. As I said to you before, Bald cannot afford to think his plan has been put in jeopardy. Letting you walk away scot-free is not an option.’
Gardner hated to admit it, but Land had him by the bollocks. Even if he did evade the Firm in Rio, where would he go? They’d put the squeeze on him. With their vast resources and without a passport or access to funds, they’d slot him sooner or later.
Besides, he missed life in the Regiment. The camaraderie and sense of purpose. Adjusting to
Lizard
’s next port of call is Gibraltar, from where Bald will unload the cocaine and, presumably, sell it on—’
‘To the next link in the chain.’
‘Exactly. You see, Mr Gardner, why we don’t want to pull the plug on Bald’s grand plan just yet?’
Gardner stared out of the window. The bar’s speakers gurgled Latin jazz. Hundreds of other voices in the background seemed to rise in volume, until they swelled inside his ear, as if he was standing next to a turbine engine.
‘Where do I come into all of this?’
‘Now we’re getting to the nitty-gritty.’ Land licked his fingers. ‘We want you to follow Bald to Gibraltar. Once the exchange has been made with Wright, your orders are to take Bald by force. We need him alive. He knows the various links in the chain, and we’ll have to break him to stand any chance of destroying the ring.’
Gardner thought about what Land said.
‘You faked my death because otherwise John would think his deal had been compromised?’
‘Just so. As for his accomplices, the BOPE captain is dead and Mr Hands is currently lying in a coma at the Copa d’Or hospital around the corner. At taxpayers’ expense. I’m led to believe he has a nice view of the sea – if he ever wakes up.’
The waiter reappeared and cleared away the plates of half-eaten tapas. He gestured to the drained bottle of Antarctica.
Another?
Gardner shook his head and asked for a glass of water.
‘I understand what you get out of busting the ring, but what’s in it for me?’
Land wiped his lips with his napkin, and Gardner could have sworn he was hiding a smile beneath it. ‘Spoken like a true opportunist. God, we train you chaps well, don’t we? Name your price, Mr Gardner. I have mine, you no doubt have yours, and I’m sure we can meet somewhere in the middle.’
‘I’m not interested in money.’
Land frowned. ‘What, then?’
‘I want a way back in.’
‘To the Regiment?’
Gardner nodded.
‘I’m afraid that’s quite impossible. We carry a lot of clout around Whitehall, as you know, but breaking the rules on entry to the world’s most elite unit is not in our gift. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a problem, but that hand of yours, well—’ He shrugged the rest of the excuse.
‘Sorry, mate. It’s the Regiment or nothing.’
Land was quiet for a moment, eyes drifting over his wine glass.
‘Possibly we could arrange something else. Not on the frontline. I mean as a grey man. Working in the shadows. Eliminating national security threats in countries under the radar. Strictly deniable, of course. You’d officially be in Regiment colours and rank, but answerable to the Firm. If I could wangle that, do we have a deal?’
A year on the sidelines had hardened Gardner, made him more cynical about the world and its workings. But fuck, the offer was tempting. A voice scratching at the base of his skull told him that he’d trusted the Firm before – and had got his fingers burned. Land’s proposal sounded too good to be true.
‘I’ve skimmed your file,’ Land went on. ‘Being a Blade, it’s all you’ve ever known. I’m offering you a way back into the magic circle.’
‘And if I say no?’
‘Then you’ll leave me with no option but to green-light your immediate termination. I speak of no idle threat. At this very moment dozens of agents are in Rio. Indeed, eight of them are based in this very hotel. As I said to you before, Bald cannot afford to think his plan has been put in jeopardy. Letting you walk away scot-free is not an option.’
Gardner hated to admit it, but Land had him by the bollocks. Even if he did evade the Firm in Rio, where would he go? They’d put the squeeze on him. With their vast resources and without a passport or access to funds, they’d slot him sooner or later.
Besides, he missed life in the Regiment. The camaraderie and sense of purpose. Adjusting to
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