Tense seconds passed before the deafening racket of repeated gunshots reverberated off the bare concrete throughout the small space. Nat and Laura had seen a group of five men coming down the stairs and had picked three of them off immediately, leaving two, each armed with sub machine guns and ready to retaliate.
Much to Rob and Cezar’s disappointment, those behind the swing doors did not come rushing out. Damn, they must be hunkering down in a defensive position, Rob thought just as the retaliatory clatter of the automatic gun fire started.
As Nat returned fire, Laura scampered down the stairs. “What’s the status here?”
“No movement,” Rob replied. “I can only assume they’ve gone defensive and are ready for an attack.”
“Blast! We don’t want to attack; that will endanger the captives!”
“We’ve got to do something, though,” Cezar countered urgently. “We don’t have sufficient ammunition to hold out for long!”
“Wait here!”
Laura dashed up the steps once more to brief Nat. They exchanged positions and Nat bounded down the steps in a few easy strides. “Rob, I’ll take your gun,” he said swapping weapons without waiting for a comment.
Picturing the scene that he had viewed not long before through the filthy glass panels in the doors, Nat took a few steps back and nodded to Cezar who crouched, waiting. Nat charged through the doors and immediately rolled. A volley of shots punctured multiple holes in the wooden doors, missing Nat by a mile. As the doors flapped open and closed, Cezar squeezed off shots distracting the defenders as to the direction in which they should retaliate.
Nat rolled multiple times before landing on his feet to run round the corner of the first in a long line of cells. Each cell was a mini cage, set a couple of feet away from its neighbour. On three sides each cell had a low level panel to provide some privacy from the other inmates and Nat used those panels for the cover he needed.
When one defender starting shooting towards Nat, another called for him to stop. Excellent! They don’t want to risk their captives Nat thought as he squirmed along behind the cells amidst the screaming people. Cezar continued to kick the doors open to fire a couple of rounds as a distraction to support Nat.
A further salvo of gunfire suddenly broke out as the two guards on the ground floor tried to rush Laura. They failed. A couple of well-placed shots and both collapsed in a rolling heap on the stairs. She quickly collected the dropped weapons and went to support the others, establishing a defensive position in case others arrived. When will Cezar’s back-up arrive?!
With the additional weapons, Cezar and Rob maintained a barrage of bullets to cover Nat’s next move perfectly. He peered over the panels of the fifth cell down and, at a suitable moment, darted across the corridor between the cells. Then, on his belly, wormed his way back towards the defenders.
Taking a deep breath, Nat squatted on his haunches before leaping into the open. One defender was facing down the corridor looking for him while the other two were facing the doors. Perfect! Nat started shooting, four clean shots and the three men fell. He had taken them by complete surprise. An unexpected noise made Nat drop to the ground and spin round, gun pointed directly out in front of him. He then lowered it again – one of the captives had fainted, collapsing against the bars of her cage.
“All clear in here,” he announced. “I’m coming out.” Nat walked out. “Cezar, you and I will take up defensive positions while Laura and Rob have a look around.”
Ten minutes later, the sounds of a welcomed new and short-lived battle started when Cezar’s colleagues arrived and swept through the building. The next few hours were dull as Laura, Rob, and Nat waited while Cezar helped his colleagues process the many imprisoned people. Their identity papers, which had been confiscated, were found, revealing a variety of nationalities from across Europe and Africa. Everyone was in an ebullient mood – they had broken a huge people-smuggling business.
When Cezar’s boss arrived, she walked over to Laura, Rob and Nat and acknowledged their efforts, “Many thanks for your intervention here, my friends. You have helped crack a despicable activity.”
“You are very welcome,” Laura replied. “We all despise people-smuggling.”
“But this hasn’t helped your own investigations. Both Cezar and your Inspector Gurning have briefed me. Cezar is nearly finished here, so you may continue to Reşiţa – I believe that’s your next destination?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Having exchanged handshakes, they only had to wait a few minutes longer before Cezar joined them, ready to head off. “After this morning, I thought we may need these,” he grinned, opening the large bags he was carrying. They were full of more weapons and ammunition!
28
Late that afternoon Siggerty arrived at a desolate and isolated farmhouse, one that he had bought many years ago. He knew he was taking a risk, but he wanted answers and he wanted to get them personally!
As always when he visited, he drove straight passed the farmhouse and across the mucky yard towards one of the barns where he and his visitors park. A few minutes later he was drinking coffee and chatting to the farmer and his wife. It was a failed working farm, mainly through a combination of ineptitude and laziness. They persisted despite the difficulties of farming because they loved the isolated life. Siggerty provided for the shortfall and the farmer and his wife consequently turned a blind-eye to his activities. Siggerty had met the family many years earlier when bailing out their eldest who had got into a fight with his competitors when trying to deal some home-grown drugs.
Having finished his coffee, Siggerty made his way down to the basement. Breathing in the damp musty smell of the space, which was piled with a range of boxes and crates, he walked over to the far corner, picked up a long wooden pole that was lying there, and poked what looked like a smoke detector on the ceiling. A soft hiss followed, at which point he pushed the brick wall. The entire corner moved inwards to reveal a short, well-lit passage. As soon as he had stepped through, the wall returned to its original position.
Siggerty marched down a passage and into another room. The tiled floor sloped gently towards a central drain with two solidly built wooden chairs bolted to the floor on either side.
Siggerty looked down at the two men strapped to the chairs. “So, what do we have here, other than a couple of losers who thought it would be a good idea to get involved in someone else’s business?!”
He kicked the shins of the man closest to him. “You want a painful or easy death, eh?” Neither man responded.
Turning to his men, Siggerty asked, “Have they said anything at all?”
“Nothing, boss.”
“Okay,” Siggerty said with a deep breath. “Let’s get started.” Taking a coin out of his pocket, he flipped it. “Right, we start with you,” he said pointing to the man on the left. Turning to the other man, he added “You can watch to decide if you want the same.” Siggerty then wheeled a trolley with a variety of medical and other implements to just behind the first chair.
Forty-five minutes later Siggerty stood in a corner, stripped his clothes off and wrapped a towelling robe around himself. “I’m off for a shower,” he announced. “Dispose of the bodies and the scraps, as well as my clothes.” With that, Siggerty left the room and went upstairs to a bedroom where he had a change of clothing.
It was shortly after midnight when Siggerty arrived back at his hideout. Once settled, he composed a text to Demir.
Burak, hi. Useful intel from the interrogations. Some American woman, with a couple of heavies, hired whoever they could to take out my London network and cause trouble in Liverpool. Objective, either to track me down and take me out, or force me to withdraw from London. The woman is merely a front for an unknown face from out east. Your opinion on next steps appreciated. Jim
* * *
That afternoon, Cezar drove Laura, Rob and Nat to Reşiţa. Following the morning’s exertions, Rob had first treated them to lunch at the best restaurant in Giurgiu. Laura and Nat had become familiar with Rob’s largess, thanks to the deal he had struck with Demir when rescuing him from certain death a year earlier. The consequence of the deal had been that Demir’s wealth and legitimate businesses had transferred to Zouches, Rob’s specially formed company, and Demir had been rescued, agreeing to help the authorities to dismantle his vast network of organised crime. For Cezar, on the other hand, this was an amazing and unexpected treat.
Cezar warned them that the journey to Reşiţa would take nearly six hours with the first half being as dull as the journey to Giurgiu – flat, open countryside. Once they had passed through Craiova, however, the landscape changed and became far more interesting, thanks to the rolling hills of the national parks to the south and east of Reşiţa. Conversation was sporadic and reserved; everyone was tired.
Nat had asked to sit in front, complaining of a made-up leg ailment to justify not offering Laura the front seat. That way, he figured, Rob and Laura would be together in the back and he was pleased to note that it didn’t take long before Laura had nestled into Rob’s arms to make herself comfortable and rest.
They arrived early evening as dusk was settling in. Despite the partial gloom, they all wanted a quick drive-by of the facility they had identified. One look and they decided that their task the next day would be simple – the roof had fallen in, as had large sections of the walls to many of the buildings.
“Don’t forget, though,” Nat warned them, “We were equally sceptical of the last place.”
