Meltdown bs-4 Read online

  Dudley threw down the paper, imagining the redhot phone lines between Downing Street and the major European capitals, and the questions that would be asked in the House later that day.

  It was a disaster, and there was only one way out. The Meltdown operation had to be successfully concluded within days. Then the government and his own department could put a positive spin on their secrecy claiming that the information had been withheld in the public interest and that, as a result, an international crisis had been averted.

  It would be the perfect solution, but with so many strands needing to be wound up at virtually the same moment, timing would be crucial. They still needed to discover the whereabouts of the DMP, and now a completely new element had been thrown into the melting pot.

  The entry buzzer sounded and Dudley heard one of the minders going to open the door.

  He sighed; he was not looking forward to the next few minutes. He glanced down at the newspaper again and his eyes slid across to the array of blownup black and white photographs lying beside it. Photographs of the big Bosnian, the twins – and Fergus Watts.

  Dudley had summoned Fergus to an urgent meeting. He didn't give the reasons on the phone; he couldn't. He just told him that there was a 'highly significant development' which needed discussion. When Fergus came in, his eyes were immediately drawn to the photographs on the table.

  Without even greeting Dudley, he shouted, 'You had me photographed!'

  He picked up one of the photos and almost shoved it into Dudley's face. 'Someone's been covering me without you even telling me! What the hell are you playing at?'

  Dudley shook his head. 'Sit down, Mr Watts. Please? And try to stay calm.'

  'Calm?' Fergus threw the photo back onto the table. 'I'm meant to be running this operation and you-'

  Dudley raised both hands. He looked pained.

  'Please take a seat,' he said. 'As I told you – there has been an unexpected development which involves a change of plan.'

  Fergus sat at the table and started flicking through the piles of photographs, shaking his head in disgust as he saw the twins and the mysterious Bosnian.

  'I assure you that I knew nothing of this until a few hours ago,' said Dudley. 'I did not sanction these photographs.'

  'No?' said Fergus. 'Well, who did?'

  A door on the far side of the room opened and a woman dressed in a black designer trouser suit strode in.

  'I did,' she said.

  Fergus stared, totally lost for words.

  It was Marcie Deveraux.

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  Marcie Deveraux looked as cool as ever as she stared down Fergus, almost smiling at the stunned disbelief written all over his face.

  Slowly Fergus got to his feet. He looked at Deveraux: she stood there, full of confidence, absolutely assured.

  Fergus turned to Dudley. 'You'd better explain yourself. And quickly'

  'There's very little to explain,' said Deveraux before Dudley could speak. 'Your drugs bust seriously threatens my own operation. I want you out once you've given me all the information you have on Enver Kubara.'

  'Miss Deveraux!' said Dudley, for once raising his voice. He picked up the newspaper and pointed at the headline. 'If it's a question of priority, my operation will come first.'

  'But you said-'

  'I know what I said.' He threw down the newspaper. 'But the situation has changed and I am authorized to take charge. I am senior to you and I have the backing not only of my own organization but also of the British government and most of the governments of Europe, including the Spanish.'

  Deveraux's eyes flashed with anger. 'That is not acceptable!'

  'I think you'll find that it is, Miss Deveraux. It's been agreed at the highest level. You are ordered to co-operate.'

  There was total silence for a moment. Dudley took a sip of his cold coffee, glaring at Deveraux. 'Sit down.'

  She shrugged, then pulled out a chair and took a seat.

  'You too,' said Dudley to Fergus.

  Fergus sat down and listened closely as Dudley explained what he had learned in the past few hours about the twins' contact, Enver Kubara.

  MI6 had long known that the big Bosnian was much more than a drug dealer. He made many millions of dollars from his illicit business and the largest slice of that money went into sponsoring terrorism.

  Many groups throughout the world benefited from his handouts, but the biggest payouts were reserved for the Taliban in Afghanistan as they waged war against the British army.

  Kubara had a particular hatred of the British which went all the way back to the Bosnian war. The Brits had been in the war zone supposedly as peacekeepers, under the command of the UN and with restricted rules of engagement. It meant they were not allowed to take sides and were powerless to intervene while the ethnic cleansing of innocent civilians went on.

  When Kubara's own village was attacked, the Brits were less than half an hour away. He was sure they knew what was happening – it was happening all over the region all the time – but they did nothing to help.

  Kubara wanted revenge on them – all of them. They had failed to give the protection that any human being was entitled to expect. They had failed to prevent his wife's death. And now, with the British army deployed in Afghanistan to assist with the restructuring of the country, he was getting his revenge.

  The Brits had been dragged into a new war with the Taliban, who were becoming stronger than ever, financed by the sale of the huge quantities of heroin they produced. And Kubara was their perfect customer. Not only did he buy the stuff, he also gave them much of the money he made from its distribution and resale.

  Ever since Marcie Deveraux had returned to the Firm, Enver Kubara had been the focus of all her energy. She had been tracking him across Europe for months. Her mission: to eliminate him.

  She had come close on several occasions, but her target was a wily and experienced operator. He had spent years in the field, fighting, honing his survival skills. He knew all the tricks, all the evasive tactics, and he was guarded as closely as a president.

  Now Deveraux was closer to her target than ever before. She and her team had reacted like lightning to a tip-off that Kubara was in Barcelona for a meeting.

  The photographs snapped outside the restaurant were meant to be final confirmation that they had indeed found their man. Deveraux was already planning the hit; it would be made before Kubara left the city. It might be their only chance.

  Then she was given the photographs…

  Dudley sat back in his chair and looked at Deveraux and then Fergus.

  'There is a way through this,' he said. 'It means we will have to work together, combine our resources and our intelligence.'

  'No chance,' said Fergus quickly. 'If you seriously think we can-'

  'Mr Watts!' said Dudley, raising his voice again. 'I have no wish to treat you and Miss Deveraux like a pair of argumentative school children, so please do not interrupt me. You can have your say when I've finished. You can both have your say when I've finished.'

  Fergus took a deep breath and glanced at Deveraux.

  'For obvious reasons, none of us would have wanted this situation,' said Dudley, calmly again now. 'But we can make it work. It gives us a better opportunity than ever to achieve all our objectives. But it must be a combined effort, with no one acting purely in their own interests. All objectives must be achieved.'

  'That's a stupid idea!' said Fergus tersely. 'Even if we were to agree to it, we know her.' He glared at Deveraux. 'She'll agree to work with us and then do exactly as she pleases, and probably get us killed in the process. Whatever she says now, you've got no guarantee she'll keep her word.'

  Deveraux smiled slightly and Fergus sensed that she had been thinking something along the same lines.

  But the smile was wiped from her face with Dudley's next words: 'Oh, but I have, Mr Watts.'

  She could only listen with visibly mounting frustration as he continued.

  'This is my last job
; it's also my most important job. Meltdown is a global threat, and must be stopped. This mission cannot be allowed to fail. If Miss Deveraux does anything, anything, to compromise the success of my operation, then I'll make sure that her career is finished. She won't even get to make the tea at the Firm.' He turned and looked Deveraux directly in the eyes. 'Do you understand that… Marcie?'

  It was no idle threat. Dudley was famed as the quiet man, unassuming in manner and appearance. But he wielded enormous power throughout the British security services and had huge influence up to the highest levels of government; he'd had the ear of every prime minister for the past thirty years.

  Even Deveraux knew there was no point in any further argument. She nodded slowly and deliberately.

  Dudley gave a faint smile. 'If my operation succeeds, your operation will succeed. So you will co-operate fully.'

  'Yes, but if I'm to take on your mission too, I need more people. I've got four operatives out here, but I'll need more if we're to tail Kubara and take care of the twins.'

  'Miss Deveraux! Let me make myself plain.' Dudley's long years of high command were apparent. 'This is no longer solely your mission. My mission takes precedence and Watts is in command. You will work with him. That is an order. Thanks to Watts we know that Kubara has arranged to meet the twins again at the football match tonight. He's provided tickets for a private box. There are things we need to put into motion straight away and there's no time to bring in backup from the UK – we have to go with what we've got.'

  'What – a lame geriatric and an inexperienced boy who can't take orders!?'

  'Danny has done well; he's shown he can operate as part of a team – and as for Watts, he's had more experience of missions like this than you're ever likely to see!'

  Dudley turned to Fergus. 'What do you think?'

  Fergus shrugged his shoulders. 'I've worked with arseholes before.'

  'That isn't the attitude I'm expecting, Mr Watts. The operation must come first.'

  'OK,' said Fergus. 'But Danny's got a say in this, and he won't take too kindly to her' – he nodded towards Deveraux – 'being involved.'

  'Then make sure you persuade him, Mr Watts,' said Dudley wearily. 'Nothing must get in the way of the ultimate success of the mission.'

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  Danny was on stag at the hotel, staying close to the twins. They were taking a late breakfast with Storm and some of their clients while Danny sat in reception, casually leafing through a city guide but keeping eyes on the entrance doors and the corridor leading to the restaurant.

  The twins had been buzzing with nervous energy following the dinner with their contact the previous evening. Will was clearly excited, but Teddy was very twitchy and had insisted that Fergus or Danny stay near them at all times. When Fergus got the summons from Dudley, he had called Teddy and told him he was going out to buy a ticket for the match from a tout, so that he could be in the stadium as backup if they needed him.

  Reception was busy with late checkouts and early arrivals, but nothing out of the ordinary. Danny glanced towards the entrance doors and saw his grandfather coming in.

  Fergus went straight over to Danny. 'All right?'

  Danny nodded towards the restaurant. 'They're in there. Having brunch, as they call it.'

  Fergus led Danny to a quiet corner where they could talk without being overheard. He knew it wasn't a good location for the conversation they were about to have but he didn't have any options. He didn't want Teddy emerging from the restaurant and finding their security had gone missing.

  'What did Dudley want?' Danny asked his grandfather as they sat down. 'Is there a problem?'

  'You could call it that. It turns out that our operation has come up against someone else's.'

  'What – the Spanish Firm?'

  'No, ours… You're not going to like it.' Fergus paused. 'I don't like it. It's shit.' He looked at Danny. 'The other op is being run by Deveraux. She's here.'

  Danny stared at him, his eyes wide with horror. 'What…?'

  'She's after the twins' contact too – his name's Kubara; no surprise – he's big time – terrorism, the works.'

  The shock on Danny's face was turning to rage and his voice rose. 'Dudley lied to us again – he promised-'

  Fergus gestured to him to keep quiet. 'Dudley didn't know anything about it until last night,' he said softly, holding Danny's furious gaze. 'Deveraux's team was snapping pictures of Kubara and the twins. When Deveraux saw me in the pictures, she put two and two together. That's what brought Dudley over. To sort out the turf war between us and the Firm.'

  Danny turned away and swore. Fergus waited, watching Danny breathing deeply, trying to calm himself. When he spoke, his voice was deep with suppressed fury.

  'So what now? Where do we go?'

  Fergus shook his head. 'We don't. We stay. We see the operation through.'

  'So she goes?'

  'No. It's now a combined operation. Me in command.'

  'What!' hissed Danny loudly. 'You're expecting me to work with the person who killed Elena in cold blood. And you've agreed to go along with this without asking me-'

  Fergus could see that people in the lobby were beginning to stare. He had to make Danny get a grip and not compromise the situation.

  'No, I haven't. I've told them that I've got to talk to you before agreeing to anything. But I think we should stick with it. Dudley seems to have Deveraux under control-'

  'Yeah, right!' sneered Danny.

  'We'll have to watch her,' said Fergus quickly. 'But this mission's important, Danny. If Phil can locate the DMP back in England, and we can sort things here, we have a chance of stopping this. And then we can get out. For good. Don't you want to see it through?'

  Danny turned away again and stared out at the busy street. 'Not with her. I can't.' He looked at his grandfather with disgust. 'And how can you?'

  Fergus sighed. 'It's a job, Danny. If that Meltdown crap gets out… ' He started again. 'One last op and then we're out. Danny, you know the only way to handle this sort of shit is just to do it. Focus. And leave the feelings out of it.'

  Feelings, Danny thought. His grandfather had always been a cool operator, detached, ruthless. That was how he'd survived. He'd seen terrible things, he'd seen friends die but he'd always managed to move on. He'd concentrated on just two things: the ongoing mission and staying alive. Like now.

  'Yeah, well, I'm not you.'

  There was a tense moment before Fergus replied. He looked towards the restaurant and saw a couple of the twins' clients coming down the corridor. Brunch was obviously over and the twins would be out soon. Time was up.

  'No, you're not.' Fergus had had enough. 'OK, Danny, you're out of this. Dudley wanted you in because we're short-handed and there's no time to get backup. He's seen what you can do and he's impressed. But if you can't handle it, you're no good to anyone.' He got up to leave.

  'Wait!' said Danny quickly. He took a deep breath. 'I'll do it.'

  'What?' said Fergus.

  'I'll do it. Not for you, not for Dudley. For Elena.'

  Fergus was not impressed. 'For Elena? This isn't another revenge thing, is it? I'm not taking you if that's what you think!'

  'No! I'll do it because I think… I know… it's what Elena would have wanted. She wouldn't have backed out and neither will I.'

  Fergus looked hard into Danny's eyes and said nothing for a moment. Then he nodded. 'OK. You're in.' The tension between them eased. 'Just don't get big-headed about the fact that Dudley wanted you.'

  Danny nodded and smiled. 'So what next?'

  'We're assuming Kubara wants the formula for Meltdown, which means he's planning to take over from the twins. He won't make his move at the football tonight, not in a stadium full of people. It'll probably be after the game.'

  Danny thought for a moment. 'What about the twins? Do they suspect any of this?'

  Fergus shook his head. 'Will seems to think Kubara's their kind Uncle Enver, but Teddy's worried about the meet
ing tonight. I'm going to reassure him. We want to make sure they turn up for the match.'

  'So what do I do?' asked Danny.

  'Keep an eye on Kubara's car outside the stadium,' said Fergus. 'Don't let it out of your sight. I'll be out in the crowd. Dudley's contacts are fixing surveillance in Kubara's box right now; we'll all have a link to a transmitter so we can hear what's going on.'

  'Sounds sorted,' said Danny.

  'As much as it can be. But remember, Deveraux's gone along with all this, but she wasn't happy. Whatever happens tonight, she'll still have her own agenda.' The twins had ordered a cab to take them to the stadium. While they waited for it, Fergus sat with them in the hotel bar, giving them last-minute instructions and doing his best to keep Teddy's spirits up. He asked for the new numbers of their phones and programmed them into his own mobile.

  'Keep yours switched on all the time,' he told them. 'If there's any sign of trouble, all you need to do is signal by hitting my number on your speed dial. I'll get you out.'

  'I'm not expecting trouble,' said Will confidently. He sneered at his brother. 'I don't know what's got into you, Teddy. Our contact's a businessman. He knows a good deal when he sees it. All he wants to do is make it even better. He said as much last night.'

  Teddy didn't look convinced, so Fergus came up with a few more reassuring words. 'You run away and what does that say to your guy? And what will it mean for the business? See him; talk. You brought me along to sort things out if they get ugly. I'm here. It'll be fine.'

  Teddy nodded. 'I'm sure you're right. It's just that after Siddie-'

  'Siddie was a small-time hood. From what I've seen, I'm guessing this bloke's in a different league. You're making him a lot of money; make him some more. And yourselves.'

  Will was up for it. 'You were worried about the business coming to an end,' he said to his brother. 'You were wrong; I think this is just the beginning. A whole new beginning.'

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