Ник Картер - Assault on England

“I know you killed one man at Land’s End. What about the other two? Did you kill them too or are you holding them for interrogation?”

“No comment,” I said.

He nodded to Marsh; the big Englishman slugged me across the mouth with his open hand. My head snapped back so hard, I thought for a moment he might have broken my neck. Blood ran from the corner of my mouth. I saw Heather watching anxiously.

“Well?” Novosty said. “What did you overhear at the cottage? Are any of our friends there alive and what have they told you?”

I sat and stared at him, conscious of the blood trickling down to my chin. Novosty looked at Marsh, and the big hand came at me again, this time balled into a fist. The blow knocked me on to my side on the sofa. I lay there for a moment, groggy, and then the big hands pulled me back to a sitting position.

“I don’t like to do this,” Novosty said, “but you give me little choice. How long were you at the window of the cottage before our friend saw you?”

I licked swollen lips. “What window?” I said.

Novosty’s eyes narrowed- “So that is the way it is going to be.”

Koval moved closer to Novosty. “Let Marsh work on the girl,” he said quietly. He jerked his head at me. “He likes her — I can tell.”

“All right,” Novosty said. “But start off mildly. We want to know what they’ve learned.”

“Perhaps quite mildly, eh?” Koval said. He nodded at Heather’s long and lovely legs.

Novosty waved a hand. “Whatever you wish.”

Koval gave Marsh a look, and Marsh put on a big grin. He moved over to Heather and pulled her to her feet. Koval held her while Marsh untied her hands. Koval ran a fat hand over her breasts, slowly, grinning now. Heather hauled off and slapped his face.

Koval responded by slapping her back, hard. She would have lost her footing if Marsh hadn’t been holding her. Her face was red from the blow.

I set my jaw and tried not to watch. It was going to get worse before it got better. But if they found out that we knew about the Defence Ministry, we would have lost the only advantage we had.

Koval and Marsh were wrestling Heather’s clothing off. She fought them as best she could, grunting but otherwise silent. In a moment, she was naked. Marsh held her while Koval ran those pudgy hands of his over her very slowly. Novosty looked bored.

“Leave the girl alone,” I said. “She knows nothing. Neither do I. I arrived at your damned window too late to hear anything.”

Novosty eyed me narrowly, appraising what I had said. “That undoubtedly means you know everything or most of it. Now, save the girl further problems by telling me who you have passed this information on to. Have you managed to reach your headquarters?”

“We found out nothing,” I said. “We have nothing to tell.”

Novosty studied my bruised and bloody face and nodded to Koval. Marsh threw Heather bodily to the floor in front of me; he and Koval both watched my reaction. Koval held Heather’s arms above her head.

“You want to see your girl friend raped?” he said. “How would you like that? She’s a lovely thing, isn’t she?”

Marsh grinned and licked his lips. Just looking at him made me sick. I didn’t want to look at Heather.

I hesitated. Was it worth going on with this? How much, actually, did we have to gain by playing dumb? We were protecting little information. On the other hand, by admitting what we knew and bluffing a little to boot, we might at least find out if Novosty and his crew were an assassin team or if they were up to some other game altogether.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what you want to know,” I said. “Let the girl go.”

“I hope you’re not playing games again,” Novosty said.

Marsh glared in frustration, but Koval gave him a look that said there would be plenty of time for such things later, before they killed Heather. Koval released her arms and she sat up, trying to cover her nakedness with her hands.

“Take the girl into the bedroom. Give her clothes,” Novosty said. “You do it, Koval. Marsh, you stay here.”

Heather looked at me questioningly as she moved past me to the bedroom, holding her clothes against her. Koval followed and closed the door. I remember Heather’s purse then and wondered if she’d have a chance to get to it — and her little gun — before Koval saw it.

“Now, my friend,” Novosty said. “We will talk business. First, what dealings did you have with Augie Fergus in Egypt?”

“He was going to sell me some information. But he was killed by his Arab friends before he could give it.”

“And what was this information?”

“He didn’t say,” I lied. “But what was Fergus to you?”

“Nothing,” Novosty sneered. “Just a man who did jobs for us now and then in the Mid-East. Our people there asked me to find out about your dealings with him. Now, about the comrades at Land’s End. Are they dead?”

“They’re dead,” I said.

“And they told you nothing?”

“Nothing. I overheard you talking through the window, though, before your Russian friend spotted me. About the Defence Ministry.”

Novosty’s face went blank. “I see.”

I was thinking as I talked. They had not removed my jacket and, when Koval frisked me, he had not found Hugo. But I couldn’t use the stiletto as long as my hands were tied behind my back.

“I understand you plan to execute your mission as your man leaves the building.” I watched Novosty’s face; it remained expressionless.

“What exactly is our mission?”

I hesitated, watching him and Marsh; I wanted to see both their reactions to what I was about to say. “Why, to assassinate a third British government official,” I said, “in accordance with your overall plan.”

Novosty’s eyes narrowed slightly, the only change of expression. But Marsh was a different story His eyebrows went up in surprise and he barked a laugh. Novosty gave him a hard look but Marsh’s laugh had told me plenty. At least, he thought the mission he’d been recruited for was something quite different.

“We did not speak of assassination at Land’s End,” Novosty said. “Are you playing a last hand with me?”

“I didn’t actually hear the word,” I admitted “But we’ve known for some time now that this supposed attempt to blackmail the British government is actually a series of planned executions for Russia’s benefit. It’s a Soviet plot and you were sent here to see it through.”

I watched Novosty’s face and he watched mine. It was like playing draw poker, except that the stakes were our lives — mine and Heather’s — and Britain’s security.

“But you do not know who we plan to kill next,” Novosty said thoughtfully.

“No, it can be one of several possible targets. We don’t know the exact date either but that won’t help you much. The game is up, and Russia will soon be exposed.” I raised my voice, letting a little emotion slip in. Watching Novosty, I concluded that he believed me. But he wasn’t about to deny the charge, not just yet.

“Take him to the bedroom,” he told Marsh with no further comment on what I’d told him. “Tie the girl again and lock the shutters on the window. Then bring Koval back out with you.”

Marsh took me into the bedroom where Koval was watching Heather. The Russian had found Heather’s purse, I noticed, which was a disappointment. They locked the window and tied Heather’s hands behind her. As Marsh left the room, he punched a big fist into my stomach. I grunted and doubled over, going to my knees. Marsh laughed and followed Koval out of the room. The door closed behind them.

I couldn’t breath for a long, agonizing moment. Heather knelt awkwardly beside me. “Are you all right?” she asked anxiously.