Stephen Leather - True Colours

Khan tried to speak but he could barely breathe and the only sound he could make was a grunt from the back of his throat.

The man with the Makarov grinned. He was wearing gloves. Black leather gloves.

‘The men you killed were friends of mine,’ said the man. ‘I’m going to tell you their names so that they are the last things you think about before you die.’

Khan blanked out the man’s words. There was only one thing he wanted to think about just then. If he was indeed going to die then he wanted his last thoughts to be of his darling daughter, the light of his life.

Khan heard the roar of an engine off to his left. Then a flash of light through the trees. His heart leapt as he thought that perhaps rescue was at hand, that somehow the police had found out what was happening and were coming to save him. The engine noise got louder and he realised it was a motorbike and not a car, and then he saw it, bumping across the rough ground.

The man with the Makarov saw it too and he brought up the gun with both hands and fired.

The bullet glanced against the side of Shepherd’s crash helmet and ricocheted off to the side. He swung the handlebars to the right but hit the curved root of a beech tree and before he could do anything he was hurtling off the bike, arms flailing. He hit the ground hard but rolled and scrambled behind a tree. He flicked up the visor as a second round thudded into the trunk by his head. ‘It’s me, Spider!’ he screamed at the top of his voice.

‘It’s Spider!’ echoed McIntyre, holding up his hand.

Harper lowered his gun as Shepherd stepped out from behind the tree. The engine of the bike was still roaring and the air was growing thick with exhaust fumes. Shepherd pulled off the helmet and dropped it on to the ground, then knelt down and twisted the ignition key and pulled it out.

‘Sorry, mate,’ said Harper. ‘You gave me a shock there.’

‘You might think about identifying your target before pulling the trigger,’ said Shepherd, straightening up.

‘Yeah, well, we weren’t expecting you on a bike, were we?’ said Harper. ‘Anyway, you’re here now, better late than never.’

He walked over to Khan and pointed his gun at the man’s face.

‘Put the gun down, Lex,’ said Shepherd, walking towards Harper.

‘What, having second thoughts, are you?’

‘We’re not shooting him, Lex.’

Harper continued to point his gun at Khan’s face. Khan stared at Harper, his eyes cold and emotionless as if he didn’t care whether he pulled the trigger or not.

Shepherd reached into his pocket and took out his Swiss Army knife. He folded out the blade and stepped between Harper and Khan. ‘Spider, mate, I’m slotting him tonight, come what may,’ said Harper quietly.

‘He killed Captain Todd,’ said McIntyre. ‘And he shot you, Spider. The bastard deserves to die.’

‘Then let’s at least hear his side of the story,’ said Shepherd, kneeling down next to Khan. He used the blade to sever the duct tape at the back of Khan’s head, then pulled it away from his mouth. ‘Did you shoot me?’ he asked Khan.

Khan shook his head. ‘No, sir, I did not.’

Shepherd put a hand on Khan’s shoulder. ‘And Captain Todd. Did you kill him?’

Khan shook his head again. ‘No.’

‘Of course he’d say that!’ shouted Harper. ‘He knows we’re going to slot him, Spider. He’d say anything to save his skin.’ He waved the gun at Khan. ‘Get out of the way. If you don’t want to do it, you can leave it to me.’

‘He didn’t do it, Lex,’ said Shepherd quietly.

‘Bullshit.’

Shepherd turned back to Khan. ‘But you were there, outside the al-Qaeda house in Pakistan? It was you I saw. Outside the house?’

Khan nodded. ‘Yes, I was there.’

‘We know he was there, we saw the bugger,’ said Shortt. ‘And we saw him kill Captain Todd.’

‘And the three Paras!’ shouted Harper. ‘Let’s not forget the three lads he shot in the back.’

‘Take a breath, Lex,’ said Shepherd.

‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ yelled Harper, waving his gun over his head. ‘We brought him out here to slot him, let’s just get on with it.’

Shepherd looked over at Khan again. He forced a smile. ‘Tell him,’ he said. ‘Tell him what happened the night that Captain Todd was killed.’

For a week Ahmad Khan remained at home, working in the fields and regaining his strength, and then he returned Lailuna to the care of his sister. When she realised that he was going away again, Lailuna wailed as if her heart would break, but he promised her, ‘This is the last time I shall leave you behind. Next time we go together, I swear to you.’

He walked away without looking back, knowing that the desolate look on her face would weaken his resolve. He made contact with Joshua using one of the dead drops he had set up on his instructions, and the following night, waiting as arranged in the shadows at the side of a road outside Jalalabad, he was picked up by an American patrol and taken to a meeting with Joshua at the American FOB. ‘You’re not exactly flavour of the month with the British, just now,’ Joshua said as Khan was brought into the room where he was waiting. ‘They think you deliberately led their men into a trap.’

By way of answer, Khan simply removed his shirt and turned slowly around, allowing Joshua to see the fresh scars that covered his back and torso. Joshua listened intently as Khan told him the story. ‘So, do the Taliban still trust you?’

‘Two of the leaders don’t,’ Khan said. ‘My time is definitely running out. It is time for you to do as you promised and give me and my daughter a new life in the West.’

‘I will,’ said Joshua. ‘But before I do, I need you to carry out one more task for me. You know the money house you talked about across the Pakistani border? We have intelligence suggesting that some al-Qaeda operatives are based there and are using it as a source of funds and weapons. We’ve identified the broad area where it’s sited but we have not been able to locate it precisely. I need you to locate it, penetrate it and identify who’s using it.’

‘And then? What will you do?’

‘And then we’ll deal with it, one way or another.’

‘You will destroy it?’

‘That’s a decision that will be taken at a higher pay grade than mine.’

Khan stroked his beard thoughtfully. ‘I need a reason to go there, I can’t just turn up and tell them I happened to be passing. They’re not stupid.’

‘I’ve thought of that.’ Joshua smiled. ‘We’re going to put a price on your head, a large reward for your capture alive. That’ll strengthen your credibility with the Taliban and also give you a powerful reason to cross the border into the tribal areas until the heat has died down.’

‘Even so, why would the Taliban want me to go to the money house?’

‘Because we’re going to make a large cash payment to the headman of your village to buy his loyalty. You’re going to relieve him of it on behalf of the Taliban and then volunteer to deliver it to the money house.’

Khan nodded thoughtfully. ‘And if someone captures me before I cross the border and hands me over to claim the reward you’re offering?’

‘Then you’ll have got your wish because you’ll be in our hands and on your way out of Afghanistan.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Khan said, ‘as I’m sure you knew I would, but Lailuna must be in a place of safety before I do.’

‘Agreed,’ Joshua said. ‘Bring her to the site of the dead drop at dawn tomorrow. I’ll have soldiers there, including a woman, to pick up your daughter. She’ll be waiting for you at Bagram when you return.’