Stephen Leather: False Friends

Shepherd pulled the Glock from its holster and slipped his finger on to the trigger.

Harith pulled the gun towards himself and screamed at Chaudhry to let go even though they both knew that as soon as Chaudhry released his grip Harith would fire.

Chaudhry managed to get his left hand on the gun and he wrenched it up, but as it jerked it went off and a bullet ripped through the thin sheet-metal roof of the van. The shock made Chaudhry release his grip on the gun and Harith roared and brought the gun down, aiming it at Chaudhry’s face.

Shepherd leaned back and fired two quick shots that both hit Harith in the face. The bullets erupted out of the back of the man’s skull with enough force to smash the windshield. Blood and brain matter splattered across the dashboard.

Chaudhry sat back on his crate, gasping for breath.

Shepherd pointed the gun at Afzal’s head. ‘Pull over,’ he said. ‘Pull over now or I’ll put a bullet in your head. Your choice.’

‘Okay, okay,’ said Afzal, trembling. ‘I’m doing it.’

He indicated to the left, ignored the blare of a horn from behind them and stopped at the kerb. Shepherd handed the Glock to Chaudhry. ‘Keep that pointed at his head. If he moves, shoot him.’

Chaudhry nodded nervously as Shepherd pulled out his mobile phone.

‘What just happened?’ shouted Button, frowning at the LCD screen showing the view from the police helicopter. ‘Why did they stop?’

On screen they saw a motorcycle dispatch rider pass the van and a few seconds later Lesporis twisted round in his seat.

‘The front passenger has been shot. There’s blood all over the windscreen,’ he said.

‘I have an ARV thirty seconds away,’ said Commander Needham.

‘Hold off on that, Commander,’ said Button. Her mobile phone rang and she picked it up. It was Shepherd calling. She took the call and held the phone to her ear. ‘What the hell is going on, Spider?’

‘The target is Westfield shopping mall, the one in Stratford. They’re using guns, not explosives. The attack is due to happen at six p.m. They’ll seal all the exits and start shooting. The plan is for the attackers to escape through the department stores because they have exits leading to the outside.’

‘Give me a minute, Spider.’ Button stood up. ‘I need everybody’s attention, right now.’ She looked over at the clock on the wall. It was twelve minutes to six. ‘We are looking at multiple armed attackers at Westfield shopping mall, Stratford.’ She pointed at Commander Needham. ‘We need all your ARVs there now, and any others you can raise.’ She looked over at Lesporis. ‘Luke, maintain surveillance on the other vans. As soon as you can confirm that they are heading to the mall, we need them intercepted and neutralised.’ Button pointed at Zoe. ‘Get the Met helicopter over the mall, now.’ Zoe nodded and started talking into her headset.

A tall man in a black leather jacket looked over at Button, waiting for instructions. She only knew him as Terry and he was her SAS liaison. The SAS had a team outside the house where Khalid was holed up, ready to move in and do whatever was necessary. The SAS weren’t hampered by the same rules and regulations that governed the police so the house clearance wouldn’t turn into a siege situation.

‘Hang fire, Terry,’ she said. ‘Let’s wait until we have them all.’

Terry nodded. ‘Ready when you are, ma’am,’ he said. He was holding a pack of chewing gum and he slid a piece into his mouth.

Button put her mobile back to her ear. ‘What’s your situation, Spider?’

‘All good,’ said Shepherd. ‘The passenger took a bullet; the driver’s under control. I need to get to the mall.’

‘Negative on that. We’ll take it from here.’

‘Charlie, I saw all their faces on the photos at Thames House. I’m the only one that can ID them. Get a bike here and I can be there in minutes. The cops aren’t going to know who to take out. It could get very messy.’

‘We can take out the vans before they get there.’

‘And what about the ones who aren’t in the vans? What about the ones going by tube? Or bus? I need to be there, Charlie. Get me that bike.’

Button looked over the clock again. The seconds were ticking away.

‘What’s happening?’ asked Chaudhry. He turned to look at Shepherd and as he did so Afzal slid his hands off the steering wheel.

Shepherd pointed at the driver. ‘Raj, keep the gun at his head. Afzal, you do anything other than grip that wheel and he’ll put a bullet in you, I swear.’

‘Okay, okay,’ said Afzal. His face was bathed in sweat and his hands were trembling.

‘I’m serious, Raj. He moves, you shoot him.’

Chaudhry nodded. ‘I will do,’ he said. His voice was shaking and he took a deep breath. ‘I will,’ he said, louder and more confident. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘I’m going to the mall.’ He pulled the lid off the plastic crate containing the backpacks and pulled one out. He unzipped it and looked inside. There were two Glock pistols, several dozen filled magazines and two boxes of extra ammunition.

‘I’m coming with you,’ said Chaudhry, keeping his eyes on the driver.

‘You can’t,’ said Shepherd.

‘I’ve been trained,’ said Chaudhry. ‘I can shoot.’

Shepherd slung the backpack over his shoulder. ‘Raj, trust me. There are armed cops from all over London heading towards that shopping mall. The last thing you want to be is an Asian with a gun. Best will in the world, you might as well have a bull’s-eye on your chest.’

‘The world is fucked up, John.’

‘Yeah, isn’t it just?’ He heard the roar of a motorcycle engine and, in the distance, the sound of a siren. ‘Now listen to me, Raj. In a few minutes the cops will be here. Armed cops. They know you’re one of the good guys and they know you’re in the van, but accidents can happen so as soon as they get here you slide the gun to the back of the van and you do exactly as they tell you. They have a procedure to follow and it doesn’t involve them minding their manners. Just grit your teeth and it’ll soon be over.’

‘I hear you.’

A motorcycle pulled up behind the van.

‘I’ve got to go, mate,’ said Shepherd, taking off the wool gloves. He held out his hand. ‘And my name’s Dan,’ he whispered so that Afzal couldn’t hear him. ‘Dan Shepherd.’ Chaudhry reached out with his left hand and awkwardly shook with Shepherd, all the time keeping the gun aimed at Afzal’s head. ‘You did good today, Raj. Really good. But your part’s over now.’

‘I’ll see you again, right?’

Shepherd nodded. ‘You can count on it.’

He climbed out of the back of the van. A group of housewives were staring wide-eyed at the van. One of them was pushing a toddler in a stroller. ‘Ladies, you need to get away from the van for your own safety,’ he said. The siren was louder now. The women hurried away.

The dispatch rider was dressed all in black, his face hidden behind a tinted visor. He nodded at Shepherd and revved the powerful engine. Shepherd climbed on to the pillion. The engine roared and the bike sped off.

‘Right, everybody, status reports, please, and let’s keep them short,’ said Charlotte Button. ‘Commander?’ She looked over at Commander Needham.

‘I have three ARVs heading to Westfield now,’ said the commander. ‘The first one is ETA nine minutes. The second will be there in eleven and we’re looking at twelve minutes for the third. I’ve asked two to go to the main entrance and one to the other end of the mall. All on the ground floor. That’s where we assume most of the shoppers will be.’

Button nodded. ‘That’s three confirmed but more on the way?’