Andy McNab - Brute force

I limped into the corridor and locked the door behind me.

The TPU box was made of wood and the lid was screwed down tight. Four screws, of course. And there were a good two metres of loose det cord before the detonator was attached, in case it was contaminated. She'd learnt her lessons well.

The screws came out easily.

I turned the Parkway to the full hour, and the plastic disc fell to the floor.

The timer ticked gently as the spring started to unwind.

Dom drove the powerboat. Siobhan sat shivering one side of him and I stood behind, a hand on a shoulder each to brace myself as we bucked through the waves.

Everyone but me wore a mish-mash of bloodstained fleeces and black leather jackets. I had a duvet draped around me like a cloak.

Little dots of light began to sparkle in the darkness ahead.

Dom half turned his head and shouted against the wind. 'Terrible timing.'

'What's that?'

'Biggest story of my career and it has to break when everybody's away.'

'What do you mean?'

His face broke into a grin. 'Don't you know what day it is? Merry Christmas, Nick.'

He turned back to concentrate on the sea. 'You know you're welcome to finish your holiday at the cottage.'

'No offence, mate, but I've got a place in Italy. For a while anyway…'

I sat down next to Siobhan.

She smiled weakly. 'What are you going to do, Nick?'

I shrugged. 'I might go into the antiquities business. It seems there's a lot of rich guys who pay good-'

'No.' She tilted her head to indicate behind. 'What – are – you – going – to – do?'

I knew what she meant, but I didn't know the answer. Tallulah hadn't exactly been all over me when I got into the boat, and I could understand that. She had an eight-year-old priority desperately holding onto her.

I got up and moved back a row. Ruby was still curled into her stepmother, no longer crying, just staring into I didn't know what. Her hair was being blasted about in every direction.

I leant over to Tallulah as she put a protective hand to Ruby's head. 'Listen, she's going to need lots of care now, to get over this, and to get things right. I know, I've seen it before. If you want, I can be there and help her – and you.'

The expression I got back wasn't the one I was hoping for. There were no nods or smiles, nothing encouraging.

Her lips moved, but I didn't hear the words. A brilliant flash of light arced across the sky from behind us, and seconds later came the short, sharp, dull sound of brisance as the steel of the hull took the full impact of the shaped charges.

I tapped Ruby's shoulder. 'Not the best Christmas fireworks you've ever seen, but give me points for trying?'

A little smile creased her face.

'And look at that lot.'

We were approaching a small Irish port. A group of carol singers gathered around a Christmas tree on the quay. Their clear voices reached out to us across the water. A cluster of houses were lit up with Santas and reindeer behind them.

Tallulah sank her head into Ruby's hair.

'Sorry, Tallulah, what did you say just then?'

I still wasn't getting the expression I had hoped for, but I guessed it was the words that were the most important.

She looked up at me and nodded slowly. 'I said, yes, Nick. I would like that.'

Ruby had the faintest hint of a smile on her face. She started to sing along. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy…