Andy McNab - Dark winter

I took a deep breath and held it a second. 'I say again, I've got all Dark Winter contained.'

'Where are you?'

'Get a fix on this phone. I'll keep it open.'

'Is it with you?'

'No. Shut up and listen. The ASU have split. They're bound to have check-in times on this cell. One of the team is contaminated. I need to get there now – if they report in and there's no answer…'

'Report to who? What has happened?'

'Doesn't matter. Look, if they call in and don't get an answer, fuck knows what they'll do. I repeat, one of them is contaminated. This is the source's cell. I'll give you his numbers. You tell me where they are, and I can get there now, before they report in. You've got to get your finger out – I don't know the check-in time. You understand?'

Suzy revved the engine and dropped the clutch. 'Let's find that van.'

I went through the menu to 'calls made' as the Renault screamed down the road. Suzy attacked the condensation on the windscreen as the wipers thrashed ineffectually on the other side of the glass. 'Fucking car!'

We passed a warren of roads through a housing estate.

Three numbers came up. I knew the Yes Man would be on to it now he had this one, and would be checking its history, but it would take them a couple of minutes. This was quicker.

Shit: 001212.

The American call.

I got back to him. 'I've got a Manhattan number. He spoke to them less than thirty ago.' I recited it, then reeled off the other two UK numbers.

'Got it. Wait out.' He cut off.

Suzy slowed as we passed a service road for a run of shops, and wound down her window. I did the same, my eyes shooting all over the place, trying to ignore the pain in my foot.

'I was just coming in to get you, then I saw you pile over the gate.' She was virtually shouting at me, her head stuck out of the window so she could see ahead. The windscreen was thick with condensation. 'I had to stay with DW. You know that, don't you?'

'Kelly is with them, they took her in the van.'

'Tell the boss, he needs to know.'

'Why? This is the only way I might get to her. He won't give a shit about her. I just can't take any chances.'

We sped towards the junction, having cleared the service road. 'I saw them – they went this way for sure. Fuck, fuck!' She hit the brakes as the headlights caught a set of bollards blocking off a rat-run through the estate.

We both turned and squinted through the rain-covered rear window as she reversed. 'They can't be more than five minutes away. They called in to the source when they got there. We've got to find them before their check-in time, or that's it. Come on, throw this fucking thing round.'

As we turned at another junction, my hands were on the dashboard, rocking backwards and forwards, willing the car to go faster.

We saw plenty of vans, but none of them was the battered Transit. 'Why hasn't he called yet? It shouldn't take this long to locate these fuckers. Faster, Suzy, for fuck's sake.'

'Shut it. He'll call, don't worry. But we need to check these roads. Keep looking, we'll find them, we'll find them.'

I kept checking the cell's signal. What was taking the Yes Man so long?

We came to another junction. Rain flew in through the windows. 'Down there. Look, go left, left.'

She turned, driving hard towards two white vans parked further up the road. 'Got it!' she yelled. 'Look right – the carport 'bout five houses up.'

She threw the Renault sideways and it bumped up on to the pavement. I fell out of the passenger door and used the parked vans as cover. The house was end-of-terrace, with a corrugated plastic lean-to down its side.

The cell rang.

I checked the number before hitting the green button and the Yes Man was immediately talking at me.

'Listen in. Do not go into the house, you understand me? Both of you stay outside. Contain the area. A team is on its way. I repeat, stay outside.'

How the fuck did he know where we were?

I spun round, looked up and found it. A CCTV camera at the end of the road, less than fifty away. The arsehole had located the numbers within a minute of me giving them to him and had just fucked us off and taken over.

Suzy kept eyes on target from behind the van as I bent down to protect the phone from the rain.

'You bastard! Kelly's in there!'

'Where is Dark Winter?'

'Go fuck yourself. Find it yourself.'

'Do not go in, Stone. Do not go in.'

I brought the phone down, but she grabbed my hand before I could jab the red button. 'Tell him where it is. Tell him. You can't take any chances, remember?'

Shit. I brought the cell back up to my ear. 'It's above the disused Indian on Caledonian Road, opposite the mosque. Have you got that – opposite the mosque?'

I could hear plenty of commotion going on behind him, even above the lashing of the rain.

I cut the call, and immediately got another series of short sharp bleeps.

The number displayed was one of the two UK numbers.

'They're checking in! They're checking in!'

She broke into a run, heading straight for the house. I hobbled after her, the cut in my heel widening until I felt tarmac on bone.

I was only metres behind her as she squeezed into the gap between the van and the side door. I went straight for the front, barging into it with my shoulder. Three times I tried to ram it in, but just bounced off. I checked the windows. No good – double-glazed.

Suzy was breaking glass. Slipping and sliding on the muddy grass I limped as fast as I could round the side to her. She had an arm through the smashed pane. Her wrist jolted upwards as she fired a round, the report drowned by the suppressor and the rain.

She pulled her weapon away, screaming, 'I've missed! He's gone left, left, left!'

I pushed her out of the way.

My raincoat sleeve rode up my arm and jagged shards of glass cut into my skin as I fumbled for the lock and Suzy jostled for position, weapon up, shouting in my ear, 'Come on! Come on! '

My fingers closed over a Yale. I turned it and half fell inside, my arm still in the frame as Suzy barged past, weapon up, running through the inner door.

Almost immediately she was screaming. 'Fucking hell! Fuck!'

I followed her into the hallway, my mouth still filling with blood. Street-light shone through the panels either side of the front door.

Two young dark-skinned bodies lay on the floor. Suzy must have fallen over them and was now scrabbling to get up the stairs. Her feet thumped on to the landing as a frantic shriek echoed somewhere above me.

'KELLY! KELLY! I'M COMING!'

I jumped over the bodies and took the stairs two at a time. My legs couldn't go fast enough.

A door was open ahead of me.

The bathroom.

Empty.

Suzy was standing a few paces further down, weapon up, hammer back. It was gloomy, only the street-light filtering up from the hallway, but I could make out three or four further doors, a couple each side of the corridor. Suzy was trying to work out which one she was behind.

I grabbed the handle of the first left and she went for the right.

It was dark in there, but I saw movement. I dived towards it, crashing into furniture on the way. As we fell between two beds, sharpness penetrated my right thigh.

'Suzy! Suzy!'

The muscle seized up immediately, in spasm round the blade.

We tumbled on to the floor and his hand was wrenched away, leaving it embedded. He got on top of me, his head rammed into my neck, biting, trying to get flesh.

I smelt cologne, cigarettes, coffee, as his teeth sank into my neck.

I bucked and kicked as I tried to reach the knife in my leg. Blood ran down the side of my neck.

Another scream from next door. Good, she's still breathing.

I added a yell of my own as his head jerked away from me, taking a mouthful of my flesh with it.