‘Where is the bed?’ asked Kate, sounding like a young girl itching to explore. ‘How about I try this door?’ she said with a bounce in her step and disappeared into the next room. ‘Rafi, look what I’ve found!’
He followed her and there in front of him was the wonderful sight of Kate lying on her back, spread eagled across a large king-sized bed, and bouncing up and down.
‘This is great! I couldn’t have chosen better if I’d tried. Nice, comfy bed – let me change that, a nice, big, comfy bed – great views and peace and quiet. Fantastic!’ Kate rolled off the bed, stood up in front of Rafi, and looked into his eyes. ‘Promise me one thing,’ she said. ‘Let’s forget the terrorists and enjoy the now. Tomorrow can look after itself. It usually does.’
He pulled her close to him and kissed her.
Kate pulled back and straight away sensed Rafi’s disappointment. She paused and spoke just before Rafi was going to. ‘I could do with using the bathroom for a moment. Could you do me a favour and find out when they finish serving afternoon tea?’
A short phone call later, Rafi returned to the bedroom and called to Kate through the closed bathroom door. ‘Tea ends in just over an hour.’
‘Excellent… I’ll be with you shortly.’
Rafi walked back into the sitting room, picked up and put on his jacket, and turned the lights off. He walked over to the balcony doors; it had stopped raining. He opened them and stepped outside into the bracing wind.
Motionless, he stood looking out over the dark ocean, letting the fresh, salt laden air wash over him. He shivered and was about to turn to go back inside when he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him. He was grateful for the body warmth. Kate nestled closer to him, then backed off. Following her unspoken instructions he turned. Her long sleeved blouse was unbuttoned. A gust of wind flapped open the soft material revealing a naked body… She moved forward and whispered a request into his ear.
Some while later Kate and Rafi lay curled in each other’s arms. He placed a kiss gently on her cheek. ‘I’m going to have to keep my eyes on you! Taking me unawares like that. Whatever will you think of next?’
Kate grinned.
‘No don’t tell me! You look so innocent, but underneath you’re a right little minx…’
She poked him gently in the ribs. ‘Yes… but it takes two to tango!’
Rafi looked at his watch. ‘By my reckoning we have half an hour before they stop serving tea.’
Afternoon tea was as Kate had hoped: scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam in front of an open fire. They chatted, sitting comfortably on a huge sofa while time sped by.
But their cosy little world was shattered when Kate answered a call from Jeremy.
She filled Rafi in. ‘MI5 has intercepted a phone call; Popovskaya and Dranoff have met up, not ten miles from the hospital that Popovskaya escaped from. Unfortunately, they have lost them and have no further information. Neil reckons that they’ll lie low for a couple of days to let Popovskaya recover and then come after us. An SAS team is on its way to watch the hotel and to protect us. They should be here later this evening and we have been advised to sleep in another bedroom – incognito.’
They dressed for dinner, and then moved into the new bedroom the proprietor had found for them.
Dinner was enjoyable; they ate hungrily and chatted, but the vivacity had gone. The nightmare wasn’t over yet.
Whilst they were having coffee, Jeremy phoned. ‘An SAS team of three are keeping watch over the entrances to the hotel. They like the fact that the hotel is so exposed because it makes it difficult for Dranoff to creep up unnoticed. I hope to be with you in about twenty minutes.’
Sure enough, a short while later Jeremy appeared accompanied by a casually dressed individual.
‘Please let me introduce you to your SAS bodyguard: Corporal Brett Johnstone. He’ll be your shadow whilst Dranoff and Popovskaya remain at large. Have you eaten already?’ enquired Jeremy.
‘Yes,’ replied Kate, ‘but I can always find room for another pudding! Do come and have dinner – you’ll like the food.’
‘Excellent,’ grinned Jeremy.
‘How about I find us a nice, quiet table and see if I need to borrow a tie?’ suggested Brett.
He reappeared a few minutes later. Jeremy and Kate were deep in conversation. ‘Dranoff and Popovskaya have disappeared off the face of the earth. We tried to lock on to their phone signals, but their phones are turned off. These two definitely know what they’re doing.’
Jeremy and Brett tucked into a hearty dinner.
‘Neil is sure that you’re their target – payback time for those who got in the way,’ said Jeremy. ‘We have considered other possible targets, but we keep coming back to the fact that Popovskaya will be feeling pissed off, and you, Rafi, seem the perfect person on which to vent his anger. What worries us is who arranged for Dranoff to come to the UK to help Popovskaya. We thought we had all the main players under lock and key, and incommunicado. We know Miti is on the run in Africa, but we don’t believe his influence goes this far. There has to be someone else out there – part of the terrorists’ web -who is pulling the Chechen end of the strings. We’re looking again at the teams run by Kaleem Shah and Kim Chindriani to see if we missed someone, but haven’t found anything yet.’
Jeremy paused. ‘Neil doesn’t think they know that we are on to them. My colleagues are keeping an eye out for stolen guns or vehicles reported between here and their last known locations.’
‘When do you think that they will come for us?’ asked Kate.
‘Unfortunately,’ said Jeremy calmly, ‘As soon as the paparazzi are on to you, your location will become public knowledge. Realistically, you could expect company any time from tomorrow early afternoon. Neil would like you to stay put, so if they do come for you, the SAS can protect you. The alternative is for you to go into hiding and wait for them to come after you… which I wouldn’t recommend.’
The conversation moved on to the terrorists captured at Safi.
‘They’re due to arrive in Plymouth tomorrow. I shall be there to greet them; one of the perks of my job!’ said Jeremy.
‘How badly were the terrorists damaged by their investments in the markets?’ asked Brett. ‘Jeremy has been describing what they were aiming to do, and how they got caught with their pants down!’
‘I spoke briefly to Aidan earlier today,’ Rafi said. ‘He says that the markets have been remarkably resilient. But in the areas where the terrorists were playing the derivatives market, prices have moved sharply against them. They’re sitting on some truly massive losses. With Maryam, Jameel and the sheikh unable to make contact with their dealers, their positions will be sold. Aidan reckons their collateral will be too little to cover their margin calls. As a result the dodgy banks that acted as intermediaries will also be put through a financial shredding machine.’
Jeremy smiled. ‘Good – serves them right.’
‘Aidan is optimistic that several other shady people will be caught red-handed. He’s been liaising with Neil, who’s following up a significant list of very interesting leads. Maryam, it seems, is in bed with a number of European investors, many of whom are super wealthy, very well connected and of dubious character. Time will tell if they are just plain greedy or are in fact crooks,’ added Rafi.
After dinner, Brett and Jeremy walked with Kate and Rafi to their room. Brett had been given a room on the other side of the corridor, near the top of the stairs, and proceeded to set up a selection of listening and monitoring devices in their room and along the corridor.
Rafi and Kate said their goodnights and retired to their new twin bedroom. Rafi sat tentatively on the edge of his single bed.