Cole parried the blow, but Vinh came back through, slicing through Cole’s arm, forcing him to drop the gun. Cole grabbed the knife arm, pushing Vinh back against the interior wall of the ambulance, knocking the air out of him. He pulled him back round and smashed the man’s arm onto the bonnet of the Range Rover, forcing him to drop the knife.
Vinh used Cole’s distraction with the knife to grab hold of Cole himself, pulling him close in and aiming his teeth at Cole’s neck. Cole’s shoulder came up reflexively to protect himself, and Vinh’s teeth buried themselves deep into the muscle tissue there instead. Cole felt a terrible pain as Vinh’s head whipped back and forth, trying to tear the flesh.
Vinh’s concentration on the bite, however, opened him up to someone who could keep their head clear despite incredible pain, and Cole took the opportunity provided.
Two marma adi nerve strikes to the unprotected parts of Vinh’s body and neck were all it took for the bite to be released, and the life to flicker out of the man’s eyes. Cole could see that Vinh genuinely had no idea what had happened to him as he collapsed dead onto the floor of the ambulance, head coming to rest against the polished alloy wheel of his Range Rover.
Cole climbed over the car and out of the ruined back end of the ambulance, into the street. Despite the late hour, there were tourists here, and all eyes turned to Cole as he emerged from the ravaged vehicles.
There was professional interest as well, and he saw two members of the Eiffel Tower’s security detail racing from the control point towards him, hands going to the guns on their belt holsters.
The sirens were also louder now, and then he saw the flashing lights make the turn onto the street.
He turned again, back to the huge iron girders of the tower’s leg. He ran straight forwards, underneath the leg and through to the other side, even as the tower security guards shouted a warning, stopped, took aim and fired their 10mm rounds after him.
The shots ricocheted off the iron leg of the tower, and then Cole was out the other side, hurdling a low hedge into the darkness and relative safety of the Parc du Champ de Mars.
He was pretty sure he had not been seen, but that was the least of his worries; he still had to evade capture and make his way to Austria, so he could get to the rendezvous point and make sure his family were safe.
53
Sarah stared out of the window at the people milling about the platform. Who was friendly?, she wondered. And who, more to the point, was not?
Four businessmen chatting over coffees, steam billowing out from the hot liquid into the cold air as they laughed at some unknown comment; young lovers, hand in hand, with rucksacks on their backs, gazing at one another almost without blinking; a homeless man begging near to the long queue of a cash machine, two armed station security guards hustling over to move him on; a school party, two dozen excited children and two distinctly stressed adult chaperones; these, and a hundred more besides.
Sarah sighed inwardly. It was just impossible to tell. Impossible!
She knew the people who were after them would be trained not to stand out, would blend easily into such a crowd. So what am I even looking for?, she asked herself. She turned her head, and saw her two children, both sleeping peacefully next to one another in their big seats. She smiled warmly, smoothing their hair with her hand. They’d had a long, tiring day and were doing the only sensible thing.
They’re so sweet … So innocent. A tear welled at the corner of one eye.
Sarah glanced down at Ben and Amy again, children sleeping peacefully in the safety provided by adults, then turned once more to stare out of the window at the crowded platform.
She could sleep later. When they were safe.
54
Hansard could not quite believe his ears. The news that was coming from France was just too much to reconcile. Cole had escaped again!
He had been strapped up helpless, under armed guard, travelling straight into the hands of two of Hansard’s best assassins! How could it possibly have gone wrong?
But Cole wasn’t the best for no reason, and the outcome shouldn’t really have surprised him, Hansard eventually realized. The problem was, what to do now? It seemed that they had lost all of their leads, and now Cole was free to meet up with his family in whatever safe location they had chosen.
He would be free to study the situation in detail, follow the events that would occur over the next few days, and possibly come to an understanding of what was happening, what Hansard’s overall plan was. Cole was certainly clever enough to piece everything together. The only thing was, would he do it in time to make a difference? Or would things have got to the stage where the truth no longer mattered?
55
The train pulled out at 2.34 precisely. Albright smiled into the bathroom mirror as he adjusted his hair. German precision.
He had made the train with only moments to spare, but he was confident that he had done it unseen by the targets.
He paused, looking into his own eyes in the mirror. He looked drawn, tired. But it was worth it; they’d tracked down their prey, and had closed the noose. There were two men in Carriage D, two more in F, whilst the four targets were ensconced in the cabin between them.
Albright had officially taken charge, and was seated in the same cabin as two of the other agents. He knew Sarah would recognize him instantly if their paths were to cross — the scars on his face would give him away. He also knew he should have taken the helicopter to Innsbruck to meet the train when it arrived and to organize the agents waiting there to pick up the tail. But he felt an urge — inexplicable, but there all the same, as an almost tangible, physical sensation — to keep close to the targets. Especially Sarah.
He shook his head, looking down at the sink. What was it with her? Why was the woman’s presence affecting him so much? But he knew all too well. He had underestimated her, and had paid the price. He turned his face to the mirror once more, fingers tracing the ugly scabs that traced their way across his forehead and down his cheeks, remnants of Sarah’s explosive gift on the yacht back in the Caymans. Yes, he was under no illusions about his obsession with her. It was revenge, pure and simple.
His reverie was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He looked at the screen, saw that the number was withheld. Still, not that many people had access to this number. He answered after the second ring.
56
‘Albright,’ Hansard heard the agent say over the secure line.
‘This is Hansard,’ he said coolly. ‘Sit rep?’
He listened as Albright described the operation so far, sipping from a glass of cognac as he sat behind his office desk. He couldn’t remember the last time he had managed to get home, but it was of no consequence. Comfort and relaxation could come later.
He listened with silent amusement as Albright told him how the targets had been reacquired — the agent tried to dress it up as best he could in order to maximize his own role in the proceedings, but Hansard saw between the lines instantly, recognizing the more important role played by blind luck. Still, he reflected, there was nothing wrong with a little bit of luck now and again. Nothing at all.
The team of agents had a tight loop around the targets now, it seemed. The only problem would be if they realized they were being followed and called off the RV completely. There was no reason this should happen if the agents exercised caution, but you could never tell what might go wrong. Murphy’s Law was, after all, a regrettable fact of life.