Castille set off in a spray of mud, the 4x4 fishtailing across the sodden trail before finding grip and jumping forward. Loose items skittered about the rear cargo area as he accelerated, Chase amongst them. He grabbed one of the folded seats to brace himself and looked back. Lock and Hoyt were already running towards the track — and waving furiously, not at him but at a second Land Cruiser that had just come into sight.
Its driver reacted to their warning, braking hard. But the sheer weight of the big SUV and its occupants sent it slithering onwards through the mud, the rutted surface channelling it directly at the waiting landmine.
Lock and Hoyt both flung themselves flat as the Toyota’s front wheel hit the Bouncing Betty—
Even though he was now outside the weapon’s effective range, Chase instinctively ducked — but there was no explosion. A feeble puff of smoke came from the detonator. Then Castille rounded a bend in the track, but Chase still managed a short laugh at the sight of a mud-stained Lock looking up in a mixture of relief and fury before being lost to view. ‘Christ! All that faffing about, and we could have used the bloody thing as a football if we’d wanted.’
‘It did not blow up?’ asked Natalia.
‘Nope — although I wish it had, ’cause now we’ve got a whole truckful of those arseholes coming after us!’
‘Oh, merveilleux,’ sighed Castille. ‘I do not suppose you have a plan, Edward? No, of course not,’ he added.
‘I’ll come up with something. Just keep going.’ He looked at Natalia. ‘That was good thinking back there — a hell of a bluff,’ he told her with admiration. ‘I was convinced, so I’m not surprised they bought it too.’
‘So did I!’ Castille said with a grimace.
‘I was not bluffing,’ she replied quietly.
He was not sure how to respond to the admission, but had no time to do so as he saw headlights in the rear-view mirror. The second Land Cruiser was powering after them. ‘Hugo, put your foot down,’ he said, pocketing the Glock and reaching over the rear seat for the Belgian’s AK-47. ‘Here they come.’
19
‘Get behind me,’ Eddie told Nina and Tova, his eyes fixed on Slavin’s gun.
Tova obeyed, but Nina stayed beside him, crouching to check on Eisenhov. ‘He’s still alive — we’ve got to help him.’
She reached out to apply pressure to the gushing bullet wound, but Slavin jabbed his pistol at her. ‘No! Up! Stand up! Or I shoot you too.’ She reluctantly straightened.
‘You were working for the Americans,’ said Kagan, disgusted. ‘All these years, you were a spy for them! Why?’
The Russian officer was sweating, almost hyperventilating in his near-panic. ‘I–I lost money gambling,’ he gasped. ‘I had to borrow from gangsters to pay for it. If the Americans had not helped, they would have killed me!’
‘So you became a traitor?’ said Nina.
‘A traitor?’ Slavin said, nearly screeching. He stepped closer and stabbed the gun at her again. ‘To what? This country is run by gangsters, bottom to top — everyone is corrupt! If you do not have money, you are no one!’ He glanced at the fallen steel canister. ‘But I will have money — I will sell Thor’s Hammer to the Americans. And then I will disappear.’ With his free hand, he fumbled for a radio on his belt. ‘After I shoot the spies who have killed Dmitri Prokopiyevich!’ He spoke in frantic Russian into the handset.
‘He is telling them we murdered the Academician,’ Kagan warned the others.
‘Shut up!’ Slavin stepped over Eisenhov and pointed the gun at his commander. ‘I have wanted to do this for a long—’
Eisenhov jerked one leg sideways to hit Slavin’s ankle with his foot. It was only a light impact, but enough to make the already agitated officer flinch and look down.
His gun twitched away from Kagan—
Eddie kicked the armchair at Slavin. Its broad back hit the Russian, sending him reeling. Before he could recover, Eddie used the chair as a springboard to dive at him. Both men crashed against a bookshelf, volumes cascading down.
The Englishman took a particularly hefty tome to the top of his head. ‘Fuck!’ he yelped, quickly shaking off the pain, but the distraction gave Slavin an opening. He drove his elbow into Eddie’s stomach, knocking him back, then spun and brought up his gun—
Nina snatched up the steel container by its handle and smashed it against his outstretched hand with all her strength.
Slavin shrieked as two of his fingers broke, only for his wail to be abruptly cut off as Eddie drove a punishing punch into his face. The Russian tumbled back over the armchair, blood spurting from his burst lip.
Kagan retrieved the gun, then hurriedly checked on Eisenhov. ‘Nyet!’ he gasped, mortified. The scientist wasn’t breathing. Tova put her hands to her mouth in horror.
‘Slavin would have killed us if not for him,’ Nina reminded them. ‘He saved us.’
Though dismayed, Kagan nodded as he stood. ‘He was a good man — a hero.’
Eddie kicked Slavin. ‘Unlike this twat. What do we do with him?’
Alarm bells sounded. ‘Watch him,’ said Kagan, picking up the radio. He spoke rapidly into it, only for his face to fall as he listened to the reply. ‘This is not good,’ he told the others.
‘What did they say?’ Nina asked.
‘They believed him — they think we are spies, that we killed the Academician!’
‘But you are in charge here!’ Tova protested. ‘Can’t you tell them that we did not?’
Kagan glared at Slavin. ‘He is in charge of security at this bunker. They are his men, they are all chosen and promoted by him. Everyone is corrupt, indeed!’ He thought for a moment. ‘We must protect Thor’s Hammer,’ he said, indicating the container. ‘We cannot allow him to give it to the Americans.’ He stepped on Slavin’s injured hand, making him scream. ‘To get past his men, we will have to use him as a hostage.’
‘Or a shield.’ Eddie hauled the anguished Russian to his feet. ‘Is there any way out except for the lift?’ Kagan shook his head. ‘You lot weren’t big on health and safety in the Cold War, were you?’
‘You will not get out,’ rasped Slavin. ‘The bunker is locked down.’
‘I can override the lockdown when we get to the elevator,’ insisted Kagan.
‘If we get to the elevator,’ Nina said. ‘We’re at the opposite end of the bunker, and there are all those security doors to get through — as well as however many of his guys are waiting for us outside!’
Kagan gave her a grim smile. ‘Let us find out.’ He grabbed Slavin from Eddie, twisting his wounded hand behind his back and pushing the gun to his head. ‘You will tell your men to stay back, or I will kill you.’
‘If you shoot me, they will shoot you,’ Slavin growled in reply.
‘Then let’s hope nobody shoots anyone, huh?’ said Nina.
Kagan nodded. ‘Let us hope. Chase? Check the door.’
Eddie eased it open a crack. A man outside shouted in Russian. ‘What did he say?’
‘He wants us to let Slavin go, and surrender,’ said Kagan. He called out in his native language, then told Eddie: ‘Open it.’
‘You sure?’
‘I said I have him at gunpoint, and to pull back if they want him to live.’
‘Hope he wasn’t a shitty boss, then.’ Eddie took a breath, then swung the door wide.
They were not greeted by gunfire. ‘Okay, that’s a start,’ said Nina. She peered nervously around the two Russians to see several uniformed men, weapons raised, at an intersection thirty feet down the main corridor. ‘Although it’s still not exactly a great one.’