‘He needed their private stashes,’ Lars said, putting together the pieces in unison with King. ‘To pay bribes, extort officials, ensure he made his presence known as a top player in the chain.’
‘Exactly.’
‘Smart bastard. Shame he couldn’t have used his powers for good. He could have done great things.’
‘But he didn’t,’ King said. ‘No other way around it. That’s how the world works.’
‘The choices we make…’ Lars said.
‘If you don’t mind saving the philosophy for another time,’ King said. ‘I’m still in the middle of nowhere, in case you couldn’t tell.’
‘The road you’re travelling along ends at El Hur. It’s a tiny coastal village — there’s nothing around it for dozens of miles in any direction. About as isolated a place as you can get.’
‘Perfect for Reed, then.’
‘You think he’s sailing away with his money?’
‘Check the ocean around El Hur for any signs of a container ship loitering unnecessarily.’
‘Which one do you want me to focus on?’ Lars said.
‘I don’t follow.’
‘There’s plenty, King. There’s a hundred ships hanging around a few dozen miles off the coast at all times. That’s the nature of the industry — I can’t change that. In fact, I’ve spent the last couple of hours attempting to track the closest ships to El Hur, because I had that exact thought. It’s madness. No-one’s revealing anything. I have to assume it’s just the nature of the beast.’
‘They all do it?’
‘They must. If Reed’s really hauling around a billion dollars in cash then this is far bigger than I could possibly fathom. I knew the shipping industry was inherently corrupt, but this is unbelievable. There’s nothing I can do to stop ships milling around in open waters. They’re obviously waiting for discreet deliveries from the mainland, but I have no way to prove that. I can’t prosecute anyone. It’s free reign out there — they can do as they please. The laws have been bent to allow them those kinds of conveniences. The jurisdictions don’t make sense either. Look, to sum it up, if Reed makes it onto one of those container ships he’s as good as gone. There’s nothing to stop ships meeting up in the middle of the ocean, and it’s horrendously hard to track. That’s how all this extra-legal trade exists in the first place. You following?’
‘I’m following. Sounds like a shitstorm.’
‘A shitstorm that’ll work in Reed’s favour if he makes it off the coast. He’ll be untraceable. The global industry is set up that way. I’m way out of my depth on this one. We all are.’
‘Then I’ll stop him before he gets to the coast.’
‘You’d better. I can’t protect you if you reach open waters.’
‘Let’s be real,’ King said. ‘You can’t protect me here either.’
‘Touché. Good luck.’
‘Thanks. Something tells me I’ll need it.’
As soon as he ended the call, he settled into a routine of such monotony that he lost all perception of time entirely. He focused on the unchanging road and entered a trance-like state. He still had no idea how bad he was hurt, opting to ignore the truth for as long as it took to get the job done. Then he could turn his attention to recuperation.
Until then, he would persevere.
Hours later, when the dark blue fingers of pre-dawn began to spear across the Somali sky, the coastline came into full view.
40
King reached over and tapped Beth on the shoulder as soon as he noticed the sparkling ocean stretching out in full view. He had driven all through the night, and most of the sea lay shrouded in shadow. There was barely enough natural light to make out the undulating plains descending down to the coast, devoid of vegetation, packed with twisted brambles and dead trees like much of the landscape across the country.
‘Reed’s down there, somewhere,’ he said, staring out at the scenery.
The hostile landscape did nothing to calm his heart rate — it seemed like everything in sight had the potential to hide an outfit of armed bandits. Nothing about the gently sloping plains felt welcoming. Realising that he couldn’t pause on the crest forever, he threw the tractor unit back into gear and set off for the Indian Ocean a few miles in the distance.
‘What’s our plan of attack?’ Beth said, shifting restlessly in the passenger seat.
She had come awake all at once, as if anticipating confrontation. King glanced across at her and noticed that she couldn’t take her eyes off the coastline. It beckoned them forward, quiet and menacing. He found himself impatient for the sun to rise and bring daylight to the region. The dark blue hue covering everything in sight left all kind of room in the imagination.
The shadows could hide almost anything.
He spotted El Hur in the distance after another half-hour of cautious travel. This close to the finish line, he felt no need to rush. The last thing he wanted was to conclude a twelve-hour journey across half of Somalia with a hasty approach that fell apart in an instant.
It would take little effort for Reed to outsmart them at this point — King was relying on the man being distracted by his closeness to a successful exit. Hopefully he would keep his attention fixed on the journey ahead, instead of constantly checking over his shoulder.
It was the only way they would succeed.
‘You sure you want to do this?’ King said. ‘I can let you out here if you want.’
Beth stared at him as if he were insane, and flashed a glance out the window. ‘I’ll get ambushed and murdered if you do that.’
‘There might be a worse fate waiting for us down there. I don’t want Reed to get his hands on you.’
‘I don’t think he had anything personal against me,’ she said. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t prolong my suffering.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘You’re right. I don’t. But there’s no way in hell I’m staying up here.’
‘Okay. Your call.’
‘He’ll know we’re coming.’
‘He can see the finish line,’ King said. ‘He has anywhere up to ten figures on him, all in cash. That kind of temptation can blind anyone, no matter how disciplined they are.’
‘You know that from experience?’
King shrugged. ‘It’s the way of the world. I’m a fresh face in this game but everyone I’ve had to deal with had dollar signs in their eyes in some capacity.’
‘Money isn’t everything,’ Beth muttered.
‘To these people it is.’
There was nothing else left to say, so a comfortable silence descended over the cabin, the kind of silence that formed when two people had spent many stressful hours together without the need to speak. King hadn’t picked up much speed yet — the tractor unit chugged along the wide trail at a rate not much more than a crawl — so he didn’t mind when Beth leant across the centre console and touched a hand to his cheek.
She twisted his head and he responded willingly, sinking into the sensation, kissing her hard and letting his eyes fall closed for a brief handful of seconds. It carried a similar feeling to the kiss they’d shared back at the peacekeepers’ compound — a beacon of stress relief in the midst of carnage. He could sense the tension in her body as their lips worked over each other, and he momentarily took one hand off the wheel to press her tighter against him, noticing the outline of her breasts against her khaki shirt. They sat against his chest, inviting, tempting.
Don’t let yourself get distracted.
He bit her lower lip softly as he pulled away, letting her know with a single gesture that he shared her lust. He wanted her there and then, but there were urgent, pressing matters at hand. They both knew that. Alone in the cabin, they were both fully aware of the gravity of the situation looming over them.