Empire of Gold

He drew back the knife, about to stab the merc in the stomach—

  The eyes widened in recognition. ‘Little man!’ said a delighted Russian voice.

  Eddie arrested his strike, jerking the blade out of sight behind his back. He knew the voice, but couldn’t believe he was hearing it. ‘Maximov?’

  The giant peeled off the balaclava to reveal a bearded, heavily scarred face, the worst injury a gnarled knot of tissue at the centre of his forehead. ‘What are you doing here?’ said Oleg Maximov, grinning at the Englishman.

  It was two years since Eddie had last met the huge ex-Spetsnaz soldier, first as a foe, later an uneasy ally during the search for Excalibur. He had then been in the service of a Russian billionaire; that he was here now suggested he had looked further afield for employment. ‘Didn’t Stikes tell you I was coming?’ he said, desperately improvising.

  Maximov looked puzzled. ‘No. When did you join company?’

  He feigned nonchalance. ‘Oh, I’ve known Stikes for years – we were in the SAS together. I had sort of an open invitation to join 3S, but didn’t get the chance to take it up until recently. I’ve been busy with the IHA – plus getting married, stuff like that.’

  ‘You finally picked a day? Congratulations!’ Maximov slammed a meaty hand down on Eddie’s shoulder. ‘To the pretty redhead, da? Hey, I saw her on TV. In the Sphinx. What is she doing now?’

  So Maximov didn’t know that Nina was here? ‘Archaeological stuff. Kind of boring, which is why I decided to see if old Stikesy had anything exciting on the cards. Got to admit, regime change in Venezuela was more than I was expecting!’

  ‘Me too,’ said Maximov, nodding. ‘But job is job, money is money, hey?’

  ‘I know what you mean. Oh,’ he added, sensing an opportunity, ‘can you come with me to talk to President Suarez? That’s why Stikes wanted me here – I’ve, er, met him before, so I might be able to get him to tell me the information Callas needs.’

  He knew that the more he elaborated on his story, the more danger there was of falling into a hole – but he also knew that Maximov had not been hired for his brainpower. The name-dropping seemed to have convinced the Russian that he was here legitimately. ‘Okay,’ said the big man, nodding.

  ‘So,’ Eddie said, stepping back and ushering him into the hallway, ‘what’ve you been doing since the business with Jack Mitchell?’

  ‘Mitchell?’ Maximov growled as he headed back the way Eddie had come. ‘That little shit, I should have crushed him. What happen to him, anyway?’

  ‘He’s dead. Very, very dead. Stabbed, electrocuted, drowned, in that order.’

  ‘Ha! Good. I work a lot in Africa recently. Always little wars, da?’

  ‘Do you know Strutter?’ Eddie asked, gambling that the small world of the mercenary might provide common ground - and a way to keep Maximov distracted.

  ‘Strutter, yeah! A zhópa, but I meet Stikes through him, so not all bad.’ They passed the kitchen, the Russian going to another door. ‘Okay, here.’

  Eddie decided not to feel too annoyed that he would have found the stairs to the cellar immediately if he had turned right instead of left to begin with, instead following Maximov down into the mansion’s bowels. His new companion could have his uses, even if only as a human shield. He turned the knife in his hand.

  Maximov led the way along a white-painted passage, his elbows brushing both walls, and stopped at a door. ‘When did you meet Suarez?’ he asked as he opened it.

  ‘Year or so back, at some United Nations thing,’ Eddie said, taking in the room. Three small cells had been installed, metal bars reaching from floor to ceiling – and each was occupied. Suarez in the middle, Kit to one side . . . and Nina lying on the floor at the other.

  There was also a guard, who stood and gave the two men a suspicious look. ‘Why are you here?’ he asked.

  ‘To talk to him,’ said Maximov, pointing at Suarez. Then he saw Nina and reacted in surprise. ‘Hey! It’s you!’ She in turn jumped up in astonishment.

  The soldier saw her unexpected reaction. ‘What are—’

  Eddie stepped behind him and with a quick, deadly motion drove the knife deep into the base of his skull.

  The Venezuelan collapsed instantly, the hilt buried in his neck. Eddie grabbed the soldier’s AK-103 off his shoulder as he fell and pointed it at Maximov. ‘Okay, drop your gun. And the grenade.’

  ‘Little man!’ said Maximov, sounding shocked and even hurt by the sudden betrayal. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Rescuing my wife.’ He nodded towards Nina, then Kit. ‘And my friend.’

  Suarez pushed his face against the bars. ‘Y a mi?’ he asked hopefully.

  ‘Nope, sorry, mate,’ said Eddie as Maximov reluctantly dropped his weapons to the floor.

  ‘Oh.’ Now it was the President’s turn to look offended.

  ‘Eddie, we have to rescue him,’ Nina insisted. ‘And by the way: Eddie! Oh my God!’ She broke into a huge smile. ‘I – I thought you were dead! How did you find us?’

  ‘Long story, and it’ll have to wait.’ He nudged the soldier’s twitching body, jingling his keys. ‘Okay, Max – let them out.’

  Scowling, Maximov took the keys and unlocked Nina’s cell. She rushed out to embrace her husband, but he waved her back. ‘Get the gun,’ he told her. ‘Can’t have post-rescue sex until we’re actually post-rescue.’

  ‘I wasn’t planning on dropping my pants right here in the cells,’ she said as she picked up the pistol. Maximov opened the other cells, eyeing a fire alarm on one wall, but a wave of Eddie’s gun discouraged him from activating it. ‘What about the others? Is Macy okay?’

  ‘Macy’s fine – she’s waiting for us with Mac.’

  ‘What? Mac’s here too?’

  ‘Yeah. I called for some help. Left Osterhagen and Becker at a hospital down south – hopefully Callas’s lot didn’t find them. Oscar’s dead, though. So’s Loretta.’

  The news muted Nina’s joy at being released. Kit collected the stun grenade. ‘Eddie, what’s happening outside? If they’ve kidnapped the President, I assume things are not good.’

  ‘We’ve got a full-blown military coup under way,’ Eddie told him, gesturing with the AK for Maximov to enter a cell. He slammed the door behind the furious Russian and locked it, then turned to Suarez. ‘Okay, Mr Presidente – looks like you’re coming with us, so where’s the best place for us to head for?’

  Suarez stared at him in incomprehension. ‘Qué?’

  Eddie looked to the ceiling in dismay. ‘Oh, fucking great. He’s from Barcelona!’

  ‘It’s your accent,’ Nina said testily. ‘I don’t think he’s spoken to many Yorkshiremen.’ She faced the Venezuelan, talking slowly and clearly. ‘Mr President, do you speak English?’

  ‘I speak, ah, ah . . .’ He held his thumb and forefinger a short distance apart. ‘A little, sí?’

  ‘Okay, we’re going to get you out of here – where should we go?’

  He nodded at the door. ‘We go, yes, go!’

  ‘No, go where?’

  ‘Qué dijiste?’

  ‘I said – ugh! Dammit, we need Macy.’

  ‘Let’s go and meet her, then,’ said Eddie. ‘Nina, give Kit the gun – you take that stun grenade, we might need it on the way out. Once we reach the car, Macy can ask el Prez here where to go. If we can meet the militia, he might be able to drum up some support against Callas.’ He started for the door.

  Nina tugged his sleeve. ‘Eddie, wait – we need to get something first.’

  He halted and pursed his lips. ‘You’re going to say we need to pick up those fucking statues, aren’t you?’

  ‘Well, ah, yeah . . . but they’re not the main thing!’ she hastily clarified. ‘Callas and Stikes met with a guy called de Quesada—’

  ‘De Quesada?’ echoed Suarez with distaste, clearly familiar with the name.

  ‘Yeah, he’s a drug lord, and he’s helping fund Callas’s coup. But de Quesada is blackmailing Callas too. He’s got
a video recording of something – I don’t know what, I didn’t see, but it made Callas mad as hell. And the disc is still here!’

  ‘If it was broadcast, if the people of Venezuela had proof that Callas was working with drug lords,’ Kit immediately realised, ‘it would cripple his support.’

  ‘And Callas was worried that it would force the US to intervene,’ Nina added. ‘We have to get it.’

  Eddie frowned, but Kit was right. It could destroy Callas – if they lived to show it to anyone. ‘Where’s the disc?’

  ‘A room upstairs, overlooking the golf course.’

  The small staircase he had seen was at the rear of the house - and would also hopefully see less foot traffic than the main stairs. ‘Okay, I know a way up there. Kit, watch our backs.’

  Maximov banged a fist angrily against his cell door, rattling the bars. ‘I kill you for this, little man! I thought you were good guy!’

  ‘I am,’ Eddie told the giant. ‘Nothing personal, Max, but you’re on the wrong side. You should find someone better than Stikes to work for.’ The glowering Russian wasn’t impressed by his career advice. ‘Okay, come on.’

  They left the makeshift prison, closing the thick wooden door behind them, and moved quickly to the stairs. Eddie paused at the top. The hall was empty. He went through, the others following.

  Clung.

  A deep metallic thump from the cellars. And another. ‘Shit!’ said Eddie, realising what it was. Maximov was trying to use his enormous strength to rip the bars out of the floor.

  ‘Should I go back and stop him?’ Kit asked, raising the gun.

  Eddie closed the door. The sound dropped, becoming barely audible. ‘No time. Let’s just get that disc – and hope those bars were cemented in properly!’ They hurried to the staircase and went up it.

  Nina recognised her surroundings from earlier in the day. ‘Through there.’

  AK-103 at the ready, Eddie went to the door Nina had pointed out. He shoved it open and darted through. Nobody there.

  Nina and the others entered, Eddie remaining on guard at the entrance. ‘Callas threw it over here somewhere,’ she said, starting to search. Suarez, meanwhile, hurried to the windows and looked out in dismay across the city. The lights of Caracas glistened before him . . . as did the ominous red glows of fires, speckling the vista like sores.

  ‘Nina,’ said Kit, from the other side of the room. ‘I’ve found the statues.’ He picked up the case.

  ‘Great,’ Eddie said impatiently, ‘but what about that disc?’

  Nina dragged a potted plant away from the wall to find the DVD behind it. ‘Here!’ she cried, snatching it up. There was a scuff mark and several greasy fingerprints, but it hadn’t been chipped or cracked by its flight.

  Kit opened the case. ‘Put it in here,’ he said. Nina found a place where it would be cushioned by the foam without being scratched by the statues, then closed the lid.

  ‘We ready?’ Eddie demanded. Nina nodded. ‘Good, let’s go. Oi, Manuel!’ he called to Suarez. ‘Vamanos!’

  They hurried out, Suarez complaining in Spanish – though whether about the state of the city or the Englishman’s less than respectful attitude the others weren’t sure. Eddie led the way back to the stairs. ‘Okay,’ he said as they made a quick descent, ‘we’ll go out past the pool and climb over the wall to the next house.’ Suarez spoke again; Eddie glanced back at him as he reached the bottom of the stairs – and ran into someone.

  ‘Hey, watch—’ said Baine – only to freeze in shock. ‘Chase?’

  The collision had knocked Eddie’s gun down across his stomach at an awkward angle; not enough space between the two men for him to bring it round and shoot. Instead he whipped it upwards against Baine’s chin with a crack of teeth. Before Baine could recover, Eddie swung the AK and hit him in the temple with its stock. He fell against the wall. A boot to his stomach knocked him to the floor.

  Eddie was about to finish him off, but Nina and Suarez were already rushing for the lounge. ‘Shit, wait!’ he hissed, kicking Baine in the head to make sure he stayed down and starting after them—

  A loud bang from deep in the building. Metal falling on concrete. Maximov was free.

  A moment later, the strident clamour of a bell filled the hallway. He had reached the alarm.

  23

  Nina and Suarez stopped at the door to the pool. The TV at the poolside showed a view from a building’s upper floor of soldiers warily facing off against a crowd of civilians. ‘Which way?’ Nina asked.

  Eddie took the lead. ‘Over that wall,’ he said, pointing the way as he ran outside – to find three soldiers pounding towards him, less than fifteen feet away.

  The Venezuelans were surprised by his sudden appearance. He swept round the AK to cut them down—

  The gun fired only once. A soldier tumbled into the pool, trailing blood, but the other two brought up their own Kalashnikovs when they realised his had jammed. The magazine had been jarred loose when he hit Baine, only the already chambered round firing.

  Beside him, Nina saw the gunmen – and kicked the catering trolley. Plates flew as it skittered across the poolside and hit the nearer of the soldiers. The impact knocked him back against his partner. Both men toppled into the pool, arms flailing almost comedically.

  Eddie wasn’t laughing, though. They still had their guns, and a Kalashnikov could fire even after being submerged. He yanked his own rifle’s charging handle. A round was wedged in the receiver, refusing to come loose. ‘Kit!’ he shouted, but Suarez had frozen in the doorway, blocking the Interpol agent inside.

  The men surfaced, spluttering angrily. One shook the water from his AK, swinging it towards the group—

  Eddie booted the television into the pool.

  There was a bang and a sizzling crackle. The soldiers writhed and spasmed as power surged through their bodies with heart-stopping force. After a moment they fell still, bobbing in the electric-blue water.

  ‘Don’t say it,’ Nina warned Eddie.

  ‘What, shoc—’

  ‘I said don’t.’

  ‘You’re no fun.’ He finally managed to eject the stuck round, the next slotting into the chamber with a reassuring clack.

  Kit shoved past Suarez. ‘Eddie, look out!’ More soldiers were running from the helipad, alerted by the gunshot.

  There was no way they could reach and climb the wall before being shot. ‘Come on, round the front!’ Eddie shouted, pushing the President in the right direction. ‘Nina, give me that grenade!’

  Stikes and Callas rushed into the Clubhouse’s entrance hall, finding several soldiers milling in confusion – and Maximov, barging them aside as he ran to his employer. ‘Boss, boss!’ he called over the noise of the alarm. ‘The cells – it was Eddie Chase!’

  ‘What?’ Stikes couldn’t conceal his shock. Chase was a resilient little bastard, but the idea that he could not only have survived a plane crash, but then found his way to Caracas and penetrated Callas’s headquarters, was almost too much to accept. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes, yes! I know him – he said he knew you!’

  ‘What about Suarez?’ Callas demanded.

  ‘He let him go!’ Callas’s eyes widened in dismay. ‘And the others too. He tricked me!’

  ‘Not exactly the hardest thing he’s done recently,’ Stikes growled. The big Russian was a recent recruit to 3S – and, it seemed, the company could have found better. ‘How long ago?’

  ‘Just a minute or two. And boss, they said they had to find some . . . some disc, I don’t know what.’

  If Callas’s eyes had been wide before, they were now practically bugging from their sockets. ‘De Quesada’s DVD – it’s still upstairs! If they get it to a TV station . . .’

  Rojas ran in through the front door, shouting urgently in Spanish. ‘Shots from the side of the house,’ the general reported to Stikes. He started to issue orders—

  A piercing bang came from outside, followed by screams.

  ‘Get i
n!’ Eddie yelled, pointing at the armoured car in front of the house. A soldier had been leaning through its open rear hatch, asking others nearby what was happening – until the stun grenade tossed into the middle of the group blasted their senses into oblivion.

  Eddie ran for the V-100, unleashing a burst of fire at the guards near the gate to force them into cover behind the parked Tiunas, then blew away a soldier running through the mansion’s front door. He hurdled the man who had fallen from the hatch and took up a defensive position as Nina, Suarez and finally Kit piled into the vehicle.

  ‘There’s a guy in here!’ Nina shouted. The V-100’s driver was still in his seat, hands clamped to his ears in agony.