Jordan increased their speed now that he could see more clearly ahead, and they hurtled along the bed of a sterile, barren valley, zigzagging between large boulders, lurching from side to side.
An hour later, they moved out on to a man-made road, hewn out of the side of the mountain and roughly surfaced with small stones.
As Jordan moved into a higher gear, taking them forward in a burst of speed, there was a loud report from the rear, and the truck slewed dangerously close to the edge of the road.
Jordan switched off the engine with a curse. ‘Blowout! Might happen more than once on this blasted road.’
They changed the tyre and were on their way again within ten minutes, but this time Kane was behind the wheel. There was no room in his mind for thinking of what lay ahead. He focused everything on the road, in grim concentration. His mind became a blank and nothing existed except the truck and the road ahead, twisting and curving along the side of the mountain, gradually sliding down towards the coast.
There was no question that he couldn’t keep it up – no question at all. He sat hunched behind the wheel for mile after mile, hands slipping in their own sweat on the rim, until three hours later they came down into the great valley which opened into the sea.
He and Jordan had not spoken for hours, but now, as Dahrein came into sight, Kane said, ‘What time have you got?”
Jordan glanced at his watch. ‘About four a.m. You feel okay?’
Kane breathed several times to clear his head and nodded. ‘I feel fine.’ l
‘What’s our next move?’ Jordan said.
Kane frowned. ‘I don’t think they’ll use the hotel. Muller’s house is the obvious choice. It’s more secluded.’
All was quiet ?,s he took the truck along the road past the airstrip and moved in through the outlying houses down towards the waterfront.
Dahrein was shrouded in darkness and he turned the headlights full on as he drove carefully through narrow streets and twisting alleys, towards Muller’s house.
At the end of the street, he halted and switched off the engine. ‘We’d better go the rest of the way on foot.’
He reached for his sub-machine gun and led the way cautiously along the street. A lamp hung suspended over the door in the wall and beneath its light a travel-stained truck was parked.
Jordan touched the engine housing briefly. It was still warm. ‘They haven’t been here long.’
Kane nodded. ‘I know, we made good time.’
The door was locked. For a moment he hesitated, and then Jamal touched him on the shoulder. When Kane turned, the Somali was leaning against the wall, legs braced firmly. Kane slung the machine gun over his shoulder and scrambled up on to Jamal’s back. As he reached the Somali’s shoulders, great hands seized his ankles and pushed.
He pulled himself over the wall and dropped down into the garden. There were lights on in the interior of the house. He stood in the darkness, looking up at the windows, and then he moved quickly to the door and unlocked it. A moment later, Jamal and Jordan were standing at his side.
He locked the door securely, pocketing the key, and they moved through the darkness towards the house.
EIGHTEEN
IT WAS QUIET in the garden and a slight breeze lifted coolly across Kane’s cheek as he crouched behind a bush a few yards from the front door. He moved forward out of the shadows and mounted the steps to the terrace, followed by Jordan and the Somali.
The door opened to his touch and he walked inside, sub-machine gun ready. The light was on, and from upstairs, there came the sound of faint movement.
He turned to speak to Jordan and a door clicked open on one side of the hall. An Arab servant in white robes entered, carrying a suitcase. As he saw them, his eyes widened into saucers. Before he could cry out, Jamal took a quick pace forward and slammed his fist against the side of the man’s jaw. He slumped to the ground without a cry, the case slipping from his grasp.