“Hey, you two wonderful bastards, you won the war, eh?”
There was a burst of firing from somewhere and a bullet ricocheted from the stonework of the jetty.
“Not yet, we haven’t,” Dillon replied as he and Blake dropped to the deck. “Let’s get out of here,” and Aleko did just that.
Levy and Aaron arrived on the run as the Cretan Lover sped toward the fishing fleet, where most of the boats were already hauling in their nets.
“We’ve lost them, Colonel,” Aaron said.
“Not with the speedboat, you fool. It can do thirty knots. I doubt if they can match that. You take the wheel.”
He dropped down into the stern and Aaron slid behind the wheel and found the ignition key under the rubber mat, where he usually concealed it. He switched it on and the massive engines sprang into life.
Levy said, “Now run them down!”
Stavros said, “He’s coming.”
“Don’t worry,” Aleko said. “We’ll be into the fleet soon, but get the women below.”
Ferguson took them down to the cabin, then came back and joined Dillon and Blake, the third Uzi in his hands. Yanni and Dimitri and Stavros all had revolvers. Ferguson handed Dillon his Browning.
“The Chief Inspector thought you might need it.”
The speedboat roared out of the night, clear because of the moon, Levy crouched in the rear. Ferguson triggered the Uzi, the crew fired single shots, but Aaron weaved from side-to-side, first one way, then the other, and suddenly, Levy stood up and sprayed the Cretan Lover with an entire M16 magazine at close quarters.
The wheelhouse shattered, a round took Ferguson in his flak jacket, knocking him down, and another punched Dimitri in the shoulder.
Dillon loosed off a couple of shots, but the speedboat swerved, came in again, and they all ducked as Levy raked the deck.
“We’re sitting ducks,” Blake cried.
“Not quite,” Aleko told him, and back at the jetty, fire blossomed in the night as the motor cruiser exploded.
“Number one,” Aleko said.
The speedboat came in again and Levy stood up, black against the distant flames. He raised the M16. “I’ve got you now, Dillon,” he cried, his voice echoing across the water.
And then the speedboat blew up, disintegrating before their eyes into a fireball, pieces flying through the air, some rattling against the hull of the Cretan Lover. There was a hissing of steam, and what was left disappeared under the surface of the sea.
“And that was number two,” Aleko said. “Now we go home.”
Stavros was checking Dimitri’s shoulder and Ferguson was sitting down. He plucked the round from his flak jacket. “I feel as if I’ve been kicked by a mule.”
Hannah and Marie appeared cautiously from the cabin. “Is it over?” Marie de Brissac asked.
“I think we might say that,” Ferguson said, “but first I’d better speak to your father.”
Cazalet was hosting a reception at the White House for a Russian delegation. He’d done well, kept his end up remarkably, his mind understandably on other things. He was deep in conversation with the Russian Ambassador when Teddy approached.
“Sorry to intrude, Mr. President, but there’s a call of the utmost urgency.”
Cazalet excused himself and followed Teddy to a small anteroom. Teddy closed the door and handed him the special mobile.
“It’s Brigadier Ferguson, Mr. President.”
Cazalet took the phone, his face pale. “Yes, Brigadier, this is the President.”
He listened, and it was as if ten years slipped from him. “God bless you, Brigadier, God bless all of you. Washington next stop. We’ll expect you tomorrow.”
He switched off the phone. Teddy said, “Mr. President?”
“You know what, Teddy?” Jake Cazalet smiled his famous smile. “What I’d appreciate more than anything right now is a glass of champagne and I’d like you to join me.”
WASHINGTON
* * *
Epilogue
When the Gulfstream landed at Andrews, the bad weather had switched to that side of the Atlantic and, under instructions, they taxied through rain to a remote area of the base, right into an empty hangar. Two limousines waited and Teddy Grant stood beside one of them.
Kersey opened the door and Ferguson led the way down, followed by Dillon and Blake. Teddy hurried forward and took Blake’s hand. “I can’t believe it and neither can the President.” He turned to the others. “Brigadier—Mr. Dillon. A great day.”