Crash Course by Derek Fee (pdf to ebook reader .txt) 📕

Manuel and Morweena appeared behind Pedro.

“She’s here,” Safardi said. “Now where are the drugs?”

“Not yet,” Kane’s disembodied voice replied. “Let her move to the centre of the clearing. Then I’ll tell you where to find the drugs.”

“Okay,” Safardi said, “but remember any double-cross and she’ll be the first to die.” He motioned to Morweena to move forward.

She dislodged Manuel’s hand from her arm and moved into the clearing.

“Hasta la vista, puta,” the Colombian said from his crouching position as she passed.

She passed Hackett and Safardi and walked the fifteen metres into the clearing.

Kane smiled as she reached the centre of the glade. The next part would be the trickiest.

“The drugs are in the boot of the BMW,” Kane said. “You’ll find the car hidden seventy metres further along the track under a large overhanging tree. Tell your men to look for a circle of stones by the track.”

Safardi raised the walkie-talkie to his mouth. “Carlos.” He relayed the location of the BMW to his guard and sent him to check on the drugs.

Morweena walked towards the other side of the clearing.

“Not yet, puta,” Pedro’s voice was as cold as ice in the steamy heat of the clearing.

She stopped dead in her tracks.

“When you hear an explosion give it the full throttle, Morweena,” Kane whispered from his hiding place. As soon as Safardi had his hands on the drugs, all bets would be off. Kane watched Morweena standing nervously in the centre of the clearing and beyond her the crouching figures of the Colombian and Hackett. The main danger to Morweena would come from Pedro. Morweena’s security would eventually be down to his reactions. He wondered whether they would pass the test and prayed that he would.

The five men and Morweena remained perfectly still as Safardi held the walkie-talkie. Pedro smiled as he motioned Manuel into a firing position across from him.

Kane saw the smile from the other side of the clearing and realised its significance. They wouldn’t be allowed to walk away. His fingers closed around the handgrip of the Uzi.

The walkie-talkie in Safardi’s hand crackled and both Pedro and Manuel turned instinctively towards their leader.

“Down flat, Morweena,” Kane screamed as he brought his Uzi up.

“Hemos las drogas,” Carlos’ voice came over the walkie-talkie.

Pedro swung his Uzi and began firing at Morweena’s back. She was already lying on the ground and the bullets flew uselessly over her head. Before he could re-direct his fire a burst from Kane’s Uzi took the Colombian in the chest and flung him back from his hiding place. The tail end of the burst missed Hackett and he rolled into the undergrowth.

“Kill them!” Safardi screamed as he dived into the foliage for cover.

Kane turned his attention to Manuel. The Spaniard was stunned by the sight of the Colombian being flung backwards; his chest already covered with dark red blood which oozed from the holes torn by the Uzi’s 9mm parabellum shells. He swung around as Kane switched the magazine in the handle of the Uzi. Manuel fired a wild burst in the direction of the shots that had killed the Colombian. Kane brought up the Uzi but his burst was too low and caught the Spaniard in the legs knocking him over like a bowling pin.

Manuel screamed as the shells thudded into his shins and thighs ripping through muscles and shattering bone. He tried to bring up the Uzi to return fire but the world of light disappeared as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Hackett stayed down.

“Get over here quick,” Kane shouted but there was no movement from Morweena. His heart leapt. Maybe a stray bullet from the fusillade in the clearing had caught her. He moved stealthily from his position and a burst of firing broke out from his right sending chips of cork oak flying beside his head. He turned and fired in a wide arc, waist high, sending 9mm shells into both Pablo and Emilio. The two men screamed as the bullets struck home.

Safardi fired a volley of shots in Kane’s direction and immediately dived for cover again.

Ignacio and Gonzalo took cover behind two large pines. Ignacio signalled to his comrade to carry out a circling movement. Slowly they began to creep through the thick grass towards their target.

Kane turned back to where the inert figure of Morweena lay in the centre of the clearing. He slipped quickly from beneath the cork oak and squirmed through the flat grass on his belly towards his fallen lover.

Morweena lay perfectly still on the ground in the centre of the clearing. The firing had stopped momentarily but she decided not to raise her head. Suddenly the firing broke out again and she pressed herself into the soft grass. She heard the screams of men and tears began to mingle with the sweat running down her cheeks. It was unreal. She tried to close her ears to the screams but then wondered whether one of the men who had been hurt was Mark. She thought she heard him call her name but a fresh burst of firing caused her to push her face further into the earth. Her body began to shake with fear and then she felt a hand on her side.

“Morweena, darling.” Kane stroked her, feeling her warm flesh beneath his hand. “Are you hurt?”

Slowly Morweena lifted her face up from the grass. She reached her hands around his neck and began to cry softly. “Mark, thank God it’s over,” she said holding him close.

“Listen, Morweena.” He pressed his face close to her ear and whispered. “It’s not over yet. Pedro and some of the other men are dead but Safardi, Hackett and at least four of his men are still around. Stay here and remain perfectly still.” He kissed her on the cheek and slid away towards the lagoon.

Safardi was about to stand up when he felt Hackett’s hand pulling him down. “We need to pull back and get out of here.” He whipped the walkie-talkie from the pocket of his jacket.

“Carlos,”