into the wafting mass.
‘Macy! Can you hear me?’ He heard a feminine cough from somewhere in the cloud. ‘Okay, we’ve got to go through it. Hold your breath, keep your eyes and nose covered, and grab hold of me.’ He held out his hands.
Grant was also suffering the effects of the pungent chemicals, face screwed up in discomfort. ‘Aren’t you feeling this?’ the actor asked Eddie as he and Nina took hold of him.
‘Nah, this is pretty weak - the SAS chucks you in rooms full of way worse stuff in training. You get used to it, like vindaloo. Okay, ready?’ They both nodded, holding their noses. ‘
He rushed into the cloud, pulling Nina and Grant behind him. His eyes immediately started streaming, and his exposed skin felt as though it was being jabbed by hot needles - his training had made him more resistant than most to the effects of tear gas, but not immune, and it was several years since he had last undergone the experience. But he kept going until they emerged into clearer air on the other side.
Where was Macy?
The fog’s boundary was uneven, clumps still hanging stubbornly despite the light breeze coming through the smashed doors. Another cough, and he spotted a half-shrouded shape. ‘Macy! Over here, c’mon!’ He shook off Grant and Nina and started towards her.
A blink to clear stinging tears from his eyes—
There were now
‘
Too late.
The other figure resolved itself into Shaban. He grabbed Macy from behind, pressing a gun to her head to use her as a human shield - then realised his opponents were unarmed—
Nina pulled Grant behind one of the remaining statues as Eddie dived for the only cover he could reach - the cloud of tear gas. A bullet carved a vortex through the swirling mist just above him as he rolled deeper into the dense fog.
Losing sight of him, Shaban blasted two more shots at Nina and Grant, smacking chunks out of the statue. Then he shoved the gun against Macy’s head again, making her scream as the hot metal burned her, and dragged her backwards.
‘Lorenz!’ he shouted. ‘Get the canister!’
Nina risked a quick glance out from behind the statue, and saw the stainless steel container lying on its side across the stage. Lorenz picked it up and looked to Shaban for orders.
‘Get to the helicopter!’ the Egyptian shouted as he retreated, hauling the struggling Macy with him.
Eddie burst from the cloud to take cover behind the statue nearest Shaban and his lackey. Shaban fired again, the bullet twanging off the chromed figure. ‘If you follow, I’ll kill her!’ he warned as he reached the side exit. Lorenz opened the door, and they backed through.
Eddie let out a hacking cough. ‘Jesus!’ he wheezed, wiping his eyes. ‘They’ve changed the bloody formula since I last did a gas drill!’
Nina hurried to him, Grant behind her. ‘Now what’re we gonna do?’
‘Get him somewhere safe, for a start,’ said Eddie, nodding at the actor. ‘Then get that drawbridge down so Assad and his lads can come in.’
‘What about you?’
‘I’m going to get Macy.’ The breeze had wafted the gas far enough down the stage for him to spot something amongst the debris: a gun, dropped by one of the guards. He collected it - then, to Nina’s surprise, handed it to her. ‘Shoot anything green.’
‘Why aren’t you taking it?’ she asked.
‘ ’Cause there might still be guards at the gate.’
‘I’m not going to the gate - I’m going with you.’
‘No, you need to look after Grant.’
Grant looked offended. ‘Hey, I can take care of myself, man.’
‘You ever fired a real gun?’ Eddie demanded.
‘Yeah.’
‘At a person?’
‘No.’ His eyebrows shot up. ‘Wait, she
‘Way too often,’ said Nina. ‘Look, Eddie, you—’
‘There isn’t time to fucking argue,’ Eddie snapped, running after Shaban. ‘Just get that bridge down!’ He reached the exit and was about to go through when he looked back. ‘Oh, and thanks for rescuing me! Now bugger off!’
‘Any time,’ Nina said with a smile. She turned to Grant. ‘Okay, come on.’ They ran for the doors.
‘You’ve really shot people?’
‘Afraid so. Transfixed a guy with a sword once, too.’
‘Wow.’ They entered a small lobby, floor littered with broken glass from the Mitsubishi’s entrance. Through the gaping hole in the outer wall the drawbridge was visible, still raised. ‘Has anyone optioned your life story? It’d make a great movie!’
‘Yeah, but who’d play me?’ Nina looked outside. Nobody in sight. ‘Let’s get you out of here - then I can go after my husband!’
The side exit led to a corridor along the pyramid’s eastern base. Eddie ran down it to the lobby through which he had entered the building.
No sign of Shaban, Lorenz or Macy. Or anyone else - Shaban’s followers had been in the temple to hear their godhead’s rant, and were still trapped in the pit.
He crossed the lobby. The outer doors slid open as he approached, the sound of a helicopter’s engine reaching him. It was nearing takeoff speed. And as soon as the chopper was clear of the castle, Macy would become dead weight - literally.
A quick glance round the doorframe revealed the helicopter, a sleek six-passenger Eurocopter EC130, on the pad in one corner of the courtyard. Lorenz was in the front passenger seat beside the pilot, Shaban and Macy behind them. A glint of metal told Eddie that Lorenz had the gun; his door was ajar so he could shoot at anyone trying to approach.
He needed to get round to the pilot’s side to block his aim. If he ran fast enough, he could make it before the aircraft took off - assuming Lorenz wasn’t a crack shot.
He took a deep breath . . . and ran.
Nina and Grant reached the gatehouse. Part of the castle’s structure had been extended by a booth with mirrored windows: a security station. The drawbridge controls were almost certainly inside.
Nina reached the door first and flung it open - just as the sound of echoing gunfire reached her from the far side of the pyramid. She instinctively looked back.
A noise inside the booth. Nina whirled to see a guard drawing a gun. She jumped backwards - and collided with Grant as he tried to follow her inside. He lurched clear, but she stumbled and fell on her back. The gun was jolted from her hand.
The guard ran towards her. She tried to get up, but he was already upon her, pointing his gun down at her head—
A sudden blur of motion, and the automatic flew into the air as Grant leapt up and delivered a high kick to the man’s hand. He landed straddling Nina, twisting to slam an elbow into the guard’s chest and following it by backhanding him in the face. The man staggered.
Grant grinned at Nina. ‘Krav Maga, man! Learned those moves for a movie.’
She wasn’t impressed. ‘This isn’t a movie - and he’s not down!’
‘Huh?’ He looked round - and saw the guard still standing, a hand to his aching nose and an expression of rising anger on his face. ‘But that always works on set!’
‘Because they’re
