Eddie looked through the leaves again, his blood chilling when he saw that the man had drawn his gun and moved behind Nina. He started to count, with almost no pause between the numbers. ‘One, two—’
‘No!’ Eddie yelled, flinging his AK over the rise and jumping up with his hands held high. Kit did the same.
The cold gaze behind the sunglasses regarded them for a moment. Nobody moved. Then—
‘Three.’
He pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit the back of Cuff’s skull from point-blank range. It shattered into fragments as it punched through bone, red-hot metal chunks liquefying brain tissue. One of the pieces exploded from his right eye socket at the head of a terrible gout of grey and red. Cuff slumped lifelessly in his own blood.
Nina had been almost deafened by the gunshot barely two feet from her head. The ringing in her ears gradually faded, only to be replaced by another sound. Screaming. Loretta was wailing hysterically at the sight of Cuff’s body. The other prisoners were also in shock.
The officer gestured to two of his men. Weapons locked on Eddie and Kit, they recovered the discarded AK- 103s, then brought the explorers to their commander. The three golden stars of his insignia told the former SAS man that he was a major general – one of the highest Venezuelan military ranks. He removed his sunglasses, revealing dark, narrow eyes, blinking as infrequently as a lizard’s. ‘Are there any more of you?’ he asked.
‘No,’ Eddie replied.
‘If you are lying, I will kill you all. Starting with her.’ He pointed his pistol at Nina. She looked fearfully at her husband.
‘This is all of us. I’m not lying,’ said Eddie.
The officer stared at him for several seconds before finally turning away, appearing satisfied. His gaze moved on to Loretta, who was still crying. ‘Rojas,’ he said to a man nearby, a sergeant. ‘That noise. Silence it.’
Rojas stepped up to Loretta and with a swift, savage move smashed a fist across her face, knocking her to the ground. ‘You fucker!’ Eddie cried, lunging at him, only to have two Kalashnikov muzzles stabbed hard into his chest, then the stock of a third rifle slammed against the back of his head. He dropped to his knees in pain.
The man standing behind the Land Cruiser spoke. ‘Always did try to play the white knight for the ladies, didn’t you . . .
Eddie looked up in shock. He knew that voice. The speaker strode out and stood before him, a smug smile on his chiselled face.
It was Alexander Stikes.
13
‘You know this guy?’ Nina asked, shocked. ‘Unfortunately, yeah,’ said Eddie. ‘He’s a complete fucking bell-end called Stikes.’
‘Alexander Stikes,’ said the man in question, introducing himself to Nina with mock civility. ‘Formerly of the SAS. I had the dubious privilege of commanding
Eddie gave him a cutting half-smile. ‘Until I got him kicked out.’
Stikes sneered. ‘Don’t award yourself credit where it’s not due. My transfer back to my old regiment had nothing to do with that pathetic inquiry McCrimmon organised.’
‘Still stopped you getting promoted, didn’t it? Nothing like murdering civilians to fuck up your career prospects.’
‘I don’t know, striking a superior officer did for yours. Admittedly, a simple demotion wasn’t nearly punishment enough, but again, your being McCrimmon’s trained poodle helped you.’ He slowly circled Eddie. ‘You’ve put on weight, Chase. Two marriages have made you lazy. So how is your ex?’
‘Dead as you’ll be when I’m done with you. Been stalking me on Facebook, have you?’
‘Just keeping tabs on an adversary. But I must admit, it was quite a surprise to hear that coarse northern drawl again when they replayed the SOS at the base. Still, you never could keep your mouth shut.’
The Venezuelan general waved an impatient hand. ‘Enough. You know this man, yes, but we need to know who the others are, how much they know about the lost city – and who they have told.’
Stikes ran his hand down the side of Nina’s face. She flinched away, Eddie giving him a deadly look. ‘Well, since I know Chase, I also know who she is. We have a celebrity in our midst, Salbatore – this is Nina Wilde.’
The general’s eyebrows twitched as he recognised the name. ‘The one who found Atlantis?’
‘The very same. And it appears she’s not resting on her laurels. Unfortunately for her, you found this place first.’ He stepped back. ‘Search them.’
Three soldiers moved along the line, roughly relieving the prisoners of their possessions and tossing them to the ground. Stikes began to examine the passports and wallets.
‘You’ve got me at a disadvantage,’ Nina said to the general, trying to maintain a facade of calmness. ‘You know my name, so who are you?’
‘I know who he is,’ said Valero quietly. There was a note almost of betrayal in his voice. ‘General Callas.’ He looked the officer in the eye. ‘You are supposed to be President Suarez’s closest ally – his closest friend! Why have you not told him about this place?’
Callas’s lips tightened at the mention of Suarez, but he didn’t answer, instead turning back to Nina. ‘I am General Salbatore Delgado Callas,’ he announced. ‘I would offer you my hand, but I do not think you will take it.’
‘I think you’re right,’ she replied. He seemed amused by her defiance.
