Charlie brought his mouth to my ear and whispered, 'I want to know where the missile is, and when the attack will take place. If not, well, some of my people here are only a few years older than that one in the chair and, like all young men, eager to display their manhood ... That's fair, isn't it? You set the rules children are now fair game, aren't they?'
He kept my head in his hands, waiting for my reply. I looked into his eyes and they told me what I needed to know: that none of us was going to leave here alive, no matter what we said or did.
It was Aaron who broke the silence, with a scoff: 'He's just the hired help.'
His voice was strong and authoritative.
'He was sent here to make you hand over the guidance system, that's all. He doesn't know a thing. None of us know where Sunburn is, but I can get on line at eight thirty tonight and find out. I'll do it just let these three go.'
I studied Charlie's face as he stared at Aaron. It was a good try on Aaron's part, but a bit naive.
Carrie went ballistic.
'No, no what are you doing?' She begged Charlie, still hovering above me.
'Please, he-' Aaron cut in at once.
'Shut up. I've had enough, it's got to end. It's got to stop now!'
Charlie released my head and I let it fall to the floorboards, the right side of my face taking the hit. He wasn't too keen to have my hair grease on his hands and bent down to wipe it on my shirt before walking over to the coffee table.
Aaron followed him with his eyes.
'Eight thirty I can't do anything until then. That's when I can make contact and find out eight thirty. Just let them go.' He stroked Luz's hair.
Charlie muttered instructions to the people around him as he walked towards the kitchen area, not acknowledging me as he passed.
Aaron and Carrie obviously understood what was going on and started to rise with Luz as two guards crossed the floor. Carrie still tried to talk sense into Aaron. What are you doing? You know he'll just-' He was tough with her.
'Shut up! Just shut up!' He kissed her on the lips.
'I
love you. Stay strong.' Then he bent down and kissed Luz, before the guards dragged him towards the computer room.
'Remember, Nick,' he laughed, 'once a Viking, always a Viking. Some things never change.'
He disappeared, jabbering some kind of explanation or apology in Spanish to the men who pulled at his arms.
The mozzie screen squeaked open behind me and commands were shouted at the boys on the veranda. The other two had already been herded into Luz's bedroom, and the door was closed.
Charlie had been inspecting the coffee pot and now checked the mugs. He obviously decided the blend was crap, or the mugs weren't clean enough, so he came back towards me and hunkered down once more, bending his head to connect his eyes with mine.
'Sunday London you were there?'
My gaze remained locked on his. It was like two kids playing stare as I kept my mouth firmly shut.
He shrugged.
'It doesn't matter, not now. What does is the Sunburn1 want it back. Do you know how much you have paid for it?'
I had to blink now, but I remained locked on. Fuck him, we were all dead anyway.
'Twelve million United States dollars. I'm thinking of reselling it good business, I think.' He stood, to the cracking of knees once again. He paused and took breath.
'It seems the war down south will escalate quite soon. I should imagine PARC would very much appreciate the opportunity to buy Sunburn, to prepare, let's say, for when the Americans send a carrier fleet to support its troops.' He smiled.
'After all, the Russians designed the missile with just one target in mind: the American aircraft carrier.'
I was pushed towards Luz's bedroom and opened the door to see both of them lying on the bed in a huddle. Carrie was stroking Luz's hair;
she looked up in terror as the door creaked open, her expression only changing when she saw it was me.
The door slammed shut. I moved over to the bed and sat down beside them with my finger to my lips. We've got to get out of here before these kids get organized.'
She looked down at her daughter, kissed her head, and spoke in whispers. What's he doing? He knows nothing. George won't say a-' 'I don't know, sssh ...'
I was only just beginning to understand what Aaron was doing, but I wasn't going to tell her.
I got up and went to the window, which was protected by a wire-mesh mozzie screen on the outside. The windows, side-hinged types that opened inwards, were caked with faded, flaking cream paint. The hinges had long since lost their coat, with luck through use. The mozzie screen was held in place by wooden pegs that swivelled on screws.
I looked out and studied the treeline two hundred metres away as Luz sparked up behind me. Is Dad coming?'
Carrie soothed her.
'For sure, baby, soon.'
The ground outside was littered with freshly broken terra cotta tiles from the roof. There was intermittent chat and the odd laugh coming from the veranda to my left.
I inspected the window, my mind still very much on Aaron. He wasn't as naive as I'd thought.
'Once a Viking, always a Viking.' They slash, they burn, they pillage. They never change. He'd told me that. He'd come to the same conclusion as I had. No way was Charlie letting us out of here alive.
I was expecting some resistance from the windows, but they gave quite easily and opened towards me with just one pull. Immediately closing them again, I went over to the bed.
'Here's what we're going to do. We're going to get out through the window and get ourselves into the trees.'
Luz had been looking at her mother but her head jerked towards me. Tears streaked her face. What about Dad?'
'I'll come back for him later. There's no time for this. We've got to go right now.'
Luz looked up at her mother and silently implored her.
'We can't,' Carrie said. We can't leave him. What will happen when they find us gone? If we stay put and don't antagonize anyone, we'll be all right. We don't know anything, why should they harm us?'
The whine of the turbos on the Jet Ranger started up and the rotors were soon turning. I waited until they reached full revs before putting my mouth to Carrie's ear.
'Aaron knows we're all dead whatever happens even if George does tell him the location. You understand? We all die.'
The heli took off as her head fell on to Luz's. I followed to keep contact with her ear.
'He's buying me time to save you two. We must go now, for Luz's sake, and for Aaron's. It's what he wants.'
Her shoulders heaved with sadness as she hugged her daughter.
'Mom?'
The tears were infectious. Both of them were sobbing now into each other's hair as the noise of the Jet Ranger disappeared over the canopy.
THIRTY-FIVE
There was still more than an hour to go till last light but I had made my decision. We had to get out of here as soon as we physically could.
Mumbling and laughter still drifted from the front of the house, as if to remind me of the risk we'd be taking. If somebody was on stag at the edge of the veranda, we'd be in full view for the entire two hundred metres. It
