'Now's your time, Nick. Now you get to tell everyone what you know. Tell the truth and they all go free. They all get on the boat with me. Everyone else has gone. The crew's gone, the shipment's gone. We're the only ones left. You're staying here – you know that. Accept it. But tell your story, and if I believe it they go free.'
My face rested on the freezing metal. Running along the skin of the hull, I saw four dustbin lids held in place by gaffer tape. Det cord ran up into the lids and back out again.
The ring main.
I moved my head, but I could see no detonator on that side, no TPU. Maybe there wasn't one. Maybe she had a remote control: they'd get on a tender or something and fuck off before pressing the button.
And in that moment, I knew beyond any doubt that none of us were going to get away from here. All five of us were good as dead.
117
I lay watching the two Russians' boots pace up and down. I turned my head when Mairead told one of them to rig up some arc lights.
I made eye contact with Tallulah. She had Ruby in her arms, head into her shoulder so she couldn't see me. The little one was shivering and sobbing.
I made myself cut away. I didn't want the Russians to see that we cared for each other. And in any case, I was just too exhausted, and I needed to think.
One. I hadn't seen any weapons apart from the box-cutter.
Two. They must have another boat tied up alongside for Mairead and the two Russians. Or was she so hell- bent on revenge she just wanted to hear me say the magic words and then blow us all to hell?
118
The bow end of the hold was soon bathed in light.
I got slowly and painfully to my feet when told to do so.
Mairead turned to Dom. 'You too.'
She filmed us both as we made our way to what had been transformed into a well-lit performance area and stood facing each other.
I saw Tallulah over Dom's shoulder, still trying to console Ruby. She cuddled her, rocked her back and forth in time with the movement of the boat.
I glanced at Dom. His eyes told their own story.
He nodded in the direction of the camera. 'What is it you want me to do?'
I kept my head down, focusing on the position of the two Russians. Their top halves had disappeared into the shadows thrown by the beams of light directed at me and Dom, but I could see their boots.
'You're going to interview Nick. Ask him about the
'You don't have to. Your man's going to tell you. Nick, I want you to speak to the camera. Dominick, when he's told you, you're going to ask him a direct question. Ask him if he was the man who killed Ben Lesser. And Nick, you're going to say yes.'
'Ben Lesser?'
'My father. Nick murdered my father.'
The camera zoomed in on me.
'Isn't that right, Nick? You're going to tell us the truth for the first time in your sorry little life. If not, everybody dies.'
Tallulah could contain herself no longer. 'I've got a child here, for God's sake! She doesn't have to watch this. Let her go.'
Mairead turned and filmed her. 'Oh but she does. She needs to know. She's the age I was when Nick took my daddy away from me.'
The time had come. I wasn't exactly match-fit, but I was running short of choices.
119
I lunged at Mairead, screaming at the top of my voice.
Her face didn't register surprise or fear, just anger. She tried to back away. I grabbed the camcorder with both hands. My eyes were fixed on her face as I swung it down onto her head. She screamed and fell, her body colliding against mine as she went down.
Box-cutter was a metre away, going for a weapon in the waistband of his jeans.
