‘We’d still have to get there fast,’ Webb argued. ‘It won’t take the KUF long before they figure out where the family is hiding.’
Mallet swung back round to the major. ‘Do you know where to find this mansion?’
‘Of course,’ said Mavinda. ‘I’ve been there many times. No one knows the route better than me.’
‘How fast can you get us there?’
‘Three and a half hours. Maybe less.’
‘Any checkpoints along the way?’
‘We can get you there safely.’ Mavinda pressed his lips together. ‘But how do you expect us to hold out against the KUF if they attack us? I have only one platoon under my command. They cannot defend against General Kakuba’s men.’
‘They won’t have to,’ Mallet said. ‘If we leave now, we’ll get to the mansion before four o’clock. Ninety minutes before first light. There’s a strike force coming in to take back control of the country. Two hundred Special Forces operators. They’re due to get in at six o’clock. We’ll only have to guard the family for a couple of hours before they arrive.’
‘What if they are late?’
‘They won’t be,’ Mallet said. ‘They’re scheduled to fly down from Libya as we speak.’
‘You think they’ll succeed?’
‘It’s the Regiment. We don’t do failure.’
‘The rebels are determined. They won’t give up without a fight.’
‘Neither will we.’ Mallet flashed a savage grin. ‘Trust me, Major. By the time the sun comes up, the rebels will be wishing to fuck that they had stayed tucked up in bed tonight.’
There was a look of steely determination in the Scot’s eyes as he spoke. The major drew strength from it and relaxed slightly. A question hesitated on his lips. ‘You say you have a direct line to Mr Seguma.’
‘Aye.’
‘Don’t forget to mention my name to him, OK? Tell him Major Julius Mavinda did not let him down, in his hour of need.’
‘Major, when this thing is over, you’ll be a colonel before long.’
Mavinda puffed out his chest, perhaps imagining shiny new medals pinned to his breast.
He said, ‘I’ll give the order to my men.’
‘We’ll need more fuel,’ Bowman pointed out. ‘The Land Cruiser won’t get us as far as Rogandu. Not without a top-up.’
Mavinda said, ‘We have some spare jerry cans. In the back of the Unimog. Take what you need. Sergeant Nakamba will help you.’
Mallet turned to his team. ‘Tiny, take care of it. The rest of you . . . get your shit together and get back into the vehicles. We’re on the road again in five.’
‘What shall we do about him?’ Casey indicated the guard.
Mallet dropped his gaze to the dying man. His breathing had reduced to a faint murmur. Dark blood pumped steadily out of his stomach wound.
‘We should put a bullet in his head,’ Mavinda said. ‘Put him out of his misery. Best thing for him.’
‘No.’ Mallet looked up and turned to Webb. ‘Give him a couple of morphine shots from the emergency kit. That’s the least we can do for this poor bastard.’
Mavinda clicked his tongue. ‘A waste. It would be easier to shoot him.’
‘He gets the shots,’ Mallet snapped.
‘Your choice.’
He walked out of the room. Casey’s gaze lingered on the massacred civilians for a beat. ‘I thought the Russians were directing the coup,’ she said.
‘They are,’ Mallet replied.
‘But the guard didn’t say anything about Russians being involved in the assault. We haven’t seen them on the streets. Where are they?’
‘They’ll stay in the shadows. They won’t be doing the actual fighting.’
‘Why not?’
‘It would make the Kremlin look bad. Assisting a band of rebels to destabilise a central African government. That’s too much, even for Moscow.’
‘Especially if they lost,’ Bowman added. ‘The Russians would be embarrassed. They’d have to deal with the prospect of their own guys being taken hostage. There’s no way they’d want to risk that.’
‘So they’ll just stay in the background, giving orders?’ asked Casey.
‘More or less.’
Mallet looked up at her.
‘Don’t underestimate these fuckers,’ he said. ‘They might operate in the shadows, but they’re just as lethal as if they were out there doing the shooting. They’re doing exactly what we do on team jobs. Training up a foreign force, showing them how to kill the enemy. We won’t be trading any bullets with them, but the Russians are our main enemy in this fight.’
He stood up straight and nodded at the others.
‘Get back to the wagon. We’re leaving for Rogandu at once.’
Twenty-Four
They took the back roads out of Marafeni. The major and his three deputies led the way in the Hilux. Then the Cell team in the Land Cruiser. Then the ten other guys in the platoon in the Unimog. Mavinda guided the convoy north from the palace, past the rows of foreign embassies and terracotta-roofed high commissions. Tendrils of smoke trickled upwards from behind several of the compound walls. The mood was tense. Bowman could feel it in the air. Bands of marauders prowled the city, smashing up storefronts, clubbing people to death. Several of the Machete Boys were passed out drunk in the streets. Three of them were celebrating in front of a hostel, jeering wildly as they loosed off rounds into the air. They scarpered for cover at the first sight of the approaching convoy.
‘Look at this lot,’ Loader said as they passed the hostel. ‘Running around like headless chickens. We could drop these idiots in their sleep.’
‘They’re not the ones we have to worry about,’ Mallet said. ‘It’s the KUF rebels under the command of the Russians. General Kakuba’s men. They’ll be a different proposition.’
‘Would they really be much better than this mob?’
‘You’ve worked on training teams before, Tiny,’ Bowman said. ‘All they need is a handful of elite warriors to take charge, drill them and instruct them in some basic manoeuvres, and they’ll be a tough opponent for anyone.’
Loader grunted his agreement.
‘How many guys are we talking about?’ asked Casey.
‘A dozen Russians,’ Mallet guessed. ‘They’ll be spread out across the country with units from the KUF. Kakuba’s best men. Three or four hundred rebels, I’d say. One group in
