‘And the Russians?’
‘They’ll abandon General Kakuba, once they realise the game is up. Mark my words. No one will dare to challenge Mr Seguma in the future. I’ll make damn sure of it.’
There was an icy coldness to his voice that surprised Bowman. In the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Major Mavinda shifting uneasily on the spot. The Karatandan officer seemed almost wary of Gregory. Which struck Bowman as unusual. He remembered, too, the apprehensive look he’d seen on the major’s face in the palace basement when Bowman had mentioned Gregory’s name.
What’s he afraid of? Bowman wondered.
Mallet hung up and strode back over to the group. He looked worried. The skin was pulled so tight across his face it looked like it might snap. He cleared his throat.
‘That was Six,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a problem.’
‘What is it?’ Loader asked.
‘They’ve heard from the base in Tripoli. The strike force is running behind schedule. One of the Hercs went tech before take-off. Some sort of engine trouble, they reckon.’
A frigid silence descended over the room. Casey looked startled. ‘When did they leave?’
‘Two hours ago. Just after two o’clock our time.’
Bowman checked his G-Shock: 04.09. He thought: It’s a six-hour flight from the squadron base in Libya to Karatandu. Which means they won’t land in-country until around eight o’clock.
We’re gonna be on our own for the next four hours. At least.
Webb said, ‘What about the other elements of the strike force? The SBS and SFSG?’
‘They had to wait on the ground until D Squadron was ready to depart. Orders from the head shed. They were adamant that the teams came in together, or not at all.’
Casey said, ‘But why not send the other teams in ahead of D Squadron? It doesn’t make sense.’
‘That’s not how the Foreign Office sees it,’ Mallet said. ‘As far as they’re concerned, the priority is a smooth operation with no friendly casualties. They don’t want coffins coming home draped in Union Jacks. That means a coordinated attack, maximum firepower. They’re not going to sanction a staggered assault.’
‘What if the rebels attack before they arrive?’
‘We’ll do what we do best,’ Mallet replied. ‘Fight.’
‘The rebels will take hours to get here, anyway,’ Loader said. ‘They’ll be busy securing the rest of the critical infrastructure right now. Scouring the president’s other homes. They won’t hassle us for a while.’
‘The Machete Boys aren’t far away,’ Casey reminded the others. ‘They’re at Farangi, according to the last reports. Thirty miles away.’
‘Even if they hit us, the odds are still in our favour,’ Loader argued. ‘We’ve got the Gimpys, the .50 cal, the mortars. That’s more than enough hardware to hold the Boys off.’
‘Tiny’s right. For once in his life,’ Mallet said. ‘The situation isn’t ideal, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.’
‘And if they hit us hard?’
Gregory’s powdery blue eyes twinkled. ‘Then we’ll give the bastards hell.’
Mallet checked his watch. ‘It’s first light in eighty minutes. There’s a decent chance that the rebels will hit us then. We’ll need to get the defences sorted out before they turn up.’ He nodded at Gregory. ‘How many lads have you got, Mike?’
‘Six. Myself, the colonel, the two guys watching the gate and the two on the front door.’
Mallet made a quick mental calculation and nodded. ‘That gives us twenty-five soldiers in total. Fourteen in the platoon under the major, your guys, plus my lot.’
‘It’s a good number,’ Loader said.
‘Against a few small groups of Machete Boys,’ Bowman said. ‘But if General Kakuba’s men and his Russian mates turn up, it’ll get hot.’
‘That’s a big fucking “if”. That mob has only just finished capturing the main airport. They’re hours away.’
Mallet rubbed his temples and turned to Mavinda. ‘What firepower have you got with you, Major?’
‘We have AK-47s. Grenades. Browning pistols.’
‘Anything heavier?’
Mavinda nodded. ‘Two FN machine guns.’
‘Ammo?’
‘Plenty. Twelve hundred rounds of belt apiece.’
‘That’ll do.’ Mallet addressed the two Karatandan officers. ‘Major, Colonel, your guys will be posted around the perimeter of the building, covering individual sectors of fire. My guys will take up positions on the rooftop. Mike, you’ll direct one of the GPMG teams on the ground.’
Gregory grinned. ‘It’ll be just like the good old days in the Regiment, John. Lobbing mortars and whacking the enemy with Gimpys.’
‘Aye. Except this time, we’ve got no air support to dig us out of the shit.’ The two veterans shared a smile, and then Mallet said to Mavinda, ‘We’ll need shovels to dig the mortar and fire pits. Petrol, too. Whatever you can spare from the Unimog.’
‘What for?’ Mavinda asked.
Mallet waved a hand in the general direction of the front entrance. ‘We’ll need to burn any trees or shrubs around the stronghold. The rebels might use any of it as cover when they attack.’
‘There’s a storeroom next to the garage,’ Gregory explained. ‘That’s where the gardening tools are kept. You should find everything you need in there.’
Casey said, ‘What about the family? We can’t just leave them here.’
‘Alex has got a point,’ Loader said. ‘It ain’t safe for them in this room. Not when the rounds start flying.’
Mallet thought for a moment. Then he turned to Gregory. ‘Is there a strong room anywhere in this place?’
‘Afraid not,’ Gregory said.
Mallet nodded at Loader and Bowman.
‘Tiny. Search the house. Find a secure location. The safest room in the building. Somewhere with thick walls, preferably no windows. Stick the family in there.’ He swung back round to Gregory. ‘Is anyone else inside the building? Grounds staff?’
‘There’s a housekeeper,’ said Gregory. ‘A couple of maids and a gardener. They’re in the staff kitchen for now.’
‘We’ll put them in the same room as the family. They can keep Seguma’s rellies company until this thing is over.’ Mallet’s cold blue eyes rested on Bowman. ‘Stay here until Tiny has found a safe place for the family. The rest of you, follow me outside.
