Avenger by Andy McNab Read Free Book Online

into the gloom of his huge mansion in The Hamptons to witness him reeling in the latest and most highly prized Angel.
    'I have her,' he whispered without looking away from his computer screen. 'My first female Angel. Everything she's told me has checked out. The father in jail and then disappearing, the residential home, and now this dead-end hotel job. She's perfect, and her timing is perfect. Exactly when I need her – and I have no need to push. She's mine, and no one is watching over her.'
    'Only you, sir,' said Herman as his master reverted to his Black Star persona.
    I'LL SHOW YOU THE WAY, GOLA. AND I'M SO PROUD OF YA!!! I'LL START MAKING ARRANGEMENTS. YOU'RE-GONNA WAKE A DIFFERENCE AND BE FAMOUS!!! YOU GOT A PASSPORT???
    In the operations room at the hotel there was a sudden moment of confusion. No one had been expecting a question like this – the other Angels had killed themselves in their own countries. Elena looked anxiously at Fergus and then at Deveraux.
    'Do you?' said Deveraux.
    Elena shook her head.
    'Say you do. Tell him you have a passport.'
    'No!' said Fergus. 'Tell him the truth.' He looked at Deveraux. 'He can hack into secure sites. Lie to him now and he just might go and discover the truth for himself. Details – keep thinking details or we get caught out.'
    Deveraux realized that Fergus was right. She nodded at Elena to continue.
    SORRY, NO. I'VE NEVER BEEN OUT OF THIS COUNTRY. SAD,
    OR WHAT?
    NO WAY ARE U SAD, GOLA, NO WAY. BUT THE PASSPORT IS THE ONE THING YOU GOTTA ORGANIZE. AND QUICKLY. THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE 2 DO. WILL YOU 00 IT???
    'Tell him you will,' said Fergus.
    NO PROBLEM, I CAN SORT IT.
    GREAT!!! LEAVE EVERYTHING ELSE 2 ME, EVERYTHING! I'LL HAVE SUMTHING FOR U VERY SOON. BYE FOR NOW!!!!!!
    Black Star was gone and Elena quickly logged off.
    Danny turned to Deveraux. 'What about me? I haven't got a passport.'
    'We can arrange it. We can arrange everything.'
    'But Elena must go through the proper channels,' said Fergus. 'Passport Office, countersignature – I think we'd better get Dave Brooker to do that; none of us can sign the form without possibly alerting Black Star. Everything has to be done properly.'
    Deveraux nodded. 'You were right back there. It was quick thinking.' She made for the door but stopped short and glanced back at Fergus. 'Thank you,' she added, and then left without another word.
    Danny raised his eyebrows and glanced at his grandfather. The first words of praise from Deveraux, however reluctantly spoken, had been a long time in coming.
    But Fergus wasn't looking at Danny; he was deep in thought. They were going overseas in the hunt for Black Star, and that meant a change to his plans for keeping them safe. Fergus was accustomed to having to alter his tactics when an operation took an unexpected turn. This one had; he would turn it to his advantage – but he had to ensure that Danny and Elena were not spooked by the last-minute change.
    He knew that Deveraux had gone to send her daily sit rep to Dudley and he waited until Dr Jacobson had left the room too before speaking to the two teenagers. 'Listen,' he said quietly, 'that powder I was telling you about. I'll have to wait until we get to wherever Black Star is taking us before I give it to you.'
    'Why?' said Elena. 'What is it, anyway?'
    'You don't need to worry about that. I'll get some more in the country we're going to, that's all.'
    Danny was getting tired of the way his grandfather was keeping so much information from them. This was the old Fergus, the one he'd first known. 'One minute you're telling us we're a team, and then the next you won't tell us what's going on. We are worried – don't you see that?'
    Fergus nodded. 'Yeah, course I do. But some things are best kept on a need-to-know basis. If you don't know about it, you can't speak about it.'
    'So you don't trust us?'
    'You two are the only ones I do trust. For now, all you need to know is that the powder I'm going to give to Elena neutralizes the acid