Bad Soldier: Danny Black Thriller 4 by Chris Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

worried about the migrant.
    Tony yanked the migrant up by his forearm, then pulled the hood back from over his head. ‘ It’s Rudolph ,’ he said curtly. ‘ Blotchy-faced cunt. Sending him up now. ’
    Danny was aware of Tony dragging the target towards the ladder. But his mind was whirling. Rudolph hadn’t been pulling a weapon. He hadn’t even looked like he was pulling a weapon. And Tony – grizzled, experienced, untrustworthy Tony – wouldn’t have made a mistake like that. And even if he had made that mistake, it was impossible that he would have missed his target from that range. If Tony had wanted to put a bullet in Rudolph, he’d have done it.
    But if Danny hadn’t warned Spud to hit the deck, what then?
    There was no doubt in Danny’s mind. Tony Wiseman had just tried to nail Spud. A tragic accident, but friendly fire, easily explained away in the heat of battle.
    Except there hadn’t been a battle. Just a disgruntled SAS trooper taking a potshot at a member of his team.
    Spud looked up. He caught Danny’s eye. It was clear from his expression that he knew exactly what had just happened.

Three
    Rudolph looked like he didn’t know whether to run or jump. Neither was an option. He was halfway up the rope ladder, with Tony at its foot pointing his weapon up towards him. For thirty seconds he didn’t move, but eventually he seemed to decide that the sight of Caitlin holding out one arm at the top of the ladder was the lesser of two evils. He ascended through the driving rain. As soon as he was in reach, Danny and Caitlin hauled him over the side of the ship. Danny bundled him roughly to the ground, rolled him over on to his back and yanked his right arm up into an armlock. Caitlin got to her knees, grabbed a clump of his hair, lifted his head back and stared at his frightened face.
    ‘It’s him,’ she said.
    Thirty seconds later, the second target was plasticuffed, deafened, hooded and being led roughly across the deck by two Marines. Danny and Caitlin got to their feet. They were drenched, and slightly out of breath.
    ‘What the hell happened down there?’ Caitlin demanded.
    Danny was prevented from replying by the captain, who was striding officiously towards them. ‘Get on the radio to HQ,’ Danny told him. ‘Tell them we’ve acquired both targets.’
    ‘They’re on the line now,’ the captain said. ‘They’re still insisting that all migrants get returned to the boat as soon as your targets have been located.’
    Danny looked over towards the frightened, huddled mass of people in the isolation zone. And especially the children. ‘Get your ship’s medics over to them,’ he said. ‘Provide what help they can.’
    The captain shook his head. ‘I’m not going to ignore a direct order,’ he said.
    As he spoke, Danny’s earpiece crackled. Tony’s voice: ‘ Approximately ten kids still in the hull. We’re going to empty them out and keep them on the deck here. Then I’m going to search the hull, check we haven’t missed anything. Spud can babysit. Poor fella looks a bit shaken up. ’
    Danny looked over the side. As babysitters went, Spud looked the least maternal Danny had ever seen. He was standing aft, rain pelting on to him, the butt of his weapon pressed hard into his shoulder. He was covering the open area above the hull. But the beam of his torch was flickering around Tony. Spud was defending himself. No doubt.
    Danny turned back to the captain. ‘We can’t send them back down for at least another fifteen minutes,’ he said. ‘Surely your medics can patch a few of those kids up. Depends how you want to sleep tonight.’
    The captain’s face was momentarily a picture of indecision. But then he turned to one of his crew and barked: ‘Get the medics here. Now!’ The crew member scurried away. ‘I’ll update Whitehall,’ he said, before turning on his heel and marching back towards the bridge.
    ‘You do that,’ Danny muttered. He looked over the side. Spud hadn’t