Death Ray by Craig Simpson Read Free Book Online

disgrace.’
    Smithy waited until Walker disappeared back inside before muttering, ‘Flipping slave-driver. “Do this! Do that!” Walker loves barking orders. No peace for the wicked, that’s what my old man says. Still, better be off. Like I said to Jacques here when he arrived, if you need anything, just shout. I have contacts.’ He tapped the side of his crooked nose and winked. ‘There’s nothing I can’t lay my hands on for a favour or two. See you lads later.’ He slammed down the bonnet, jumped into the car and sped off.
    Jacques sparked up a match and lit a cigarette while watching Smithy disappear at speed down the long gravel drive amid clouds of black exhaust fumes. ‘That engine needs a lot of work.’
    ‘So, how long have you and Amélie been here?’ Loki asked.
    ‘Too long.’
    ‘From what you said earlier about avoiding capture, it sounds like you were involved with the Resistance back home,’ I said.
    Jacques ignored me.
    Loki continued, ‘We were too. In Norway. We escaped—’
    ‘Enough!’ Jacques interrupted sharply. ‘You shouldn’t talk about such things.’
    ‘Why?’ I said.
    ‘What I don’t know, I can’t tell. Loose tongues cost lives. Remember that, and remember it well!’
    ‘Sorry,’ I said, a bit taken aback at Jacques’ abruptness. Feeling embarrassed, I peered at the trees surrounding Mulberry. ‘This place is in the middle of nowhere.’
    Jacques puffed hard on his cigarette. ‘Yes, Finn. Take a good look around.’ He pointed to where the driveway disappeared into the trees. ‘Even the guards at the gate don’t know what we’re doing here. Apart from X, only Sergeant Walker, the brigadier, and Corporal Smith know everything.’
    ‘What about Mrs Saunders?’ Loki pointed out.
    Jacques snorted, ‘Oh, yes, how could I forget her? And she dares to call herself a cook. Preposterous!’ He snorted again.
    ‘So we’re going to be training together,’ Loki said, trying to sound enthusiastic. ‘Any idea where we’ll end up?’
    ‘You’ll find out soon enough.’
    I didn’t like the sound of that. Was Jacques pretending to know something we didn’t, or did he know for real?
    ‘Tell me,’ he said. ‘Your English is very good. How good is your French?’
    I shrugged. ‘Not bad. Studied it at school like everyone else.’
    ‘Were you top of your class?’
    Loki laughed. ‘God, no!’
    Jacques looked unimpressed. ‘What about Freya?’
    ‘Her French is good. Better than ours,’ Loki replied. ‘She was nearly top of her class … once or twice. We can all speak pretty good German though. That was the one upside of living in a country occupied by the Nazis!’
    ‘You and Freya seem pretty close,’ Jacques said to my best friend.
    Loki’s cheeks reddened. Jacques was right, of course. Loki was smitten with Freya. It had started back in Norway, and blossomed since we’d arrived in Britain. Jacques was clearly quick to pick up on such things. ‘Yes, we are,’ Loki replied defensively.
    ‘Interesting,’ Jacques said, thoughtfully. He took the cigarette from his mouth and tapped the ash away.
    ‘How did you and Amélie get recruited into Special Ops?’ I asked.
    He stared straight ahead. ‘You ask too many questions, Finn . Let’s get things straight. I don’t ask you about your past, and you don’t ask me. That’s it.
Compris?
All that matters is the here and now. Stick to that and we’ll get along just fine.’
    I didn’t like Jacques’ manner – he was too dismissive of my attempts to get acquainted. ‘The way I see it,’ I said, wanting to make a point, ‘one day we will have to rely on each other, to trust each other with our lives. That might be hard if we don’t know one another very well.’
    Jacques shook his head at me as if I were really annoying and stupid. I couldn’t make up my mind whether he was simply being unfriendly, whether he just had a lot on his mind, or whether he thought us ‘new recruits’ inexperienced