Last Light by Andy McNab Read Free Book Online Page A

I-' There was an explosion of pain as Trainers put all his force behind his elbow and rammed it into my thigh, dead legging me.
    Sundance turned in his seat.
    "Don't wind me up, boy."
    I took a deep, deep breath and kept going for it.
    "I've got proof of everything that's happened. Everything."
    He didn't even bother to look round this time.
    "Shut it."
    Trainers' hand chopped down on the spacer bar between the cuffs. The metal jarred agonizingly on my wrists, but I knew it was nothing compared with what would happen if I didn't buy myself some time.
    "Look!" I gasped, 'it's me stitched today, it could be you lot next. No one gives a fuck about people like us. That's why I keep records. For my own security."
    We were approaching the Elephant and Castle roundabout, passing the pink shopping centre. I nodded to give Trainers the message that I was going to shut up. I wasn't a fool, I knew when to shut up or talk. I wanted to make the little I knew go a long way. I wanted them to feel I was confident and secure, and that they would be making a big mistake if they didn't pay attention. I just hoped it wasn't me making the mistake.
    I looked in the mirror again. It was impossible to tell whether this was having any effect on Sundance. I was just feeling that maybe I should get in another instalment when he sparked up.
    "What do you know, then, boy?"
    I shrugged.
    "Everything, including those three hits just now." Fuck it, I might as well go right to the top of the bullshit stakes.
    Trainers' brown, bloodshot eyes and broken nose faced me without emotion. It was impossible to tell whether he was going to hurt me or not. I decided to try to save my skin big-time before he made up his mind.
    "I taped the briefing that you drove for." Which was a lie.
    "I've got pictures of the locations." Which was true.
    "And pictures and serial numbers of the weapons. I've got all the dates, all diaried, even pictures of the snipers."
    We turned down towards the Old Kent Road, and as I shifted position slightly I glimpsed Sundance's face in the wing mirror.
    He was looking dead ahead, his expression giving nothing away.
    "Show me."
    That was easy enough.
    "Sniper Two is a woman, she's in her early thirties and she has brown hair." I resisted the temptation to say more. I needed to show him I knew a lot, but without running out of information too early.
    There was silence. I got the impression that Sundance had started to listen carefully, which I took as my chance to carry on. 'You need to tell him," I said.
    "Just think about the shit you'll be in if you don't. Frampton won't be first in the queue for taking the blame. It'll be you lot who get that for sure." The message had at least got through to Trainers. He was swapping glances with Sundance in the mirror: my cue not even to look up now, but let them get on with it.
    We stopped at a set of lights, level with carloads of families swigging from cans of Coke and doing the bored-in-the-back-seat stuff. The four of us just sat there as if we were on our way to a funeral. It was pointless me trying to raise the alarm with any of these people as they smoked or picked their noses waiting for the green. I just had to depend on Sundance to make a decision soon. If he didn't, I'd try again, and keep on until they silenced me. I'd been trying hard not to think about that too much.
    We approached a large retail park, with signs for B&Q, Halford's and McDonald's.
    Sundance pointed at the entrance sign.
    "In there for five." The indicator immediately started clicking and we cut across the traffic.
    I tried not to show my elation, and let my eyes concentrate hard on the lunchbox of tricks at the top of the sports bag as I felt the Merc lurch over a speed bump.
    We stopped near a bacon roll and stewy tea van, and Sundance immediately got out. Trolleys filled with pot plants, paint and planks of wood trundled past on the tarmac as he walked out of sight somewhere behind us, dialling into a StarT ac that he'd