Lights Out by W.J. Stopforth Read Free Book Online

him.
    “But there is no time to repeat any mistakes. This was an unnecessary
error, which has cost us valuable time. If there are strong Generals, Ghost
Face, there should be no weak soldiers. A poor selection on your part I
believe.” Her crooked gnarled fingers moved across the table to a slim wooden
box. Drawing the box closer to her body, she proceeded to gently drum her
fingers across it.
    Ghost Face, nodded respectfully in the direction of the old woman.
    “Understood” he said, his voice now calm. “I will not fail you a
second time”.
    She turned towards the young Chinese woman sitting next to her.
    “Lillian,” she allowed herself a small smile, bearing browned old
teeth as she spoke her name, “your news?”
    “The man that we plan to use for the security access for the main
bank entrance and the vault is almost on board”, she replied with confidence.
“I don’t see that it is going to be a problem”.
    Ghost Face interrupted her thread.
    “In case there is a problem” he interjected, “We have something that
will ensure that he’ll become a willing participant.”
    “And security?” The elderly woman asked. “Are you going to be ready
this time?”
    “There’s no doubt that security will be a focus for the bank for the
next few days. It’s nothing that we can’t handle. All of the new cameras will
be in place and operational by next Monday. I have the five men that I need for
the job, all experienced, and all trusted members.” Lillian said.
    Ghost Face spoke to both women.
    “My police contact tells
me that they have nothing on the old man, it’s a cold case for them. They have
nothing to link him to us and so I feel that we can still proceed with
confidence.” He finished.
    The old woman continued to drum her fingers on the slim wooden box.
    “There can be no more mistakes.” Her voice was calm but firm. “I will
not accept failure on any level. Any mishap could be very damaging to our
business.”
    The old woman stopped drumming her fingers and spoke to them both ;
    “We don’t need to meet again now until after the event.”
    “You can take one of these phones”, She said, as she opened the lid
on the wooden box and took out two brand new white mobile phones. She pushed
the white phones toward the centre of the table.
Continuing, she said, “It is now the only phone from which you can contact me
and each other, these, I am told, cannot easily be traced.” “There is one for
each of you.”
    Lillian reached forwards to take her phone and slipped it immediately
into her bag.
    “You can now leave”, the elderly woman said to Ghost Face and Lillian
as she drew again on her cigarette, and exhaled blue smoke into the air between
them, confirming that the meeting had indeed finished.
    They looked at each other in silence and nodded. They swiftly
collected their belongings and exited the room, leaving the Chinese woman
sitting alone at the table.
    When she was sure that they had gone, she leaned forward and placed
her cigarette against the ashtray.
    “You can come out now”, she said.
    There was a rustle behind her and from behind the heavy red curtain
stepped a Chinese man. He was tanned and sinewy with shoulder length greasy
black hair, slicked back and tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He
wore a plain black t-shirt, denim jeans and black trainers. His forearms were
covered in tattoos depicting a tiger on one side and a dragon on the other,
both animals wrapping themselves up the full length of his forearms and
disappearing into his sleeve. His face was pot marked and scarred and his features
motionless. He stood before the elderly woman as silent as he had behind the
curtain.
    “I don’t trust Ghost Face. I want you to follow him and report back
to me. I want to know everything that he does, every move that he makes and
every person that he sees. Now go”.
    Without saying a single word the man bowed and slipped silently out
of the room.
    Outside the restaurant