Severed by Simon Kernick Read Free Book Online

his client in the next five seconds his brains would be all over the grimy kitchen work surface. But I know he won't talk, and he knows I know it too. More importantly, he knows I can't pull the trigger. We served together. We may not have known each other that well, but we were still brothers in arms, and we were trained never to kill in cold blood.
    The problem is, I'm convinced his client is the person who murdered Leah and set me up for it. And I need to know who he is. At the moment, nothing else matters.
    'Do me one favour,' I say to him as he starts towards the kitchen door.
    'What?' he asks, without turning round.
    'Phone me after two thirty and give me yourclient's name. That way it won't affect you. You'll be gone. But it'll help me one hell of a lot.'
    Still, he doesn't turn round. 'What's your number?'
    I give him the name and location of the showroom. He makes no move to write it down. Instead, he simply answers, 'OK.'
    'Thanks,' I say, knowing I have no choice but to trust him to do it.
    He doesn't speak as he leads the way out of the kitchen, at least not until he opens the door. Then he curses, and stops dead.
    The lamp has been switched off, as have all the fans, and the room is once again in hot, stifling semi-darkness. Near the apartment's front entrance, Sellman lies on his side in the fetal position, not moving. To the right, Miami Vice sits against the wall, arms by his side, his head slumped forward, while to the left, Shaven Head lies face down on one of the sofas, only his legs visible as they jut over the edge.
    The silence is ringing in my ears. My grip on the Glock tightens. The apartment's front door is a few inches ajar.
    'Oh, Christ,' the captain repeats, his voice cracking. 'He's come for me. He's here, Tyler.'He reaches into his jacket, scrabbling round for his gun.
    I can hear my heart thumping away in my chest and I have to will myself to remain calm. One of the most important things I learned in the army was how to channel my fear and turn it into pure concentration. The world of the combat soldier is a wildly unpredictable place where you have to react coolly to whatever is thrown at you. Although I'm now thinking it's a lesson that was lost on the captain, who's looking close to panic.
    I raise the Glock, my eyes becoming accustomed to the gloom as they slowly circle the room. Searching for an unseen enemy.
    And then I notice it.
    There's no blood.
    'It's a trap!' I yell.
    But Sellman's too fast. He swivels round on the floor, revealing the sawn-off shotgun tucked in close to his belly, and without a moment's hesitation pulls the trigger.
    The noise in the room is deafening as the captain takes the full force of the blast. It lifts him off his feet and sends him crashing into the sofa. The case of money flies from his hand andlands on the floor. I don't think he even managed to get hold of his gun, because I don't hear or see it fall. Sellman pulls the trigger a second time and the captain's head snaps back as he clatters to the floor.
    Miami Vice is fast too, but not fast enough. I am already swinging the gun in his direction, guessing that he will be the one to target me, and as he lifts his head and his gun, his eyes wide with the adrenalin of battle, I shoot him twice in the face.
    I turn and aim at Sellman. At the same time I see Shaven Head out of the corner of my eye as he rises up on the sofa, the pistol from his shoulder holster clutched firmly in both hands. Sellman is smiling triumphantly, knowing he has the half-second advantage. He doesn't look under pressure at all. Even in the semi-darkness I can see the calmness in his leathery features, the absolute knowledge that this is a confrontation he's going to win. He's right too. In the tiny gap of time before he pulls the trigger, I know I'm too late.
    The noise reverberates off the walls as he fires, and I feel a tremendous pain somewhere in my solar plexus as the force of the shot drivesme backwards into the kitchen. The case