The Angel by Mark Dawson Read Free Book Online Page B

been then. The final transfer had been in the Atlantic off the coast of southern Ireland. The final trawler had deposited them in a deserted cove close to Kinmel Bay in North East Wales, and they had dispersed into safe houses around the country. They were well funded, with no need to work, and provided with false identities.
    The preparation had been perfect. Nothing had gone wrong.
    Now they needed to execute the plan.

Chapter Ten
    P ope had had just about enough. ‘Home Secretary, I’m afraid I’m going to have to speak frankly again. I was reluctant to be Control, as you know. But I have seen things. We live in a world with people in it who are not prepared to observe the usual rules of engagement. They will fly planes into skyscrapers. They will blow up bags of high explosive on Underground trains and buses. They have no compunction in killing themselves if that is what is necessary to achieve their objectives.’
    He couldn’t hide his anger, and as he spoke, he became angrier still. ‘We live by the rule of law. They do not. And because of that, the rule of law has to be a flexible concept. Those men and women are enemies of the state, and they can’t be reasoned with. Diplomacy is useless, and intelligence is useful only up until a point. The only way to deal with them is to speak the same language that they do: fight fire with fire. And who is going to do that, ma’am? Are you? Are people at the “highest echelons”?’
    He slammed his palm against the table. His wedding ring struck the wood, and the noise was louder than he had intended. His anger had caused stupefaction in the room. They were stunned by his candour. He could see that and knew, clearly, that he was talking himself into a world of trouble, but he couldn’t stop.
    ‘I’ve heard the arguments against the work that I do. But when I hear them, it makes me think about the things I’ve seen. I know that the only way to prevent these people is to kill them before they kill us. Sometimes it has to be without trial. Sub judice.’
    ‘Captain Pope—’
    He looked around the table. The home secretary was agape at the strength of his denunciation, Stone was shocked and Bloom watched with a mixture of surprise and, Pope thought, amused admiration.
    He was talking himself into obsolescence. He knew he should stop. But he couldn’t.
    ‘We can agree that Rubió’s death was a tragedy. I know Sergeant Snow will never be able to forget what he did. It was a dreadful, horrific error, but if blame is being attributed, it should be attributed correctly. The intelligence was flawed. That is an MI5 issue. The police response was badly flawed. That is an issue for them, and for you, Home Secretary. My agency is a tool. We were given a target; we eliminated the target. You don’t blame the tool when it is put to the wrong use.’
    ‘Captain Pope!’
    ‘I’m nearly finished, ma’am. The fact is, you will be put in a position again, very soon, where a similar call will need to be made. Another threat will be identified, at an early stage, and we will have a choice. We either strike pre-emptively and run the risk that the intelligence is incorrect, or gamble and hope that it isn’t right. But if you get that wrong, it won’t be one jihadi we are mourning. And it won’t be a single innocent man who was wrongfully killed. It will be tens or hundreds or thousands of civilians. Yes, Rubió’s death was a tragedy. But we have to be strong enough to keep making those decisions because they will save more innocent lives than they cost. And that means that the existence of an agency like Group Fifteen is necessary. You can talk about moderation and proportionate responses and due process all you like, but when it comes down to it, you need the cutting edge we provide. And I think if you are honest with yourselves, you’ll admit that’s true.’
    Pope stood. Snow was pale. McNair was shaking his head, his mouth open and an expression of good-humoured