Urban Assassin by Jim Eldridge Read Free Book Online Page B

small object. ‘Tranquiliser dart. Very effective. You can knock out a horse with one of these.’
    Deacon turned his attention to Mitch’s living room table, where he was tinkering with something. Mitch couldn’t see what it was because it was hidden by Deacon’s body.
    ‘So, you’re Paul Mitchell,’ said Deacon chattily. ‘The new guy with the unit. How’s that going for you?’ Then he grinned again. ‘Of course, you can’t talk. But I’ll take it that you’re getting along with them well. They’re a good bunch of guys.’
    Deacon moved away from the table, pulled a chair near to Mitch and sat down on it, his face close to Mitch’s. The smile had gone. ‘You killed my operative,’ he said. ‘Poor old Dmitri. I thought he was good. Obviously I was wrong.’ The smile was back. ‘But enough of this small talk. Let’s get down to the real business of why I’m here.’
    He’s mad, thought Mitch. Seriously, dangerously mad. He could see it in Deacon’s eyes. Everyone in Special Forces possessed a certain ruthlessness – it was how they survived. But Deacon was clearly beyond that. Mitch wondered what had happened to him after he’d left the unit that had driven him to this state. Torture? That often pushed people over the edge.
    Deacon gestured towards the table. Mitchlooked and now he saw the wires and explosives and a timer.
    ‘That’s right – a bomb, Mitch,’ said Deacon, still smiling. ‘But this is a very different beast to the little squib I left stuck in Gaz’s door. This is a big one. When this baby goes off, not only will it take you out, it’ll blow out the apartments upstairs and below.’
    His smile became a sneer. ‘I guess you’re wondering, why you? Well, I’ll tell you, Mitch. If I did this to any of the others – my old comrades – they wouldn’t forgive that. But you, you’re the new guy. They know that you and I don’t have a connection. So they’ll take it for what it is: a warning to stay out of my way.’
    Deacon got up and walked over to the bomb, studying it. Then he turned back to Mitch. ‘You may also be wondering why I’m going to all this bother. Why I don’t just shoot you dead?’ He shook his head. ‘It wouldn’t have the same effect, Mitch. We know what these spooks are like; they’re not to be trusted. They come in and find you dead, they’relikely to cook up some story to show that it wasn’t me who did it – that it was someone who held a grudge against you. Someone with no connection to this case. Anything to make sure the rest of the Unit will still come after me.
    ‘But this way, this bomb, the guys will know it was me, and that I’m sending them a serious message.’
    Mitch growled, his frustration growing at not being able to speak. Deacon saw the anger in his face. ‘You look like you’ve got something to say, Mitch. I’ll take the tape off for you to say a few words.’ He produced a deadly looking knife. ‘But you try to yell out and I’ll cut your throat. It won’t affect the end result; when the bomb goes off you’ll still be dead. But it’s a messy way to go.’
    Deacon walked over to Mitch, took one end of the tape in his hand and pulled. There was a sharp pain as the tape tore the skin around his mouth.
    ‘So, what do you want to say, Mitch?’
    ‘Killing me won’t stop Two Moons and Gaz and the rest,’ said Mitch. ‘They’re my buddies. It’lljust make them come after you harder.’
    ‘The old Band of Brothers,’ said Deacon. He shrugged. ‘Maybe. But maybe not. We’ll just have to see, won’t we.’ He looked at his watch, and then at the timer on the bomb. ‘Anyway, we haven’t got time to continue this conversation. According to my timer, you’ve only got about twelve minutes left to live. So, I’ll say goodbye.’
    With that, Deacon cut off another piece of tape and stuck it across Mitch’s mouth. ‘Oh, by the way,’ he added. ‘Don’t bother trying to get to those knives of yours to cut yourself