The Alex King Series, A BATEMAN [good books for high schoolers .TXT] 📗

signal, but the person who received the text and made the call is outside and directly in front of us. That is undoubtedly a member, most likely the leader, of the hunter team. But two people have used their phones from the hotel. One internally, and the tracking doesn’t allow for floors or rooms, because none of those architectural diametrics have been entered. But another was outside, to the rear of the building. I have a copy of a text that has been sent as well. And a recording of the conversation.”

“And?”

“Somebody has sold us out,” said King.

“Who?”

“It’s complicated.” He walked past her and glanced inside the bar. The rooms were public areas and now that they were empty, they took on an eerie feel. He looked back at her, then pointed towards the windows of the conservatory. “The storm is here,” he said. He took out his phone and dialled Rashid’s number. “Be aware. I think they’ll move under the cover of the storm,” he said. “Keep your head down.”

“I’d best come down, then. Won’t be able to hit anything in the strong winds anyway.”

“No, stay,” he replied. “If you can get one of them in open ground, they’ll take a big psychological hit. And be aware, Huss is no longer contained and must be viewed as suspect.”

“I already did. I only trust the team.”

“Well, ere on the side of hostile, then.”

“Check.”

“And there’s at least one other. Somebody in collusion. Marnie’s app has shown two people have made a text or call.”

“That’s it?”

“Sketchy, I know, but that’s all I can tell you.” King ended the call and looked at Caroline. “Both signals are in the grounds, not the main hotel. One is in the maintenance huts at the rear. There is no access to the hotel without triggering the IEDs. The only way in is through the front door, or the side door. The other signal is coming from the side of the hotel. Where I parked up the maintenance truck. Now, there will be another set of keys for this, so I think we should expect this hunter force to come through there.”

“Someone here is in contact with the hostiles?” Caroline exclaimed.

“Looks that way. Text message and a short conversation.”

“And what was said?”

“The text passed on a telephone number and said that the person was onsite and could be trusted.”

“And the conversation?” Caroline asked incredulously.

King said, “It detailed how many of us there are. My Russian isn’t great if it’s spoken at speed, so I got the gist of it, but not in detail. It was between the leader of the hunter team and this mystery man. Either Huss, the manager or this hook-nosed man who seems to have disappeared. Marnie said she suspected him of stealing her laptop, and I would agree. Ramsay and her both said he had a limp and was dusted with snow when they bumped into him. The timing fits. And that ties in with him being the same man who was shooting at us. You winged him for sure. I don’t think he’s part of this hunter team, but there is most certainly a link. And I suspect he knows about how Fitzpatrick, the two police officers and the doctor died. I’m certain he was present at those murders. So, I imagine he will use the hunter team, guide them as best he can.”

“We need to take them down.”

“I’m not entirely sure who. On the surface it looks like both of them. But what if it’s the Russian waiter and the barman? Maybe Huss and the manager have simply bottled it and run away? They could be innocent.”

“Can’t GCHQ discover the phone records prior to this?”

“Yes, in time. But all of this will be over before they get that far.”

They both tensed as a tremendous roar engulfed them, as if a jet airliner were taking off overhead. Caroline found herself pulling close to King, and he hugged her, both ducking their heads at the noise. Almost at once the glass blew out in the conservatory and the wind tore through the hotel, pushing them backwards across the lobby and into the reception desk. King let go of Caroline to try and regain balance. He caught hold of her and pulled her with him to the stairwell. The wind did not reach here, and as they took shelter, they watched glass, snow, ice and debris blow past them and pepper the desk and office behind. King took out his phone, but all signal was gone. He wanted to call Rashid, get him and Ramsay to come down and cover the lower floors. No way could he see anybody in this wind and debris, let alone take a precision shot. King’s only solace was that he doubted anybody could expose themselves in the storm to attack.

He was wrong.

70

 

The explosion ripped through the lobby and picked them both off their feet. King landed heavily on the stairs, his cracked ribs taking the brunt of the fall. Caroline landed on top of him and he fought for breath as she knocked the wind from his lungs. He breathed hard, rolled over and gathered the assault rifle, shouldering it and backing away to take in both the side and front entrances in his periphery. Movement came from the side, the east exit. King crouched, saw the figure in white and fired three shots. They went wide, marginally so, but a miss is as good as a mile, and the figure returned a volley of fire that sprayed over King’s head and into the desk, splintering the wood, some of the bullets going high and smashing the glass in the door to the ice hotel. King aimed, but the figure ducked back outside, and he did not want to waste ammunition peppering the door, unsure of who could