Soft Target (Major Crimes Unit Book 2) (22 page)

“
Words
mean nothing to the West,
”
Hesbani
snarled.
 
“
You English shake hands in friendship with
your left while picking our pockets with your right, all the while hiding
missile behind your back.  I will not rest until I see your people in ruins, as
you seek to see ours.
”

“
We
want to help you,
”
Sarah
said for the final time. 
“
Say
what you want about my country, but you don
’
t speak for me, you son-of-a-bitch.  I wanted to help you people,
but now you can all just suck my dick.
”

Hesbani seemed utterly
confused by the insult, but Al-Sharir smiled. 
“
You are a warrior, Captain.  True of heart and ignorant of fear. 
Allah protects those who are true to their beliefs.  May he keep you safe now.
”

Sarah waited for the bullet.

The AKs were still trained on
her, but Al-Sharir didn
’
t give
the order to kill her.  Instead he smiled at her and said,
“
You may leave now, Captain.  Your Camp
Bastion is ten miles in that direction,
”
he pointed. 
“
It is
hot and you are tired and injured.  It is more likely that you will die, but if
you are with child, as you say, Allah will watch over you and you will make
it.  Do not take up arms against my people again or there will be great
consequences.  I could have killed you, but did not, so your pledge to
no-violence is not optional.  You owe your life to me and all that you do with
it.
”

Sarah couldn
’
t believe it.  She stared across the empty
desert.  It seemed to go on forever, an unreachable horizon.  If she could
manage to keep walking in a straight line, she might find Camp Bastion, but if
she veered even slightly off course, she would miss it and die in the dirt. 

“
Teach
your child to respect Allah,
”
Hesbani
shouted after her as she walked away. 
“
Or I will cut his throat the same as I cut your Corporal
’
s throat.
”

Sarah almost ran to claw out
Hesbani
’
s eyes.  She hated
herself for walking away from the man who
’
d
killed her squad and scarred her face, but she wanted to live too badly.  She
was a coward.

Sarah managed a dozen steps
before she looked back.  Not only were the men not following her, but they were
climbing back inside the Corolla.  When they sped off in the opposite
direction, Sarah let out a deep sigh of relief and cried.  She cried for hours.

Night fell by the time her
legs finally gave out.  It felt like she
’
d walked twenty miles, but in the desert it was impossible to tell. 
When she finally stopped for a rest, falling down onto her hands and knees, the
scorching sand had gone icy cold.  Soon, she would be shivering and succumbing
to the chill, with no place to take shelter.

She needed to get moving.  Her
entire body ached, but there was no longer any pain coming from her wounded
thigh or her ruined face.  She was numb from the head down, and dog-tired.  She
tried to get up, but couldn
’
t. 
She crawled forwards, trying to get her joints moving, but ended up falling
down onto her belly as her elbows folded in on themselves.  She just lay there,
silent, already dead in spirit.  She was everything her father said women were,
weak and far too delicate.  She didn
’
t have what it took to survive in a world run by men.

I
’
m sorry
, she
told her unborn child. 
I
’
m sorry,
she told her husband Thomas. 
I
can
’
t do it.

Sarah did not try to get up
again.  The pain of trying to live was too great.  She had earned her chance to
rest, even if it was going to be everlasting.

When a routine patrol passed
by, she heard the rumbling engine of their Snatch-2, but couldn
’
t manage to lift her head and look for
them.

Luckily, they spotted her.  If
not for the thermal imaging goggles the squad
’
s Signalman was wearing, they probably would have driven right by
her.  Instead, only twenty minutes later, Sarah found herself inside Camp
Bastion, with a doctor working away busily on her.  Sarah held her tummy and
thanked God.

P
alu re-entered the ruined
infirmary several hours later to get them.  The room was an unsafe mess and it
wasn
’
t doing anyone any good hanging around there.

Sarah
’
s eyes had been focused on Bradley
’
s body for so long that they felt crusty when she turned them
upwards to see Palu. 

“
What
is it, Boss?
”
Mattock asked.

Palu
’
s face sagged.  Despite having cleaned himself up, he looked to have
aged ten years. 
“
There
’
s been another video,
”
he said despairingly.

Howard climbed awkwardly to
his feet, trying not to lean on his cast. 
“
Shab Bekhier?
”

“
Yes,
the same three men as before, with Hesbani as the mouthpiece as usual.  I have
it ready to view in the conference room.  Fortunately, our systems are all
still operational and the main power is back on.  The damage is confined to the
infirmary, so we need to move out of here.
”

Mattock hopped to his feet. 
“
Let
’
s go watch this video then.  We need to find Hesbani and put an end
to this fucking circus.
”

Howard offered Sarah his
hand. 
“
You coming?
”

She shook her head. 
“
You guys go.  I
’
m out.
”

He looked at her and frowned. 
“
What do you mean, you
’
re out?
”

“
I
’
m not cut out for this.  All I
’
ve
done is screw up, and now Bradley is dead.
”

“
That isn
’
t your fault, Captain,
”
Mattock told her.

“
Isn
’
t it?  Seems all I
’
ve ever done is guide people to their deaths.  I can
’
t take it anymore.
”

“
I don
’
t have time for this,
”
Palu said. 
“
I
’
ll be waiting in
the conference room.  I want everyone ready to go in five minutes.
”

Howard and Mattock rounded on
Sarah.
 
“
You
’
re wasting time,
”
she
told them both. 
“
Just go.
”

Howard shook his head
angrily. 
“
Whether you like it
or not, you
’
re a part of this,
Sarah.  You
’
ve bled with the
rest of us and you need to see this through to the end.
”

“
Bradley
died because of me.
”

“
Bradley
respected you.  He died because you made him believe in himself; nobody here
could manage that.  We need you on this team.
”

“
What
team?  There
’
s not enough of
you to play five-a-side football.
”

“
Exactly,
”
Mattock said. 
“
The last thing we need is you scarpering.  If you think people have
died because of you, the only way you
’
ll ever get that blood off your hands is by stopping people like
Hesbani.  Bradley died for this team.  Don
’
t slap his memory in the face by quitting.  He had the balls to
stay.  Do you?
”

Sarah stared down at Bradley. 
The kid had brought out a paternal instinct in Sarah that she
’
d lost long ago.  That instinct was lost
because of Hesbani.  He had ruined her life three years ago, and he was still
ruining it today.

Sarah remembered lying face
down in the desert.  She remembered how Hesbani had crushed her spirits in the
heat of Afghanistan.  It was time to find her way out of that desert and
finally stop being afraid.

 
Sarah took Howard
’
s
hand. 
“
Okay,
”
she said. 
“
I
’
ll stay in this
thing until Hesbani is finished.  Then I
’
m gone.
”

Howard nodded. 
“
You help us find Hesbani, and I
’
ll personally drive you to your doorstep
and never bother you again.
”

“
Sounds
perfect.  Come on, we
’
ve got a
video to watch.
”

“
I
’
ll bring the popcorn,
”
Mattock said.

They set off to the conference
room, where they found Dr Bennet and Palu already waiting.  Bennett looked
upset when she saw Sarah, and for a second it looked like she was going to kick
up a fuss.  Instead, she simply nodded and said,
“
Glad we
’
re all
here.  Bradley would want us to stick together.
”

Sarah nodded at Bennett and
sat down at the table.

Palu wasted no time. 
“
This was posted on
ClipShare
ten
minutes ago.  Hesbani must have known about Ashley Foster
’
s plan to blow herself up.
”

“
How?
”
Howard asked. 
“
Nobody knows MCU exists.
”

“
I don
’
t think we were specifically the target,
”
Palu told them. 
“
The plan was to hit whoever took Ashley into custody.  We weren
’
t the only target:  the whole of law enforcement was.
”

“
What do you mean?
”
asked Sarah. 
“
Who else was hit?
”

Palu pressed play without
another word.

Hesbani and two other men
appeared onscreen again.  Sarah was becoming surer that one of the three men
was white.  Like everything else, it made little sense.  Hesbani would never
work with a non-Muslim, Sarah was sure.  The third person stayed near the
back.  They were of slight-build, and had only their dark eyes on display. 
Their shorter height suggested they weren
’
t yet fully grown
…
or
female.

It was impossible to tell
whether the video had been at night or during the day, but the ceiling
’
s light source was rocking gently to-and-fro
like it had in both the previous videos. 

“
United
Kingdom, you have been warned,
”
Hesbani
said,
“
yet you continue on your
path of arrogance and hatred.  Two freedom fighters in Islamic Syria were
killed this morning by British soldiers.  Shab Bakhier pledged to you that
blood would be met with blood.  In response to your wanton murder of these
innocent Syrians, we have struck at your own freedom fighters.  More deaths
will occur if Prime Minister Breslow does not recall your nation
’
s troops from foreign soil.

“
Today
saw the death of more of Allah
’
s
martyrs.  Paul, Leanne, and Ashley Foster died today, trying to save you from
yourselves.  They are by Allah
’
s
side now, reaping their eternal rewards.  These are your final moments,
Britain.  Have your Prime Minister seek forgiveness now, or watch your crooked
empire burn to the ground.
”

There was silence for a moment
as the video ended.

“
Four
police officers were killed outside Scotland Yard this morning,
”
explained Palu. 
“
They were hit by a sniper.  Early reports suggest that a van pulled
up down the end of the road and the shooter fired through an open window.  The
attack took less than five-seconds.
”

“
Only
a pro could hit four targets on a horizontal plane in five-seconds,
”
said Mattock. 
“
Does Hesbani have any military connections?
”

Palu shook his head. 
“
Only with the Taliban, and they aren
’
t known for their marksmanship.
”

“
With
Ashley Foster dead,
”
Howard
said,
“
where do we have to go
from here?
”

“
I
’
m not sure,
”
Palu admitted. 
“
Thames
Valley Police are going through the Foster
’
s home and business right now.  Police Commissioner Howe will keep
me updated.  Home Office have briefed him fully on our operation.
”

“
And
until then?
”
Sarah asked. 
“
We just wait, after what they did to
Bradley and Mandy?
”

“
Did
you see anything in the video that could help?
”
Dr Bennett asked her calmly, staying on task. 

Sarah thought about it. 
“
It was the same location as before.  No window, no landmarks.  Just
a table, a lamp, and a swinging light bulb above them.
”

“
What
about the men in the video?
”
Howard
asked.

“
I
’
m convinced one of them is white.
”

“
Perhaps
he
’
s the sniper,
”
Mattock suggested. 
“
Maybe they have a British soldier in their ranks.  Wouldn
’
t be the first time somebody has flipped.
”

Sarah wondered what could
possibly make a person terrorise their own country, but couldn
’
t understand it.

Bennett leaned against the
table and sighed. 
“
What about
Bradley?
”

“
What about him?
”
said Howard.

“
Before
he went to pick up Sarah, he was working on a lead.  Did he get anything?
”

Palu nodded at Bradley
’
s laptop, still sitting open on the table. 
“
I
’
m not sure.  He was tracking down the owner of the newsagent, the
Pakistani immigrant.  I don
’
t
know if he found anything.
”

Dr Bennett moved in front of
Bradley
’
s laptop and began
typing. 
“
Looks like he was
researching land registry and property records for a Mr Hamil Hamidi.
”

Palu nodded. 
“
That
’
s the owner of the newsagent.
”

“
Maybe
it
’
s Hesbani
’
s alias,
”
suggested Howard.

“
What
about the niece?
”
Sarah
asked. 
“
Didn
’
t we find out that the newsagent was being
run by a niece?
”

Bennett nodded. 
“
Aziza Hamidi.  There
’
s nothing on her here except her employment
records at the newsagent.  It doesn
’
t look like Bradley managed to
…
no, wait.
”

Palu leaned forward. 
“
What is it?
”