Authors: Jim Eldridge
Urban Assassin
‘We’re being asked to hunt down a guy who saved our lives and kill him, based on some story they’ve picked up,’ said Two Moons.
Mitch didn’t have time to answer. There was a sudden explosion, and Gaz’s door hurtled towards them in a ball of flame . . .
BOOKS BY JIM ELDRIDGE
Black Ops: Jungle Kill
Black Ops: Death in the Desert
Black Ops: Urban Assassin
JIM ELDRIDGE
To Lynne, for always!
Black Ops: Urban Assassin
First published 2011 by Egmont UK Limited
239 Kensington High Street
London W8 6SA
Text Copyright © 2011 Jim Eldridge
All rights reserved
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
ISBN 978 1 4052 5477 9
eISBN 978 1 7803 1059 6
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
Printed and bound in Great Britain by the CPI Group
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.
1
Mitch was crouched low on the roof wearing Kevlar body armour, night-vision goggles, and cradling an M80 automatic rifle. Tonight, the British Embassy in Istanbul was a battleground for him and the rest of Delta Unit.
Beside Mitch on the roof was Mehmet Koman of MIT. Turkish Intelligence. He was also kitted out in body armour, with night vision and an automatic rifle, as well as other weapons for hand-to-hand fighting: knives, small blades, wire garrottes.
‘Think they’ll come in via the roof?’ Mitch asked Koman in a whisper.
‘That’s what I’d do,’ Koman replied.
Fits our plan perfectly, thought Mitch. The idea was to let the attackers come on to the roof and get
inside the Embassy through the rooftop door. Once they were inside, Delta Unit would ambush them. While Mitch and Koman kept watch on the roof, the other five members of the unit were lying in wait inside the building.
‘Remember, we’d prefer to take them alive,’ Koman told Mitch. Mitch nodded. A dead terrorist was just a body. A captured one could be a goldmine of information.
‘Action outside,’ whispered Colonel Nelson’s voice suddenly through Mitch’s earpiece. ‘MIT have spotted the targets. They’re at the back of the building. Looks like one of them’s holding a crossbow.’
‘Grappling hooks,’ guessed Koman. ‘These old buildings are perfect for that, with their ornamental ledges.’
Even as he spoke they heard a clatter from the edge of the roof, not far away from them. A metal barb had landed, a rope attached to the end of it. As they watched the hook was pulled back, and its
curved ends caught on the roof’s decorative brick surround, exactly as Koman had predicted.
‘Let me guess, you’ve done this yourself,’ said Mitch.
Koman smiled. ‘Only in training.’
The two men watched as the hook started to take the strain.
‘They’re on their way up to the roof,’ Mitch reported to Nelson through his microphone.
‘Copy that,’ Nelson responded. ‘Let them get through the door into the building. We’ll take them once they’re in. Stay on the roof in case they try to get back that way.’
‘Affirmative,’ said Mitch.
Inside the building, Nelson gestured to the others to take up their positions.
‘They’re on their way,’ he said.
Suddenly Two Moons stiffened. ‘There’s someone outside the rear window! I saw a shadow,’ he warned.
‘A two-pronged attack.’ Tug nodded. ‘The roof and the alley.’
‘I’ll take the stairs,’ said Nelson. ‘Gaz, you’re with me.’
The two soldiers ran to the stairs and took position part-way up, while Tug, Benny and Two Moons took cover behind the heavy filing cabinets, their rifles aimed at the windows overlooking the alley.
‘No one moves until they’re inside,’ whispered Tug.
On the roof, Mitch and Koman crouched down behind the chimney stack. The head of a man appeared over the ornate Turkish parapet as he hauled himself on to the roof. He quickly checked the coast was clear. A bag hung round his neck and a long coil of rope dangled from his shoulders. The man tied one end of the rope to a metal stanchion and dropped the coil over the edge of the roof. There were now two ropes for the attackers to climb up.
Mitch and Koman watched silently as the man hurried over to the access door. The attacker tried the door then pulled out something from the bag slung round his neck. Mitch and Koman heard the whine of a drill.
Koman gave an approving nod. ‘Quieter than blowing it, and quicker than trying to pick it. These are professionals.’
While the man worked, more figures were appearing over the edge of the roof. Mitch counted them. Five in total.
‘Four coming down to you. One on the roof,’ Mitch hissed into his microphone.
From his position on the stairs, Nelson looked across at the rear window. Tug had moved across the room so that he was right beside it.
As Tug watched, he saw the metal security grille across the window being pulled away as the attackers unscrewed the fixings that held it on.
Tug hurried back to join the others. ‘They’re
good, whoever they are,’ he murmured. ‘This is a quiet operation.’
‘Not for long,’ grunted Two Moons, hefting his automatic rifle.
Mitch slid out from his hiding place and began to crawl along the chimney stack, easing his way closer to his target – the man guarding the door. He knew what it was like to be on guard on a roof at night. Every one of your senses was strained to breaking point as you listened for any sound or sudden change that might indicate an attack: the smell of tobacco from a smoker, the scent of hair gel.
Two Moons, Tug and Benny watched the black-clad terrorists prise open the window and climb inside. They waited, ready for action, as the intruders began placing incendiary devices along the walls. It was obvious that once they’d stolen what they were after, they were going to burn the building to get rid of any evidence.
Suddenly the Delta soldiers heard footsteps from the stairs and the four men appeared from the roof. As the first of them made it to the bottom of the stairs, Gaz moved out of the shadows, slamming the butt of his rifle into the man’s stomach. The intruders swung their guns towards Gaz, reacting to the sudden movement, but Tug, Benny, Two Moons and Nelson opened fire before they could bring their weapons to bear.
Mitch could see the man on guard clearly now. He was dressed from head to toe in black, a balaclava helmet covering his face and an automatic rifle in his hands. As the gunfire sounded, the man swung towards the open door. Mitch saw his chance. He dived from his hiding place and grabbed the man from behind, wrapping both arms round him, trapping the man’s arms to the sides of his body to stop him aiming his rifle. Then Mitch slammed the man forwards, smashing him face first into the solid bricks of the doorway. Mitch felt the man go limp
and the rifle dropped from his fingers.
Mitch released the terrorist and he crumpled down, unconscious.
Koman was already at Mitch’s side. Swiftly, Koman tied up the unconscious man with strong plastic cables.
The sound of gunfire still raged below them.
‘Sounds like they’ve got trouble,’ said Mitch to Koman. Just then Nelson’s voice came through his earpiece: ‘Two terrorists heading up to the roof.’
Mitch dragged the guard’s body out of sight behind a chimney. Then he and Koman took cover once again, rifles aimed at the open doorway. They were barely hidden when two figures burst out. Only one of them had a gun.
Koman stepped out and hit the one with the gun across the face with the butt of his automatic rifle.
The other man didn’t hang around. He ran for the edge of the roof where the ropes dangled. Mitch gave chase, sprinting across the uneven surface of the rooftop. Flipping his gun as he ran, Mitch used
the rifle as a club, swinging it in an arc and hitting the man at the back of the knee, just as he reached the edge.
Mitch took a second to catch his breath before pointing his rifle at the fallen attacker.
‘It’s over!’ he snapped. ‘Vermek yukan!’
He knew his Turkish wasn’t perfect, but he hoped the person on the ground would recognise it as ‘Give up!’