The Enemy

CHAPTER 25

‘Not long now,’ Abbot said.

Xavier Callo was in a small apartment in a tower block somewhere in Minsk. He’d arrived with Abbot and Blout several hours before and had spent most of the following time lounging on the sofa watching US sitcoms dubbed into Russian. He had plenty to eat and drink, mostly junk food and soda, but Blout had fetched the groceries and good eating obviously wasn’t something the inexpressive ape understood. Still, food was food and despite being thin Callo had a big appetite. Empty bags of potato chips and candy bar wrappers lay on the floor around his bare feet. He wasn’t allowed to wear shoes.

Abbot stood by the window and Blout was elsewhere in the apartment. At least one of the two was with Callo at all times. They’d only let him use the john with the door open and Blout standing just outside. Callo had given the prick something to listen to.

They were waiting for something to happen, that much was as clear as polished diamond. Callo had no idea what his captors were waiting for. He hadn’t been told or given any indication and he wasn’t about to ask.

He was tired. There were no clocks in the apartment but Callo knew the time and the date by checking the news channel on the TV when no one was looking. He did so several times and felt very proud of his cunning. The apartment consisted of two bedrooms, one bathroom, lounge and dining area, kitchen and hallway. It was neat and clean but the whole thing, furnishings included, probably cost less than Callo’s last trip to Athens. Whoever was running this operation, CIA or otherwise, was obviously a cheapskate. If the powers that be had splashed out for a nicer pad maybe the two ogres guarding him would be able to relax a little. Callo’s eyelids were heavy.

‘Can I go to bed?’ he asked, when he could no longer fight the tiredness.

‘You’re having a giraffe,’ Abbot said without looking at him.

‘Then I’m just going to fall asleep right here.’

‘Suit yourself,’ Abbot said. ‘I’ll wake you when we need you.’

Immediately Callo felt less tired. What did they need him for? Blout entered the lounge and gestured for Abbot, who followed Blout back into a bedroom, leaving Callo alone for the first time. He contemplated dashing for the door, but the idea was short-lived. He’d be caught before he had it open, and would no doubt get a serious beat down for his actions. Better to just sit tight. They couldn’t keep him indefinitely, after all.

Callo muted the TV and edged along the sofa so he was closer to where Abbot had disappeared and heard voices speaking Russian, maybe from a radio. They were too quiet for Callo to understand what was being said.

Abbot re-entered suddenly and Callo leapt back to the middle of the sofa. If Abbot had seen him move, he didn’t show it. Abbot thrust a cell phone into Callo’s hands and then took a piece of paper from a pocket of his jeans. He held it in front of Callo.

‘This is what you’re going to do,’ Abbot said, expression intense, a hard edge to his British accent. ‘You’re going to phone Gabir Yamout. You’re going to tell whoever answers what’s on that piece of paper. You speak Arabic, right? You can paraphrase it, put it in your own words, but you’d better say it all.’

Callo took the paper and quickly read what was written. ‘Yes, I speak it. But I don’t understand. This doesn’t make any sense.’

‘You don’t have to understand it,’ Abbot said. ‘You just have to say it.’

‘But I-’

Before he could finish, Abbot slapped Callo hard across the face. The phone fell at Callo’s feet. His cheek stung badly. He looked up at Abbot, suddenly afraid. He noticed Blout was back in the room.

‘Phone Yamout,’ Abbot repeated coldly, ‘and say what’s on the facking piece of paper.’

Callo picked up the phone and dialled the number.

‘Please,’ Callo said. ‘But no one will answer. It’ll go to voicemail. Then I’ll get a call back.’

Abbot shrugged. ‘Just make sure you act scared.’

Callo didn’t get it, but he sat listening to the phone ring for about ten seconds it went to voicemail.

Callo repeated what he saw on the paper. It was just a few short sentences — an outright lie — and Callo didn’t have to act scared.

Before he’d finished the last line, Abbot snatched the phone from him and hung up. ‘That was good.’

He seemed genuinely happy and Callo managed a weak smile in return, despite his face still stinging. Blout went back into the other room.

Callo looked at the piece of paper again. ‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘I missed out the part about the hotel. I’m sorry.’

Abbot gave a big shrug. ‘That don’t matter. The exact details aren’t the important bit, it’s the delivery that sells it. And yours was top notch. Very convincing.’

‘Really? Thank you.’

Blout returned with a rucksack that he set down on the dining table. He opened it and took out a wallet. He threw it to Abbot, who emptied the contents. Callo watched his credit cards, receipts, cash and other litter from his wallet rain down on to the carpet. Abbot then tossed the wallet away and used his foot to spread the pile around on the floor.

‘What are you doing?’ Callo asked. ‘That’s my stuff.’

Abbot didn’t answer. Callo looked to Blout, who was rooting around inside the bag.

‘Is that all you wanted me to do?’ Callo found the courage to ask.

Abbot rolled up his shirtsleeves. ‘That was half of it, and you did great. You did a good job. Like I said, very convincing. Which is what we needed you to be. But now we need you to be convincing for the second part.’

Callo nodded, eager to please. ‘I can do that.’

Abbot gave a strange smile. ‘I’m sure you’ll do fine.’

Blout put on a pair of latex gloves. He gave a second pair to Abbot.

‘When do I make the next phone call?’ Callo asked.

Abbot shook his head and stretched the gloves over his big hands. ‘No more phone calls. What we need you to do now is convince your A-rab friends that you were attacked like you told them.’

Callo’s gaze flicked back and forth between Abbot and Blout. ‘But I said I’d escaped my attackers.’

‘Ah,’ Abbot said with a nod, interlacing his fingers to push the latex into place, ‘but they found you again.’

Blout stepped menacingly closer. Callo stared up at Abbot, finally understanding, his eyes filling with water, head shaking weakly from side to side.

Abbot stood over Callo and pulled his right elbow back and made a fist.

‘Sorry, mate,’ Abbot began, ‘but you really should have seen this coming.’