The Hunt

90

Narov punched answer, clamping the Thuraya to her head. ‘Yes.’

‘It’s Brooks. Crisis over. Tel Aviv was first. The Israelis don’t mess around. Scrambled an F-15 Strike Eagle and put a Harpoon anti-ship missile through the yacht. Fireland vaporised. New York was second. A Black Hawk headed up the Hudson and put a Hellfire through the Adler’s bridge. London was last. Typical of the Brits to push it to the wire. Slammed a couple of CRV7 rockets through the Werwolf’s deck at 0358 precisely.’

‘Two minutes to spare,’ Narov noted. ‘More than enough.’

Brooks smiled. She was one cool customer. He was glad she was on the side of the angels. ‘You managed to extract the other information we needed?’ he asked.

‘Eventually,’ Narov confirmed.

She passed the details of the other ships and their targets to Brooks. Thankfully none of the five vessels had yet to set sail, or so Kammler had claimed. Those five, plus the three already destroyed: she allowed herself a rare moment of self-congratulation. Soon now, they’d get them all; all eight of the killer devices.

‘I’ll get teams scrambled to take them down,’ Brooks confirmed. ‘Any chance the crews might have got word from Kammler to scarper?’

‘Unlikely.’ She glanced at the corpse slumped it its chair. At last he looked almost at peace. ‘He certainly won’t be warning anyone now.’

‘Maybe you can connect me to our… friend. I’d like to let him know in person that he failed.’

‘That might be a little difficult,’ Narov replied flatly. ‘The questioning: it was most robust. His heart failed.’

‘His heart? He’s dead?’ Brooks cursed. ‘I was looking forward to putting that bastard on trial.’

‘Were you? Why? He didn’t deserve a jail cell; to be made a rallying point for the Nazi cause. He deserved what he got.’

Brooks didn’t argue. Kammler was dead and the world was undoubtedly a safer place for it, no matter what the means of his removal. The CIA man knew Narov as a straight talker, which was rare in this business. He appreciated it.

‘What about you guys? Any casualties?’

‘Peter Miles has been beaten to within an inch of his life. He needs urgent medical attention. Jaeger has suffered serious blood loss due to an arterial wound. He’s in and out of consciousness, but we’ve stabilised him.’

‘You?’

‘Unwounded.’ She paused. ‘But some of Kammler’s men are unaccounted for. Among them his deputy, Steve Jones. He’s injured, but he got away.’

‘How?’

‘There were some vehicles parked in a subterranean hangar, in a hidden cave in the cliff. Jones managed to get to one of those. We tried to stop him, but he got away in a hail of bullets.’

‘Jaeger’s wife?’ Brooks prompted.

Narov’s face darkened. ‘Same as Jones. We understand she’s injured, but no sign of her either. We figure she and Jones made a joint getaway.’

‘Right, how long has that vehicle been mobile?’

‘Twenty minutes. Thirty at the outside.’

‘We’ll find it. Don’t worry, we’ll find it.’

‘And then? Bear in mind what it might be carrying. It’s unlikely, but it might just be loaded with—’

‘Understood. Don’t worry, it’s history. Even over China, we have ways and means.’

‘Good. But don’t go starting a third world war. We were so close to Armageddon this time…’

‘Leave it with me. Time to come clean with the Chinese, but since Kammler planned to hit two of their foremost nuclear plants, I think they’ll cut me some slack.

‘And Jaeger?’ Narov probed. ‘Do we come clean with him too? About his wife? That vehicle?’

There was silence for a beat, before Brooks answered. ‘I think not. Better for all if he doesn’t know. At least not yet; not before it’s all over.’

Narov allowed herself a fleeting smile. ‘Understood.’

‘Keep this line open. It’s a fast-moving situation.’

Narov told him she would, and killed the call.