Ultimatum

Eighty-one

23.00

Mike Bolt was lying in the hospital bed with his eyes closed, a bandage round his head, when Tina walked in. She’d had to beg the officers from CTC to let her come here before they took her away to Paddington Green Station for questioning about her part in what had happened that night. So far, she wasn’t under arrest, even though she’d shot dead two men using a police-issue gun she wasn’t authorized to use. But she guessed this was only because so far no one had figured out exactly what to arrest her for, given the unprecedented nature of the night’s events. As soon as they did, she’d be facing charges of some sort.

The doctor had told her that the results of the CT scan they’d given Mike when he’d arrived at the hospital had shown no major head trauma and that it looked like the concussion he was suffering from was mild. Now he just needed to rest.

Tina approached the bed. Looking at him lying there, she felt a sudden urge to cry that she only just managed to suppress. She’d promised the doctor she wouldn’t wake him, but as she stopped by the bed, taking a deep breath to push down her emotions, his eyes opened, taking a couple of seconds to focus on her.

‘You’re OK?’ he whispered.

She put a hand on his. ‘I’m fine. Everything’s all right now.’

‘I heard shots over the phone. What happened?’ His voice was weak and he sounded exhausted.

‘They tried to break out Fox. They failed. Cecil Boorman’s dead. So’s Fox. And another gunman they think might be Cain.’

‘Did Fox talk before he died?’

‘Not enough to give us anything useful.’

He sighed. ‘Then we’ve failed.’

Tina shook her head and squeezed his hand. ‘No,’ she said, ‘we didn’t. The men behind today’s attacks are dead, the Shard’s still standing, and Jetmir Brozi’s in custody facing charges that are going to keep him in prison for the next twenty years. I’d call all that a success.’

Bolt managed a weak smile. ‘That’s what I like about you, Tina. You don’t let things drag you down.’

‘And nor should you.’ She bent down and pecked him on the cheek — a gesture that surprised both of them. ‘Go to sleep now,’ she said. ‘I’ll come back to see you tomorrow.’

‘You’re not in any trouble, are you?’ he asked as she said goodbye and turned towards the door.

She smiled. ‘Course not. You know me.’

And with that, she went back out into the corridor where the CTC officers were waiting.