The String Diaries Part 29

The signeur's fingers twitched at the air. He swung towards Va.s.s. 'We need to intercept. You have to arrange flights immediately.'

'We need to find out exactly where Meyer's gone first. We don't even have a contact over there.'

'Don't argue with me,' Karoly snapped. 'Remember our deal.'

Va.s.s stopped himself from smiling. 'Yes, signeur. Can I ask this, then? Do we have a contact?'

'We did. A long time ago.'

'Who?'

'His name is Sebastien Lang.'

'Sounds familiar.'

'It should, Benjamin. Lang was signeur before me.'

'And you know his whereabouts?'

'I have a suspicion.'

'Can we trust him?'

Karoly grinned, his teeth luminous in the moonlight. 'You don't need to worry about that.'

CHAPTER 19.

Snowdonia Now Hannah slammed through the back door of the farmhouse and ran through the kitchen into the hallway, flicking on lights as she went. Leah was screaming. Nate was shouting her name.

Upstairs. Both of them.

Sprinting along the hall, she grabbed the banister and swung herself around.

Nate was standing at the top of the stairs. In one hand he clutched a metal poker. His other arm clasped their daughter.

When Leah spotted Hannah her screams turned to sobs. 'Mummy!' She tried to extricate herself from Nate but he held her firmly, staring down the stairs with distrust in his eyes.

'The meal you cooked that night in the Cairngorms,' he said. 'What was it?'

'Chicken mole. Never again.'

He nodded. 'My first car?'

'Volkswagen Scirocco. White, with a leaky pa.s.senger door.'

Nate released his grip on Leah. The girl thundered down the stairs and leaped at her mother. Hannah cradled her with one arm, unwilling to let go of the shotgun, worried that she had not yet reloaded it.

'It's OK, scamp. It's OK,' she murmured into the girl's hair.

'He came, didn't he? The Bad Man came.'

'Yes, he came. But he's gone now. Mummy frightened him away. You're safe. I'm here. Your dad's here.'

'What happened?' Nate asked.

'He broke in through the back door. Pretending to be Seb.'

'Your head-'

'Just a cut.'

'It looks bad.'

'I'm OK. Really.'

He nodded. 'You didn't wake me.'

'I'm stupid, that's why. I couldn't sleep so I came downstairs, surprised him. Reckless. I could have ruined everything.'

'You didn't. We're all still here. You might even have-' He cursed, put a hand to his abdomen.

Hannah dropped her gaze to the bottom of his s.h.i.+rt. A dark stain was spreading across the fabric. 'Oh Nate, you're bleeding.'

He frowned down at his clothing. 'I jumped out of bed when I heard the gun shots. Must have torn the st.i.tches.'

Blood was beginning to drip from the hem of his s.h.i.+rt.

For the first time, Hannah felt truly helpless.

Jakab was somewhere outside. And now this.

'What are we going to do?' she asked, hating the desperation in her voice.

Nate winced. 'One thing at a time, as always. Come on. Help me downstairs.'

Between them, they managed to get him down to the hall. Leah opened the door to the dining room and switched on the lights. Hannah helped her husband inside. She felt light-headed. Not enough sleep. Too much adrenalin. Too much fear, panic.

Beyond a mahogany dining table, two armchairs flanked the window. She guided Nate towards one and eased him into it. Breaking open the shotgun, ejecting the single spent round, she pulled two cartridges from her back pocket and slotted them into the breech. Hannah snapped the gun back together, closed the dining-room door, crouched down beside her daughter. She put one hand to the girl's face. Stroked her cheek. 'Leah, remember all those times when we talked about this moment? About a time when you'd have to be strong?'

The girl nodded. Her pupils were huge.

'Well, honey, that time is now. You know we love you, your daddy and I. More than anything else in the world. It's vital you remember that.'

'You think one of you is going to die.'

Hannah felt a tear roll down her cheek, cursed herself. 'No, darling. No one thinks that. But even if there's a tiny chance, we have to prepare for it. Just so we know what to do if it happens. You're a strong girl. Brave. Intelligent. All you need to do is keep thinking, keep questioning, keep a close watch. Trust your instincts, react fast, just as we've always taught you. Now, do you remember we showed you how to use one of these?' Hannah asked, indicating the shotgun.

'Yes.'

'What's this slider?'

'The safety.'

'How do you disengage it?'

'Push it forwards.'

'Good.'

'How will I know who he is?'

'You remember how we validate each other?'

'Yes.'

'If you're unsure, that's how. Now, come here.' Hannah pulled her daughter into an embrace.

Then Nate said, 'Car.'

Hannah moved to the side of the window. Dawn had bleached away the darkness, sketching the landscape in shades of grey. A battered blue Defender was rattling down the track from the main road.

The 4x4 bounced over the bridge and accelerated towards the farmhouse, headlights cutting a white beam through the shadows. It skidded to a stop twenty yards from the house. The engine idled for a few moments and then it died. Its lights went out.

Nate twisted his head. 'What do you see?'

'Sebastien's Land Rover.'

'Can you see him?'

The windscreen was a dark slab of gla.s.s. She could feel the gaze of the vehicle's occupant upon her. 'No. Leah, watch the car. If it moves, if anyone gets out, shout.'

The girl was gripping one of the dining-room chairs. Her knuckles were white. 'Where are you going?'

'To get the spare ammunition. I won't be long. Count to ten. I'll be back.' Hannah threw open the door and ran into the hallway. She skidded around the corner to the kitchen. The back door was hanging open, slamming in the wind. Two of the windows were broken, where she had tried to shoot Jakab. A smattering of shot was lodged in the frame.

Flinging open the pantry door, she grabbed two boxes of cartridges and ran back to the dining room.

'It didn't move.'

'Good girl. Now take these boxes. Open them up. I want you to lay the cartridges in a nice long row, so I can reach them easily if I need to. OK?

Leah nodded. She put the first box on a chair. Opening the second, she began to arrange the rounds in a neat line, bra.s.s casings upwards.

Hannah moved back to the wall beside the window. Outside, the Defender's door banged open. She saw a blur of movement in the gap between the driver's compartment and the frame. Moses jumped down on to the gravel. He dropped his head to the chippings, turning in a slow circle. He looked up at Llyn Gwyr, then back at the 4x4. Nose close to the ground, he ran towards the farmhouse as if following a scent. 'It's his dog,' she said.

'Moses?'

She nodded. The dog ran past the window, raising his head and meeting her eyes. Then he was gone.

'Keep talking to me, Hannah.'

She glanced down. Nate's s.h.i.+rt was wet with blood now. The sight of it made her want to retch or scream or both.

You have to get him to a hospital! He's not strong enough for this!

'Nothing happening yet,' she replied. 'No movement.'

A bang somewhere in the house. A metal object falling over with a crash. Leah moaned with fear. She clamped a hand to her mouth.

A skittering in the hallway outside. A thump against the dining-room door. A low woof.

Hannah flicked off the safety on the shotgun. She took her left hand from the weapon and pried open the door a crack. Moses nosed into the room. She shut the door behind him.

The dog dropped his head and sniffed her feet, her legs, her crotch. He moved his nose up and down her free hand and licked her. Turning away, he approached Leah, enquiring, investigating. He moved his nose all over her body, licked her fingers and then he trotted over to Nate.

Moses stopped when he saw the blood.

'It's OK, boy,' Nate said, holding out his hand.

The dog turned his head away, first towards Hannah and then towards Leah. Whined.

'Go on, Moses,' Hannah said. She felt her stomach contracting, her scalp buzzing. She moved her free hand back to the barrel of the shotgun. The safety was already disengaged. Her daughter was far enough away from her husband's chair.

The dog took a step forwards, dropped his head and sniffed Nate's shoes. He looked up and whined a second time. Closer now, he sniffed her husband's legs, his crotch. Nate waggled his fingers. The dog nosed them. Then he licked them.

Hannah sagged against the door frame, breath exploding from her.

Nate raised his eyebrows at the animal. 'Thanks buddy. You nearly got me shot.'

Moses padded to the window and jumped up. He placed his front paws on the sill, and barked twice.

Outside, Sebastien climbed out of the Land Rover. He put his hands to his mouth and shouted Hannah's name.

She joined the dog at the window and opened it. 'Seb?'

'I heard shooting. Anyone hurt?'

Hannah glanced down at Nate, at the glistening pool of blood in his lap. 'No one was shot.'

'He was here?'