Deadly States (Seaforth Files by Nicholas P Clark Book 2) (36 page)

fair when they were being so badly manipulated by a man who they
trusted implicitly.

Jack made extremely slow
progress through the embassy towards
the
Ambassador’s quarters where he assumed Deeley was hiding out.
It was the most secure part
of the entire building and it is where the
guards would mount the defence of the embassy staff. Jack found himself ducking in and out
of bedrooms and closets as guards approached
and passed him. It was only a matter
of time until the cursory initial
sweep of the building was over and a more painstaking and thorough
search began. When that time came then every door would be opened
and every room searched and that is when Jack would have to face
some tough
choices—to
kill
or
not to
kill?
He frantically
searched
the archives
of
his
mind for a route to the residential
quarters that
would put him in contact with the fewest number of guards—he drew
a complete blank, and that was the exact reason why that part
of the
building had been selected as the last point
of defence in the event of
an assault—no one could sneak up on that position.

From Deeley’s bedroom to the
Ambassador’s rooms was a journey
of less than five minutes under normal circumstances. Fifteen minutes
into that journey and Jack was only just halfway there. The closer that
he got to the
diplomat’s living space the
more armed guards
he encountered. In an evening where his fortunes had been mixed at best,
Jack had not been expecting fate to deal him a lucky break, but a lucky
break is
exactly what he got.
As he peered
out at the corridor leading up to the
Ambassador’s rooms he saw two guards standing in his
way. The men were not moving. They were clearly there to stop him
getting to the
Ambassador, as instructed by Deeley. Jack weighed up
his
options for a few
moments. There was no doubt in his mind that
he could shoot both men before they got a chance to return fire. But he
also knew that if he did go down the route of initiating a fire fight
he
would have to kill them
outright
or they would surely
call
out for
help. In his mind Jack knew what he had to do but if he at least
engaged in a short argument with himself over the deed it would at least
make him feel like less of a heartless bastard. And then came the lucky
break.
An unintelligible voice crackled
over the radio that
one
of the
guards was carrying. The guard listened to the message with an intense
expression on his face; it was clear that the man had been hoping that
the voice from the other side carried news of Jack’s capture, or as a last
resort, Jack’s death. Jack couldn’t tell if the worried expression was for
the guard’s own safety
or if the man was also considering the personal
devastation that would come from killing Jack if that was what he had
to do.

If Jack could
only
get to
one
of the radios then
he could get a
message through to every guard in the building. They would have to
disregard what he had to say as protocol forbids them from listening
to an assailant, much less following his instructions. But if the worst
came to the worst and Jack ended up dead at least the seeds
of doubt
with regard to Deeley would have been sown. It would then
only
be
a
matter
of time until someone added up all the pieces and exposed
Deeley for what he truly was.

He may have, but Jack didn’t. Nor did his fellow guard.
“What is it?” asked the second guard.
“They
have found a
body
outside the communications room.

Looks like Jack killed him and then sent a message to someone.” “How
do they know that he sent out a message?”
“The equipment has been thrashed. They want us to move towards

The guards set
out. Completely in the wrong direction from where
Jack was concealed. Jack slipped quickly from where he had been hiding and within moments he was through the heavy double oak doors
that led to the
Ambassador’s
chambers. The reception room
on the
other side of the doors was immense and
ornate and just as Jack remembered it.
For almost a
century that reception room had hosted
the great and the good both living in the country, and from foreign
shores.
On the left
of the room there was a
ceiling
high fireplace.
Although it had been many years since the fireplace was last used to
warm visitors to the residence, it still cut an impressive
monument,
if
only to an empire that had long since melted away into history. In
front
of the fireplace was an impeccably stuffed male lion. The taxidermy was such that the animal’s mouth was in a menacing snarl—an
unspoken warning to guests that the old empire could still bite if it

A small, red alarm bulb above the six-foot chandelier in the centre
of the room was the only illumination. The flashing red light cast the
entire space in an eerie light—as if it was on fire. Two oak panelled
doors at the far side of the room led directly to the
Ambassador’s private quarters—beyond that point no guests and very few
employees,
would
ever venture. Jack hurried across to the doors and he pressed
his left
ear up against
one of the doors. If Jack had been in charge of
security then there would have been a small army
of heavily armed
guards waiting for him
on the other side of those doors. Fortunately,
Jack was not in charge of security. No one was waiting for him on the
other side
of the doors. The room was
much
more
modern—one
of
the few rooms in the building that
each new
master was allowed to
make their
own without incurring the wrath
of the historical buildings
department
of the Foreign Office. Contemporary armchairs sat
alongside high back leather seats from a previous owner, and the small
fireplace in the left hand side wall was not
was a fire burning in it.

Jack surveyed the room a
little longer
drawn to the sounds
of raised voices coming from yet another set
of
doors
on the opposite end of the room. Jack hurried to the door. Once
again he pressed an ear to a door and once again he listened intently.

“And what in the hell do you want me to do about it other than
what has already been done? Unless you would like me to go out there
and search for him myself? Is that what you are suggesting,
commander?” “No sir, but I think that it would be prudent for you to
leave
the Embassy for a safer location.”

“Well you are now in charge of the security situation.
As long as
you
make it clear in your report that I
only left the building under
your orders.”

“Consider it done, sir. Now, call for a car to be sent to the back of
your apartment. I would do it but when we go into lockdown then
you are the only one with the authority to lift the security measures.”
There was a short pause before a reluctant Ambassador spoke into
only still in use, but there