The security guard glared at him. ‘Have you got an appointment?’
Dan glared back. ‘No. I don’t need one.’ He turned and sat down on one of the chairs set back against the front wall of the building. Picking up a six-month-old magazine, he ignored the security guard, who took the hint and picked up the phone.
Minutes later, Dan threw down the magazine and stood up as the elevator doors opened. He waited while David Ludlow strode across the reception area towards him. They appraised each other silently before David held out his hand.
‘I’m glad you could make it.’
Dan shook hands, tentatively accepting the peace offering.
David steered him towards the elevator and they stepped in. As David punched a key, the doors swept closed and he turned to Dan.
‘What made you change your mind?’
Dan shrugged. ‘It got personal when Delaney went after Sarah and Harry.’
David nodded and said nothing. The two men rode up through the rest of the building in silence. When the doors opened, David led the way to his office, closed the door behind Dan and walked over to his desk. Philippa stood in the centre of the room and eyed Dan warily.
‘What exactly is your field of expertise?’ she asked.
Dan grinned. ‘This and that. Yours?’
Philippa arched an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure I should answer that.’
Dan shrugged, smiling. He turned to David. ‘Is she always like this?’
David nodded. ‘Yes – so watch yourself.’
Dan pulled out a chair and sat down without being asked. ‘So, are you going to tell me what you do here? What is it – MI5?’
David sat down and swivelled his chair to face Dan and shook his head. ‘Nothing on the radar. Mostly, we protect the UK’s energy assets from terrorist organisations. I report directly to the Minister for Energy as well as filing reports and advice to the Ministry of Defence. Sometimes I provide a brief directly to the Prime Minister. A lot of the time we just advise, keep our eyes and ears open and provide support to the other agencies. Every now and again though, we find someone like Delaney and the rule book goes out the window.’
He stood up and paced the room, turning a pen between his fingers. ‘MI5 and MI6 are aware of our existence, as are our colleagues in the United States and Australia. We’re picky about who we work with. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for safeguarding a future for this country’s economy from anyone who might be a threat.’
He stopped pacing and looked at Dan. ‘I have to ask. What’s Sarah’s involvement in this?’
‘I guess she’s just trying to figure out why Peter had to die,’ said Dan.
‘And she’s probably worked out it will make one hell of a story,’ added David. He threw the pen down on the desk. ‘Tell her from me that any article she intends to write will be subject to scrutiny by this office first. I won’t have this project compromised by anyone – especially a reporter.’
Dan shrugged. ‘I’ll try.’
David slammed his hand down on the desk. ‘You’ll do better than that, Dan. You’ll make sure she doesn’t. There are people higher up than me who will do anything – anything to make sure information about this technology doesn’t reach the public domain before we’re ready. If Sarah goes to print, I will not vouch for her safety. Or yours.’
Dan nodded. ‘I’ll speak to her.’
David shook his head, turned and walked over to the office wall which was strewn with notes, photographs, satellite images and maps. He beckoned to Dan and tapped the photo of them and two others next to the Warrior armoured vehicle.
‘Remember this?’
Dan stepped closer and looked at the picture. It seemed a lifetime ago. He shivered. ‘I wish I’d known that was the last time we’d all be together,’ he said. ‘After all we’d been through, we still went down like a naive bunch of amateurs.’ He looked away. The memories were still too painful.
David watched him carefully, then pulled the photo off the wall and turned it round to face Dan. ‘What do you remember about that day?’
Dan turned and stared at David. ‘Why?’
David walked back over to his desk and sat down, then gestured to Dan to take a seat, placing the photograph between them. ‘It might be important.’
Dan eased himself into the chair and looked at David for a few seconds before speaking. ‘I remember getting the call that there’d been activity out on the north road – you know, that single lane track out of town. So they sent us to investigate. Two in the front of the Warrior, four of us in the back. You, me, Terry, Mitch, Dicko and H.’
‘Go on.’
‘We reached the location, radioed in and got out. There was no sniper activity – we put it down to the lack of building cover. There was a house on the left side of the track – mud and bricks, a low wall keeping in a goat and some chickens. There was an old couple staring at us from the house. You shouted to Terry to get the old lady in the doorway to move away from the area.’
Dan pulled the photograph towards him and held it in his hands before continuing. ‘Me and Mitch began the routine – you, Terry, Dicko and H began to cordon off the area and watch out for snipers. I remember you sending Terry off in the direction of the house to make sure the old couple weren’t hiding anyone. Dicko and H began to walk along the track. That kid on the bike – he cycled into the middle of the road. Dicko and H ran to him, sent him back. Then they went to check out the dunes to the side of the road to make sure we weren’t ambushed from there.’