Becca XXX: Dangerous Cargo Ch. 15

Thud-thud.

"Target down," he said. "Keep moving."

I moved cautiously up the muddy slope and saw movement next to the railings. A weapon and head peered over the edge of the bridge and then darted back again as our enemy searched for us. I brought the area of movement into focus between the front and rear sights of my MP7.

I kept moving.

I kept focussed.

The head appeared again and I fired a three-round burst straight into it. It didn't matter where I hit him, it only mattered that I did.

"Target down," I said. "Approaching the railings."

"There are two of them left on the bridge," said Lexa as she watched it on the traffic cameras. "They're hiding behind the rear of the truck."

"Roger that."

I took a tentative peek over the edge, but saw nothing. They were waiting to ambush us just like Lexa had said. I looked under the vehicle and saw two sets of feet at the back of the Navara.

"Go for the feet," I said to Tony. "I'll take the one on the left; you take the one on the right."

"God, I love you," he said. "I was about to say the same thing. We even think alike in battle."

"Awww, that is so sweet," I cooed back, leaning down and giving him a quick kiss. "Ready?"

It was surreal that we could act like a loving couple in the midst of a fire fight. It was no different to when I'd been fighting alongside Lexa or Natalie -- it relieved the tension and focused the mind.

"On three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

We both popped up and aimed under the truck, firing a short burst into their feet. I heard them scream and immediately jumped over the railings and ran towards them. Speed was of the essence now in order to finish them off before they got brave and tried to retaliate.

I ran around the back of the pickup and saw them lying on the floor in a pool of their own blood. The orange street lighting made their blood look black on the road surface.

Phut-phut.

Thud-thud.

We both fired two bullets into their heads to put them out of their misery.

"Targets down."

"Check the back of the truck for a rocket launcher," said Tony. "I'll cover us."

The view from the bridge was one of carnage. There were two burning vehicles in front of the truck, blocking its path. The two rear escorts had been blown sideways and were strewn all over the carriageway. Black smoke billowed from them, acting like a smoke screen.

I searched the back of the pickup in vain. The M72 was a single use weapon and they had fired them all.

"No luck," I said. "They're all spent."

Thud-thud-thud.

I heard Tony firing through the smoke at any target he could see.

"Don't forget Natalie's still down there somewhere," I said.

"I know. She's with Shaw in the back of the Toyota," he replied. "Anyone else down there is a fair target."

Thud-thud-thud.

"They've loaded something into the back of Shaw's truck," said Lexa. "It looks like they're about to bug out. Can you disable the vehicles? It's your only chance."

As she said that, a huge volley of bullets came in from Shaw's remaining men. They must have spotted us on the bridge and were trying to take us out as they made their escape.

Phut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut.

Phut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut.

Phut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut.

Thwump-ping-thwump-smash

Clank-ping-thwump-hiss.

The Navara took the brunt of the incoming fire. Vehicles always presented an irresistible target. We lay on the floor of the bridge, protected by the concrete floor as they fired up at us. The windows of the pickup shattered, showering us in glass as its tyres burst.

"They know where we are," shouted Tony above the din of gunfire. "Roll to the left and I'll roll to the right. When you get clear of the incoming rounds, pop up and fire a long burst. Aim for their tyres."

"Roger that."

We both started to roll like logs away from the vehicle. All of the enemy fire was concentrated where they'd last seen us, trying to keep us pinned down. They wouldn't be expecting us to move left and right, to the far ends of the bridge.

As I got into position, I switched the fire-selector to full-auto and popped up onto one knee.

Phut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut.

Phut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut.

Tony let rip from the right with the deafening MP5.

Thud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud.

Thud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud-ud.

I watched in horror as the three remaining vehicles started to pull away, using the smoke and debris as cover and sped off south on the wrong side of the road.

We let rip after them with everything we had, but were conscious of the nuclear waste that was in the back of the Toyota. We didn't want to risk hitting it and contaminating the motorway. That would be like us doing their work for them. We kept our shots low, trying to hit the tyres. I emptied a full magazine towards our fleeing foe and then switched mags and emptied that one too, but they were soon out of range.

"They're gone," I said, frantically. "Arran, please tell me you have them on the tracker."

"The tracker is still active," Arran replied. "We have them... oh wait."

"What is it?"

"Something's not right. The tracker is stationary, but the vehicles are moving."

"Oh, for fucks sake," I shouted. "Where does it say that the tracker is?"

"It's showing on the bridge. It's right next to you."

"Wait one," I sighed, already knowing what must have happened.

I'd fitted the tracker to the rear stock of one of the MP7's when they were in the boot of Ryan's car on Saturday night. I was suddenly filled with dread that one of the guys we'd killed had that very same weapon in his dead hand. Sure enough, I found the small black tracker on the sub machine gun beside me.

My heart sank. With no tracker, it would be impossible to know where Shaw was heading.

We'd lost him.

"FUCK IT," I shouted at the top of my voice.

"We still have them on the traffic cameras," said Lexa. "They're heading for the junction. Can you follow them?"

"Negative. We don't have any transport," said Tony calmly. "All the vehicles are down. Stay on them and see where they go."

I slumped down on the floor with my back to the Navara. I felt exhausted and demoralised. All of our efforts had been fruitless and now that Shaw had the nuclear waste, he was even more dangerous than ever.

"Vehicles have turned off the motorway, heading east," said Arran. "They've gone cross country and there's no cameras to track them. They're in the wind."

Tony walked over to join me with his weapon by his side. He didn't look phased by any of it. He was actually smiling at the destruction we'd caused.

"Tell me this isn't the best job in the world," he laughed.

"It would have been better if you'd completed the objective," snapped Ethan.

"That's easy to say from behind a desk," he snapped back. "But all is not lost."

"How do you figure that one out?"

I glanced up at Tony who looked sexy as hell covered in mud and debris.

"We just need to stick to the original plan."

"Which is what?" I asked.

"We still have the bomb makers under surveillance," he explained. "Shaw might have the dangerous cargo, but he doesn't have the bombs yet. We might not know where he's gone, but the bomb makers will. He needs to take delivery of the bombs before he becomes a real threat."

I huge smile crept over my face. He was right; this wasn't over yet. We'd lost the battle but the war was definitely not over. All we needed to do was track the bomb makers and follow them to Shaw. That was the original plan before we came to the weapons exchange.

"We saw an opportunity here and we took it," Tony continued. "We were outgunned and outnumbered, but we've caused some significant damage to their numbers. There's at least seven dead men lying on the road, I'd call that a success of sorts. It's not over yet. Not by a long shot."

****

After our defeat on the M6, the SWAT team had turned up ten minutes later. We had left them to clean up the mess and then we borrowed one of their vehicles to return to our base in Birmingham.

After a few hours sleep, it was time to go to work on Tony's original plan. I walked out of the bedroom wearing only my panties and a clean vest top. I'd had a shower, but my jeans were caked in mud so I didn't bother putting them back on.

The dining room table was still awash with laptops and equipment and four of the Grey Ghosts were either sitting or standing in a loose group around it. Tony was nowhere to be seen. The wall was full of photos and maps showing the suspects and their pattern of movements.

"Morning, sleepy head," laughed Jock. "It's nice of you to join us."

"Morning yourself. Where's Tony?"

"Foxy? He's gone shopping," he replied.

"Shopping for what?"

The rest of them giggled as though they were sharing a private joke.

"What's funny?" I asked, stretching my arms upwards in a big yawn and allowing my vest to ride up.

"He's gone shopping for women's underwear and clothes," said Hayward.

"I knew he was kinky in bed, but I didn't know he was a cross-dresser," I giggled, not rising to their banter.

"They're for you," said Stud-Muffin.

"Yeah, I guessed they might be. My jeans are fucked so I need some more clothes. It's very nice of him."

"I think you look fine as you are," laughed Jock, looking me up and down.

"Pervert," I laughed.

I moved over to the wall with the pictures on it and started to take it all in. There were photographs of six men taken with a zoom lens from a distance. There were also pictures of their flat which looked like they'd been taken from our window, across the green and through their window. A plan of their flat was also on the wall which looked identical to ours.

"Are these our targets?" I asked. "They don't look like much."

"Neither do you, but look at the damage you did last night," said Lance. "Looks can be deceiving."

"Point taken," I smiled. "When are we taking them down?"

"Hopefully tonight, but it's not as simple as it looks," said Hayward.

"It never is."

As I said that, I heard the front door unlock and Tony arrived back with bags of shopping. He walked in to join us and placed the bags on the sofa.

"Morning, Becca. How are you feeling?" he asked, putting his arm around my waist and kissing me on the lips.

Stud-Muffin and Jock made kissing noises to mock us like a couple of school children.

"Grow up lads," laughed Tony. "This isn't the playground."

"It looks like it is, the way you two are carrying on," laughed Jock. "Your wife's been asking about tonight."

"I'm not his wife," I pointed out. "I've had more cocks over the last few weeks than you've had hot dinners. That's not the way a wife should carry on, is it?"

"I don't know," laughed Lance. "My ex was a bit like that."

They all burst out laughing and started nudging each other as the banter continued.

"We're putting a plan together to get into their apartment and interrogate them," said Tony, ignoring his colleagues. "One of them will tell us where Shaw's hiding out."

"Great. What can I do to help?"

"Funny you should ask that," said Hayward. "You're going to be the key player."

"Okkaaaaaay," I send hesitantly. "But surely you just need to kick the door in and apprehend the fuckers. Isn't that what you guys do?"

"Sometimes, but we have a problem," said Tony.

"What sort of problem?"

He moved over to the wall with the photos on and pointed to one of the pictures that I'd glanced at earlier.

"They have been very wary of people since they got here," he started to explain. "This was the only picture we managed to get of the inside of their flat. It was taken from our window. Ever since then, the curtains have remained closed and we can't see in."

I moved over to take a closer look. I could see the curtains were open and the camera had been able to see straight inside. The angle it was taken from meant it looked through the lounge window and into the reception area and the front door. It looked normal except for one thing. It had a metal barred gate between the lounge and the reception area which made it look like a prison.

"They really are paranoid, aren't they?" I said.

"It's worse than that. We could normally just plant charges and blow the door of its hinges to make entry or go in through a wall, but we think they've got a bomb in there with them," said Jock. "If we attempt entry, they could blow their flat up and us along with it."

"Not to mention the collateral damage," said Hayward.

"When we enter the flat, it's going to take too long to get through the locked gate," said Tony. "If they hear us, they could detonate the bomb before we even get inside."

"Are you telling me that they have ten steel barrels filled with homemade explosives in that flat?" I gasped. "How are they planning on moving them?"

"No, the bombs are in an industrial unit not far from here, but they have a rucksack bomb in the flat. We watched them carry it in," said Stud-Muffin.

"So, what are they waiting for? Why haven't they transported them to Shaw?"

"They haven't finished the detonators. That's what they've been making in the flat. We think they're making them in one of the bedrooms. We've followed them for the last few days and they've been buying electrical equipment and burner phones. The stuff they've bought can definitely be used to make a detonator and they've bought ten of everything," said Lance.

"So, once they have the detonators built, you think they're going to ship out and meet with Shaw?" I asked. "That makes sense."

"That's what we think, yes," agreed Tony.

"How do we take them out?" I asked.

"Carefully," laughed Lance.

"Why not hit them on the way to their unit? They'll be out of the flat and in the open."

"Same problem. They'll have the rucksack with them. If we try and take them out, they'll blow themselves up and we'll never get to Shaw. We need to take them alive and quietly in their flat," said Hayward.

"We'll make entry, but we need someone on the inside to make sure that the gate is unlocked and that none of the targets are anywhere near the bomb," added Tony.

The plan was suddenly clear. I remembered Tony saying that the terrorists were suspicious of male interaction. He'd also said that they needed a woman on the crew and I could now see why.

"You want me on the inside?" I questioned. "How do we make that happen?"

"They might be terrorists, but they have needs," laughed Jock. "We've seen young women going to the flat with them over the last few weeks. They stay the night and leave in the morning."

"Typical guys," I mocked them. "Maybe they shouldn't be thinking with their dicks."

"Exactly," said Hayward. "It's going to be their downfall."

"Where do they meet these girls? Are they using local prostitutes?" I asked.

"No. One of them usually picks up a girl at a bar or club and takes her back to the flat," explained Hayward. "He usually goes for a drunk girl or someone who appears vulnerable and easy to manipulate."

"What a charmer," I said sarcastically. "What happens once she's at the flat. Is she shared?"

"We think so, yes. There's not been any reports of rape or murder, but we've listened in to the girls getting fucked. They usually get passed around the group."

"Sounds like my sort of party," I laughed. "I bet I can guess which guy picks the girls up in the pub."

"Be our guest," said Hayward.

I looked at the six photos on the wall and tried to figure it out. One guy had piercing blue eyes, a cheeky smile and boyish looks. He looked like a likely suspect and I could see why young vulnerable girls would go with him. They'd think all of their dreams had come true.

"It's this one, isn't it?" I said. "What's his name?"

"How the fuck did you know that?" gasped Stud-Muffin.

"It's my job," I laughed. "I can spot men like him from a mile away. Who is he?"

"His name's Travis," said Jock. "Don't let his good looks fool you, he's a nasty piece of work and he's well trained. We were tracking him and his group in Kabul and he committed a lot of offences."

"Like what?"

"Murder, torture, rape, planting bombs. All the usual terrorist stuff," said Tony. "What we're asking you to do is dangerous. Are you up for it?"

"Is there any other way of getting into the flat?"

"Not that we can see. We're running out of time."

I glanced over at the sofa, which was covered in bags of clothes. I realised that Tony hadn't just been out to get me a pair of jeans to wear. He'd been to select something more alluring so that I could be Travis' next one-night-stand.

"I'll do it," I said. "What's your plan?"

"We'll dress you up in something sexy and send you to the same bar that he goes to," said Hayward. "You work your magic and get yourself back to his flat."

"Hhmmmm, in principle that sounds good, but I don't think it will work," I sighed.

"Why not?"

"Because he's a male predator picking on girls who seem weak. He wants someone who won't question what he's doing and whom he can control. Just being a sexy girl in a bar won't cut it. He'll be suspicious."

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Jock.

"Actually, I do. I suggest I go to the pub with one of you posing as my boyfriend. We make a scene in the bar - like my boyfriend having an argument with me. He can dump me in front of everyone in the pub and I'll immediately become an easy target. I can act like I'm upset or angry, and Travis will be attracted to me because I'm easy prey and on the rebound. Maybe he'll think I'm after some revenge sex if we play it right."

"Looks like you're up then, Foxy," laughed Jock, slapping him hard on the back. "Get ready for a lover's tiff."

"As great as that sounds, I'm afraid we're going to have to put a younger model in Tony's place," I giggled. "He's amazing in bed, but it needs to look more believable."

"She's right," said Tony. "These guys aren't stupid."

"Who do you suggest?" asked Hayward. "I'm older than Tony. Jock looks like a bear. That leaves Lance or Stud-Muffin."

"Stud-Muffin," I replied. "What do you say Stud-Muffin? Do you fancy dumping me in a bar full of people?"

"Any man would be an idiot to dump you, Becca, but I'll do it for the good of the mission," he laughed.

"That's settled then," I replied. "I suggest we act out a few scenarios this afternoon. Practice makes perfect."

"I really love this girl," said Jock. "She's just like us. Train hard; fight easy. That's our motto."

"Speaking of which, we all need to familiarise ourselves with tonight's mission," said Hayward. "We can use our own flat to practice, as it's identical to theirs. Becca, I suggest you get used to moving around the flat so that you know where everything is -- even down to which way the doors open."

It was a good idea. It was always down to the finer details of the mission which made it work. Getting used to my surroundings would be one less thing to worry about and would get me ready for what I needed to do that night.

"Sounds like a great idea," I agreed. "But first let's see what clothes you've bought for me. It can't be anything too slutty, but also nothing too dowdy. I still need to look desirable."

"You'd look desirable wearing anything," laughed Lance.

"Awwww, thank you so much," I cooed.

I moved over to the sofa and started opening the bags and tipping the contents out to get a better look at them. The first bag was a pair of jeans to replace the ones I'd ruined the night before. I put them to one side.

"You've even got the right size," I complemented Tony. "You have a good eye."

"You're not the first seductress I've bought clothes for," he shrugged.

"Awww, and there was me thinking I was special," I joked.

The next bag had a short black dress inside. It was sexy, but far too revealing for a vulnerable girl. It wouldn't suit the character I was about to portray.