Sally was up and looking refreshed, “I saw the TV, he might as well have said it was the Americans, he didn’t hold back. These press conferences usually go one for ages and say very little, he only spoke for a couple of minutes, but it was straight to the point.”
Dave lay on the bed, Sally climbed on top of him. “No, let me get undressed first.” The room phone rang at 14:15, Sally said not to answer it, Dave reached out of bed and picked up the handset.
“There is a gentleman in reception, he would like a word with you.” Dave asked for a name, “Cyrus Grantly.”
“Tell him I’ll be twenty minutes and would you send up the head porter.” There was a knock on the door as he was dressing, Sally pulled the duvet up round her neck, the Glock was ready under the covers. “Who is it?”
“The head porter sir.” Dave unlocked the door and asked him to come in.
“Downstairs is an American who has come to see me, will you check he is on his own. There may be a car outside, if there is, the engine will be running,” a note was handed over to him.
“I’ll call your room in five minutes.” Sally asked if he wanted her to get dressed and come down, Dave said no. “I don’t think I will be long, there isn’t much he can say.” He answered the ringing phone, he was told Cyrus was on his own. Dave was wearing a jacket when he went downstairs, it covered his Glock, passing the porters desk, he asked for coffee for two. Cyrus stood up when he saw Dave, there was no handshake, sitting down again, Dave asked if he was wired, there was a shake of the head. “I’ve been told you are on your own, is that correct?”
“No one knows I’m here, I fly out tonight with many others, I will not be returning. I came to say goodbye, it’s sad it ended this way, but it was way above me.”
“When will your people realise, stabbing someone in the back while smiling at them never works in the long run.” He didn’t expect a reply, there was no conversation as the coffee was put on the table. There was much he wanted to say, but since his promotion, he decided to keep things general.
“I’m sure Marybeth and the kids will be pleased to see you.”
Cyrus said he would miss Dave as a friend. “This will be our last meeting, I will never be posted here again and I don’t think you will be welcome in the US. A word of advice, don’t come in on a false passport, your face will be on the immigration watch list.”
“I have only one question I hope you will answer honestly. Am I on a hit list?”
“Not as far as I am aware, if you were, I would find a way of letting you know. I have to go, I still have things to do.”
“Cyrus, if you want to stay, I can keep you safe, your family as well.”
“Referring to the conversation last night, you might think you are the queen on the chess board, in reality, our chess board is a tiny part of a much bigger game.” Cyrus drained his coffee and rose from the table, this time Dave shook his hand.
“Cyrus, take care, if I can ever help you, please call, your arrest was nothing personal, I wanted you out the way while the raid took place. I never expected you to answer any questions.” He watched him walk out the hotel doors into the street, he wondered if he would ever hear from him again.
Sally asked him about the meeting, he told her everything. “I think we should go home, I know we are booked in until tomorrow morning, but I am back here on Monday. I want a couple of nights at home. I will go to MI5 for the car while you pack, we can be home in time for dinner. Tomorrow we can stay in, I will drive down on Monday morning.” They were home just after 18:30, Sally had spoken to Olivia on the way back, she had asked Dave if she minded if Olivia came round to see her the following afternoon. They slept late on Sunday, Dave was sitting in his running gear, he would go out when Olivia arrived. “I forgot to tell you, I saw Sir Rupert, your vetting was successful, mine was more tricky, they didn’t like who I associated with. Sir Rupert said for them to re-evaluate me as a field agent, I now have the same clearance as Jane.”
Sally went to answer the door, Dave said hello, kissed Olivia lightly on the cheek and said he would be back in an hour. They were still talking when he came back, he went upstairs and into the en-suite, the shower was as hot as he could bare, his legs were cold and covered in mud. With a towel round his waist, he lay on the bed, he didn’t hear Olivia go, he was woken by Sally pulling the towel off him. “Get into bed, I want to be beside you.” He wanted to know if everything was OK. “Yes, I want you to hold me. I sat downstairs after Olivia had gone, I thought about what had happened in the last couple of days. Do you realise, it was all a result of you. I watched you, it was a different Dave, not in the way you think or do things, it was the way you spoke to other people. There was none of the usual demanding, you asked and suggested, it was you who made the decisions about what happened. Those in authority listened and acted, you were like you had been in the job for years. In two days, I think you gained a lot of respect, I’m really proud of you.” Her head rested on his chest, his hand caressed her face, he woke her at 19:45. He was out the bed, a dressing gown wrapped round him. “I’m starving, do you want a delivery or should I cook something?”
“Chinese would be good, I’ll get up and start getting your clothes ready for tomorrow, I will miss you. I might come down on Monday after work, I’ll see how I feel.”
His phone rang as they were eating, he let it ring, it stopped then immediately started again. Sally picked it up and looked at the screen, “It’s Jane, shall I answer it?” Dave nodded. “Hello Jane, we are eating at the moment, can Dave call you back?” She listened for a minute then hung up. “You have to be in Downing Street at 08:00, only you, Jane won’t be there.”
“I will have to be up by 05:00 to get there in time, when we have finished I will get on with the packing.” They were in bed by 22:00, this time Sally wanted to make love, she fell asleep in Dave’s arms. In the morning, he was awake before the alarm went off, the bedroom was cold. He showered in the main bathroom, his clothes were in the spare bedroom. The car had a layer of frost on it, he sat inside with the engine running to clear the windows, at the petrol station, he fuelled up, then bought coffee and sandwiches. Going down the slip road on to the M1, the blue lights were switched on, it was still quiet, he kept the Range Rover at just under 100mph. Driving into London, he checked the time, there was enough time to drop his clothes off at the hotel before heading to the meeting. He was at Downing Street with five minutes to spare, he carried in his briefcase and a laptop.
Instead of the normal visitor pass, he was handed a staff pass, an aide was waiting to take him to see the Prime Minister. There was a dining table set for two, Richard Carlton was waiting for him. “Thank you for coming, sorry it is so early, but I have a busy day, I need to bring you up to speed and ask your advice.”
“Surely you have a building full of advisors, they are much more experienced than me.”
“The Foreign Office doesn’t want us to make waves, MI6, is sitting on the fence, the Home Office want the Ambassador arrested, the Chancellor is worried about what this might do to the economy. You’re not political, I want to know what you think.”
They were served a full English breakfast, Dave spoke as he ate. “Have you heard anything from the CIA since you sent over the file?” There was a shake of the Prime Minister’s head, “what about the media, there wasn’t much said on the radio news?”
“They all know it was the Americans, but we have asked them not to say anything at the moment, but I think by the end of today, we have to let them run with the story.”
“Re-send the email, this time copy in the President’s office, say if they haven’t responded by midday UK time then full details will be released to the press. They aren’t used to having the tables turned on them and I think they don’t know what to do, I would guess the President has no idea. Looking ahead, as I said the other night serve notice on the USAF to vacate RAF Menworth Hill within the next six months. Their tanker fleet is based at RAF Mildenhall, give them twelve months’ notice, say the land is to be redeveloped for commercial purposes. They will know it’s not true, they might retaliate by saying we can no longer use their nuclear missiles on our Trident Fleet. Be one step ahead, approach the French, see if their missiles could be adapted for use with our subs. My question to you is, where do you want this to end. The USA has been shown to not care about us, any co-operation between our secret services is finished, they cannot be trusted. NATO is controlled by the US, there is no point in giving information to them. It might be better forging alliances with individual countries. The Foreign Office should be briefing countries individually, make a show of calling them in and explaining what happened. Contact the EU, tell them the Americans stole 300m Euros from them, the pressure has to be relentless.
Once you have made your decision, tell the public, the British hate bullies, show the Americans up for what they are. The Americans won’t like it, but should we care. I think that’s it. Lead from the front, make them react to you, not the other way round.” Dave drunk his coffee.
Richard Carlton looked at him. “Did you have this planned, I thought you might have a few ideas, but you have come up with a complete campaign?”
“No, until last night, I didn’t know we would be meeting. I have been immersed in this for weeks, plus, my military background has taught me to be tactical, keep your enemy on the back foot. Do things he isn’t expecting, they won’t know what your next move will be. Their initial thought on the plot being discovered might have been that we would complain through diplomatic channels, your press conference threw them, they don’t know how to respond. Wait to see if you get a reply, I think it might be the President. He may say it was the result of a few bad apples, ask him when he will be prosecuting them.” It was 09:00 when they shook hands, Dave said he was off to start his new job. “Be ready to return here if I require you.”
Jane Goodley didn’t ask about the meeting, “your office will be ready by lunchtime, you can move things round to the way you want them.” She closed her door. “People were impressed by how you worked, your attitude has changed.”
“Sally said the same thing, I haven’t changed the way I am, perhaps it’s the way I’m being treated by others.”
“William Ferguson is coming across later, since you now appear to be calling the shots on this, will you brief us, it will be off the record, no notes will be taken, it will help us to be prepared.”
“Book a private dining room somewhere, not the hotel, you must be a member of a club or similar, somewhere no one will take any notice.” Dave was on the phone two hours later when he saw his boss standing in the doorway, he finished the call.
“We’re going in fifteen minutes, it’s only a short walk, we will meet up then.” He had time to go down to the carpark before they left, putting on his shoulder holster, he checked the magazine of his Glock. They went down in the lift and out the front door, Jane led the way. She slipped her arm through Dave’s as they walked along. “This is a new experience for me,” he asked if she had ever been attracted to men, “I tried when I was younger, it was to fit in with the crowd, but no, I can admire a man’s body, but that doesn’t mean I want to have sex with him.”
Dave stopped suddenly, he bent down to tie his shoe lace, a little further along, he stopped at a shop window, he pointed to something on display. “Don’t look, we are being followed, he picked us up when we came out the building, I think there is another one across the road, is it much further?”
“About two minutes,” they walked quickly, Jane indicated the next door on their left.
“You go in, I’ll keep walking, we’ll see if it’s you or me, wait inside for me, this will only take a few minutes.” Jane went into the building, she tried to see Dave, he had gone. His pace quickened, turning a corner, he stood in a doorway unseen, he saw his follower, turn and look down the street. “Are you looking for me? Come here, or I will shoot you.” The man, who was in his late twenties and around six inches taller than Dave, slowly walked towards him, the other was across the road watching. Dave hit him hard in the stomach, as he fell backwards, Dave grabbed him. His other hand was inside the mans jacket, he found his wallet. The second man was running across the road, he was heading for Dave. Letting go of the first man, he punched the second one in the face, his nose exploded. He opened the wallet. “Fucking CIA. Don’t you know when to quit,” his spare hand patted the man down, there were no weapons. “I don’t like people following me, I become nervous, I tend to shoot first and ask questions afterwards. If your boss wants to know where I’m going, tell him to call me.” He turned and walked away, the one with the broken nose was attempting to stop the bleeding with tissues.
Jane and William Ferguson were already in the dining room, he was shown to the table by a waiter. It was in a quiet part of the dining room away from anyone else. The other diners were all businessmen and women. “Sorry about that, they were CIA, I assume it was me they were following.”
“David, you have blood on your hand.”
“It’s OK, it’s not mine,” he excused himself, found out where the toilets were, when he returned the blood was gone.
“What happened?”
“I punched one in the stomach, and the other on the nose, I said if their boss wanted to know my movements then to call me. They weren’t armed.” Picking up the menu, he quickly looked to see what he wanted, with the food order placed, they both looked at Dave. “Sorry, I was thinking, they must have had a car as well, in case we were driven.” He sipped the water he had ordered, “I’m not sure what you want to know, or how much I can tell you, I will say what I can, ask me questions afterwards.
I think the plan is to go in hard on the Americans, the Prime Minister has a list of options, he will be deciding which one to start with. Currently the media is waiting for the signal to say it is the Americans, be prepared for a load of hostile hit pieces. When I spoke to him this morning, there had still been no contact. The file is being sent to the President, by now he should have received it. My contact in the CIA came to see me on Saturday night, he was on his way home together with those from the listening station. I don’t know if the Ambassador has been recalled. I don’t think so, the President would have to be informed before that happened. It’s going to be hard for the US to get out of this one, expect a crisis somewhere in the world to deflect the interest from them.
The head of MI6 wanted to know what the options were. “I cannot say, please don’t ask again, the answer will be the same.” As they were finishing their main course, his phone rang. Dave listened, “do nothing, you know the other place to check, I will be back this afternoon, have security let you know when I am in the building.”
Jane looked at him for an explanation, he shook his head. William Ferguson phoned for his car to pick him up, he offered to take them back. Jane said they would walk, she wanted to see if they were being followed again. She went off to the ladies, she spoke to the head waiter as she came back. The three were standing in the foyer, there was a shake of hands as the car arrived. They watched as he drove off, Jane turned and went back into the dining room. Dave followed, the table had been cleared, a pot of coffee and two cups were the only items left.
“David, you did what you normally do, you spoke a lot but said nothing, I’ve seen you do it before. Will you tell me?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust him, Jane I’m in a difficult position,” he opened his jacket, she saw his gun, from his inside pocket, he took out the Downing Street pass he had been given that morning, he passed it over for Jane to look at.
“Shit, I understand now,”
“I will tell you, as it will have an impact on MI5. The Americans are to be given notice to vacate RAF Menworth Hill, we will take over control. RAF Mildenhall is to be closed. We both know neither of these things will happen. The PM expects there to be a threat to remove the nuclear missiles from the Trident subs, he may speak to the French to see if their missiles could be adapted for our use. He is to look east for partnerships rather than to the Americans.”
Jane sat back in her chair and drunk her coffee. “He didn’t come up with these proposals himself, these have your name written all over them.”
Dave smiled, “I make suggestions, nothing else, I’m not a politician.”
“Who phoned during lunch?”
“There is a bug in my phone, I said for your office to be swept, it could be one left over, or maybe not, we will find out later.” There was no one following them as they walked back, Jane’s arm was back through Dave’s. “People will start talking if they see us.” She walked normally as the neared the building. He was just sitting down in his office when there was a knock at his door, nothing was said as he opened the door, a man was standing there with a replacement phone and a tool kit. Dave nodded, he left his office, they talked in the corridor. “Is Miss Goodley’s office clear?”
“Yes, it’s only the phone in your office.” Dave said for him to wait, back at his desk he picked up the phone, “Miss Goodley, I’m going for the day now, I’m walking to Downing Street.” He left his office and went to see Jane, he picked up her phone, he dialled security. “I want the cameras outside the front of the building checking, get people in plain clothes out there, you are looking for two Americans, male or female, they will be waiting and watching. I will be going out the building in ten minutes.”
He put down the phone and spoke to Jane, I’ll be back in half an hour, I’ll soon lose them. I want the bug in my phone traced, find out where the receiving phone is, I think they may be back in business, phone me when you know if I’ve not returned.”
© 10210ken 2026
