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.Gardner had conducted anti-drug smuggling operations in Colombia and could identify a brick blindfolded.Each brick, he knew, was a solid kilo of pure cocaine.Silence between the four men.Hands tucked the Bolivian marching powder back into the Bergen, and a single thought lodged at the front of Gardner’s brain.What the fuck?‘The world is about opportunity,’ Bald said, Gardner not even meeting his eyes.‘The winners seize it.The losers let it pass them by.You remember how it was in the Regiment, don’t you, Joe? Strike when you have the chance.’Gardner’s eyes flitted between Bald and Hands.He didn’t like the fact Hands was clutching his Colt Commando at waist height, barrel pointed at the ground.A quick swing of the carbine and he’d be aiming directly at Gardner’s head.His own carbine dangled by his side, out of ammo and fucking useless.‘This here,’ Bald said, waving his hand at the Bergens, ‘this is what opportunity looks like.’‘You stole it from the Messengers of God.’‘Well, I prefer “liberated”.Spoils of war and all that.It was actually Captain Falcon’s idea.’Gardner thought back to his first encounter with Falcon.‘The explosive entry course.’‘All I can say is, Florida’s a good place to do business.There’s fifty keys of cocaine in total, with a street value of thirty million dollars, American.We brought young David on board because of his contacts.He knows people who are desperate for premium-grade snow in Europe.Care for some?’Bald held out the other half of the fruit.Gardner shook his head.‘Please yourself.The plan’s worked out well so far.Rafael arranged to meet with some of the Messengers and make a weapons swap.A common enough exchange with BOPE and some of the army units.Corruption here, you see, it’s part and parcel of daily life.’‘Some of the gang had PP-2000s,’ said Gardner.‘Top-end firearms.You sold them to the Messengers.’‘The weapons exchange was just a front.After the deal went down we took the Messengers hostage and tortured them until they gave up the drug stash.They did – and quickly, too.Threaten to kill a man, he won’t say a word.Shove a broom handle up his arsehole, you can’t keep him quiet.But bugging out of the favela has proved more difficult.’ Bald gestured at Gardner with the knife tip.‘Which is where you come in.’Hands helped Falcon to his feet.The rupert tottered on his makeshift crutch to the side of Gardner, until he was at the fringes of his line of sight.Hands, Falcon and Bald were now spread out in a semicircle in front of him, the Scot playing it cool as Gardner slowly backed up on his heels.‘To return to my problem.I didn’t sell you a bum steer, Joe.I really am in trouble.The Messengers know for sure we ripped them off, and Captain Falcon thinks his BOPE friends have their suspicions.Somehow we need to get this shipment down to the port of Santos, where David’s contact will rendezvous with us.The only way we’ll get there without being arrested is by boat.Rafael’s got a contact who can rig us a Hacker-Craft at the port, topped up with diesel and ready to roll.’Gardner met Bald’s eyes.They were wide and shiny, like a man who’d just landed a prize catch.‘So, the question is: are you with us?’Gardner felt three sets of eyes burning holes in him.‘Why the fuck would I want in?’‘I’m offering you a share of the profits,’ Bald said, raising his palms.‘A three-way split becomes four.Just think.Seven and a half million big ones.It’s yours.All you’ve got to do is pilot a boat two hundred and fifty kilometres down the coastline.’ He paused, trying to gauge Gardner’s reaction.‘And this is only the start of business together.Rafa here says there are literally hundreds of drug trains coming out of the favelas.We can clean up, Joe.You and me.’‘I don’t know—’‘Life’s not easy for an old Blade,’ Bald cut in.He shook his head sadly.‘In the Roman Empire, soldiers were like gods.Today we’re the shit on the heel of someone’s boot.Look at the way the head shed treated you, fobbing you off with a pension that barely stretches to a chip buttie and a tin of beans.You, me – deserve better.’‘I don’t know,’ Gardner said, ‘who you are any more.’Bald shifted on his feet.‘We used to see drug smugglers as the scum of the earth.’‘The world’s changed,’ Bald replied.‘No.Just you,’ said Gardner, clocking Hands’ face as it morphed from grin to scowl.‘Don’t get all moral on me.This is snow, for fuck’s sake.No one dies.If we didn’t have it, the Messengers would sell it on themselves.What’s the big deal?’‘Coke here, heroin in the Afghan.Drugs helped kill some of our mates.If the Taliban didn’t get their profits from the poppies, maybe they’d never had the resources to plant all those IEDs.Maybe good lads – guys we fought alongside – would still be alive.Sorry, John.I’m not perfect, but I’m better than a lowlife like Hands.I’m not getting my hands dirty.’Bald crimsoned.Spit gathered at the corners of his mouth.‘You bloody well owe me.I risked my life to save you in the Afghan.’‘Yeah, I remember all right.But the Afghan was then; this is now.And my answer’s still no.’‘Fuck you, then.’The voice cut like a spear across Bald’s shoulder.Hands had his Colt Commando raised level with Gardner’s head.Falcon’s right hand rested on his holstered Taurus, his other on the crutch.‘I told you bringing this cunt into the fold was a bad move.’‘Drop it, David,’ Bald said.‘Nah, screw that shit.I don’t know why you were so desperate to have him on the team in the first place.He’s straighter than a fucking go-faster stripe, and he’s supposed to get an equal share when we’ve done all the legwork?’‘We need him if we’re to reach Santos.’‘I’ll fucking walk it there myself.Better than letting this prick in on the action.’‘Another one of your bright ideas, Dave? Maybe you should offload a brick to a copper,’ Gardner said.Wish I had a round in my rifle, he was thinking.Just a single bullet would do the trick.Put one right between Dave’s eyes [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]