Free Boy Soldier by Andy McNab Page B

grass in the shade of some straggly bushes by the car park, unfolded a copy of The Times he'd bought in the town and sat down to do the crossword, and to wait. Danny had to come back at some time, and if Eddie missed him, he'd go back to Foxcroft first thing in the morning, ready to start again.
    He was puzzling over seven down when an old blue Fiesta pulled into the car park. He took no notice at first but when the driver got out and looked around, he seemed vaguely familiar. Then the passenger door opened and Danny emerged. Eddie smiled, looked up to the heavens and mouthed a silent 'Thank you.'
    He watched as Fergus locked the car, took Danny by the arm
    and pulled him to the bus lay-by in front of the station where two buses were
    waiting. They got on the first and a couple of minutes later it pulled away.
    Eddie was already at the taxi rank, and for the second time that day he told
    a cab driver to 'Follow that bus'.
     
    Fergus was heading back to the cottage. In the short term, at least. He could pick up cash and emergency supplies and decide on what to do next. He had to figure that Danny had been followed, but there was no point in grilling him about it, he just wouldn't know.
    'Listen to me, boy,' Fergus had said as he drove. 'There are people looking for me, and thanks to you, they're probably very close. If they find me I'm dead, and so are you!'
    'Me?' said Danny in amazement. 'It's you they want. As soon as you stop this car I'm going to the police—'
    'The police can't help you now! No one can, no one but me. So just shut the fuck up and do what I say!'
    Danny did shut up, stunned into silence.
    Fergus concentrated on trying to see if they were being followed. There were no give-away signs but that meant nothing. He knew they couldn't go all the way back by car: it would give any following surveillance team too much time to lock onto them. He drove to Rayleigh – there were buses that went close enough to the cottage.
    They took seats near the back of the bus. Fergus pushed Danny into the window seat so that he couldn't try to make a quick exit. But Danny wasn't planning on trying to get away. Not any more. He was scared.
    Fergus spoke quietly. 'How did you find me?'
    Danny didn't answer.
    'I need to know, boy,' hissed Fergus. 'Don't mess me about.'
    'Your phone,' said Danny at last. 'I got the number from Kev Newman's mobile and traced where you were on the Internet.'
    'But how?'
    'A phone location company.'
    'But . . . but you'd need my PIN number for that.'
    'It's your army number, last four.'
    'How did you . . . ?' Fergus shook his head. 'Kev warned me that you were a persistent little shite.'
    The bus was deep in the countryside when Fergus leaned across the aisle and pushed the stop button. 'This is us.'
    They got off and hid in the tree line that followed the road. Soon after, two cars went by, one of them a mini cab. Fergus watched them disappear into the distance. The smell of the nearby salt marshes hung in the air and the only sounds came from the cawing of huge black crows as they wheeled their way across the early evening sky.
    Danny's anger was growing again. 'Are we just gonna stand here?'
    'Shut it,' answered Fergus as he started to walk quickly along the road. Danny noticed his grandfather's limp for the first time and realized it must be the result of the gun battle in Colombia. It made him even angrier.
    They reached a long, muddy track leading off the road. Just visible down at the end of the track was a cottage, and when Fergus headed towards it, Danny had little alternative but to follow. He watched, bemused, as Fergus looked under the old chicken coop and confirmed for himself that the mini Maglite wasn't on. He moved on and Danny trailed behind, not spotting any of the cameras, lights or motion detectors.
    At the gate Fergus checked that the matchstick was still in place. It was. He opened the front door, pulled Danny inside and closed the door. The sitting-room door was half open,