One hour earlier

Harry sat on the sofa with Ruth curled against his side. He idly ran his fingers through her hair, marvelling at its silkiness. Jo had been sent home some time ago, and to her credit she didn't bat an eye. There was no sly grin, no knowing look, and for that he was grateful. But perhaps it would not have mattered if there were. Ruth seemed to have moved past her horror at being the source of gossip, and he wondered whether it was only because of the situation they found themselves in. Somehow he suspected that she had already begun to change her mind about that second date even before all of this had happened. He certainly hoped so.

Her fingers were tracing his buttons, and looking down at her exhausted face, he wondered what she was thinking. He momentarily tightened the arm slung around her shoulders, and she looked up at him. "Why don't you get some sleep? You look exhausted."
Worry flitted across her features. "You won't leave?" she asked anxiously, and he smiled gently.
"No, Ruth. I won't leave."
The simple words were loaded with meaning, and she understood. She smiled radiantly, and her fingers lifted to trace his jaw, hesitantly at first, and then more boldly when his skin flushed under the caress. Her eyes fell to his mouth, and he dipped his head and kissed her.

- 0 –

Adam watched grimly as the bullet went straight into an upright graphic-Ruth's head, and knew that Malcolm was right. The Imam had not been the target. He sprang into action. "Call Jo, warn her." As he spoke he removed a gun from his desk drawer. "Tell her I'm on my way over."

As Zaf moved to join him, Adam shook his head. "You take our walk-in to his house to collect some things, and then take him to a safe-house." At their enquiring looks he added, "I don't want to lose our only live link to this whole conspiracy due to an unfortunate accident. If someone in the Security Services is somehow behind this, they won't have any scruples about removing anyone who knows too much."

Then he was through the door and Malcolm was reaching for the phone.

- 0 –

"Hello," a sleepy voice said after a few rings.
"Jo, it's Malcolm. Listen, Ruth was the target earlier today, not the Imam. You need to be vigilant in case they try again."
"…What?"
"The shooting earlier today was an attempt on Ruth's life. There may be another attempt at her house tonight. Adam is on his way."
There was a long silence, and then she said, "Jesus, Malcolm. I'm not at Ruth's house."
Malcolm went cold and almost missed her next words. "Harry's there. Call Harry! I'm on my way now as well."
It took a moment for him to process the words, and then he almost smiled.
Good for them.
He reached for the phone once more.

- 0 –

He stood in the shadows of a large shrub in the garden opposite the target's house. The family was away on holiday and no-one was aware of his presence. He had been told in no uncertain terms to finish the job tonight. It was just bad luck that he had failed earlier; he couldn't possibly have predicted that the woman would squat down at that precise moment. He wondered if there would be repercussions about the man he had killed instead. If there were, it would not be his alone to bear – he had made sure of that. In a safe-box in his bank he had an insurance policy, and the thought of it made him smile. He focussed his attention back on the house opposite. The young blond woman had left some time ago and he had not seen anyone else arrive, and now the lights on the ground-floor was switched off, to be replaced moments later by lights on the first floor. He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders to loosen some of the tension. Not long now. He wondered briefly what this woman had done. She seemed nice enough as he had watched her through the scope earlier. But she must have done something to bring the wrath of the state onto her head. It was not his role to ask why, though; he was merely the instrument they used. The last light went off, and he made his move.

- 0 –

He slid soundlessly around the house, testing every window. People were almost always careless, and sure enough he soon found one that was unlatched. He eased it open, relieved when it gave easily and quietly, before sweeping the small flashlight in a quick arc through the interior. A sitting room. One mug on the coffee-table. Lots of books. A pair of malignant yellow eyes-
Heart thumping, he jerked the light back to find an ugly cat sitting on a chair, staring at him. He let out a slow breath and eased himself through the opening. Once inside he removed the gun from its holster in the small of his back and made sure that the silencer was properly fitted. He made his way up the stairs, carefully testing each tread for creaking floorboards before putting his full weight on it. By the time he reached the landing sweat was trickling down his spine from the effort of total concentration. He was faced with three closed doors, and he tested the first handle. Unlocked. He pushed it open to find a bathroom, and moved to the next one. Also unlocked – a spare- cum storage room. Only one remained. It must be the main bedroom then. He stood against it, listening, straining every sinew to pick up any sound from within. There was nothing, so he carefully pushed open the door. The thick curtains let in very little light and the room was pitch-dark, but by now his eyes were used to it. He made out a lump in the middle of the bed and lifted the gun. He squeezed off three quick shots, middle mass, before moving forward. Just as he reached the bed the silence of the night was shattered by the roar of an engine and squealing tyres. Headlights swept over the window and he realised the car had stopped in front of this house. It was time to get out. But before he could turn around, a cold cylindrical object was pressed against the back of his neck, and a voice said icily, "Keep very still."

- 0 –

"Drop the gun and kick it towards the door."
The intruder obeyed, and once it was out of reach Harry said, "Ruth, the light."
She emerged cautiously from the closet and moments later the room was flooded with light. Feet pounded up the stairs and Harry glanced at her. "The cavalry has arrived."
Adam burst into the room, gun sweeping, only to be met by the sight of Harry pressing a small lead pipe to the back of the intruder's neck. "I saw three muzzle flashes," he stated, before spotting Ruth standing next to the door and grinning in relief.
Harry motioned him over with a flick of the head as he responded, "Special Branch man made a glaring error. He assumed."
Beyond them Adam could see the lump in the middle of the bed, and the three holes in the centre of it. He stepped forward and took over from Harry, forcing the man to his knees and snapping some handcuffs on.
"You'd think we train these guys better than that," he said as he hauled the man upright. "Where's Jo?"
"I sent her home," Harry explained, staring at Adam and daring him to say something. "Malcolm said she's on her way back here," he added, fighting down images of what Malcolm's call had interrupted.
But Adam kept a straight face. "Good. It's time to have a talk, mate," he said to the intruder, leaving the man in no doubt as to how much trouble he was in. "You just tried to kill a member of MI5's Counter Terrorism section."
When he looked back from the door, he saw Harry reach for Ruth's hand, and he smiled to himself.

- 0 –

Adam forced the intruder down on a hard-backed chair in the dining room and took up station a few metres away. He studied the man carefully, and could tell from the way he held himself that he was well trained. The man's eyes stayed on the gun that Adam was rhythmically tapping against his leg.
"You're Special Branch," Adam said eventually, and the man's eyes lifted to his in surprise. The blond spook nodded, satisfied. "Why are you trying to kill my colleague?"
The man stared at him silently, and Adam shrugged. "You've been trained not to give any information away. But a piece of advice: I designed that course that you went through. I know every trick in the book, including a few things I didn't put in that course. There is no doubt that you will tell me what I want to know sooner or later, and that things will get very unpleasant for you until you do so."
The man stirred and Adam considered it his first little victory. "You're not allowed to torture me under UK law," he stated confidently, and Adam smirked.
"And you're not allowed to assassinate my colleague, under UK law. You broke that law; I see no reason why I can't do the same."
Alarm flitted briefly across the man's face. "My superiors-"
"-Can't help you, mate," Adam said, losing patience. "This is not an authorised operation, is it? It's a black op, and they will throw you to the wolves."
For the first time a hint of fear crept into the man's eyes, but not as much as Adam had hoped. The spook kept quiet as the captive mulled things over. When he didn't say anything, Adam pointed up the stairs. "Do you know who the man upstairs is?"
Again there was no response, and Adam pressed on. "It is Harry Pearce."
The man looked up at that news, and Adam nodded. "Yeah, you look worried, and with good reason. I can see that you know his reputation, so consider this: The woman you've tried to kill twice now is very important to him." Adam leaned forward and said quietly, "He is not the type of man to let that pass without retribution. Your life, right now, is worth nothing." He let that thought sink in, and then he asked, "Who sent you?"

- 0 –

They were gathered in the kitchen. Jo had arrived, and they were now dissecting what Adam had learnt. Ruth looked dazed, clearly struggling to process the fact that Special Branch was trying to kill her. Harry had plied her with sweet tea, and now he stood next to her, watching her with concern as Adam relayed his information. Ruth was leaning ever so slightly into Harry's shoulder, and Jo wondered whether she was even aware of doing it.
"You're not going to like this," Adam said, looking at Harry.
"That would imply that I am happy with the state of affairs as they stand now," Harry snapped.
"Harry," Ruth said quietly, and he swallowed whatever he was going to add.
Adam continued, "His name is Ross Barrett, and he is a team leader in the Branch's Special Operations group. About two years ago he was called in by a senior figure in the intelligence community and recruited for black ops purposes." Adam looked at them meaningfully. "Oliver Mace."
Harry did not seem surprised by this news, as his mouth set in a grim line.
"Since then Barrett has done a number of jobs for Mace, the last of which he was given this morning. He was given a photo of Ruth and ordered to take her out. It was imperative that it be done today, he says."
"So as soon as the walk-in made his claims, Mace ordered the hit," Jo surmised, but Adam shook his head.
"That's the thing," he said. "Harry, he got the order just after eight this morning, a good hour before the walk-in entered Thames House."

- 0 –

The kitchen clock ticked loudly in the ensuing silence.
"You mean it's not linked to the walk-in's allegations?" Jo asked in confusion.
Adam opened his mouth, but Harry got there before him. "Yes it is. It is all part of one big malodorous plot against Ruth." His anger simmered below the surface, potent and dangerous, and Ruth's hands curled even tighter around the mug.
"But why?" Jo entreated, wondering if she was the only one who didn't get it. But no-one had an explanation.
Harry glanced at Ruth. "That is the question we must answer." When she looked up at him, he gave her a small, encouraging smile, and she returned it wanly. He turned back to Adam. "We have to get back to the Grid and talk to Asif."
"I told Zaf to take him to a safe-house. He was our only link to this plot and I didn't want him to have an accident because he knew too much. These people aren't playing around."
Ruth's head shot up. "What did you say?"
Adam looked between her and Harry, perplexed. "Asif is at a safe-house-"
"-Not that," she said impatiently. "You said they might try to kill him because he knew too much." Her eyes shined with excitement as she grabbed Harry's arm. "That's it, Harry. That's the answer. Whatever they are trying to do, I know something that could ruin their plans."
Harry gazed at her as he thought it through, and then he nodded slowly. "Yes. But what?"

- 0 –

Asif took his time to gather a few belongings and stuff them into a sports bag. The sports bag. He wondered what other machinations were going on, what the others were doing to ensure that the woman did not see him. He felt bad for accusing her of being a mole, but something had to be done. It had been a long time ago, and perhaps she would not have remembered him, but he doubted that. She was one of the smartest people he'd ever met, and she remembered things. Names, faces of people she'd only seen briefly. No, she would have remembered him. He sighed, and carefully packed his roll-on deodorant right at the top. The decision to move him to the safe-house was a complication. He needed to be at Thames House, and he tried to think of something to persuade the spook to take him back there. It was clear to him that the Counter Terrorism section was not reporting their activities to the higher authorities, otherwise they would have put a stop to the move. Well, there was nothing to be done now. He would have to make the best of the situation.

He nodded to the spook as he zipped up the bag. "Ready."
As Zaf nodded, his mobile rang and he held up a hand as he fished it out.
"Yeah?" He listened for a minute or so, his eyes staying on Asif all the time. "Okay. We'll be there in half an hour."
He put the mobile away and opened the door. "Change of plans," he announced. "We're going back to Thames House."
Asif stared at him, his heart thumping against his ribs, and nodded wordlessly. He wondered what had caused the change in plan. Whatever it was, it had played right into his hands.

tbc