Tommy sped down the winding road with no plan, and even less idea how he would implement one. He was reacting purely on impulse. Someone had shot at Barbara or Barbara had shot at someone. Either way the situation put her in danger. As he tried not to think the worst, two more shots cut through the silence of the lightly wooded hills. Tommy accelerated until he barely had control of the car.

He rounded the last bend near the mine entrance and saw a man, dressed in a green camouflage uniform, standing with his rifle at his shoulder. He fired again into the bushes where Barbara had been hiding. For a second, until he had seen the AK-47 and seen him fire, Tommy had thought the Army had arrived. Clearly this man was the enemy and Tommy felt a hatred stronger than any he had ever thought possible.

The man spun to face him at the sound of the approaching car. He smiled cruelly then fired directly at Tommy. Tommy ducked, instinctively dragging the steering wheel to the right. The windscreen shattered and a bullet thudded into the passenger seat. Two more hit the back seat. Tommy watched in slow motion as his headrest exploded in a shower of yellow foam and black leather from a fourth bullet. The man stopped smiling and took aim at his head. Tommy veered left and saw the man fire another short burst. Tommy ducked and pushed his foot hard on the accelerator. The car rammed into the shooter. He watched the shock on the man's face as he slid up the bonnet and head-first into the car. Blood spurted from his neck which had caught on the sharp plastic shards of the shattered dashboard.

The car spun wildly. Tommy had not been wearing a seatbelt and he was thrown around the car. He heard rather than felt his head hit the steering wheel. The battered wreck ran off the road and crashed into a tree. Tommy was thrown clear, through the door that sprang open and was ripped off as the car slid past a second tree and came to rest on two wheels. Tommy could smell petrol. With effort, he rolled away from the vehicle and into the trees. The hill dropped away and before he could break his fall he tumbled over the edge and down the slope, stopping only when his ribs slammed into a small birch tree. The air was expelled from his lungs in a painful grunt. Above him the sky flashed yellow and then the noise of the fiery explosion reached him. A grey haze of heat engulfed him, making it hard to breathe. Above it all he could hear the short, desperate scream of the man he had hit. Tommy closed his eyes. The hatred he had felt before was gone, replaced by a numbness knowing he was responsible for his death.

Tommy took a minute to recover. He sat up slowly and felt his head then his ribs. It hurt when he breathed and he suspected a broken or at least cracked ribs just over his liver. His ankle was sore when he stood, and his head was bleeding where the gash from the cave-in had opened up. None of that mattered to him though, his only thoughts were of Barbara. He scrambled over the slippery fallen leaves back to the road. He expected more guards but there were none. He moved cautiously back to the spot he had left her.

The second guard was lying in a thick pool of blood only ten feet from where he had left her. Tommy's skin prickled as goosebumps ran up his arms. "Barbara!"

There was no answer. Her hiding spot was empty except for the rifle, lying discarded near the base of a tree. The leaves were disturbed in one direction. It looked as if she had scrambled away on hands and knees creating three long drag marks. Tommy followed the trail. He found one of her crutches next to a large rock. More disturbingly there were drips of blood on the rock and surrounding leaves. Fear gripped him and he ran on as fast as he could, limping heavily. Small branches swished in his face and he bounced off a few trees as he stumbled in his haste. His coat snagged and tore and he lost a shoe when it wedged in a crevice and propelled him forward. He saw the rock ledge too late and fell. It was only a drop of six feet but it winded him. When he shook his head to clear his vision he saw Barbara lying motionless beside a tree. "Barbara!...Barbara!"

He rushed over and immediately felt for a pulse. She was warm and groaned as his rough hand sought her neck. She feebly tried to fight him. "Barbara, it's okay. It's me, Tommy."

"Tom...mee?" she asked weakly.

"Yes, where are you hurt?"

"Everywhere." Tommy rolled her gently over. She smiled briefly then lapsed into unconsciousness. He checked her for injuries but apart from a bump on the head that was bleeding she appeared to be intact. Her ankle and leg were bulging out of the moon-boot. Its straps were cutting in and making her leg bleed. After debating the options he released it and threw it away. She was not walking out of here anyway. Tommy cradled her head in his lap as he used his shirtsleeve to staunch her bleeding head wound. His major concern was any unseen internal injuries but at least she had not been shot.

With no way to move Barbara, Tommy took off his coat and put it over her then settled back to wait. He kept talking to her to remind her he was there. He told her repeatedly how much he loved her and how he regretted not acting sooner. He told her all the things they would do in the future; children, holidays, retiring to Howenstowe and finally his plans for their wedding.

Time seemed eternal but eventually he heard the welcome hum of distant helicopters. As they slowed, approaching the mine, the air swirled around him. The chuntering thwap of the blades changed rhythm and seemed to chop at the air. Tommy looked up between the trees to see several black figures rappelling down thick lines. "Look Barbara, the Army. They'll find us soon."

His confidence was misplaced. Late afternoon turned to night and although he could hear movement of trucks and helicopters above him, no one had found them. He had called out until he was hoarse. He wished he had kept his phone but it had been lost in the fire. Eventually he saw searchlights being erected. Twenty minutes later he saw juddering lights above him as the troops fanned out in search of them. Finally, a light shone directly in his eyes and a meaty voice spoke into a radio. "Niner one alpha. I have two pax. One deceased or critical. Male alive but wounded. Over"

"She's not deceased!" Tommy cried out.

"Roger niner one alpha. Sending co-ordinates. Out." The soldier turned to Tommy and lowered his rifle slightly. "Sir, please identify yourself."

"Thomas Lynley, Detective Inspector, London Metropolitan Police."

The soldier lowered his weapon. "I'm sorry Sir but I have to check. You might have been a terrorist trying to escape."

"Yes," Tommy answered neutrally. He knew the man was only doing his job but he just wanted to get help for Barbara.

Soldiers swarmed from all directions. Soon, despite his protests, he was being strapped to a lightweight steel basket and stretchered up the hill. Two ambulances were waiting. Tommy saw Barbara being placed in one them. The doors closed and with lights and sirens cutting through the night it sped away. Tommy was unstrapped and transferred to the ambulance gurney. He was trying to find out about Barbara's condition when Hiller came up to him. "Sir?"

"MI5 choppered me up here," his boss answered, "serious business this, but you both did a fine job."

"How's Barbara? They won't tell me anything."

"She's being rushed to Leeds Hospital. They were going to take you to Bradford."

"No! I have to go to Leeds."

Hillier put his arm on Tommy. "I know son, it's all sorted. They'll take you there too."

"Did they get them?"

"Yes, three scientists and one guard. The scientists are being debriefed now. There's a dead man in the treeline and another in the burnt out car. I gather you might be responsible?"

"I think Barbara shot one of them. I had to ram the other to stop him killing her then I lost control of the car."

"Don't fret Lynley. We'll interview you both tomorrow. MI5 will be involved."

"I've nothing to hide, Sir."

"I know. I'll see you both at the hospital."

It was a lonely ride. Tommy was worried about Barbara. He was wheeled into Emergency protesting that he was fine. He was told Barbara was stable and had gone for scans before being taken for surgery. He was examined and also sent for scans. He expected them to strap his ribs and suture his head but instead he was admitted to a bed in a double room. "Sorry Lord Asherton that you have to share but it's police orders."

Tommy wondered how they knew about his title. "Who am I sharing with?"

The nurse checked her paperwork. "A Sergeant Havers. I can see if they have a second room for you M'Lord."

"No! I want to share with her."

"Her? Oh, I'm not really sure Sir. It says here you are colleagues but we don't encourage mixed wards."

"Barbara's my partner," he said emphasising the last word.

"Yes, Sir."

"Oh for heaven's sake woman, we're lovers!" The woman's face turned a dark crimson. Tommy looked at her and felt guilty for his rudeness. "I'm sorry, but I'm worried about her condition and no one will tell me anything."

The nurse turned and fled. Tommy thumped his fist on the bed. "Lovers?"

Tommy groaned. Hillier was standing at the doorway. "What of it?" he snapped at his boss.

"Confined spaces and near death make desperate bedfellows. Don't do anything hasty Lynley."

"Thomas Lynley?" A serious man with horn-rimmed glasses and a starched white coat appeared before Tommy could verbally abuse Hillier. "I'm Finemore Guinness, a gastroenterologist. It seems you have several Grade One lacerations to your liver sustained in that fall."

Tommy looked over a Hillier. "I don't think either of us is in any condition to do anything just at the moment but when I'm well enough, if she'll have me I intend to marry her." Tommy frowned at the smile on Hillier's face.