8
Harry slipped out of the library pleased that Krycheck seemed to have taken the bait. It was well known that the rumour mill amongst spies was leakier than a sieve. He smirked to himself, once the idea that the dead body in the 4x4 was his then many would take it as face. After all, he surmised after all his years in the Army and then the Service he was a man with more than a few enemies. He gripped the memory stick in his palm before heading towards the subway hoping to get lost in the mass of commuters that would be there.
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Ros arrived at the Bolt Hole, a safehouse on the outskirts of London later than most of the others. Malcolm and Adam were sat in the living room of the rundown house as Ruth looked through the greying net curtains. She felt physically sick every time anyone mentioned Harry. All she knew was he was out there and relying on her and the team to find out what the Gavrik family were plotting. She startled slightly as Lucas called her name.
"Sorry."
"Thought it best not all of us came. Dimitri and Beth are out meeting a contact. Tariq and Calum are still on the Grid." Malcolm explained as Ros closed the door behind her. Ros nodded. "Catherine and Erin are following a lead on the provenance of the explosives."
"Good." Ros was relieved at least some of her team were doing what was expected of them. She knew getting to the Bolt Hole as they had nicknamed the dilapidated cottage was going to be difficult for anyone in a wheelchair. She looked over at Malcolm who looked more tense than she had remembered. Will sat next to him looking just as concerned.
"Farquhar is to know nothing of this."
"Goes without saying." Zaf answered. Ruth nodded, her arms folded across her waist. Ros watched her friend for a moment, wondering who she was more worried about. Her friend or her boss.
"Good." Ros repeated. "The Gavirks, Illya and Elena are dead. For those of you who were not here at the time Illya murdered his wife in cold blood. Then he jumped off a building rather than assassinate Harry."
"Why not shoot him when he had the chance?" Will asked.
"Don't." Ruth murmured. Zaf squeezed her shoulder. Ruth smiled at him weakly.
"The numbers you gave me." Malcolm paused. "That was a forces number."
"A what?" Zoe was the first to speak as the rest of the team let the information sink in. She glared at Ros who was barely containing her anger.
"Number." Malcolm stated. "As in name, rank and number. This particular number belongs to one of the top people in the UK Security Services."
"If you say its GCHQ I am not going." Ruth snapped. Malcolm sighed.
"No, not them."
"Small mercies." Ruth sighed. "Who does it belong to?"
"Not a serving officer?" Adam looked at the piece of paper Malcolm had handed him. "Someone involved in the Service? Why would Crowther have this?"
"I assume Harry gave it to her." Ros answered. "Look, Malcolm did you find out who it belongs to?"
"Unfortunately yes." He paused. "Andrew Gillingham."
"Sir Andrew Gillingham?" Lucas snapped as Malcolm nodded. "Chief Secretary to the MOD?"
"Yes." Malcolm paused. "I checked and so did Ruth and."
"I have no doubt you are right. We have to be careful with this. Somehow this creep is involved with the recent explosions." Ros stepped into the room. "He's well connected and extremely dangerous. None of this is to be discussed on the Grid. As far as everyone in Section D is concerned, Harry is dead. Its up to us to find this scum and his girlfriend."
"Officially, I am taking a leave of absence to deal with my grief." Ruth rolled her eyes. "I'll be working from here. Catherine is going to be officially on leave too and will be working remotely."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Will asked. Ruth shook her head.
"Yes, but if Farquhar finds out what we are doing then Harry will really be in danger. I did some digging before you all arrived. He is married to Gillingham's sister. This is about more than just getting to those Anouska Krycheck blames for her sister's death its bigger than that."
"And Gillingham may well be exploiting her need for revenge to bring in his own agenda."
"Such as?" Adam ran a hand over his face.
"He's in an obscene amount of debt." Ruth paused. "Seems money really is the root of all evil."
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a/n please review
