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Some fainted, some just stared in disbelief, while others were violently sick when they realized they were still alive Rafferty hated the ones who fainted It meant he had to wait for theain But Martinez obligingly remained wide awake

When Rafferty extracted the gun, his idea of a blow job, the victi the worst was over But as he spun the cylinder again, Don Pedro kneas going to die It was just a matter of when Where and how had already been decided

It always disappointed Rafferty when he succeeded with the first shot His personal record was nine, but the average was around four or five Not that he gave a damn about statistics He thrust the barrel back into Martinez’s mouth, and took a step back After all, he didn’t want to be covered in blood The Argentinian was foolish enough to resist again, and lost another tooth for his trouble, a gold one Rafferty pocketed it before he squeezed the trigger a second ti but another click He pulled out the barrel in the hope of re another tooth, well, half a tooth

“Third time lucky,” said Rafferty as he thrust the er Another failure The chauffeur was beco’s ould be completed on the fourth attempt He spun the cylinder a little more enthusiastically this time, but when he looked up, Martinez had fainted Such a disappointment He liked his victims to be wide ahen the bullet entered their brain Although they only lived for another second, it was an experience he relished He grabbed Martinez’s hair, forced open his mouth and pushed the barrel back inside He was about the pull the trigger a fourth ti The insistent ht air took Rafferty by surprise He had never known the phone to ring before In the past, he had used it only to dial a nue

He reluctantly withdrew the un from Martinez’s mouth, walked across to the phone, and picked it up He didn’t speak, just listened

“The mission has been aborted,” said a voice with a clipped, educated accent “You won’t need to collect the second payment”

A click, followed by a burr

Rafferty replaced the receiver Perhaps he would spin the cylinder one more time, and if he succeeded, report back that Martinez was already dead by the ti He’d only ever lied to the area co from his left hand to prove it He told anyone who asked that it had been chopped off by a British officer during an interrogation, which few on either side believed

He reluctantly returned the gun to his pocket and walked slowly back toward Martinez, as slus He bent down and untied the rope around his wrists and ankles Martinez collapsed onto the floor in a heap The chauffeur yanked him up by the hair, threw him over his shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes and dumped him in the back of the taxi For a ht resist, and then … but no such luck

He drove out of the warehouse, locked the door, and set off toward Heathrow, to join several other taxi drivers that

They were a couple of miles from the airport when Martinez reentered this world, and not the next The chauffeur watched in the rearview an to co out of theto see rows of suburban hoan to sink in, he leaned forward and was sick all over the backseat Rafferty’s colleague wouldn’t be pleased

Don Pedro eventually ht He steadied hie of the seat with both hands and stared at his would-be executioner What had caused hie his ed Don Pedro eased his way forward, hoping to be given just one chance to escape, but he was painfully aware that Rafferty’s suspicious eyes returned to the rearview mirror every few seconds

Rafferty turned off the -term car park He drove up to the top level and parked in the far corner He stepped out of the car, unlocked the boot, and unzipped the travel bag, pleased again by the sight of the neat rows of crisp five-pound notes He would have liked to take the cash hoht with that auards observing every flight to Belfast

He re with a first-class, one-way ticket to Buenos Aires and ten pounds in cash, then dropped his gun in the bag; soht with He locked the boot, opened the driver’s door, and placed the keys and the parking ticket under the seat for a colleague to collect later thatThen he opened the rear door and stood aside to allow Martinez to step out, but he didn’tto make a run for it? Not if he valued his life After all, he didn’t know that the chauffeur no longer had a gun

Rafferty grabbed Martinez firmly by the elbow, pulled him out of the car, and marched him toward the nearest exit Two men passed theround floor Rafferty didn’t given them a second look