Bad Soldier: Danny Black Thriller 4 Read Online Free PDF

to get their hands on your targets – whoever they are.’
    Danny was well used to non-SF personnel trying to get information out of him. He quickly diverted the course of the conversation. ‘You need to get the migrant ship’s captain on the radio, tell them to drop anchor, then lay down warning fire.’
    ‘Threat of force won’t be necessary,’ said the captain. ‘Migrant boats in these waters know that a British naval vessel is a help to them . . .’
    Danny’s earpiece crackled and Tony’s voice came over his personal radio. ‘ You sorted things with Captain Haddock yet? ’
    Danny forced himself to keep cool. If Tony had his way, the relationship of mutual respect between the SAS unit and the naval crew would soon break down. ‘Roger that,’ he replied. He turned back to the captain. ‘We need the option of that covering fire, Captain,’ he insisted.
    The captain hesitated for a moment, but then walked over to his crew to give them the orders. Danny’s sense of unease grew stronger. Thanks to Tony, there was now bad blood between the unit and the naval crew. He glanced through the bridge window down on to the deck. Tony was directing the remaining Marines with aggressive hand gestures, while Spud stood quietly a couple of metres away, his hands on his assault rifle as if he’d like nothing better than to make sudden, unexpected use of it.
    ‘We have a visual!’ one of the naval crew called out. ‘Two nautical miles.’ Danny quickly altered his line of sight. He just caught sight of lights on the horizon to the ship’s twelve o’clock. If that was the migrant boat, they were heading straight for it.
    The ship’s radio operator was a young lad with a bad dose of acne. At a short instruction from the captain, he started broadcasting. ‘This is HMS Enterprise , broadcasting to Ocean Star . Do you copy, Ocean Star ?’
    A blast of white noise came over the radio. The operator repeated his message. ‘This is HMS Enterprise , broadcasting to Ocean Star . Do you copy, Ocean Star ?’
    White noise again. Then, suddenly, an unnaturally loud voice burst over the airways. It was thickly accented, and spoke fragmented English. ‘ Yes, sir, Ocean Star sir. Boat in big trouble, sir. Sink very soon, sir. ’
    The captain looked over his shoulder at Danny. ‘They always say that. They know we’ll offer aid to a vessel in distress.’
    They were gaining very quickly on what was obviously a small boat. Distance, maybe 300 metres. ‘Lay down warning fire,’ Danny said.
    The captain frowned. ‘It’s really not necessary. They won’t—’
    ‘Look, mate,’ Danny interrupted him. ‘You’ve got your orders, I’ve got my orders. Lay down warning fire, and instruct them to drop anchor.’
    The captain considered it for a moment, then nodded to one of his crew. Twenty seconds later, a crack of gunfire echoed out over the noisy ocean.
    There was a moment of silence. Then the radio burst into life. The radio operator was speaking much faster, and suddenly his English was a load better. He sounded panicked. ‘ This is Ocean Star , this is Ocean Star , hold your fire, we are dropping anchor now, repeat, we are dropping anchor now  . . .’
    Through the window of the bridge, Danny could see the wake of the two RIBs containing the Marines, curling away from the Enterprise . Tony’s voice crackled over Danny’s earpiece. ‘ Get down here. ’
    Danny turned to Caitlin. ‘Let’s go,’ he said.
    By the time they had rejoined Tony and Spud, the ship’s crew was preparing a third RIB. ‘Get a fucking move on,’ Tony shouted at Danny as the unit jogged towards it. Another Marine was boarding the RIB and taking charge of the outboard motor, which was already turning over. The unit climbed in and the crane immediately winched them up over the side of the Enterprise , then lowered them seaward. As they passed over the railings of the ship, Tony shouted some last-minute instructions.
    ‘I don’t think our