Out of the Shadows (Akira and Deane Thriller Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

wave of
rain.

    The blueprints
of the building he had seen over an hour earlier ran through his
mind like a computer until he found what he was looking for; the
nearest possible exit to the alleyway the Middle-Eastern man had
been referring to. At the sight of a door, well hidden, he stopped
in his tracks and studied the brickwork. It was new. The room was
not on the blueprints. ‘Did you check in here?’ He shouted at a
nearby team leader who immediately looked uncertain.
    The door hinges
cried out under the strain as Deane smashed his way into the ground
floor room. Other agents were behind him, awaiting first look at
the room that had been carefully concealed but the veteran agent
wanted to inspect every corner for himself,
uninterrupted.
    It was around
ten feet long by eight feet wide, with no electricity and barren
stony walls with damp in the corners. At the far end, a medium
sized window was blowing in the wind.
    Someone had
escaped, just like the terrorist had said. He rushed to the window
and looked down. There, in the alleyway, was an MI6 agent slumped
against the wall. For an instant he feared another death had
occurred but on closer inspection saw that not only had the young
man been spared but that it had been done for a reason. Someone was
sending him a message. He caught sight of the investigation team to
his right and spoke in a quiet tone, feeling embarrassed that his
operation had suddenly become so flawed. ‘Dust for prints, look for
D.N.A and report back to me at once.’ He pushed past and walked
towards the exit. One question remained. Was it a loyal follower or
someone he was unaware of who’d been completely
overlooked?
     
    Hours later in
a cramped office at MI6 headquarters in London, Deane, Olsen and
Marraud sat together with the Deputy Chief of MI6, Kevin
Ramsey.
    ‘There can be
no doubt, then? Someone escaped?’ Ramsey was a towering 6ft 6ins
tall and sat down as he looked for reactions on the faces ahead of
him. His dark skin showed the sweat on his forehead as he leaned
back in the chair and waited for answers.
    Deane spoke
first, still struggling with his ego over the operation that had
ended on such a low. ‘There is no doubt about it. I’ve spoken at
length with the agent who was patrolling the alleyway. He was
jumped on and remembers nothing. Someone escaped from that
building.’
    ‘Do we have any leads?’ Ramsey
asked quickly.
    Deane placed a file on the
table. ‘Months ago, Patrice and I identified 14 men operating
within that cell and have tracked their movements ever since. We’ve
now identified the dead and those we captured. We have all 14.’
    Ramsey glanced at the file.
‘All of them?’
    ‘All of them.’ Deane waited for
the news to really sink in.
    ‘Then the one
that got away was someone we weren’t aware of, on any
level?’
    ‘That’s right.’
As if sensing the next question, Deane continued. ‘It would either
be another brainwashed follower who joined them, either from abroad
or possibly from the local community, or…’ Everyone in the room
hung on his every word. ‘Someone else of great importance to this
particular cell.’ Deane’s tone was one of dread as he spoke the
words.
    Ramsey needed more than
assumptions. ‘I suggest we keep speculation to a minimum. We need
to-’
    Deane’s voice
overpowered that of his colleague as he made his point. ‘The room
used for the escape was not on the blueprints of the building. It
was concealed from view and they all drew us away from it
throughout the battle. None of them are talking or have even
admitted to someone escaping, which suggests whoever it was had
their loyalty. I highly doubt they would do that for
anyone.’
    Ramsey was in
no mood to debate the point with no evidence to hand. ‘I’ll talk to
the Chief of MI6 about this at my next opportunity.’ Ramsey waited
for silence and then handed separate sheets of paper to the two
agents. ‘Here, I have your new orders. Deane, you’re to be