Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever Winkless, Lance (most popular ebook readers TXT) 📖

Wilson and show him to the examination room,” Rees instructs.

“Yes, Sir.”

“It’ll be good for him to see a familiar face. Tell him you decided to tag along for the journey to see that everything went well,” Rees says without looking up from the desk in front of him, where he is arranging his equipment.

“Of course, Sir,” Winters replies, knowing full well that Major Rees is trying to manipulate him.

“Very good, Lieutenant. Why don’t you take a seat until the Captain arrives?”

Winters is sure that Rees thinks he has him right where he wants him, and that’s okay. Winters will play along with the Major until he goes too far with Andy and then it will be time to manipulate him back. Winters has played these games many times, with operators more skilled than the Major, and was taught by an expert in manipulation, Colonel Reed. Major Rees is an amateur compared to the Colonel.

Winters takes his seat and is quickly joined by everyone else in the room while they wait for Andy to arrive. Time ticks on and they wait, Major Rees fidgets, looks at his watch and eventually tells one of his men to go and check with Doctor Wilson.

More than an hour passes and there is still no sign of Andy; he is more than half an hour late for his appointment. Winters begins to wonder whether Andy has outmanoeuvred everyone and in particular Major Rees, who grows more impatient with every passing minute.

“Captain Richards must be delayed. Could you phone him to see where he is, Lieutenant?” Major Rees asks, frustrated.

“There’s no answer on the number I have for him, Sir,” Winters informs the Major after Andy’s number rings out.

“Where the hell is he?” Rees demands, his frustration boiling over.

“I don’t know, Sir.”

“Have you had any communication with him since you left him, Lieutenant?” Rees growls accusingly at Winters.

“No, Sir, I certainly have not!” Winters replies, not liking Rees’s insinuation.

“Damn it!” Rees spits out, picking up his phone and stomping towards the door. “I will have to speak to General Cox.”

Winters watches Rees storm out of the room, as do the other men waiting for Captain Richards’ arrival. Major Rees is beginning to test Winters’ patience much like Colonel Reed once tended to before his downfall.

Winters has a phone number for both Andy’s son Josh and Catherine Hamilton, both of whom he could attempt to phone to try and find out where Andy is, if he were so inclined. Winters decides not to divulge that information to Rees. Instead, he makes his excuses and follows the Major out of the room.

Winters sees Rees pacing the waiting room beyond the reception desk, his head down and his phone clamped to his ear, deep in discussion with General Cox.

“Can I help you?” a voice says from beside Winters, startling him.

“Can you point me in the direction of a toilet, please?” Winters asks Doctor Wilson, who has appeared from nowhere.

“Straight down, on your left,” the doctor says, pointing further into the ward in the opposite direction from Major Rees.

Ideal, Winters thinks, as he sees that there is only one toilet, and he locks the door behind him. He needs privacy for his phone calls. First off, he finds Josh’s number and clicks on it, but it rings out with no answer. He then scrolls to find Catherine’s.

“Hello,” Catherine’s well-spoken voice answers.

“Catherine, it’s Lieutenant Winters. Can you tell me where Andy is? He’s missed his appointment at the hospital?” The line goes quiet for a moment, raising Winters’ suspicions. Catherine is obviously working out what to tell him. “Catherine, please tell me where he is. The military command isn’t going to let this go. I think you know that, and I can’t help if I don’t know what is going on.”

“Do you remember Stacey?” Catherine says, deciding to trust the Lieutenant. After all, if things go badly for them in London, Winters will be her first phone call for help.

“Yes,” Winter replies.

“Do you remember her parents were trapped in London?”

“Yes,” Winters says with a sinking feeling in his belly. “Please don’t tell me Andy is going to try and get them out of London, Catherine. That would be madness. He isn’t, is he?”

“Yes… he is.”

“Holy shit, what is he thinking? It will be suicide,” Winters tells Catherine, not sparing her feelings.

“I tried to stop them, but you know what Andy’s like,” Catherine tells Winters.

“Them,” Winters exclaims. “Who is them?”

“Josh and Alice are with him.”

“Oh, my God, Catherine! When did they go? I’ve got to stop them!”

“They left late this afternoon. I don’t think you’ll be able to stop them,” Catherine confirms.

“How do they plan to get into London? It’s blocked off,” Winters asks.

“I don’t think I should say any more, Lieutenant. They have a plan, and it could work.”

“Could work! Have you lost your senses? Andy obviously has, taking his son into hell on earth! Tell me where they are Catherine, I can stop them,” Winters insists.

“I’m sorry, I can’t. Josh and Alice insisted on going and they are confident of the plan.”

“You’ve all gone fucking mad. Tell me, Catherine, for their own good,” Winters demands.

“I’m sorry Lieutenant. Now I must go, please keep this to yourself.”

“Keep this to…” The line goes dead as Catherine hangs up.

Winters’ heart races; he can’t believe what he’s just heard. Going into London, what the fuck! he thinks. He suddenly wishes he had never phoned Catherine. What the hell is he supposed to do with this information, withhold it from Major Rees? How can he? And if he does tell the Major, what will that mean for the three idiots on their way to London?

Winters goes over to the sink, putting his phone down on it and looking at himself in the mirror above it. He turns on the tap and splashes some cold water onto his face. Sit on the intel, for the time being, he tells himself. This information would send the top brass into meltdown and who knows what they’d decide to