The Dust Will Never Settle (34 page)

The surveillance team leader had been explicitly ordered to call Ravinder, but lulled by Ruby and also Mohite’s presence, he did not do so. There was also the fact that while tasking him, Ravinder had ordered him to keep Ruby safe and he knew she was safe inside the hotel. The car pulled into the slot Mohite had indicated and the surveillance team settled down to wait.

Mohite and Ruby had passed the X-ray machine when the whooping sound of a siren became audible. The sound grew louder. Ruby knew what it signified – Thakur was arriving.
Just on time.

As Mohite sprang forward to receive him, Ruby checked her watch: ten minutes short of nine.

Perfect.
Ruby permitted herself a small smile.
By the time they reached the eighth floor, the delegates would be settling down to their talks.

Thakur’s oily face broke into his politician’s smile the minute he got out of his car and set eyes on Ruby.

‘Ah! So we meet again, young lady,’ he said. ‘How have you been? What you did the other night was very brave! The whole police force is talking about it. Good, good… So, what brings you here today?… Really? Off already? Why?… Come, come, let’s get you to your father…’

Engaged in conversation, Thakur, his two PSOs, Mohite and Ruby headed for the elevators. Seeing the home minister
and
their DIG, the elevator guard did not question Ruby’s presence.

The mistakes were accumulating.

The avenger had broken past the barrier into the secure zone. Hunting season was open.

Ruby strode forward. She could feel her body gird itself for the coming battle.

Just a few minutes more…

Someone else had been watching for Thakur’s arrival.

Dressed in faded jeans and a full-sleeved blue sweatshirt, the burly, nearly-bald Shaun Ontong stood at the same spot in the park where Ruby had taken position the previous morning. He wasn’t feeling too good; something did not feel right.

Ontong saw the minister’s cavalcade pull up at the porch. He immediately called the only number stored in his mobile. It was a new phone with an unused SIM card purchased specifically for this operation. He’d drop it in some convenient gutter on his way to the airport.

The call was answered by Gary Boucher, who was seated in a van parked one click away from the roadblock outside the hotel, the one further away from Ontong. He was taller than Ontong, whiplash-thin, deeply tanned and had close-cropped hair. Like Ontong, Boucher too was in jeans and a dark green sweatshirt.

‘Five minutes,’ Ontong said tautly. ‘We are on.’

‘Roger. I’m rolling in five.’ Boucher dropped the phone on the seat. He was tense, but far more confident than Ontong. Perhaps because Boucher did not worry too much.

Ontong and Boucher collected their thoughts and rapidly replayed Ruby’s instructions in their heads. They knew they had a small yet decisive role to play today. And both hoped whatever lay ahead of them would be painless.

Adrenaline was pumping through Ontong’s body as he left the park and walked back to the Maruti van. He had already checked the rockets and the launcher. Both were ready to go.

Ontong kept his pace slow and easy. He knew he still had a few moments in hand. Boucher was going into action first.

Boucher was moving by the time Ontong reached his van. He drove at a steady pace. He wasn’t in a hurry and did not have to go far. The shooting position he had selected was just ahead.

The 84mm Carl Gustaf produced by Saab has an effective range of approximately 1,100 metres against troops in the open and can also take on an armoured target 700 metres away. Unlike other such weapons, it uses a rifled barrel to spin stabilize its projectile. Both Boucher and Ontong were comfortable with it, though, like most Aussies, they preferred to call it the Charlie Gusto.

Boucher knew that a rocket launcher team normally comprised two men and could launch four to five rockets in a minute. But with just one man firing and reloading, the rate of fire would drop to less than half, since the user had to bring down the launcher, crack open the rear, slide in a new rocket, close the breech and hoist it back onto his shoulder. But this did not bother him. He needed only to fire twice before he dropped the weapon and melted away. With the element of surprise on his side, it would be a cakewalk. Ontong, coming into action minutes later, might not have that same advantage, but he would be able to exploit the shock of the opening assault. Also a potent advantage.

Taking a deep breath, Boucher pulled over at the spot he had reconnoitred; it was on a curve, a blind spot from the security post in front. Not the optimal position, but keeping in view the security deployment, it was the best possible one.

Boucher quickly moved to the rear of the van and reached for the already loaded weapon and the second rocket, ready for an instant reload.

Taking position off the road, clear of the vehicle, he placed the second rocket near his feet and raised the launcher to his shoulder. The play was out in the open now, no time to dick around.

Mohite halted the elevator on the seventh floor and held the door open for Ruby. ‘Please go to Mr Gill’s room… that one,’ he pointed, forgetting that Ruby had been on the security tour a couple of days ago. ‘I will let him know you are here.’

Ruby walked past the elevator security guards and headed for Ravinder’s room. The ping of the elevator door behind her let her know it had closed. She threw a quick backward glance.

Both the elevator guards had turned to see off the minister and had their backs to her.

Altering direction, she swiftly crossed to the other side of the corridor and headed for Chance’s room. Using the red access card she had purloined earlier, she eased open the door and entered.

Jennifer was returning from her hourly check of the stairwell guard at the end of the corridor when she saw Ruby enter Chance’s room. She noticed that Ruby did not pause at the door, which to her implied that someone had opened the door for her or…

Chance? Wasn’t he supposed to be on the eighth floor? Or did Ruby have an access card to his room? Neither thought felt good. Her relationship with Chance was still too new; she had yet to understand him or feel secure about him.

Also, Ruby’s presence in the secure area alarmed her even though she was not privy to Ravinder’s and Chance’s suspicions. Frowning, she headed down the corridor.

If Chance is two-timing me
… Jennifer felt a surge of anger.

Caught up in an admixture of alarm and jealousy, Jennifer forgot to radio her sighting to the control room or call the reserve guard to back her up.

Both were big mistakes.

Ruby halted in the centre of Chance’s room. The curtains were pulled back and light filtered in.

A black, hard-shell suitcase lay on the wooden rack beside the TV. It had been with Chance for as long as she could remember. Having lived with him, she knew his habits. The suitcase was locked. Ruby rotated the numbers of the combination lock. The case clicked open. He was forgetful and always used his birth date as the combination for the suitcase. She sighed with relief. Chance hadn’t changed.

Hasn’t he?
She pushed that thought away.
Not now, damn it! Focus!

The pistols were exactly where she had known they would be – at the base, wrapped in a piece of thick, soft cloth. She quickly unfolded it and found a pair of classic Browning Hi-Power pistols.

His choice of weapon hasn’t changed either.

Chance always carried a spare pair. Ruby had banked on it. Picking them up, she tested their heft. Perfect. They fit with the comfort of an old sweater.

A silencer and two spare magazines were also wrapped in the same cloth. The magazines, each with a capacity of thirteen rounds, were full.

Ruby did the math. A total of fifty-two rounds in the four magazines.

If that was not enough, nothing was…

Swiftly loading one weapon, she chambered a round, clicked on the safety and slid it into her waistband. Thrusting the spare magazines into the pocket of her baggy jeans, she loaded the second pistol, again chambered a round and began to screw on the silencer. Her fingers were confirming that the silencer was fitted on securely when she heard the door behind her open. Ruby swung around, holding the pistol behind her.