Ark Angel

you?” he asked. But already he knew the answer. “CIA.”
    Of course. Joe Byrne had told him he had someone on the island.
    “I’m sorry I’ve had to be so unfriendly to you,” Tamara said. She gave him a dazzling smile, as if it was something she had been wanting to do all along. “I’m sure you understand. It was my cover.”
    “Sure.” It all made sense. “How did you find me just now?” he asked.
    “You’d already told me where you were going,” Tamara explained. “I don’t know why, but I was nervous and I decided to follow you. I went into your room and grabbed the inhaler. I thought it might be useful and I was right. Then I swam out. I was just nearing the site of the wreck, when I saw the boat heading back without you and I guessed what must have happened. So I came down to find you.”

    “Thank you.” Alex was feeling drowsy. The late afternoon sun was beating down on him and he was already dry. “So what happens now?” he asked.
    “You tell me.”
    “I think Drevin may be planning to leave tonight.” Quickly Alex told her about the phone call he had overheard.
    But Tamara looked doubtful. “I can’t believe that,” she said. “The launch tomorrow … Ark Angel. It means everything to him. He’s been working on it for months. Why disappear now?”
    “I agree. But he definitely mentioned a boat. It’s arriving at eleven o’clock.”
    “Then we have to be there. There’s a backup unit waiting in Barbados. If Drevin tries to leave, we can contact them and they’ll be here in minutes.”
    “What do we do until then?”
    “You’d better wait here. I’ll go back to the house and get you some clothes. And something to eat and drink.” She studied Alex closely. “Are you OK?”
    “I’m fine. Thanks, Tamara. You saved my life.”
    “It’s great to be working with you, Alex. Joe told me all about you.”
    Tamara slipped away, leaving Alex on his own. He watched the waves breaking gently on the white sand.
    The sun was beginning to set and the first shadows were already stretching out, reaching towards Alex and silently warning him of the dangers of the coming night.

TROPICAL STORM

    At ten o’clock that night, Alex and Tamara were waiting on the edge of the rainforest, looking down the track towards the wooden cabins where the guards got washed and changed. Both of them were dressed in dark clothes. Tamara had picked out combat trousers and a long-sleeved black T-shirt for Alex. He was too hot.
    The night had brought with it a clammy heat that clung to his skin, and he could feel the sweat snaking down his back. But this way there was less chance of being seen, and he was protected from the worst of the mosquitoes.
    Tamara was also in black. From somewhere she had produced a gun, a slim Beretta, which she was wearing in a holster under her arm. She also had a radio transmitter with which she was planning to contact the CIA back-up team—although she was worried about the reception. The clouds were thick, obscuring the moon, and it looked as if it was going to rain. Getting a decent signal in the middle of a tropical storm wouldn’t be easy.
    Alex was glad she was with him. He had been alone too long and it seemed to him that the two of them were well suited. Tamara had told him that she was one of the youngest agents working for Joe Byrne; she had been recruited when she was just nineteen. She didn’t look much older than that now, crouched beside a giant flamboyant, the umbrella-shaped tree common to much of the eastern Caribbean. He sensed that this was one big adventure for her. Maybe that was the difference between them. She enjoyed her work.
    There were three cabins, connected by covered walkways, beside the track. They were fairly primitive: dark wooden planks for walls, roofs made from palm fronds. About twenty metres further down, Alex could make out the electric gate and the checkpoint guarding the launch area on the other side. There were three guards on constant patrol, one of them inside the control box, the other two shuffling back and forth in front of the ten metre high metal fence. The whole area was illuminated by a series of arc lights shining down from metal watchtowers. Alex could see hundreds of moths and mosquitoes dancing in the beams.
    The guards were relieved at ten fifteen. As Drevin’s personal assistant, Tamara had been able to see the roster and she knew that the second night watch would be arriving at any moment. Alex glanced back down