White Gold by David Barker

Author:David Barker [Barker, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912666294
Publisher: Urbane Publications Limited
Published: 2019-05-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

Birmingham

Sim opened his eyes and groaned. It was dark, or his eyes were not working properly. He tried to sit up but that hurt. There was a huge bruise running across his chest. His throat felt raw and dry. Rolling over onto his side, Sim groaned. There was a glass of water on the table next to his bed. He sipped it urgently, spilling some onto the bedcovers.

A door opened and his boss entered the room.

“Where am I?”

“Somewhere safe. For now.”

“I don’t remember. What happened?”

Wardle pulled up a chair and sat next to Sim’s bed. The legs squeaked as they dragged over the plastic floor. “Somebody tried to poison you, Sim.”

“Who?”

“I’ve been expecting an attack. I thought it better if it happened at City Centre, rather than your home.”

Sim tried to sit up again. “Is Rosie alright?”

Wardle held his hands out for calm. “She’s fine. I have somebody watching your home, but I’m sure she’s not a target.”

Sim sighed and slumped back into his pillow.

“I had to make it look as though the poison had worked. Gave you something to counteract the poison, but also to suppress your heart-rate.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The ambulance crew will swear blind you died on the way to hospital. They’re the only ones who know where you are now. We need to flush out the person who poisoned you. The real mole.”

“What about Feinberg?”

“Misdirection. But he’ll have to stay locked up for a while longer.”

Sim pulled a face. “Pretty harsh. How long’s he been in already?”

“That’s not the worst of it.” He stared into Sim’s eyes.

Sim looked back while the cogs turned. “But. You can’t mean?”

Wardle nodded. “She’s strong, Sim. Stronger than you realise. She’ll get through this. You both will.”

“No, no, that’s not on. She’s pregnant. If she thinks I’m dead, the stress will... She might…” Sim was shaking his head, trying to prop himself up again. He winced as his sternum took the strain of his arms.

“Atkins, we have to do it like this. Everybody has to think you’re dead. Everyone.” Wardle stood up and paced the room. Then stopped to lean both hands on the end of Sim’s bed. “I need you to go undercover in Sweden. Expose that monster for what he is. You want to find out who killed your son, don’t you?”

Sim squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. Damnit. Yes, of course he did. But making Rosie think he’s dead? The cruellest of tricks. “Won’t Larsson recognise me?”

“We have a procedure to help with that. Besides, if his mole reports back that you’re dead, well he won’t exactly be keeping an eye out for a corpse, will he?”

“What sort of procedure?”

“Oh, it’s doesn’t hurt much. And it does wear off. Eventually.” Wardle turned to leave. “Rest up, Atkins. I’ll be back for your answer later.”

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