Chapter 120
‘They’re controlling the perimeter,’ Towler said. ‘All the roads will be closed.’
‘There’s no point finding another route in then,’ Poe replied. ‘We’ll go this way. You stay with Océane in case it’s a trap, and I’ll throw the traffic cones over the hedge.’
‘Put one in the boot, can you?’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’m going to Glasgow at the weekend. I’ll need one for the Duke of Wellington statue.’
Poe allowed himself a quick smile before putting the car into gear and edging forward.
In the end, he didn’t have to get out. An East Asian man stepped out of the hedgerow and shone a torch through the window.
When he was happy with what he’d seen, he moved the traffic cones and ROAD CLOSED sign and waved them through.
The moment they were on the other side, he blocked the road again.
They were now inside the Red Chamber’s perimeter. Another way of thinking about that was they were now trapped inside the Red Chamber’s perimeter.
‘Shit’s getting real,’ Towler said.
‘Do you need to check in with your guys again?’ Poe said, suddenly nervous.
‘No.’
Fair enough.
Poe crawled down the lane, eyes everywhere.
Trying to see out of the back of his head.
A bead of sweat trickled down his neck. He shuddered.
He caught Towler’s expression in the rear-view mirror.
He was calm. Relaxed. They were about to head into the hornets’ nest and Towler looked like he could catch forty winks.
Then again, Poe thought, Towler was a fucking nutter.
When he was half a mile out, he stopped. Turned off the engine.
‘Does this feel right to you, Matt?’ he asked.
Towler yawned. ‘No, but is there any scenario you can think of that would feel right? We’re about to meet some triad bellends.
They think they’re the hardest bastards on the planet, but they fucking aren’t.
They think they hold all the aces, but they fucking don’t.
’ He yawned again. Scratched his armpit then sniffed his fingers.
Océane gagged. ‘And one last thing, they think they control the perimeter.’ He held Poe’s gaze in a vice. ‘But they fucking don’t.’
Poe put the car back in gear and drove the last half a mile. He knew exactly where Long Meg was, but because the hedges and trees were so thick with leaves, he didn’t see the stone circle and the monolith until he rounded the final bend.
He blinked in surprise when he saw what was waiting for them.
Even Towler seemed taken aback. ‘Fuck me,’ he said.