12 Minutes (#2 in Military series)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After double-backing on themselves for nearly half an hour through the various streets of London Commander Strong was confident that they hadn't been followed.

Once he was sure of this fact, Strong drove them straight to the one place they would be able to speak freely and that was how two of his favourite Marines found themselves on the unsavoury side of Soho.

Strong was reluctant to leave the 2014 black Land Rover parked on the street outside but there was nothing he could do, he just hoped the tinted windows discouraged any wandering hands in fear that it belonged to someone important and that someone would want to cut off their hands if they marked the paintwork.

They crossed the road in silence and stepped around some scaffolding as pairs of eyes turned to look at them with interest, three Marines walking up the street of Soho passing strip clubs and porn shops as if it was a common occurrence.

Near the end of the street stood a four storey red-bricked building with a mould and slime growing up the outer wall. The panel in the front door was smashed with bags of litter piled high to the side.

Jules glanced behind her as they stepped inside and the door slammed shut behind them. Instantly, the noise from outside was blocked and replaced with the buzzing of fluorescent lights.

The strong scent of bleach burned her nostrils but it did nothing to impede on the rotten stench that came from within. It was so strong that Julia wondered if they had tried to wash the walls down with it.

"What is this place?" Marc asked as Commander Strong led them up the narrow flight of stairs. Julia's boots slipped on something wet but she did not hang around to find out what it was.

"What this place is, is safe," Strong glanced back at them over his shoulder but his expression was lost under shadows since half the lights towards the second level had been smashed, "And that's all that matters right now."

Safe? Jules frowned, it did not look very safe to her when a door opened to their right and a half-emaciated man appeared with his dread-locked hair falling around his sunken cheeks and only a pair of, what used to be, blue pants hanging from his hips.

He stared at three Marines with dazed confusion, "Hey man," he slurred, "Is this a bust?"

Julia saw the track marks on his arms and her eyes turned to look at the table in the living room. It was littered with pieces of tin foil and needles.

Yeah, this was really safe.

They ignored the man and turned off down a corridor. When she looked back, he was just shutting his front door.

"This is it," Strong nodded to the last door on the right, "We should be alright in here for now," Strong produced a key from his pocket and it slipped effortlessly into the lock as if it had been used frequently.

Julia and Marc shared a look.

What was Commander Strong doing that he needed to rent a dodgy flat in the darker suburbs of London?

But he was still their Commander and he had answers concerning Safia so they didn't hesitate when he ushered them in.

As they stepped over the threshold Jules felt as if she had been transported to a different universe. The beige carpet, cream walls and bare surfaces was a world away from the yellow-tinged walls and stained tiled flooring that the corridor had had to offer.

The flat was almost completely empty except for a beige sofa, a few books stacked on the floor beside it that nobody ever read and a kettle in the kitchen.