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  MUDADA – by M G Leslie

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2015 M G Leslie

  The author, whom retains all rights to this book, also owns the email address below and may be contacted directly using that means of communication.

  All characters are a trademark of the author and may not be copied or reproduced.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

  To seek permission to reproduce or copy anything in this book, please email: [email protected]

  The characters and scenarios described within this book are completely fictitious. Any resemblance to the real world is purely coincidental.

  This book makes reference to some organisations and places. Whilst some of the representations of these organisations and places may be correct, the author in no way guarantees that they are correct, as this book is a combination of publicly available information and complete fiction.

  Additionally, any reference to third parties or organisations, under no circumstances represents an opinion or criticism in any way, whether positive or negative, about that party or organisation or its or their activities and/or views.

  Preface

  This book is a continuation of the story in my earlier novel, Break-In.

  It tracks the career and experiences of an officer in the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) – more commonly referred to as MI6.

  As a former member of the Parachute Regiment and now part of a secretive group within MI6 called The Increment, an intelligence officer known only as Price, undertakes assignments that are more commonly referred to as, Direct Action – where his role is less about gathering information and more about taking actions to protect British interests abroad – pretty much, by any means possible.

  Direct Action mostly takes place under the protection of Section 7 of the UK’s Intelligence Services Act 1994 which basically says, if “a person would be liable in the United Kingdom for any act done outside the British Islands, he shall not be so liable if the act is one which is authorised to be done by virtue of an authorisation given by the Secretary of State under this section”.

  So in layman’s terms, he can legally break the law, as long as it's been approved by the Foreign Secretary and takes place outside the UK.

  In this novel, however, Price finds himself being asked to take actions where even Section 7 cannot protect him. Also known as a Black Bag Operation, or simply “Black Ops”, Price’s assignment is so sensitive that, if caught, the UK government has full deniability and will not attempt to rescue or assist him in any way.

  However, as he uncovers more information and runs in to old friends, everything is not as it seems and he has to question who really is still a friend and was a past operation he executed, really legitimate after all.

  Chapters

  CHAPTER 1 – THE BEGINNING OF THE END

  CHAPTER 2 – TROUBLE IN THE MID LEVELS

  CHAPTER 3 – THE PHONE CALL

  CHAPTER 4 – TWO DEADLY MEETINGS

  CHAPTER 5 – POST MORTEM

  CHAPTER 6 – A CIRCUITOUS ROUTE TO AFRICA

  CHAPTER 7 – VICTORIA FALLS TRAIN

  CHAPTER 8 – HARARE

  CHAPTER 9 – COUNTER-BLOW

  CHAPTER 10 – CARACAS

  CHAPTER 11 – THE INTERCEPT

  CHAPTER 12 – BUSTED FLUSH

  CHAPTER 13 – THE BEGINNINGS OF JUSTICE

  CHAPTER 14 – MUDADA

  CHAPTER 15 – PURE CONJECTURE?

  CHAPTER 16 – YOU DIDN’T REALLY THINK IT WOULD BE THAT EASY, DID YOU?

  1. The Beginning Of The End

  As the morning sun shone through the window, Fabio Alexander stirred from a deep sleep – turning his head away from the light before slowly opening his eyes. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the brightly lit room. Then, as his world came in to focus, he found himself facing the beautiful girl lying next to him.

  She was already awake and had been waiting for him to stir – so as he turned his head, she leaned forward and kissed him. “Morning sleepy head,” she whispered in a gentle tone.

  Fabio didn’t immediately reply – choosing instead, to adjust his body so that he was fully facing her – in the process, feeling her soft dark brown hair touch his face as he slid a little closer – the perfume of it making him smile as he thought, “She really is so very beautiful,” then immediately afterwards, “What a shame. What a terrible terrible shame.”

  Unaware of his concealed, deceitful thoughts, but seeing his smile, she said, “Would you like a coffee my love?”

  Fabio covered his mouth to cough and clear his throat, before leaning forward to return her kiss. Then he answered, “That would be lovely. Thank you.”

  He was about to lean forward and kiss her a second time – but before he could, with a single athletic movement, she rolled backwards and slid out of the bed. As she landed on her feet, Fabio’s eyes scanned her hour-glass shaped body – starting with her feet, moving up her perfectly shaped legs and thighs to her firm bottom, her back and finally her long flowing dark brown hair – a perfect match for her dark tanned skin. “Now that’s what I call a thing of beauty,” he thought to himself, before saying, “Jen, you are truly beautiful. Especially when you’re naked.”

  Jennifer jiggled her bottom from left to right in a joking fashion, as she looked over her shoulder and smiled. Then as her smile started to fade, she walked over to the hotel room minibar, where she retrieved a kettle and started to make the coffee – not caring that she was now presenting a sideways view of her body to Fabio, who continued to stare – now admiring her large breasts that, despite being unsupported, showed no sign of the effects of gravity.

  As the kettle started to boil, she looked back at the bed and, pretending to be shy, covered her breasts with her hands, whilst catching Fabio’s eye with her own.

  Fabio realised he’d been staring lustfully and apologised, before looking away to switch on the television – out of habit, possibly like every other Englishman when travelling abroad, tuning in to the BBC to watch the latest world news.

  A couple of minutes later, still naked, Jennifer walked back to the bed and handed Fabio a coffee – then she sat on the edge of the duvet next to him. “Mike, I’ve been thinking.”

  Fabio recognized the serious tone of voice and consciously prevented himself from expelling the air from his lungs with a sigh. “What does she want now,” he thought, before purposefully raising the pitch of his voice and saying, “What about my love?”

  “Last night was wonderful my love. And now that we are going to have a baby together, can you tell me more about yourself? You are always so secretive you know.”

  “I told you Jen, I work for the government in the foreign office. I’m not allowed to say anything about my work – it’s very complex as I deal with government secrets and very sensitive information.”

  “I know – and I guess you’re some kind of secret agent or something. But I don’t know anything about you – where you grew up, your family, how many brothers and sisters you have. Surely that isn’t a secret. Is it?”

  Fabio smiled – then in a comforting tone said, “Jen, we can get to that later – don’t worry OK?”

  Undeterred though, she continued with the questions. “How do I know that your real name is even Mike? You pay for everything with cash and you even hide your passport in the hotel safe.”

  Fabio faked a laugh – pretending to mock her for making such an accusation – whilst knowing she was, in reality, absolutely right – she didn’t know him at all – and that was very deliberate on his part.

  However, realising
his fake laugh hadn’t been particularly convincing, he followed it with, “What are you saying. Of course my name is Mike – you are a bit silly sometimes darling.” Then he slid across the bed so that he was behind her – wrapping his arms around her shoulders, whilst reaching down to cup her breasts. “I told you,” he said, as he leaned over her shoulder and kissed her cheek, “The passport is part of my work. I’m here on business and it’s just a cover. I don’t want you to know what’s on the passport in case someone ever asks you. It’s for your own protection. I have explained that my love.”

  “I know. I know – you said that before.”

  “Well please believe me.” Then he paused, before whispering in her ear, “How could I have done what we did last night if I didn’t love you?”

  Jennifer smiled – thinking back to their passionate night together. “Do you really love me?”

  “You know I do – more than life itself.”

  Jennifer, very gently, broke free from his arms and turned to face him. “I know you have to fly back to London today. But when can I see you again?”

  Fabio thought for a moment, then he leaned towards her and hugged her – again with his head resting over her shoulder so that she couldn’t see his eyes. He was a poor liar and he knew that she was very good at reading his expressions. So he needed to avoid eye contact before giving his answer, as he also knew this would be the last time they would ever meet. He’d made plans – and there was absolutely no way he would ever leave his wife and children in the UK. To him, this was nothing more than a fling – nothing more and nothing less.

  It had all started a year earlier. He’d been in Hong Kong for business as member of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, on what was possibly the easiest assignment of his life – to provide introductions. A businessman that he had recruited some years before had just relocated to Hong Kong. He’d been a very reliable source of information, so Fabio had flown out to introduce him to their man in Hong Kong.

  After a brief conversation and lunch, Fabio had found himself with nothing to do for a few days until his flight home. So, he had decided to check out the less reputable parts of the island – starting with Wan Chai, and more specifically, the bars in Lockhart Road.

  He’d started soon after nightfall and had been bar-hopping – basically, working his way from bar to bar, chatting to numerous scantily clad girls, until finally he had met a Chinese lady – which, ironically was what had distinguished her from the rest, as he’d spent most of the night hearing tales of woe from Vietnamese girls, Filipino girls, Laotian girls and Thai girls – on more than one occasion, even finding himself unsure if they were actually girls – Asia being famous for its so-called ‘ladyboys’ or ‘shemales’.

  But the Chinese girl had been different. In fact she had also been the first girl to buy him a drink rather than the other way round – although by that stage he was very drunk and details were definitely fuzzy. As he thought back he recalled there had certainly been several rounds of shots, with all the usual obscene and silly names – then at some point he had met Jennifer.

  “Come to think of it,” he thought, “Maybe the Chinese girl had introduced them.”

  That hadn’t occurred to him before. And he couldn’t actually be sure that they were introduced. He vaguely remembered the Chinese lady leaving soon after he met Jen – although that in itself wouldn’t be surprising – after all, as the old saying goes, ‘Two’s company and three’s a crowd’.

  “Hmmmm,” he thought, “He had been very drunk indeed.”

  Then he remembered having gaps in his memory of the evening that he couldn’t explain the next day. “Everything was very sketchy, at best,” he decided, “And the drinks had been spiked.”

  Yes, he definitely remembered thinking the drinks were spiked, because he was in a terrible state the following morning. “In fact,” he thought, “Maybe it was the Chinese girl that spiked them. He couldn’t be sure about that – but that would explain it. Although, why would she do that? It’s not as if she was a working girl after money? She just seemed like a nice lady after a good time – even if she did spike his drinks.”

  One thing he did remember above all else was taking Jen back to his hotel – primarily because it had been the most amazing experience of his life.

  He’d travelled around Asia before, so he wasn’t new to the whole bar scene. And in his younger days he’d misbehaved rather more than perhaps he should have. So he also had more than a passing knowledge of the prostitution, KTV bars and strip clubs. However, he’d fallen in love with Jen from the moment he met her – and back in his hotel room, she’d been incredible. In fact, as he thought back, he almost laughed as he remembered what they’d done. Then he thought, “There were no holes barred.”

  But that had been the good times. Now it had got way too serious. Despite her repeated promises that she was taking contraceptive pills, she’d missed her last menstruation period and after the usual tests had told him that she was pregnant with their baby.

  Initially, he had pretended to be happy – whilst unbeknownst to her he had decided to end everything. “There’s no alternative,” he thought. “The pregnancy must have been her plan from the beginning – so it’s over. Today will be the last time we ever meet.”

  Suddenly, Fabio’s thoughts were jolted back to the present reality as he heard Jen’s voice – this time quite a bit louder than was normal, “Mike. Mike. Are you OK?”

  Fabio sat back and made eye contact with Jennifer as she spoke again, “Mike. What happened?”

  “Sorry. I was just thinking back to the time we met and how wonderful that first night was. I am sorry – what were you saying?”

  Jennifer laughed loudly and then jokingly said, “You are flying back to London – do you remember? Later tonight?”

  Now Fabio started to laugh as well, “Yes of course. Sorry I won’t see you for a while. I’m sorry darling.”

  Still laughing she said, “You really had zoned out there. I know we won’t see each other – you were about to tell me when you will be able to come back here again?”

  “Yes, of course. Sorry. I should be back here in a week or two. I’ll check my schedule when I’m back in London and message you if that’s OK. But, hopefully very soon darling.”

  “I hope so. I miss you so much.”

  Fabio smiled lovingly, as he slipped away from her to stand up – again admiring her body, before gently slapping her bottom and walking away to go to the bathroom. Then, jokingly, he said, “How could I stay away from that cute bottom for more than a few days.”

  As he disappeared from view, turning in to the en-suite, she called out, “If you keep doing that, I may change my mind.”

  Fabio just smiled, but didn’t reply – instead, he stuck his head out of the bathroom to catch her attention, and changed the subject, “Jen, I’ve just remembered, I brought some more papers with me which I think you’ll find useful.”

  “Really?” she said, suddenly full of interest. “You know the information you’ve been giving me has made a real difference to my career. There’s no way that I could have progressed so far without all that information about European government plans. I’m so grateful to you – you’re so wonderful to me. The last documents you gave me included quite a lot of information about your own country – they were really interesting.”

  “I know. That’s why I said it was so important that you didn’t tell anyone where you got the information from – anyone at all – even your family. Just use the information to help your career at the law firm.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I want to try and help you, because I know how much you struggle to get noticed – you’ve explained that to me before darling and I understand.”

  Then he walked back to the bed and kissed her again. “It’s because I love you OK?”

  Jennifer just looked at him, her lips forming a gentle smile, so Fabio continued, “But you must not say where the information came from. Pleas
e – that’s really important. You’ll get me in to a lot of trouble if you do.”

  Now it was Jennifer’s turn to change the subject. So instead of answering Fabio, she just smiled, before saying, “Once we have the baby, shall I give up work? Or do you think I should take some time off and go back afterwards?”

  “Well that’s up to you Jen. I’ll support whatever decision you make – you know that.”

  “Are you looking forward to having a baby love?”

  Fabio forced his face to smile, as he said, “Of course my love. Now, shall we go shopping? I’d really like to buy a new suit if that’s OK and I know you want to get back to your apartment later?”

  “That’s OK – I’ll have a shower. We can go and get you a suit, then I thought I might go out for dinner with some work friends actually.”

  Fabio immediately made eye contact again, “I thought you were going back home?”

  “Well I might be hungry – so I thought I’d go out. Why? Is that a problem?”

  It was a problem – Fabio had expected her to be at home – but he tried to stay calm as he said, “I’d be happier knowing you were safely back home – especially now that you’re carrying our baby darling. We can go out when I’m back next week. I just want to make sure you are OK.”

  Jennifer smiled, “Of course. We’ll get your suit, then I’ll see you off at the airport and go home.”

  “For the final time thank god,” Fabio thought to himself. Then the particularly callous part of his brain thought, “Anyway, I can always come back here and pick up another girl once she’s out of the way – after all, variety is the spice of life.”

  Unfortunately, Jennifer realised he was thinking something – although she couldn’t have known what – but she said, “You seem to be deep in thought this morning. Is everything OK?”

  Fabio looked up, “Of course. I’m just thinking how much I’ll miss you. I want to make sure you’re OK whilst I’m back in the UK.”