CHAPTER SIX
Stanton was cold faced, looking into the murky waters of the Thames, a stocky middle aged man stood beside him a yard away. The windows of Vauxhall Cross looked over them, no one was within earshot, some men in black suits and a beautiful black haired women looked on out of earshot, the women’s name said it all, Bella. She drew the attention of all whom walked past, smiling, flicking her buttock length hair from one side to the other, man nor could women resist feasting their eyes on the ultimate weapon. She flashed her eyelids at a passing jogger, a young soccer player from Manchester, he tripped and fell, she smiled and offered her hand. He pulled himself to his feet and began to shuffle backwards away from the commanding gaze of Bella’s smile, he wiped his face where she had touched his hand and smiled refocused and sprinted away. While she was present no mind was paid to anything else leaving Stanton to talk freely to his counterpart.
“You’ll have to be careful, Reichmann knew, he put the double zero before 26 when baited, we don't know how far this has spread. Using you as a deceptive counter measure could be a mistake.”
His counterpart flicked a match against his nail and lit his small cigar, he didn’t smoke. He puffed on the brown shaft blowing smoke into the air in an obvious manner. “Reichmann knows only of the member number, nothing else, don’t be drawn in to assist him, they have no idea who member 26 is, only that he exists.”
Stanton reached over, pulled the cigar from his counterpart’s mouth, the smoke wafted past his face, he threw the burning prop into the Thames coughing slightly and spitting towards it. He looked round at the dark haired square jawed man. “We have the information we wanted, withdraw.”
The man dropped his head looking at the top of the concrete footpath wall they lent on stopping them from falling into the Thames. “I’m sure there’s more, I need to go in again.”
Stanton wore a look of force squinting his eyes at his counterpart. “You had your spanners on the red head, you’re a victim of the testicle, your reassigned.” His counterpart tilted his head back looking hard at Stanton. “I know the moves your making to convince Hollis, continue the way your going and Ill leave you to the wolves.”
"The fact I suddenly disappear may reveal my identity should someone add two and two together they just may come up with four, or 26 in this case."
"So many in their midst are about to disappear you're absence will merely be assumed as assimilated. Deception is a tool, that's whey we're so often looking for it."
His counterpart hesitated before levelling his head; he kept his hands in view placing them on the top of the concrete wall palms down. “You’re a hard man Stanton, the only person that knows the identity of member 26 is dead I made sure of that. How would you feel if you lost Bella?”
Stanton turned his head slowly toward his counterpart, enraged but spoke softly and slowly. “Unnecessary conflict can lead to poor decisions. Go near the red head again and I’ll have to act. There is a time and place for all things and you just got it wrong, should they find your lead is crap they look elsewhere.”
His counterpart sighed emptying his lungs then drew a deep breath, he nodded as he spoke. “Bloody politicians, why couldn’t I have been assigned to real people.” He looked around to Stanton. “You’re right, don’t trust me anymore I’m tainted."
Stanton looked towards Bella, she flared her nostrils and shook her hair down her back, the look of the vixen struck, he studied her for a few seconds. “These are the reasons we do things the way we do, loose focus and what you love may slip away, victim of what we despise.”
“Perspective John, you’re good at it. Forgive me should I fail you.” The man turned and walked away, Stanton watched until he faded from sight, his full length leather coat wafting in the afternoon breeze brushed against the strolling populous then, he vanished.
Stanton looked at Bella with a short smile, she returned a look that melted his aching heart, he looked down at the pavement and could see a vision of Jodi, he looked back up and Bella had gone, so had the men in black suits. The eyes behind the windows of Vauxhall Cross turned away for a few seconds, Stanton vanished, no one could explain how.