Spider Shepherd: SAS: #2 Read Free Page A

me Beebop’.
    ‘And if I tell you that we will be working all the hours God sends and maybe a few more on top, Beebop, would that put you off?’
    Beebop grinned. ‘No, it’ll keep the boredom at bay.’
    ‘Good, you’ll do then,’ said Shepherd. He looked at Parker. ‘You can send the rest packing. Beebop’s all we need. ‘ Parker nodded at the remaining signallers and gestured at the door with his chin.  Shepherd waited until the other four had filed out of the room before continuing. ‘Okay, so a five-man team then: me Jock, Geordie, Jimbo and Beebop.’
    ‘And I’ll be there from time to time to liaise with the Sheikh on behalf of HMG,’ Parker said.
    Jimbo’s hackles were up straightaway. ‘I’m guessing you’ll be doing your liaising from the comfort of a five-star hotel in the capital, not in a tent in the middle of the desert with us,’ he said.
    ‘I’d sooner he was in a hotel anyway,’ Shepherd said, heading off Jock, whose short fuse was legendary. ‘That way he won’t be getting under our feet. Right, let’s get on with the planning. Usual rules: if you don’t speak up at the planning stage, you don’t get to complain about anything afterwards.’ 
    ‘Just before you start,’ Rusty said. ‘I may be talking out of turn here but, correct me if I’m wrong, none of you guys speak Arabic, do you?’
    ‘No, we’ll be using translators,’ said Shepherd.
    ‘Well, like I told you before, I speak fluent Arabic and I’ve worked extensively in the Middle East. Make me part of the team and I can run the admin for you.’
    Shepherd grinned. ‘At this rate, we’re going to be up to battalion strength before we even get out there.’
    ‘But it makes sense to take Rusty,’ Jock said. ‘He’s up to speed on admin, right?’
    Rusty nodded. ‘I know what I’m doing,’ he said,
    ‘It’ll make the training a whole lot easier with an admin guy who can anticipate our needs,’ said Jock. ‘If the ammo is on the firing point before we arrive we can get straight into the training.  If the vehicles are filled up and serviceable when we need them, that saves hours if not days out in the desert.  And don’t forget the daily grind of making sure we’re properly fed and watered allows us to get on with the job in hand.’
    ‘I’m your man for that,’ agreed Rusty. ‘Plus you won’t find a better Arabic speaker.’
    As Shepherd still hesitated, Rusty added, ‘Plus if I’m on the ground in the Middle East, I’ll be in a much better position to latch on to some work for when I leave the regiment.’ He grinned. ‘You’d be doing me a big favour.’
    ‘What about the admin here?’ asked Shepherd.
    ‘My oppo can cover it,’ said Rusty. ‘There’s not enough work for one, let alone two of us here anyway.’
    ‘Fair enough,’ Shepherd said. ‘All agreed?’ He looked around the circle of faces. Jimbo, Jock and Geordie all nodded. ‘Then you’re in, Rusty. Welcome aboard. You can start by giving us the Intel brief.’
    ‘Brilliant, thanks,’ said Rusty. ‘There’s little to add to what Mr Parker has already told you. We’re monitoring the ruler’s cousin and his group and they have been flagged as top priority, but there’s not much sigint, electronic chatter or any other sign of immediate concern.’
    ‘Okay,’ Shepherd said, ‘Let’s get the kit sorted. Weaponry?’
    ‘Just one point on that,’ Rusty said, ‘unlike bodyguards in Western countries, it’s normal for BG’s in the Middle East to carry their weapons openly, so there’s no need for the usual worries about concealment. You can have whatever you want.’
    ‘Thanks,’ Shepherd said, ‘you’re proving your worth already. So, what do you reckon Jock?’
    The Scotsman thought about it for a moment. ‘I think we’d be best with the Heckler and Koch MP5K,’ he said eventually.  ‘There’s nothing better for close quarter work. And for shorts we’ll use the Browning 9mm pistol. They use the same