‘You’re not a very generous man to people in retirement.’
Simon laughed. ‘Do you realise something, Sir Nikolas?’
‘Aleksey.’
Simon shrugged. ‘Aleksey then. Don’t you see it?’
‘See what?’
‘You and me. Youenvyme. Youadmireme. I’m still me, still what you once were so I’ve been reliably informed. But you’ve been neutered—you were once a master of the universe, but now you’re nothing more than a pussy-whipped has-been.’
Aleksey pursed his lips, considering this, then wobbled his hand. ‘Not so much with the pussy.’
Simon clenched his jaw. ‘We both know you don’t have the stomach for this anymore. You are not going to sit there and watch me drown. It’s not in you, so don’t pretend it is.’
Aleksey chuckled. ‘Want to bet?’
‘Sure. And I’d win. You’re old and tired of the game. And do you know what people like us do when they retire from the playing field? They start to consider what’s next, the great questions that elude us all: what am I here for; where am I going; what does my life mean…? All those sins we’ve committed weigh heavily then. The ghosts start to haunt. And you might be willing to kill in extremis to save the world, but you won’t risk your immortal soul to kill me.’
Aleksey frowned.
‘You haven’t even been able to name it, have you? Yes, yoursoul...your hope for a life after this one…’
‘Oh, no, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking about a shipwreck.’
‘What?’ Simon was standing very tall now, stretching his arm, pulling at the trapped wrist with some urgency, although it was clear he was trying to keep his voice affable, chatty. Aleksey reckoned this man had read a copy of his rules.
‘It was a story I heard—a crew of Spaniards were shipwrecked on a tiny island many years ago. They were very religious men on a holy mission, and they were rescued and welcomed by angels who were living on earth disguised as monks. The angels nursed them back to health, fed them, prayed for them I shouldn’t wonder. Then when they were well, the Spaniards slaughtered them all, stole their boat and left to get on with their holy crusade.’
‘That doesn’t make a lot of sense, and what have fairytales got to do with you and me?’
‘It makes total sense; it’s completely true, and it’s why what is going to happen now happens. You see, these holy men, these Spaniards, had been pre-absolved of any sin. They were innocent in the eyes of God of anything they did. Imagine the freedom that would give you. Complete dispensation.’
‘You’re mad. You think you have God’s permission to sit there and watch me drown?’
Aleksey smirked. ‘Not God’s, no. And I don’t think you are going to drown.’
Raiden was tipping his head back now, the water beginning to lap over his shirt collar. His eyes were fixated by the seaweed above him.
‘Oh, the tide will rise well above your head—I wasn’t implying that it wouldn’t. No, I just meant I don’t think you’ll drown.’ He leaned forwards from his dry perch and handed Simon the sword. ‘I’m curious to see how much we are alike.’
Simon held the weapon in his free hand.
He couldn’t use it to cut the wire trapping him for it wouldn’t go through the hole.
He couldn’t reachhimwith it—he was sitting comfortably high and dry on the overturned driver’s seat wishing his cigarettes weren’t ruined.
It seemed to occur to Simon what hecoulddo with the sword when the first slow slosh of the rising tide touched his chin. His mouth opened but no words emerged. It appeared he was over his chatty phase. He swallowed deeply. ‘I can’t.’
‘Then you were right—we’re nothing alike. Only you are the one who is mistaken about his true nature. In your situation, I would not hesitate to do what needed to be done.’
Other than on the ropes in the fish shed, the sharpness of the blade had not really been tested. But Squeezy had done a good job on it. He’d clearly honed it to a razor’s edge. Fortunately, Simon had space above his head to get a good swing.
Towards the end, Aleksey had to help him out.
Remission of sins was a wonderful thing, but he didn’t want Simon to die. He’d promised Harry, after all.
Chapter Forty-six
