Ryan turned off the engine and slowly stepped out of the car to adjust his eyes to the lack of natural light. The emptiness somehow echoed throughout the thousands of square metres, and Ryan was certain that if a pin was dropped, it would sound more like a large iron bar being dropped on concrete inside an empty shed.
Ryan checked to see he was still within time, and figured that if something was going to happen, it would have to be within the next few minutes.
As the clock ticked past the allotted time, Ryan began to feel uneasy, wondering if he had been sent on a wild goose chase, all for nothing. Whether or not that was the case, he knew Pluto was only using this game as a diversion while he set up his own final plan ready to implement as soon as Ryan was out of the way - if that was what was supposed to happen. Ryan was determined to ensure Pluto’s plan wouldn’t go quite to his liking.
Letting his mind wander, Ryan started to wonder if Pluto even knew he had reached the designated location. It was something he said during the last phone conversation which made him think that Pluto hadn’t been keeping as close an eye on him as he thought, yet he must have eyes working for him.
Pluto had needed assurance Ryan was still on his own and hadn’t been followed. But that could mean two things. Either Pluto was making sure Ian and Carmel weren’t there for backup, or he was trying to find out if his own men had been spotted. Whatever the answer, it could change the whole scheme of things, and a new strategy would have to be developed.
With so many things going through his mind, Ryan didn’t see the car now facing him, about eighty metres away. As he watched, four men emerged from the vehicle, two on each side, and stood there for a moment. Ryan could see at least two of the men had semi automatic rifles. The other two would most certainly have had weapons, but they hadn’t been revealed.
After a few minutes, all four men got back into the vehicle, which then started moving slowly forward. With less than fifty metres to go, the car suddenly revved up, put its headlights on full, and made a dash, straight for Ryan.
Waiting until the last moment, Ryan dived out of the way behind his BMW and lying on the ground, steadied himself as he pulled out his gun.
First he saw the brake lights, then he heard a screech as the vehicle spun around, ready for a second go. This time Ryan was ready. Getting up, he looked around and moved away from the BMW.
The vehicle didn’t hesitate this time, and came at him at full speed. Knowing he would be shot at first, he used a pillar for cover, then waited for the last possible moment, before he opened fire at the back window, and then the tyres.
The burst of dust from the side of the front left hand tyre, followed by uncontrolled swerving told Ryan he had made a hit. He watched as brake lights went on and off and the car kept swerving from side to side. No attempt was being made to stop and turn around this time as the car side-swiped one pillar, then met another one head-on.
One of the men could be seen crashing through the front windscreen and over the bonnet.
He was the only one to escape. The remaining three had no chance as the car burst into a ball of flame. The force of the explosion threw Ryan back against the pillar, causing him to hit his head just above his right eye.
The man who had been thrown through the windscreen, had rolled several metres before coming to a stop. Ryan took care to approach him once the resulting fire had calmed down enough for him to pass. There was no need to worry about him. Ryan figured he would have been dead before he had even left the car.
There was nothing else Ryan could do. Someone would eventually find the wreckage and what would be left of the charred remains of three men. Ryan had neither sympathy nor empathy for the men or their families. That was the kind of game they chose to play. There could only be winners and losers, and this time, they became the losers. They would never play again.
And no doubt their loss would be of no consequence to Pluto. To him, human life was easily expendable. It would be easy for him to recruit new blood, and use it to his advantage. So, if somewhere along the way that blood was spilled as well, then too bad. Tough. That was the way it went. And so the game would go on.
It didn’t matter whose side you were on. The cards had already been dealt, and if you didn’t have the upper hand, no one would be there to pick up the pieces of a losing hand.
Ryan had kept this in mind while driving away from the scene. He had to make sure James wasn’t dealt the wrong cards.