To Kill a Grey Man
pans?”
    “Ah well, yeah.   You see I
thought that you would like the plan so much you might want to advance me some
money on account I had the ideas and we were partners.”

 
    Surge stood looking at this earnest, young man just starting out in
life, sharing his dream, somehow it touched him.   “What is happening to me?” he thought.   All his life he had been a loner, a man who
walked his own path.   Was it Pru ?   Did she open
his heart and let these emotions surface?   He was changing and it worried him.

 
    Finally making a decision, Surge took Steve back to the alcove and
got a piece of A4 paper and a pen and said “Write down what you need and I will
go and buy it.”
    Steve’s face lit up and his smile filled the room.   “We have deal?”
    “We have a deal,” said Surge.   “I will get my solicitor to draw up some
papers.   I just hope you can cook!”   Steve smiled and shook Surge’s hand.

 
    They spent the next couple of hours going over details as the pub
filled up and Gary continually interrupted moaning about his workload.

 
    As Steve got up to leave, Surge asked him when he got his degree.
    Steve smiled, “Yesterday.   Me and my mum and dad picked it up from Brighton Uni.”   With that he waved and left the pub.

 
    It took two weeks to get the kitchen ‘right’ and they had a couple
of lunchtime trial runs to ensure everything worked.   Steve was an excellent cook and manager, both
disciplined in his planning and execution.   He got on with Surge like a house on fire.

 
    Steve’s friend Jonny, an I.T. geek, had put together a website and
the grand opening evening was planned.   The
place was packed.   Jonny acted as waiter
and Surge moved between the bar and working as Steve’s assistant, doing
whatever was necessary, pouring pints, peeling potatoes and vegetables, washing
up and even cooking.   They ran out of
food way before they did customers.

 
    At 11.00 pm they closed up and started to clean the pub, all of them
very tired.   Steve was overjoyed and
Surge realized he had never been happier.   He had spent a lifetime in high adventure breaking men on missions
throughout the globe but this was the most satisfying thing he had ever done.

 
    .    .    .    .    .    .

 
    Surge’s mind came back to today.   He changed into his running gear.   It was still dark and the air was cold and crisp.   He made sure his running shoes were tied and
went through his warm up routine including yoga stretching, touching his nose
to his knees while keeping his legs straight.   For such a large, older man it looked strange that
he could be so flexible.   He then set off
through the town in an easy stride, the sun was just coming up and a red glow
covered the roof tops.   The air was clean
and there was a definite taste of spring.

 
    He ran past the old dilapidated Citroen garage and up through the High
Street, passing the new ugly block of flats where the three scumbag drug
dealers were living.   Music was blaring
out from the flat disturbing the surroundings.   Surge thought it must be hell for the other tenants and he wondered if
he should get involved but for the first time in his life he decided he did not
want the trouble.   Life was good and the
last thing he needed was to get involved in any aggravation.   He’d let the police sort it out.   From the top of the hill he could see the
beautiful South Downs and he ran on into the country.

 
    Chapter 7
    The Adversary

 
    John Sea was in a meeting at his golf club which was his main base
of operations.   The room with the huge
glass divider was closed and no diners were allowed in to the main lunchtime
area.   A slim, good looking man in his
late forties, he wore his usual attire of brown patent leather loafers with
tassels, cream trousers, a cream Pringle jumper and a beige polo shirt blending
in perfectly with the golfers that belonged to his club.   Outwardly always pleasant

Similar Books

Guardian of Honor

Robin D. Owens

The Road To Forgiveness

Justine Elvira

The Hawk And His Boy

Christopher Bunn

I'm Down: A Memoir

Mishna Wolff

Six Bedrooms

Tegan Bennett Daylight

The Dom Next Door

Ariel Storm

Everyday Hero

Kathleen Cherry