Read Rough Diamonds (A Spider Shepherd short story) for Free Online Page B

the Hind on the beach four miles from their hotel, with the remainder of the weapons they’d taken from the Liberian airfield still inside it. Shepherd set demolition charges and  having checked that there were no civilians in the immediate area he set the timer and  they hurried away.
    ‘It seems a shame to blow up a perfectly serviceable helicopter,’ Jerzy said. ‘It’s much better than anything I’ve been flying here.’
    ‘It has to go,’ Shepherd said. ‘Too many questions would be asked about it and it might set off a political shit-storm.’ The helicopter exploded behind them and a column of flame and smoke belched into the sky while metal fragments pattered down like raindrops onto the sand.
    They all shook hands with Jerzy outside the air force base after he’d arranged a lift back to the civilian airport.  Shepherd, Jock, Jimbo and Geordie walked along the beach to their hotel. Shepherd was still carrying the bag of diamonds.
    Farid, the Lebanese diamond merchant, an overweight, balding middle-aged man with a gold Rolex on his wrist, was sitting in the lobby, and as soon as he saw them, he prised his bulk out of his chair and hurried over to them. ‘My friends,’ he said, dabbing the sweat from his brow with a large silk handkerchief, ‘I am very pleased to see you.’ He turned to Shepherd. ‘Do you have anything to sell to me?’
    ‘Why would I?’ Shepherd said exchanging a glance with Jock. The last time they had met Farid, he had been with Parker.
    ‘I just thought you might have come across some diamonds somewhere,’ Farid said, with a shifty smile.
    ‘There you are,’ said a voice and they turned to see Parker himself striding towards them, the trousers of his linen suit flapping behind him. ‘I’m glad to see you’re all fit and well. I hope you didn’t encounter too many unforeseen problems on that little task you were performing?’ He shifted his gaze to the leather bag that Shepherd was holding. ‘And I see you brought something back with you as well. Farid, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but on this occasion I’m afraid there’s nothing for you here.’
    He waited until Farid had walked back to his chair and sat down with his back to them before continuing.   ‘I take it the South African gentlemen will not be causing us any further problems?’ he said.
    ‘Only for the undertakers,’ Jock said with a grim smile.
    ‘Excellent. Then there’s only one further matter to attend to.’ He held out his hand for the bag.
     Shepherd raised an eyebrow, making no move to give the bag to him.
    Parker’s lips tightened. ‘Surely I don’t need to remind you that, if those are what I think they are, they are the property of HMG and as her representative, I am authorised to take control of them.’ He paused. ‘And I am giving you a direct order to hand them over.’
    He took hold of the handle of the bag, and this time Shepherd shrugged and allowed him to take it. ‘Just tell me a couple of things, though,’  said Shepherd. ‘First of all: why did you bother bringing in the mercs in the first place?  As we’ve just demonstrated, the SAS are perfectly capable of dealing with the rebels and any other enemy groups in Sierra Leone. Why did you hire a bunch of South African mercs instead of using professionals.’
    ‘That’s not your concern,‘ Parker said. ‘Need to know and all that.’ 
    ‘Do you know, or was it yet another decision taken above your pay grade?’
    Parker smiled tightly but didn’t answer.
    ‘Secondly: what’s going to happen to those diamonds now?  Whose pockets are they going into, Jonathan? Perhaps some of your political friends in Downing Street are going to get a little windfall?’
    ‘Once more, that’s not your concern,’ Parker said.
    ‘Well, I’m betting it won’t be anyone in Sierra Leone anyway, because this was never about freeing the locals from tyranny, was it?  It was all about politics, money and power.’
    ‘You don’t