The Assassins by Alan Bardos (best novels in english txt) 📗

that if Ilic did suspect him and was going to “do him in”, he would use whatever was in that box to do it.

'Well, like yours, my mother was forced to do work that was beneath her,' Johnny replied. His mother had been significantly better placed than a common laundry maid, but he was hoping that if he could make some sort of connection with Ilic he would be less likely to shoot him. 'She eventually married a school teacher. They disowned me when I was expelled from school. As you know, the older generation don't share our idealism.'

'You were expelled from school for organising a student strike?' Ilic asked looking back from the window.

Johnny tensed. 'Yes, that's right.'

'What were you striking for?'

Johnny had organised the strike to protest against having to do double prep. He'd roused his brother pupils to rise up – they'd had nothing to lose but their chains. It was meant as a harmless prank to get at Simpson, the housemaster, and everyone had laughed. Unfortunately, the school, caught up in the moral outrage over the Tonypandy Riots and working class unrest in general, had unceremoniously kicked Johnny out in disgrace.

Johnny wasn't sure how that would sit with Ilic. The train was coming to a stop at one of the outlying stations, but that didn't distract him. Ilic wanted an answer.

'The school tried to make us sing the national anthem of our oppressors,' Johnny said eventually. He'd heard that some Young Bosnians had organised school strikes for similar reasons. Ilic cringed at the answer and stood up abruptly; he'd plainly been hoping for something a bit more profound.

'I had thought you might be different Jovo, but you're a zealot, like Gavrilo and the rest.' Ilic picked up the box, which made a blood-curdling clank. 'We're getting off here.’

'What?' Johnny looked at the sign outside - they were at Alipasa Most Station, miles from Sarajevo.

'The express is subject to searches by the police,' Ilic said, in answer to Johnny's confusion, and then he jumped out of the train. Johnny felt for the reassurance of the knife in his pocket and followed him.

'Here, take this.' Ilic passed him the box and Johnny took it gratefully, assuming that if he was holding the box, Ilic couldn’t use whatever was in it to kill him. Then it dawned on Johnny that his sole purpose for being there was to act as a decoy. If they were stopped, it was Johnny's neck on the block.

They took a branch line train going to Ilidza and Johnny wondered fleetingly if Libby had arrived there yet or if she was still in the arms of the preening dandy. Ilic kicked Johnny out of his gloom as they got into Mariendvor Station in the suburbs of Sarajevo. From there they had a hot and sweaty tram ride to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and a short walk back to the boarding house.

Ilic finally took the box back when they were in his room.

'You got them?' Gavrilo asked, looking up from a book as they entered.

'Yes,' Ilic answered and started to struggle with the cord tied around the box.

‘Here use this.’ Without thinking, Johnny handed him the knife he’d brought and Ilic cut the cord and unwrapped the newspaper. To Johnny's surprise, there was a black sugar box inside. Ilic opened the box and looked reassured and worried, almost in the same moment. Then he pulled out a small automatic pistol and pointed it straight at Johnny.

Johnny recoiled, caught unaware. A jumbled mass of thoughts tumbled through his mind: being with Libby, betting every penny he had on the spin of a wheel. Johnny had done all he could to live a life and still had so much more to do. He couldn't understand why Ilic had waited until he was home to do this.

Ilic lowered the gun, his demonstration over. 'You kept your nerve today, Jovo. Are you willing to swear your allegiance to our cause?'

‘I am,’ Johnny said, regaining his composure. ‘With my dying breath I will fight for what is right.’

'On Vidovdan, we shall honour the memories of Obilic and Zerajic by killing the tyrant, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and sacrificing ourselves for our people. Are you willing to join us?' Gavrilo asked.

'I would be honoured.' Johnny smiled with relief and pride. He looked from the lofty intellectual to the slight, intense adolescent and couldn't believe they'd be capable of such an act. 'Will it just be us?'

'No, there are others,' Ilic replied.

Johnny nodded. 'Nedjo also?'

Ilic and Princip exchanged a look. 'Nedjo may be one of us but we have one other in our group. There is also a second cell known only to Ilic,' Princip replied as he started to take the rest of the guns out of the box. Johnny decided to leave it at that - he'd already gone above and beyond the call of duty. This little escapade was over.

Chapter 23

Johnny was entranced by the nimble figure of a belly dancer. She moved naturally, as if she was making love - wild and beautiful.

They were about the same age, but the dancer was epochs ahead of him in every other respect. He'd tried to catch her eye, but she’d continued to beat out the rhythm with hypnotic hips, giving nothing away under her green veil. Johnny had never seen a woman out of his league before; it was a disquieting and arousing sensation.

He glanced over at Breitner, sitting next to him in judgement, waiting for Johnny to finish his report. He'd been hoping that Breitner might be as distracted by the entertainment as the little chap from the British Consulate had been. Instead, it was Johnny who was caught in the trap, unable to think or talk.

'You did ask for this meeting,' Breitner said piously. Johnny had sent him