Read Online Hostage by Chris Bradford - Free Book Online

you’ll
learn the necessary skills to do just that – unarmed combat, anti-surveillance,
body-cover drills and anti-ambush exercises, to name but a few.’ He directed his
attention at Connor. ‘Alpha team havealready completed the
introductory lessons, so you’ve a lot of catching up to do. But your martial arts
experience should help.’
    Draining his coffee mug, the colonel
switched off the projector and gathered his papers together.
    ‘I’ll see everyone after break
for our next session.’
    Alpha team rose in respect as the colonel
departed the briefing room.
    Connor shut down his laptop with relief.
‘
Phew
… there’s a lot to take in,’ he remarked.
    ‘You’ve barely scratched the
surface,’ replied Marc. ‘Your brain will be fried by the end of the
month.’
    ‘That’s if he’s got a
brain!’ cracked Jason.
    ‘Leave him alone,’ said Ling.
‘Just because yours still needs to evolve!’
    Jason made a grab for her. Ling sidestepped
him and danced down the corridor. As the others headed towards Alpha team’s common
room, Connor hung back. Walking over to Charley, he bent down to pick up her bag.
    ‘I can do that,’ she said,
neatly flipping it on to the back of her wheelchair.
    ‘Sorry, of course you can,’
replied Connor, feeling awkward at his presumption. He followed her into the
corridor.
    ‘Something on your mind?’ she
asked.
    Not knowing how to broach the subject
directly, Connor said, ‘What made you decide to become a buddyguard?’
    Charley laughed. ‘Colonel
Black.’
    Connor gave her a puzzled look.
    ‘You’ve experienced his
recruitment methods,’ she explained. ‘He’s not a man who expects no
for an answer.’
    ‘But you still had a
choice.’
    Charley nodded. ‘And I jumped at the
chance.’
    ‘But why?’
    Charley sighed. ‘A friend of mine was
kidnapped. She was never seen again. I’ve always thought that if I’d known
how to protect her, I could have saved her.’
    ‘But what do your parents think about
you doing this?’
    ‘They died in a plane crash three
years ago.’
    Connor felt his heart go out to her.
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
    ‘It’s all right,’ she
replied, her voice flat and unemotional. ‘I’ve kinda come to terms with it
now.’
    But Connor recognized the brave face she put
on as the same one he used when someone asked about his dad. She couldn’t conceal
the deeper grain of sadness in her eyes.
    They passed through the entrance hall in
silence. As they neared the bay window, a shaft of sunlight glinted off the badge on
Charley’s top. In an attempt to change the topic, Connor asked, ‘Tell me,
why’s your shield gold?’
    Charley glanced down at the badge.
‘These are awarded for outstanding bravery in the line of duty.’
    Intrigued, Connor asked, ‘What did you
do?’
    Charley rolled to a stop by the window and
looked out at the mountains in the distance.
    ‘As buddyguards, we hope for the best,
but plan for the worst,’ she said softly. ‘Sometimes, the worst
happens.’
    She chewed her lower lip pensively and went
silent on him.
    Wishing he’d kept his mouth shut,
Connor decided not to push the subject any further. Charley seemed to appreciate this.
She forced a smile and her face brightened. ‘But don’t worry, Connor. As ops
leader, I’ll make certain that never happens to you.’

Descending the darkened staircase to the
basement level, Hazim walked along a short corridor, lit only by a bare bulb, and looked
inside an empty windowless white-walled cell. In the room opposite, Bahir glanced up
from a circuit board that he was soldering.
    ‘Malik’s asked me to check on
progress of the holding cell,’ explained Hazim. ‘He wants to know if
it’ll be one hundred per cent secure?’
    ‘When I’m finished,’ Bahir
stated, the glowing tip of the soldering iron reflecting in his metal-rimmed glasses,
‘a spider won’t be able to get in or out!’
    He pointed to the narrow door Hazim had just
peered through.