Read Online Return Fire (Sam Archer ) by Tom Barber - Free Book Online

lead, training the sights of his MP5 on the tall frame of Stanovich clearly visible through the open door to the sitting room.
    The Slovakian hadn’t moved since they arrived, standing right where Shifty had said he was in the sitting room with his back to the wall. He’d been taken completely by surprise and his eyes were wide with fear as he stared at the police team, nothing around him save a table to his right and an old pizza box on the floor to his left, the room stinking of sweat and greasy food.
    ‘Get your hands up and get down on the ground!’ Porter bellowed, the sights of his MP5 on the man’s chin, aiming at the brain stem.
    Staring at them, Stanovich didn’t move, keeping his hands by his side.
    Sweat glistened on his brow and neck, having already stained the collar of the zipped-up tracksuit top.
    ‘I said get your hands up!’ Porter ordered again, Mason beside him with his shotgun trained on the sex-trafficker, the two men covering the Slovakian.
    ‘Do it!’ Mason bellowed.
    ‘I can’t! ’ Stanovich whispered in an Eastern European accent, looking at the two men with wide desperate eyes. ‘Help me.’
    Looking at the man’s face through the sights of the MP5, Porter suddenly paused.
    Stanovich stared back at him, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.
    He was standing rigid, just as if he was on a parade ground and had been suddenly called to attention.
    Something about this was wrong.
    As Mason kept his shotgun on the man and the rest of the team cleared the residence, Porter stared at the Slovakian.
    Then he stepped to the side, looking behind the tall suspect. There was nothing back there.
    But then something caught Porter’s attention.
    Tilting his head, he saw two strands of something reflect the dying sunlight from the window. They glistened like the fine threads of a spider’s web.
    Peering closer, Porter saw they were two thin translucent wires. One end of each was hooked around Stanovich’s wrists.
    The other ends were attached to the radiator behind him below the window.
    Porter froze, staring at them. The wires were drawn tight, almost at breaking point, and vibrated slightly as Stanovich shook with fear.
    ‘Clear!’ someone shouted from the bathroom.
    ‘Clear!’ another voice called from the bedroom.
    Porter didn’t respond, moving back and focusing on Stanovich. His tracksuit top was zipped up all the way, despite the heat.
    It was concealing something underneath.
    ‘Open it,’ Porter said quietly, not taking his eyes off Stanovich, Mason keeping his shotgun on the man’s head.
    ‘I can’t,’ Stanovich whispered again, sweat running into his eyes as he looked down at his hands tied to the radiator with the threads.
    As the other officers joined him, keeping their weapons trained on Stanovich, Porter stepped forward slowly, keeping his MP5 trained on the man with his right hand.
    He used his left to unzip the garment, Stanovich quivering as six more weapons were aimed at him from just a couple of feet away as the rest of the task force joined Porter and Mason.
    As the zip reached the bottom, the two sides of the tracksuit top parted.
    And Porter froze.
    Stanovich was wearing a vest packed tight with TNT and several rectangular bags of thick nails.
    ‘Holy shit!’ Mason said, staring at the explosives.
    Examining the device, Porter saw the thin translucent wires wrapped around Stanovich’s wrists and the radiator were leading into a detonator stuck beside the red sticks of TNT.
    And a light on the front was glowing red.
    Porter’s attention snapped up to Stanovich’s face, who was trembling, the wires connecting him to the radiator at breaking point.
    ‘Look,’ Stanovich whispered, his eyes darting to Porter’s right.
    The ARU sergeant snapped his head over his shoulder and saw a circular webcam mounted on the wall behind them to the right, aimed directly at the Slovakian.
    They were being watched.
    ‘ Everybody out!’ Porter shouted, turning and pushing his men