Read Online Sharp Shot by Jack Higgins - Free Book Online

mirrored on those of the two young
men in the seat in front.
    â€œComing through!” Rich yelled. There was justroom for
his foot between them. He balanced on the bench seat before taking a giant
stride over to the next one.
    The carriage jumped slightly as it went over a join in the rails. For
a moment Rich wobbled, unbalanced. He grabbed for one of the men’s
shoulders, but missed. His arms windmilled and he felt himself falling to
one side.
    A hand grabbed him. It was the girl he’d been sitting next to. She
caught his arm from behind and held on tight until he was steady again.
    â€œThanks,” said Rich.
    Further down the rollercoaster there were people shouting and
pointing. The hitman was only a few seats back now.
    â€œIf you don’t like me,” the girl told him, “just
say so.”
    â€œYou’re great,” Rich assured her. “But I have to
go. Sorry.” He added another “sorry” to the two men,
and took the next step, into the front of the carriage. A mother and small
boy stared at him in undisguised amazement as he stepped between them.
Rich forced a smile.
    They were almost at the top of the incline now. Thehitman stepped on
to Rich’s old seat. He was shouting something, but Rich couldn’t hear him
above the yelling of everyone else, the thunder of the wheels on the
rails, the wind buffeting him as they rose ever higher.
    He had to jump to get to the front carriage. He braced himself. What
if the man shot him as he leaped
—would it look like an accident? Like he cared, he thought. And
jumped.
    The back of the carriage rushed up to meet him. But Rich could see he
wasn’t going to make it. The rollercoaster was moving away as it tipped,
as it gathered speed to head down the slope. For a split-second Rich could
see down the rails to the bottom. He could see just how far he was going
to fall.
    Then the whole rollercoaster stopped. It teetered on the brink, just
about to fall—a final planned moment of terror for the occupants as they
stared down at the abyss. A final planned moment that saved Rich’s life as
he scrabbled at the back of the carriage and managed to grab hold.
    He tumbled over the back and into the empty seat. There was no time
to wriggle under the locking bar, so he grabbed hold of it and braced
himself. His footconnected with something on the seat. The woman stared
at him in horror as her bag went flying over the side. Then the whole
rollercoaster was falling.
    A sudden flash of light blinded him for a second. He thought for a
moment he’d been shot, but there was no blood, no pain.
    Rich was sprawled awkwardly across the seat, holding tight to the
locking bar as the rollercoaster hurtled down the slope. He felt like his
stomach was still somewhere at the top of the ride; he could hear the
blood throbbing in his ears.
    Then the rollercoaster was levelling out, slowing down. Rich twisted
until he was more comfortable, but he couldn’t afford to stay where he
was. The hitman would be climbing after him any second. The woman beside
him was yelling about her bag and hitting Rich. He wanted to tell her it
was just a bag, and there were people trying to kill him
so why was she so annoyed? But the descent had knocked the wind from him
and he was still gasping to get it back.
    The carriage was almost still now. They were back at the station
where they’d got on. The rollercoaster slowed as it reached the platform
and somehow Rich managed to roll sideways. His feet met the woodenplatform while the carriage was still moving and he
almost fell as he staggered clear.
    â€œHey!” the attendant yelled.
    But Rich didn’t wait to get told off. He lurched away from the
rollercoaster, giddily heading for the exit. How long did he have? How
soon before the hitman was after him? Would the girl he’d been sitting
next to try to slow the man down or get help?
    He didn’t have time to find out. The exit tunnel loomed