Read Online The Secret of Excalibur by Andy McDermott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Andy McDermott
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is this, a goddamn food fight ?’ she cried.
More shouts came from the other end of the kitchen, followed by a colossal crash of breaking crockery. Nina risked another look over the counter, seeing the doors swinging and thousands of fragments of plates and bowls skittering over the tiles where another trolley had been overturned. The man was gone.
‘Shit!’ She jumped up and ran past the kitchen staff, skidding and slithering over the smashed china into the hotel’s dining room. The bearded man had seemingly got his bearings, and was racing towards the exit to the reception area. She followed.
Chase powered down the hill alongside the Imax, triggering a speed camera in his haste to reach Nina. He just managed to hold in an obscenity on seeing the double flash in his mirror. Beside him, Nan clung tightly with one hand to the door handle, her other arm hugging her bag of shopping.
He swept over the elevated road above the broad pierfront esplanade and back up the hill towards the International Centre. As he braked sharply to turn into the Paragon’s car park, he saw he wasn’t the only one in a hurry - a gleaming black Jaguar XK convertible screeched in ahead of him from the opposite direction, a woman with punkish orange hair at its wheel.
Somehow, he knew she was connected with whatever trouble Nina had got herself into. If Nan hadn’t been with him, he would have rammed the Focus into the Jag to stop the woman from making a getaway, but instead all he could do was watch helplessly as a huge bearded slab of a man ran out of the hotel, swatting a doorman aside with a sweep of one arm.
He had an Apple laptop in his other hand. It had to be Nina’s . . . The Jaguar skidded to a halt. The man vaulted the door and landed in the passenger seat, the car visibly tilting under his weight. The woman stamped on the accelerator, skidding the car round to head back the way it had come.
Nina charged out of the hotel and ran to the Focus. ‘That’s them, they killed him!’ she shouted, pointing after the disappearing XK. She was about to open the front passenger door when she realised the seat was occupied. ‘Oh!’
‘You remember my nan, don’t you?’ Chase said sheepishly.
‘Yeah, ah . . .’ The Jaguar disappeared from view; she stared desperately after it, then pulled open the rear door and jumped in, shoving shopping aside. ‘They’re getting away, go go go !’
Chase gave her a despairing look. ‘Nina, my grandmother ’s in the car!’
To their mutual surprise, Nan spoke up. ‘Go after them, Edward!’
Chase’s eyebrows shot up. ‘ What? ’
Nan shoved the bag on her lap into the footwell and gripped the door handle with both hands. ‘I always wanted to see what my grandson does for a living.’
‘But—’
She glowered fiercely at him. ‘Edward, they’re getting away! Go on, get after them!’
He revved the engine. ‘This is such a fff . . . lippin’ bad idea . . .’ And with that, Chase brought the Focus screaming round after the Jaguar.
5
C hase flung the Focus out of the car park into a sharp right turn. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked Nina.
‘I don’t know,’ Nina said tersely.
‘That helps!’
‘The woman shot Bernd, and the big guy stole my laptop. I think he’s Russian.’
Ahead, the Jaguar slewed the wrong way through a roundabout. Another car swerved to avoid a collision and crashed on to the pavement. ‘Why’d he steal your laptop?’
‘That disc Bernd gave me - whatever’s on it, they want it!’
Chase braked hard and skidded round the roundabout. The shopping bags in the back seat spilled their contents over Nina. ‘So what’s on the disc?’
‘I don’t know! Something to do with finding Excalibur.’
The Jaguar was pulling away up a hill. Chase wished he’d hired something more powerful than a family hatchback. ‘What, King Arthur’s sword?’
‘No, the John Boorman movie!’ she snapped sarcastically. ‘ Yes , King Arthur’s
More shouts came from the other end of the kitchen, followed by a colossal crash of breaking crockery. Nina risked another look over the counter, seeing the doors swinging and thousands of fragments of plates and bowls skittering over the tiles where another trolley had been overturned. The man was gone.
‘Shit!’ She jumped up and ran past the kitchen staff, skidding and slithering over the smashed china into the hotel’s dining room. The bearded man had seemingly got his bearings, and was racing towards the exit to the reception area. She followed.
Chase powered down the hill alongside the Imax, triggering a speed camera in his haste to reach Nina. He just managed to hold in an obscenity on seeing the double flash in his mirror. Beside him, Nan clung tightly with one hand to the door handle, her other arm hugging her bag of shopping.
He swept over the elevated road above the broad pierfront esplanade and back up the hill towards the International Centre. As he braked sharply to turn into the Paragon’s car park, he saw he wasn’t the only one in a hurry - a gleaming black Jaguar XK convertible screeched in ahead of him from the opposite direction, a woman with punkish orange hair at its wheel.
Somehow, he knew she was connected with whatever trouble Nina had got herself into. If Nan hadn’t been with him, he would have rammed the Focus into the Jag to stop the woman from making a getaway, but instead all he could do was watch helplessly as a huge bearded slab of a man ran out of the hotel, swatting a doorman aside with a sweep of one arm.
He had an Apple laptop in his other hand. It had to be Nina’s . . . The Jaguar skidded to a halt. The man vaulted the door and landed in the passenger seat, the car visibly tilting under his weight. The woman stamped on the accelerator, skidding the car round to head back the way it had come.
Nina charged out of the hotel and ran to the Focus. ‘That’s them, they killed him!’ she shouted, pointing after the disappearing XK. She was about to open the front passenger door when she realised the seat was occupied. ‘Oh!’
‘You remember my nan, don’t you?’ Chase said sheepishly.
‘Yeah, ah . . .’ The Jaguar disappeared from view; she stared desperately after it, then pulled open the rear door and jumped in, shoving shopping aside. ‘They’re getting away, go go go !’
Chase gave her a despairing look. ‘Nina, my grandmother ’s in the car!’
To their mutual surprise, Nan spoke up. ‘Go after them, Edward!’
Chase’s eyebrows shot up. ‘ What? ’
Nan shoved the bag on her lap into the footwell and gripped the door handle with both hands. ‘I always wanted to see what my grandson does for a living.’
‘But—’
She glowered fiercely at him. ‘Edward, they’re getting away! Go on, get after them!’
He revved the engine. ‘This is such a fff . . . lippin’ bad idea . . .’ And with that, Chase brought the Focus screaming round after the Jaguar.
5
C hase flung the Focus out of the car park into a sharp right turn. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked Nina.
‘I don’t know,’ Nina said tersely.
‘That helps!’
‘The woman shot Bernd, and the big guy stole my laptop. I think he’s Russian.’
Ahead, the Jaguar slewed the wrong way through a roundabout. Another car swerved to avoid a collision and crashed on to the pavement. ‘Why’d he steal your laptop?’
‘That disc Bernd gave me - whatever’s on it, they want it!’
Chase braked hard and skidded round the roundabout. The shopping bags in the back seat spilled their contents over Nina. ‘So what’s on the disc?’
‘I don’t know! Something to do with finding Excalibur.’
The Jaguar was pulling away up a hill. Chase wished he’d hired something more powerful than a family hatchback. ‘What, King Arthur’s sword?’
‘No, the John Boorman movie!’ she snapped sarcastically. ‘ Yes , King Arthur’s
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