Hostage (27 page)

Ensuring he was alone in the rear kitchen,
Malik switched on the untraceable mobile phone he’d acquired from his contact.
Then he dialled the number he’d committed to memory. Answered on the fourth ring,
there was a burst of high-pitched squealing and electronic chatter as the scrambled
signals synchronized with one another.

A digitally enhanced robotic voice spoke.
‘
Answer?
’

‘All war is deception,’ replied
Malik, quoting the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, as dictated by his contact
instructions.

‘
Proceed with your
update
.’

Malik had no idea of the identity of the
person on the other end. Nor did he ever want to know. Anonymity was critical for the
isolation of each cell – and even more so for the central cell.
They
had
contacted him first.
They
had proposed the plan. And
they
had given
him the means to carry it out. But
he
would be the one to receive all the
glory. He would be seen as the leading light. And the rest of the Brotherhood need never
know of their existence or the part the central cell had played. That had been the
deal.

‘The egg has been laid in the nest and
is ready to hatch,’ replied Malik. ‘All units are set to go.’

There was a pause on the end of the
line.

‘
Has the operation been
compromised in any way?
’ asked the robotic voice.

‘No,’ stated Malik with absolute
certainty. ‘The sleeper has not awoken.’

‘
Then execute operation without
delay.
’

Malik’s hand holding the phone began
to tremble in anticipation. The time had come to make history.

‘One question,’ he said, sensing
the receiver about to hang up. ‘My final payment?’

Another pause. ‘
When the operation
succeeds, you’ll be
justly
rewarded.
’

Malik grinned at the thought.

‘
Is that all?
’ said the
voice, a trace of impatience detectable in its manipulated tone.

‘Yes.’

‘
Then this will be our last
communication.
’

All eyes turned towards Connor and Alicia as
they made their entrance into the school prom. It was the first time Connor had worn a
tuxedo and black bow-tie and he was enjoying the James Bond look. It seemed appropriate
for a bodyguard. Next to him, Alicia looked truly stunning in a flowing red silk dress,
her long dark hair adorned with a cascade of miniature roses. And Connor couldn’t
help feeling a sense of pride as he walked across the school gymnasium with the
President’s daughter on his arm.

The gym hall had been transformed into a
glittering ballroom, festooned with purple and white streamers, flashing spotlights,
lasers and a huge disco ball that dazzled like a diamond in the centre of the room. On
stage a live band was playing and the dance floor was already abuzz with students
celebrating the end of term. Around the edge, tables were laden with food for a
buffet.

‘You look gorgeous,’ gushed
Paige, welcoming Alicia and Connor to their table.

‘So do you,’ replied Alicia. She
stepped back to admire her friend’s champagne-coloured gown.

‘This is Steve,’ said Paige,
introducing her date, a tall handsome boy with cropped black hair and a chiselled jaw.
‘He’s from Sidwell Friends School.’

Alicia smiled warmly. ‘So
you’re
the Steve that Paige has been hiding from us.’

‘Must be,’ he replied with a
laugh. ‘Unless she’s hiding any others?’

Paige playfully bashed him on the arm with
her purse. Then she leant close to Alicia’s ear and with an impish grin revealed,
‘Steve’s in the
senior
year!’

Alicia raised an eyebrow both in surprise
and approval.

Connor nodded in greeting to the older boy
and introduced himself. Steve was just one of many new faces in the hall, the prom being
open to student guests. This fact in itself presented an additional security problem for
Secret Service, especially since the school principal had deemed it inappropriate to
search attendees on arrival.

Already seated round the table were Grace
and Darryl, a laid-back boy from their year whose father was the ambassador for
Barbados. He raised his hand in respectful acknowledgement of Connor, while Grace hugged
Alicia. Kalila sat next to them with her date – another face Connor didn’t
recognize – an older Arab lad with sleepy eyes and a sour expression suggesting he
didn’t want to be there at all.

As Alicia and Kalila kissed cheeks, Connor
heard them whisper.

‘So who’s your date?’
asked Alicia.

‘Fariq,’ Kalila replied.
‘A friend of the family and the
only
one my father would
approve.’

Connor went over to say hello, but after a few
attempts at conversation he gave up with the monosyllabic guest. Connor pitied Kalila.
She deserved a better date than this bore.

The band began to hot up and more students
joined the party.

‘Come on, let’s dance!’
suggested Grace, grabbing hold of Darryl’s hand.

As Darryl was dragged somewhat unwillingly
from his chair, Steve and Paige rose to join them. Alicia turned expectantly to
Connor.

‘Are you sure you want to risk it
again?’ said Connor.

‘Don’t worry, I can handle a
little danger,’ she assured him with a toying smile. ‘And I
know
you can.’

‘OK,’ agreed Connor. ‘But
be prepared to take your feet to hospital!’

Alicia glanced over at Kalila and her date.
‘How about you two?’

Fariq seemed decidedly uncomfortable at the
idea.

‘Maybe later,’ said Kalila,
offering a strained smile.

Reluctantly leaving them alone at the table,
Connor and Alicia made their way over to the others on the dance floor. The music was
pumping and everyone was swaying and jigging to the beat. Alicia immediately got into
the rhythm, her flowing movements making her appear like she was dancing on air. By
comparison, Connor appeared awkwardly stilted, but as soon as Alicia took his hand and
reminded him of some of the salsa steps his movement became more natural.

‘That’s more like it,’
beamed Alicia, stepping away and beginning to lose herself in the music.

Dancing alongside Alicia, Connor momentarily
forgot his role as a bodyguard and began to properly enjoy himself for the first time
since arriving in America. He hadn’t fully appreciated how stressful the past
fortnight of covert protection had been. There hadn’t been a single moment in
Alicia’s presence when he hadn’t been thinking of her safety. That constant
alertness eventually took its toll. So, all things considered, he felt he deserved a
short break. Besides, after preventing the attempted mugging by the two gangsters, he
was feeling more confident in his role. He’d proved he was up to the task.

As the dance floor grew more crowded,
Connor’s enjoyment was rudely interrupted by a sharp elbow in the ribs. Then
another. Harder this time. Cursing himself for being in a state of Code White, Connor
turned round to discover Ethan right behind him.

‘Sorry,’ said Ethan harshly.
‘I didn’t see you.’

Connor doubted that, especially when a few
moments later he was knocked into again.

‘Watch it!’ Ethan snarled as if
it had been Connor’s fault this time.

Realizing the boy was trying to goad him
into a fight, Connor moved away. But he was bumped into from the other side by the mass
bulk of Jimbo. Blocked in, Connor was unable to avoid Ethan’s fist, disguised as a
bad dance move. It struck him in the kidneys and he almost buckled under the blow.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Alicia,
suddenly noticing Connor’s pained expression.

Ethan and Jimbo had danced away into the
crowd.

‘Fine,’ he replied through
gritted teeth.

But, as soon as Alicia turned away, Ethan
and Jimbo moved in for another attack. Connor didn’t want this to escalate into a
full-blown fight. That was a sure way to get thrown out of the prom, embarrass Alicia
and, most importantly, prevent him from protecting her.

But he had to end their bullying tactics.
There and then.

Still appearing to dance, Connor spun on the
spot, stepped on Ethan’s toes, then drove his shin into his attacker’s lower
leg. Pushing against the joint, Ethan’s knee locked up and, with Connor’s
foot pinning his toes to the ground, Ethan lost all balance. Connor’s subtle
jujitsu attack went unseen. But Ethan went sprawling across the dance floor in full view
of everyone.

‘What’s he doing?’ asked
Alicia, as the school’s baseball star took out two dancers and Jimbo on the way
down.

‘Not sure,’ replied Connor,
edging them away from the scene. ‘I
think
he was attempting to
breakdance.’

‘
I’m FREE to do what I
WANT!
’ sang Alicia along to the band’s music, as she pirouetted on
the dance floor.

Connor grinned at her gleeful performance.
She’d hardly stopped dancing all night, only pausing for the buffet. With no
Secret Service agents permitted within the gym hall itself, Alicia had felt able to
spread her wings and truly let go. Connor knew Kyle and his protection team were
standing post around the school grounds, securing the perimeter. But there was no one
directly
looking over her shoulder – that she knew of, at least.

Following the previous incident, President
Mendez had requested that Secret Service give his daughter more freedom. In return,
Alicia promised not to run off again. Dirk Moran wasn’t convinced about the idea
of relaxing security arrangements. But the President had argued that Connor’s
presence meant there was less need for agents in close proximity, especially during
social engagements like the prom. The director had finally submitted to the
President’s will on the proviso that Connor wore his covert earpiece. With so many
non-vetted guests attending the
prom, he wanted Connor to remain in
radio communication with Kyle on a secure channel. Consequently, every so often Connor
would hear a burst of radio chatter in his ear as each Secret Service post reported
in.

‘
Bravo Three to Bravo One. All
clear.
’

‘
Ten–four
,’
acknowledged Kyle. ‘
Bravo Four, send update –
’

‘I thought it would be a real drag
looking after yet another summer exchange guest,’ admitted Alicia, as Connor
suddenly became aware she was talking to him. ‘But you’re like no other boy
I’ve met …’

She was dancing closer, her deep brown eyes
gazing into his. With the prom in its final hour, the band had slowed the pace and
several couples were already dancing hand in hand. As Alicia swayed nearer to him,
Connor sensed her intentions might be heading in the wrong direction.
Or is it the
right one?

He certainly enjoyed her company and to say
Alicia was attractive was an understatement. But such feelings were close to the line no
bodyguard should cross. Indeed, Colonel Black had threatened dismissal of any buddyguard
who entered into a relationship with their Principal. It was a matter both of security
and of client confidence.

The President’s daughter was now
dancing toe-to-toe with him. Connor could smell her perfume and, with each passing
moment, he found his resolve weakening. He could be mistaken, but there was every
indication Alicia wanted to become more than just friends. Whether that was because of
his valiant defence of her the previous weekend,
or because she
genuinely liked him, or simply because he was the first boy her father apparently
trusted around her, the situation presented a problem. Connor had been concerned that
Alicia would find out he was a buddyguard, whereas the real danger was her falling for
him.
And me for her
…

The song came to an end. They stood
awkwardly opposite each other, both unsure what the next move should be.

Connor broke the tension first. As the band
counted in another slow number, he asked, ‘Would you like a … drink?’