Hostage (31 page)

‘Bugsy says it allows a hacker – using
a secret access code – to connect to the infected phone without the user knowing. The
hacker can then monitor all calls, intercept and block texts, and even switch on the
mobile’s microphone to eavesdrop on private conversations. The phone essentially
becomes a silent spy.’

The storm Connor had sensed on the horizon
suddenly felt a whole lot closer. ‘Who would have planted it? Secret
Service?’

‘Possibly, but the unusual coding
suggests a
foreign
source. And that’s not the worst of it,’
continued Amir. ‘This particular bug sends out a tracer signal. As long as the
phone is on, the hacker can track the movements of the user.’

‘So you’re saying
someone’s been following me, reading my texts and listening to everything
I’ve said?’

‘No,’ replied Amir. ‘The
virus didn’t take hold.’

‘So my phone’s OK
now?’

‘Yeah, we’ve reinstalled the
entire OS from scratch, but a virus like this is easily transferred via the internet,
through an app or even by a simple text message. Our guess is you weren’t the
intended target and your phone contracted the bug from the person who is.’

‘
Alicia!
’ gasped
Connor. ‘I still haven’t been able to find her.’

‘Well, you can now the Tracker app is
working,’ reminded Amir.

‘No, I can’t. I found the phone
case smashed to bits. So, while I can’t find her, someone else can.’

‘That’s
not
good.’

Connor waited while Amir related the bad
news to Bugsy.

‘We might have a solution,’ said
Amir, coming back on the line. ‘Bugsy’s going to try to hack into the
Cell-Finity program. If he can reconfigure the coding, break the access code and
“mirror” the signal, then theoretically we can track the target phone
too.’

‘How long will that take?’ asked
Connor.

‘He reckons at least an
hour.’

‘I’ve a feeling that might be
too late.’

‘Look, I’ll call you as soon as
we make any progress. And remember: we don’t know for certain if Alicia’s
the one being tracked.’

‘That’s not a gamble I’m
willing to take,’ replied Connor, hanging up.

Knowing that Dirk Moran would refuse to see
him, Connor was on his own until Amir could get proof. In that time, anything could
happen to Alicia. He had to warn her.

Opening up his contacts, he dialled
Alicia’s number. But his call went straight to voicemail again. He left another
message – more urgent this time.

As he considered what his next move should
be, a tour group spilt out of the north portico’s doors. Watching them go past and
head towards the north-east gate, it dawned on Connor how Alicia might have left the
White House undetected.

Alicia stuffed her platinum-blonde wig back
into her bag. The sweltering summer’s day made it too hot to wear. But she kept on
her Jackie Onassis-style sunglasses. They were large enough to conceal her features so
she wouldn’t be immediately recognized.

After leaving the tour group in Lafayette
Park, she had darted through a warren of back streets to get more distance between
herself and the White House. Now clear of its oppressive shadow, Alicia finally felt
able to breathe. She was free of all the surveillance cameras, patrols and restrictions
that made her life a virtual prison sentence. She was free of the Secret Service. Free
of her father’s control. And free of … Connor.

After discovering he was her buddyguard, she
simply couldn’t take it any more. She felt the walls closing in and desperately
needed her own space.

Her phone rang. Alicia looked at the screen
and saw Connor’s name.

‘
Why can’t you just leave me
alone?
’ she muttered, stabbing the screen with a thumb and rejecting the
call.

A moment later her phone buzzed, indicating a
voicemail. Alicia ignored it. She didn’t want to hear his voice. It would just
make her cry again. She couldn’t comprehend how Connor could betray her like that.
Pretending to be her friend, while all the time working for the Secret Service. She
wouldn’t be so upset if she didn’t like him so much. But he’d worked
his way into her heart and even
now
she was missing his reassuring
presence.

‘No!’ she told herself.
‘He lied to me from the start –’

‘Watch where you’re
going!’ snapped a suited businessman as Alicia almost collided into him.

Looking up from her phone, Alicia discovered
she was at the banks of the Potomac River. She’d had no real destination in mind
when leaving the White House beyond simply escaping. But as she wandered along the
towpath Alicia realized that, more than her freedom, she desperately needed a friend to
talk to. One she could trust.

Alicia thumbed a text into her phone.

Really need to see you. By river
near

Nat Mall. Can you meet me asap? A x

Her phone beeped a few seconds later.

Of course. Jefferson Memorial?

15 mins. K x

Alicia smiled with relief. She could always
rely on Kalila.

The phone in Bahir’s hand buzzed. He
read the message.

I’ll be waiting on the steps. A
x

Bahir turned to face Malik in the passenger
seat of their blacked-out vehicle.

‘Eagle Chick has taken the
bait.’

‘All according to plan then,’
said Malik. ‘And you’re certain her messages have been blocked?’

Bahir nodded with a self-satisfied grin.
‘Absolutely. My Cell-Finity bug gives us
complete
control of her phone.
We can falsify all text messages. Govern every in- and outbound call. Even if she tries
phoning Kalila now, the line will ring as if engaged.’

‘Good work, Bahir,’ said Malik.
‘You certainly excelled in the task I set.’

He looked over at Hazim in the
driver’s seat. ‘And well done, Hazim, for planting the bug in the first
place.’

Hazim managed an anxious smile as Bahir
announced, ‘Target is five minutes out.’

Bahir showed Malik the tablet PC in his lap,
where a red dot traced its way slowly across a digital map of Washington towards the
Jefferson Memorial.

‘Then it’s time,’ said
Malik, licking his lips in anticipation as he took the prepaid cellphone Bahir offered
him.

Hazim started the engine and gripped the
steering wheel tight. He looked out through the tinted window at the Memorial with its
iconic white marble Greek columns, domed roof and wide stone steps that led down to the
water’s edge. They had recced the location on several occasions, starting with
simple drive-bys to identify perimeter protection, CCTV and access control. Then
they’d progressed to on-site surveillance. Disguised as tourists, they’d
photographed the Memorial from every angle, observed the patrol patterns of the park
rangers, and planned their escape routes. Even the traffic flow around the monument had
been monitored. Nothing was to be left to chance.

Hazim pulled out into the traffic and began
their slow approach.

‘This day the Brotherhood will strike
back against the American tyranny over our land and brothers,’ Malik declared with
zealous pride. ‘This day will mark the turning point in our war on the
West.’

He flicked open the mobile phone and began
dialling …

Connor stepped through the north-east gate,
past the sentry and on to Pennsylvania Avenue. No one questioned him as part of the tour
group. Which meant no one would have questioned a
disguised
Alicia either.
Connor now realized he’d actually seen her on an earlier tour. She’d been on
the grand staircase, her back to him, pretending to study a portrait of President Nixon.
But he’d been in such a rush and so focused on finding a dark-haired Alicia that
his gaze had shot straight past the unassuming girl in jeans with the platinum-blonde
bob.

Standing at the entrance to Lafayette Park,
Connor wondered which direction Alicia might have gone. Without the tracker, it would be
like searching for a needle in a haystack. But he guessed she’d try to hook up
with one of her friends.

Unlocking his phone, he called Kalila.
‘Hi, Kalila. It’s Connor.’

‘Hi … err … Daisy,’ answered
Kalila, giving a nervous laugh. ‘That was some prom last night. You and Alicia
left pretty quickly afterwards. Are you all right?’

‘It’s a long story,’ replied
Connor. ‘But I was wondering if Alicia was with you? Or had called?’

‘No, sorry. Is anything
wrong?’

Not wishing to worry her unnecessarily,
Connor said, ‘Not really … can you just let me know as soon as she contacts
you?’

‘Sure,’ replied Kalila.

In the distance Connor heard a deep rumble
and wondered what it was. ‘Look, I’ve got to go.’

Hanging up, Connor tried Grace next. Then
Paige. But neither of them had heard from Alicia. He was trying to think of who to call
next when his phone rang and the Buddyguard logo flashed on the screen.

‘Bugsy’s had a
breakthrough!’ said Amir, his voice tense and urgent. ‘Alicia’s mobile
is
definitely
being tracked.’

‘Have you told Secret Service?’
said Connor.

‘That’s the problem,’
replied Amir. ‘We can’t get through.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘All hell’s broken loose.
Washington DC’s being bombed.’

‘
What?
’ exclaimed
Connor, his eyes scanning the park for danger. But everywhere appeared calm and
peaceful. Then in the background he heard a second ominous rumble and the wail of police
sirens.

‘Hi, Connor, it’s
Charley,’ said a voice on the line. ‘Intelligence reports a suspected car
bomb has gone off at H Street and Ninth.’

‘That’s near Secret Service
Headquarters!’

‘We know. The explosion was detonated
right outside the entrance. Hang on –’ there was a ping of an incoming
message and a muffled gasp – ‘there’s been a
second
explosion, near the Capitol Building this time.’

‘I just heard it,’ said Connor,
the tourists milling around him still oblivious to the impending danger.

‘Connor, it’s Colonel
Black,’ said a gruff voice. ‘Get off the streets now. That’s an
order.’

‘But I believe Alicia’s
somewhere in the city,’ he replied, ‘
without
Secret Service
protection.’

The colonel grunted. ‘Then it’s
down to you to find her. Amir, has Bugsy managed to mirror the signal yet?’

‘Yes,’ Amir replied.
‘He’s patching through the tracer code to Connor’s phone as we
speak.’

Launching the Tracker app, Connor watched
the map home in on Alicia’s location. It showed her approaching the Jefferson
Memorial.

‘I’ve got her,’ he told
them.

‘Then it’s time to do your
job,’ said Colonel Black. ‘Just keep your head down. DC’s turning into
a war zone!’

‘Yes, Colonel,’ replied Connor,
shouldering his backpack.

‘Stay safe!’ said Charley
quickly. ‘I’ll send you threat updates.’

Taking the route dictated by the Tracker
app, Connor sprinted along Pennsylvania and down 15th Street. The Jefferson Memorial was
estimated to be over ten minutes away. Running flat out, Connor hoped he could reach
Alicia in half that time. Her life might well depend upon it.