Hostage (24 page)

Quickening his pace, he caught up with
Alicia. Every so often he glanced behind, checking for trouble but also secretly hoping
to spot an agent in pursuit.

‘Relax,’ insisted Alicia, taking
his arm. ‘Just let me enjoy myself for once. I’m the one who’ll get
into trouble later.’

That’s what you think
, mused
Connor. Then it dawned on him that this was exactly what he’d been hired for. To
protect Alicia in moments when the Secret Service couldn’t. Colonel Black had
specifically instructed him ‘to stick to her like glue’. He wasn’t
supposed to stop Alicia living her life – just protect her.

With that thought in mind, he allowed
himself to relax a little. But he kept his awareness at Code Yellow.

They turned off the main street and headed
north on 13th. Upmarket apartments gave way to rundown row-house blocks, which
alternated randomly with fancy condos recently built as part of the city’s
redevelopment effort. The strange blend of new and old, rich and poor made Connor
uneasy. The mix of people walking the streets became more diverse and unpredictable.
There was a palpable tension in the air, magnified by the summer’s heat radiating
off the sidewalk.

‘Are you certain this area’s
safe?’ Connor asked.

‘Of course,’ replied Alicia,
casually strolling along. ‘During the day, definitely.’

That statement didn’t reassure Connor.
Although he could handle himself in a situation, there were places in the
East End of London that he wouldn’t wander into – day or night.
And this area possessed a similar undercurrent of menace.

The mobile phone emitted a short buzz and
Bahir snatched it up from the table in the front room. He waited an impatient second for
the message to decrypt. Then his eyes widened in astonishment.

‘You won’t believe this,
Malik,’ he said, holding up the phone to his leader. ‘Eagle Chick has flown
the nest!’

Malik stopped sharpening his
jambiya
and smirked to himself. ‘It’s almost as if she
wants
to be taken hostage.’

The phone buzzed again and Bahir read the
message out loud. ‘It’s from Hazim –
Sparrows in a panic
. It
appears Secret Service are having trouble locating her!’ he laughed. Bahir turned
excitedly to his leader. ‘
This
could be our chance.’

Malik laid the curved dagger in his lap. His
right hand trembled slightly and he reached out to a small bundle of khat. As he chewed
the intoxicating leaves, he mulled over the new turn of events.

‘Yes, it’s an opening,’ he
agreed. ‘But an unplanned one. Not all the preparations are in place.’

‘But this seems too good an
opportunity to miss,’ insisted Bahir.

‘The situation isn’t in my
direct
control,’ pointed out Malik. ‘And we’ve the added
complication that Secret Service are
actively
looking for her at this time.
That greatly reduces our chances of an undetected escape.’

‘True, but if we took her now, alone,
we wouldn’t risk our lives in a gun battle.’

Malik pondered this. ‘Do either
Gamekeeper or Birdspotter have the target in sight?’

Bahir rapidly typed a message and pressed
Send. Almost a minute passed before his mobile vibrated twice in response. He read both
messages, then grimaced in disappointment. ‘Not yet, but Gamekeeper is on the
hunt.’

Malik rested the tip of his knife on his
bearded chin, reconsidering his options. Then a sly grin slid across his face, revealing
his arc of yellowing teeth. ‘Bahir, I have an idea.’

He explained his plan, then asked, ‘Is
such a thing possible?’

‘Yes,’ replied Bahir. ‘I
could do it in my sleep!’

‘Then get to it,’ ordered
Malik.

As Bahir hurried out of the room, Malik
returned to honing his
jambiya
, the curved steel blade gleaming
razor-sharp.

With every step, Connor was becoming more and
more anxious. He was about to suggest that they turn back, when Alicia swung right on to
U Street and the neighbourhood suddenly improved. Ethnic restaurants, bars, music clubs
and the occasional church lined the busy road. Connor was reassured to spot several
groups of tourists wandering the route too, but he didn’t allow his alert level to
drop.

Alicia stopped outside a red and white
building with a neon sign flashing
OPEN
in the window. Above the door, a
billboard proclaimed:
DON’S DOGS – THE BEST CHILLI DOGS IN DC
.

Connor noticed Alicia was staring intently
at the flashing sign as if mesmerized.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked,
recalling her history of epilepsy from his Buddyguard briefing.

Alicia blinked and refocused her gaze on
Connor. ‘Yes, of course. Why?’

‘I thought … you might be about to
have a seizure,’ he replied, indicating the flashing light.

‘How do
you
know about my
epilepsy?’ demanded Alicia, suddenly defensive.

Connor realized he’d made a mistake.
‘Erm … your father mentioned it.’

Alicia scowled at this. ‘I’m
over
that now. I wish he’d stop bringing it up.’

‘Sorry,’ said Connor.
‘He’s probably just concerned, that’s all.’

‘My father’s always worrying
about me,’ sighed Alicia. ‘Anyway, this is the place I was looking for.
Supposedly, their hot dogs are seriously
hot
.’

Connor peered in through the smeared window.
A white formica counter stretched the short length of the fast-food joint. On the wall
behind, a menu displayed its combo meals and specialities in unappealing backlit photos.
Red plastic stools stood in contrast to the off-white tiled floor, some of the seats
clearly straining under the weight of their well-fed customers. Opposite the counter
were four booths, with only one occupied by two large men in cement-stained construction
clothes.

The food had better be good to make up
for the decor
, thought Connor.

Holding the door open for Alicia, a waft of
fried meat and cooking fat assaulted Connor’s nostrils. Behind the counter and
through a hatch, a sweaty, African American cook served up piles of cheese fries and
massive hot dogs slathered in mustard, chilli sauce and onions. He gave a nod in their
direction, indicating with a grunt for them to take a booth. Slipping into the second
one along, Connor
made sure that he sat facing the entrance. As
dictated by his training, he wanted to know exactly who was coming and going.

While Alicia studied the menu – which
unsurprisingly consisted of various combinations of hot dog – he took the opportunity to
check out the restaurant. It was crucial to locate any exit points in case of trouble.
Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a door leading to a communal toilet, which he
guessed would likely be a dead end. Through a hatch behind the counter, he saw a red
emergency exit sign pointing to the back of the kitchen. If anything did happen, Connor
decided that would be the route he’d take with Alicia.

‘What are you going to have?’
asked Alicia as the waitress came over.

‘Umm … whatever you’re
having,’ he replied, not even looking at the menu.

‘Two chilli dog specials with large
Cokes,’ said Alicia.

With a tired smile, the waitress took their
order, then went back to the hatch and handed it to the chef.

Connor glanced along the counter. An old man
in a brown polo shirt sat eating a hot dog. Next to him a young African American in
ripped jeans and a white T-shirt was picking at a tray of fries. As he dipped several in
the ketchup, he casually eyed Alicia’s Prada handbag lying on their table. Connor
realized that, although Alicia might be able to disguise who she was, she couldn’t
disguise her wealth or social status. It was obvious they didn’t belong in this
establishment.

Leaning forward, Connor whispered to Alicia,
‘I’d keep your bag beside you.’

She took his advice without protest. And
Connor relaxed a little when the young man directed his attention back to his food. The
waitress returned and dumped two hot dogs drowning in mustard and chilli, along with a
pile of cheese fries and two bucket-sized Cokes. Connor was slightly taken aback at the
size of the hot dog – it was well over a foot long.

‘Enjoy!’ said the waitress,
almost as if it was a command rather than a wish.

The two of them tucked in. After just one
bite, Connor had to admit that it was the best hot dog he’d ever tasted … then the
roof of his mouth was almost blown off by the heat of the chilli.

Alicia laughed as she saw tears streaming
down his face. ‘I warned you they were hot!’

Spluttering, Connor grabbed his Coke and
chugged down several mouthfuls.

Once he’d recovered enough to speak
again, Alicia began to quiz him on his life back in England – where he lived, which
school he went to, his parents, which countries he’d been to, whether he’d
met the Queen and so forth. Connor gave his answers as truthfully as possible without
revealing his double role. He didn’t like deceiving Alicia, it wasn’t in his
nature, but he understood why it was necessary.

Finishing off their meal, they both leant
back in the booth and gave a contented sigh.

‘That was an awesome hot dog!’
said Connor. ‘Even with the chilli.’

Alicia nodded in agreement and wiped her
lips with a paper serviette. ‘And do you know what’s even better?’

Connor shrugged.

Alicia lowered her voice. ‘This is the
first meal I’ve had outside the White House with no one looking over my
shoulder.’

At that moment, the door opened and two
Latino youths entered. Dressed in baggy jeans and white sneakers, with tattoos up their
arms and red bandanas around their heads, they appeared to be local gang members. One of
them, boasting a gold front tooth, stared hard in Connor’s direction. Connor
immediately averted his gaze. He didn’t want to antagonize them in any way. But as
they took two stools at the counter Connor kept them in his line of sight. The other
gang member, sporting a crew cut, eyed up Alicia with an appreciative sneer before
turning to place his order.

Troubled by their presence, Connor suggested
to Alicia, ‘Let’s make a move.’

‘You mean go back?’

‘It might be a good idea. Kyle and the
others must be going crazy by now.’

Alicia groaned. ‘Not yet. I’m
enjoying myself too much. Let’s go up to Meridian Hill Park. It has a great view
of DC and every weekend there’s a drumming circle.’

She waved to the waitress for the bill.
Connor reached for his wallet.

‘No, I’ll pay,’ Alicia
insisted, pulling a Platinum American Express card from her purse.

The waitress raised an eyebrow in surprise.
‘No cards,’ she said, thumbing towards a scrappy sign above the till stating
CASH ONLY
.

Alicia sifted through her purse and pulled
out a 100-dollar bill.

‘Don’t you have anything
smaller
?’ asked the waitress.

Alicia shook her head.
‘Sorry.’

With poorly concealed irritation, the
waitress took the money. While they waited for their change, the two youths at the
counter sipped on their Cokes but didn’t order any food. Connor’s sense of
unease grew.

The waitress returned and managed her first
genuine smile when Alicia left a hefty tip.

‘Come back soon,’ she
called.

Unlikely
, thought Connor as they
stepped on to U Street.

Turning right, Alicia headed north again on
13th. But they’d only gone one block when Connor had the distinct feeling they
were being followed. Pretending to watch a car pass by, his eyes swept the road and
sidewalk. Among the scattering of pedestrians, he instantly recognized the Latino youth
with the gold tooth walking several paces behind, nonchalantly slurping on his Coke.
Connor told himself it could be pure coincidence. The lad probably lived nearby. But, to
leave no doubt, Connor decided to employ some anti-surveillance techniques.