Kidnap (The Billionaire Series) (25 page)

After playing two games, the best time was ten minutes.

In the third game, it was Mia and Chen’s turn to drive. Mia was
confident that she could beat the record and insisted she drove. With nobody
disagreeing, she climbed into the driver’s seat. Everybody was thoroughly
enjoying the new game and excitement levels were high. Tom and Lela looked at
each other as Mia and Chen started talking to each other rapidly in Chinese.
Obviously, the thrill of the chase had brought out their mother tongue.

With over a minute of
their
hiding time
elapsed, Tom nudged Chen as Mia was far too busy to disturb.
 

“Where are we going? They’ll be after us in less than forty
seconds and I can still see them,” said Tom perplexed at Mia’s strategy. He was
beginning to wonder if they had understood the rules. “Don’t worry, Mia is
certain that the bend ahead will hide the cart. She calculated the distance in
the previous game and reckons we’ll make it with five seconds to spare. The
others won’t think for a second that we’ll make it as they’ll assume the bend
is too far away.”

“But it is,” said Lela.

“No, we’ll just make it. It’s just less than half a mile.”

“OK but if you’re wrong, we’ll look really stupid,” said Tom.

“1 minute 58 seconds, 1 minute 59 seconds, 2 minutes, GO!!” Zach
counted down on his watch and spun round as the two minutes elapsed.

“OK, so where do you think they went?” he asked.

“That was very, very close, well done!” said Tom congratulating
Mia.

“So where now?”

“Just keep going straight and hit the beach next to the army
base, it’ll be hours before they find us,” said Mia triumphantly.

“There was that noise again, did you here it this time?” asked
Tom.

“No,” said Chen.

“Maybe. What exactly did it sound like?” asked Lela.

“Like a phone on vibrate.”

“No, don’t think so, I can just hear this cart creak,” she
replied.

***

Reaper’s mobile buzzed as it received the text. Ling would
deliver the packages within the next thirty minutes. He texted her
back
and gave the final OK to go. He then turned to Leo and
simply said “GO!!
”.

Thirty nine
men boarded ten Range Rovers
which sat ready to go. The men were dressed in black and armed with Heckler
& Koch MP5SD3 sub-machine guns with integral silencer and Heckler &
Koch UCP pistols, again with silencer. They also had knives and enough
ammunition to start and win a small war. The outfits and weapons had been
chosen carefully. If they were stopped, at least one man in each of the cars
was British and they would claim to be an SAS unit on their way to a military
base.

Reaper and Leo left the cottage, setting booby traps as they
left. Not that they would really be needed as, within less than an hour, an
incendiary device would ensure the cottage would be burnt to ashes. They
boarded the eleventh Range Rover, driven by the
comms
expert and began their journey to the Estate.

***

The twins watched as the targets made their way across the
island. Due to the high state of alert, they both wore full combat gear and
were armed with a variety of weapons, including the Accuracy International AS50
Magnum Variants sniper
rifle which
they were now using
to watch their targets ‘speed’ across the island.

***

Chen and Mia started talking in Chinese again. The cart was
making its way down the steady slope towards the Special Forces’ base and was
slowly picking up pace. Tom and Lela could see the beach off to the left. A
number of students had obviously decided that a day on the beach away from
school was a good idea.

***

The Base Commander, one of the most experienced counter terrorist
men alive, had been recalled to London. The UK was not willing to spare their
most decorated SAS officer in their critical hour of need. Captain Schmidt,
previously of the German KSK, assumed command. Schmidt stood at the gates
watching the cart approach down the hill with his targets on board.
 

His command of forty men had been reduced over the last hour to
twenty eight
. All
non mission
staff
had been eliminated on receipt of the Ready command. It was unfortunate that
twelve innocent soldiers had been left behind with the bug but he had an
objective to achieve and was looking forward to pay day. The helicopter was
ready and his soldiers were positioned ready to strike.
 

***

Suddenly the volume levels at the front of the cart jumped a few
notches. Chen and Mia were no longer chatting to each other but screaming at
each other. As the cart arrived at a junction, instead of turning left for the
beach, it headed straight on. Chen and Mia seemed to be fighting over the
steering wheel, Mia screaming at Chen in Chinese. Tom and Lela tried to calm
them down but they were just ignored. The cart continued to pick up speed as
they careered towards the gates of the Special Forces Base. Tom could not
understand why Mia was not braking.

“For God sake slow down! You’re going to hit the gates!” screamed
Tom who wasn’t certain whether the two could hear anything over their
screaming.

***

The twins were up and covering ground quickly. The moment had
arrived. They had to reach the base before it was too late.

***

Schmidt looked around. He had ten men ready to take delivery of
their targets with the other eighteen preparing for evacuation. It seemed like
overkill for two kids but who was he to argue. He had his orders and had
already received half of his substantial pay-off. He was about to spend the
rest of his life in the lap of luxury

Chapter
45

Mia was fighting with Chen who was fighting the steering wheel
but nothing seemed to be working and the cart was about to smash into the
gates.
 

“MIA, FOR GOD SAKES HIT THE BRAKES!” screamed Tom.

Still nothing. Lela also tried screaming at Mia and then resorted
to screaming at Chen.

“CHEN! GO FOR THE BRAKES!”

Nothing happened and the cart crashed into the gates at around
23mph. This was not a great speed but well over the cart’s recommended maximum.
With no restraints or bumpers, every passenger felt the impact.
None, however, as much as the driver.
Mia was struck hard by
the steering wheel and everyone heard the snap of her rib cage on impact. Shock
filled her eyes and she passed out from the pain.

***

Schmidt felt sorry for the female
operative,
she was not going to enjoy her big pay day. There was no way he was wasting
time looking after injured colleagues, he had his own objectives to achieve and
agent Ling was not one of them. However, he was very grateful for the work she
had done and done very well. In front of him sat three very stunned kids, two
of whom were about to join him on a trip.

***

Tom was dazed. They were all in shock. He looked across at Lela
who seemed to be in a similar daze. Chen seemed OK but Mia did not look good.
He looked around and saw the soldiers for the first time. They had obviously
come over to check they were OK but why were they pointing their guns at them?

Lela looked up. This was not good. These guys did not look in the
least concerned about them. In fact, they looked animalistic, as if they were
hungry and the four of them were on the menu.

***

Lela and Tom were not sure who fired first but as they heard
gunfire, Chen screamed.

“DOWN, GET DOWN NOW!!”

Three of the soldiers were firing at two shadows behind them in
the compound and before anybody knew what was happening, bullets were flying
everywhere. They ricocheted off of the cart and Tom pulled Mia to safety behind
the cart. She was still unconscious and Lela checked whether she was still
breathing, she was.

“What the hell’s this?” asked Tom, more to himself than to anyone
else.

“Just keep your heads down!” said Chen.

***

The twins had watched in horror as the cart careered towards the
gates. They followed the cart through the gates and in a fraction of a second,
understood what was happening. Their mission orders were clear. This new
situation called for change. The surveillance phase was over and the
shoot-to-kill policy was now in force. The twins moved against their targets.

***

Schmidt was dumbfounded at what had happened. Everything had been
going perfectly when all of sudden, gunfire started. He had not realised that
his men were firing at shadows. In any event, they had missed and he now stood
alone facing the two men who had just massacred nine of his colleagues.

***

The twins’ targets were in danger and new rules applied. This was
no longer a surveillance exercise but a protection mission with extreme
prejudice.

***

Schmidt raised his gun to shoot the two intruders but before he
had the chance to pull the trigger, he fell to the ground, dead before he hit
the rubble.

***

Chen was the most alert of the three.

“Who the hell are you guys?”

“The cavalry,” responded one of the twins as they both laughed. “OK,
let’s go,” they commanded.

Before anybody had a chance to think, the twins ushered the three
conscious children into the waiting helicopter. They were on their way within a
minute and were a mile out to sea before the back-up team had arrived at the base.

With one twin flying the helicopter, the other checked on the
children.

“Are you guys OK?”

“Yes thanks but what are you doing and where are you taking us?”
asked Tom who had come to his senses.

“We’re getting you the hell out of dodge.”

“What?”

Lela was staring at the twin.

“Wait a minute, I know you.”

“She recognises us,” the twin shouted to his brother.

Tom looked at Lela strangely.

“Are you mad? Their faces are covered in camouflage, their own
mothers wouldn’t recognise them.”

“That would be the same woman whose curry you would sell your
granny for,” said Lela.

“What are you talking about? What’s your Aunt got to do with
this?”

“Yep, Mum makes a mean curry,” responded one of the twins.

Lela hugged her cousin. She had not seen the twins since she was
six. They had left to join the army and due to their extended duty had not yet
returned. Kano and
Kisho
had always looked out for
Lela and Tom on their holidays and it appeared that they still were. Tom took a
closer look at Kano and recognised him under the camouflage.

“But what are you doing here?” Tom asked.

“Quite simple really. Saki did not want you two out of his sight.
So, as he couldn’t come here himself, he arranged for his two favourite nephews
to do the job for him. We had orders to ensure nothing happened to you. Should
anyone make any attempt to harm you, we were ordered to intervene with whatever
force was necessary. And just as well, huh?”

“God yes, thank-you so much! But how did he arrange it, I mean
with the school and stuff?”

“He told us that it was a ‘condition’. That’s all he said.”

“Of course! His condition with Mr
Mitcham
,”
replied Tom.

“I can’t believe what you did back there,” Chen interrupted.

“Just a few little tricks we learnt along the way,” said Kano.

“But you had them shooting each other, the speed at which you
moved and the way you used your weapons. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What, you see lots of guys with weapons, do you?” asked Kano.

“No, of course not, I mean on TV,” said Chen.

“What about Mia? What happened? And why were you two screaming at
each other?” asked Lela.

“I can’t remember what she was saying. I just remember trying to
get her to turn or slow down and she seemed determined to get into the base,”
said Chen.

“She must have been working with them,” said Kano. “It was all a
set up. All the guards who are now on duty fell mysteriously sick before the
crisis at the schools. We only got sick because we blagged a canteen off one of
the bad guys. Mind you, it saved us from being sent to Paris.”

“Oh my God, it’s all connected!
Kisho
,
where are you taking us?” asked Tom anxiously.

“I was going to go to the Airbase on the next island but quite
frankly, I’ve got no idea who we can trust anymore. This bird is full to the
brim and has all its auxiliary tanks so we’re heading for South Africa and
getting the hell out of this area.”

“Good call. I need to call my dad, where’s my phone?”

Chapter
46

Ling had sent the signal just before the cart crashed to let
Reaper know she had started.
 

Reaper contacted his team members. Everyone was in position and
ready to go. He looked across at his communications man who gave him the thumbs
up.
He looked across at Leo who was on the phone
,
he signalled thumbs up
. Donald was home and his helicopter
had left.
  

***

Mr Sakamoto,
Weadle
and Ms Anderson
arrived at the crash scene just as the helicopter was taking off. They looked
on aghast at the devastation. Ten dead soldiers lay around the gate area. Other
soldiers seemed to be running towards the boats and another two helicopters. Mr
Sakamoto screamed across to a soldier as he ran by but the soldier ignored him
and continued on his way to one of the waiting helicopters.