Triple Terror

by AK Leigh

  Chapter 30

  Nina finished her first training session in Beijing the following morning and exited the training centre. She spotted Willa coming for her session.

  Nina smiled and walked up to her, and exclaimed, ‘Let me warn you that the acclimatisation is brutal!’

  Willa laughed, ‘I’m guessing you had a hard session.’

  Nina grunted and rubbed at her arms. ‘Hard doesn’t cover it.’

  Will groaned, ‘Oh, great. Now it’s my turn.’

  Nina’s phone buzzed, interrupting her reply. ‘I should get that.’

  ‘Go for it. I need to go get some sore muscles anyway.’

  Nina laughed as she rifled through the bag she had taken with her. She fished out the phone, saw it was the detective superintendent’s number, and answered. ‘Hello. What can I do for you?’

  ‘I want you to take the day off tomorrow.’

  ‘But …’ She paused, to think of a covert way to remind him that the terrorist had threatened to detonate another bomb on Sunday if the foreign prisoners weren’t released. Finally, she said, ‘What if something happens tomorrow?’

  ‘That is part of the reason we want you out.’

  ‘What about my training session. Won’t it look suspicious if I miss that?’

  ‘What time’s the session?’

  ‘Eight-thirty am.’

  ‘Go. But after that, I want you out of Beijing.’

  The tone in which he’d said it, made her frown, and say, ‘There’s something more to this, isn’t there?’

  He sighed, ‘We have a lead on one of your Russian suspects.’

  ‘Which one?’

  Her heart ponded in her ears. Please not Andrei.

  ‘Anastaja Terekhova.’

  Thank God.

  She and Anastaja were only acquaintances.

  ‘We want to set up an operation and we need you to be well out of the line of suspicion when we do.’

  She glanced around, lowered her voice, and said, ‘I should be here.’

  ‘No. We are not putting your life at risk. If this lunatic does get through our defences, at least you won’t be in the line of fire. So to speak.’

  ‘What about my friends?’

  ‘I’m sorry, but you know how this goes. You can’t say anything. You’ll not only alert the real terrorist, but blow your cover and get thrown out of the country.’

  ‘So they’re all just collateral damage?’

  She couldn’t help the scorn in her tone.

  In a stern voice, the detective superintendent replied, ‘Senior Constable, we will do everything in our power to make sure no innocents get hurt. We are taking their lives, and this threat, very seriously. We are working with Interpol and other agencies to stop this.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Farris, this is a direct order. You blow it and you are on the first plane back. Do you understand?’

  ‘I understand. But what excuse am I going to give? How can I get out of the village unnoticed?’

  There was a pause, then the DS replied, ‘I’ll set one of our cars up as a mock tour van. It can pick you up and take you to the Great Wall for the day. That way, if anybody asks, it’ll all be traceable. Make sure you take lots of photos in case you need an alibi.’

  She exhaled her frustration as she ended the call.

  The conversation played through her mind on the way back to her dorm. Before she reached her building, she ran into Radha, Maggie, and Amber. Nina had to force a smile. Although one of them could be a terrorist. There was also an equally high chance they were all innocent. And deserved not to be thrown in the line of fire.

  But this was her duty. She had no choice.

  She kept her tone light when she joked, ‘You three look like you’re up to mischief.’

  Amber laughed. ‘Hardly … I’d need Willa for that.’

  Nina chuckled, remembering the pranks Willa and Amber had played on others in South Korea.

  Maggie nodded at Nina and mumbled, ‘I have to go, my training session is about to start. See you all later.’

  Maggie was the shyest out of them all. She rarely stayed around long, but she’d always been sweet and polite on the occasions they had spoken.

  It can’t be Maggie.

  Can’t be Radha either. She’s Russian. And, despite what her higher-ups believed, they were looking for a Chinese suspect.

  Willa and Amber are Aussies. So it can’t be them either.

  She relaxed a little with that knowledge.

  After Maggie left them, Radha said, ‘Speaking of, how’s everyone’s training schedules?’

  Amber groaned, ‘Ugh. I have the worst times: 6:30 am and 3:30 pm. Both my usual nap times.’

  Nina laughed. ‘We can swap if you like.’

  Amber gave her a suspicious look, ‘Why, when’s yours?’

  ‘First is at 8:30 am and my second is 5:30 pm.’

  ‘Ack. No thanks, that’s even worse. Meal times!’

  Nina grinned then faced Radha. ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’m right on lunch, 12:00 pm, and then 8:30 pm.’

  ‘Ugh. Okay, I’m not going to complain about my training times for the rest of the trip.’

  Everyone smiled at Amber’s words then she said, ‘How about we meet up for a late lunch, after Radha’s session, tomorrow?’

  A stab of guilt hit Nina in the chest. She looked away and stammered, ‘Ah, sorry, can’t … already have plans to see the Great Wall after my morning session.’

  Amber gushed, ‘Oh, it’s beautiful. You’ll love it. If there’s anywhere else you’d be interested in seeing, let me know and I can give you some tips.’

  ‘Thanks. We’ll catch up another time, okay?’

  ‘Okay.’ Amber turned to Radha, and said, ‘We should see if everyone else wants to catch up.’

  ‘Good idea.’

  They said their goodbyes and Nina walked away. She tried to swallow her guilt down, but could feel it churning at the back of her throat, like a bad meal that wanted to come up.

  * * *

  Andrei laughed at something the Lithuanian, who he had learned was called Stefan, had said. As he, Ollie, and Eddie continued to chatter amongst themselves, a realisation dawned on Andrei. This was what a normal life looked like.

  Friends, laughter, food—even if that was happening in the Olympic Village, which couldn’t be classified as ‘normal’—but still, the simplicity of it struck him. If he took the manager of The Snow Globe up on her offer, this could be his life.

  Sure, it wouldn’t include Nina, but was this really such a bad alternative?

  Two of them are suspects, remember?

  With that, reality crashed in on him.

  Nothing about this situation was mundane. He was a secret agent and one of these men could be a terrorist. He’d come out with them purely to sense anything that would suggest the men were guilty, not because he wanted to hang out with friends. Though he’d only had minimal experience with what a usual life entailed, he knew it didn’t include spying on people who were supposed to be friends.

  His relationship with them was based on lies. Like the one with Nina had been …

  It hit him then.

  He could never have a normal life.

  Not while the chains of his past—his lies—remained firmly attached. Certainly not while he still worked for the FSB.

  A boisterous laugh pulled him from his thoughts. It was Ollie. The pure delight on his ‘friend’s’ face made Andrei’s chest clench. How he wished he could laugh like that one day.

  With real friends.

  An alarm went off on his phone, making everyone’s eyes dart to him.

  Andrei reached into his pocket and switched it off. ‘Sorry boys, I have an early training session to get up for.’

  And I have to call my mission leader to tell them what I’ve managed to dig up so far. Which was the fact he’d ruled out both Ollie and Eddie as suspects. Nothing he’d garnered from them so far indicated they had th
e capacity, means, or mindset to do it.

  The men tried to get him to stay, making Andrei grieve the lack of real friends even more, but he shook his head, and lied again when he replied, ‘Another time.’

  Chapter 31

  The next morning, Nina took the final step up to the latest section of the Great Wall then stopped to catch her breath. As she did, she uncapped her water bottle and took a big gulp. Recapping, she peered around. The Wall itself, with its gorgeous brick and stone construction, and the tall guard-checkpoints, was impressive enough. Then there was the greenery that blanketed the mountainous curves the Wall had been built on. It was spectacular. More than worth the drive. Even with the tourists crowding and milling about. And talking loudly.

  She frowned and did a sidestep away from a particularly noisy bunch of who she guessed to be Americans. A thought occurred to her. She was supposed to be taking photos. She pulled out her phone and started clicking.

  Best post some to social media for the full effect.

  It took her a minute to upload some pictures. Done, she turned to appreciate the view more fully. She drew in a deep breath. Clean, fresh air filled her lungs. Hard to believe a major, polluted city like Beijing could be so close.

  She decided to start heading back down the steps, but was cut short by a sudden scream. She whipped around and found the source of the sound: an Asian woman with long, loose, black hair. The woman screeched words Nina couldn’t understand … but she could read the terror on her face clearly enough. Something had happened.

  Nina’s stomach churned as intuition told her what it was.

  The next second, stunned voices filtered towards her. ‘There was a bomb.’ Nina sucked in a breath and focused in for more. ‘A suspected terrorist attack.’ They didn’t know for sure? ‘In Beijing.’ Where in Beijing? Then she heard the words that stopped her heart: ‘Olympics. Training Centre.’

  ‘No.’

  My friends …

  Coach Trusseau …

  Andrei!

  When were his training times? She had no idea. Why hadn’t she thought to ask when they’d walked to the village together on their first day? Had he been at the training centre or in his dorm? She hadn’t seen him at all today.

  Her feet were moving before she was fully conscious of having made the decision to run. All she could focus on was getting back to the village. She had to know that Andrei was all right.

  If he wasn’t …

  He had to be okay …

  What if he wasn’t …?

  Oh God!

  Her heart had built up a pace that was faster than the speed she was moving. Panic tightened both her chest and her stomach. It forced her to stop. She hunched at her waist and felt herself gasping for air.

  A pair of hands reached for her. ‘Take slow, deep breaths.’

  She tilted her head and saw the female driver of the mock tour van that had brought her out to the Wall. She nodded at the woman, closed her eyes, and slowed her breaths.

  Once her breathing had regulated, and she felt more in control, she stood upright.

  A concerned look was on the driver’s face when she said, ‘I’ll get you back as soon as I can. I’ve made a call already. We’ll know more soon.’

  Nina nodded but couldn’t get her mouth to move in response.

  The woman wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and said, ‘You’ve had a shock. You need to sit down. Let’s get you to the car.’

  The next thing Nina knew, she was inside the car, and the driver was on the phone.

  Nina blinked and stared out the window. People and cars were everywhere.

  This is what panic looks like.

  She became aware of the driver ending the call, and asked, ‘What happened?’

  ‘A bomb went off in the middle of the training centre.’

  ‘How did somebody get it through security?’

  ‘Nobody knows yet.’

  Nina bit her lip, ‘Do you know anything about my friends?’

  The woman shook her head, ‘Sorry, that information hasn’t been released yet. You’ll have to wait until we get back, which …’ she gestured at the chaos in front of them then continued, ‘judging by this, is going to be a while.’

  Nina sighed. ‘Great.’

  ‘Might as well get yourself comfortable. There’s snacks in the console beside you if you need something to help with the anxiety.’

  Nina smiled, ‘Thank you,’ but didn’t open it. She was too worried to eat.

  Just as she was settling back into her seat, a memory came back to her, and she felt the breath in her chest freeze.

  Her friends had planned to meet up for lunch today.

  After Radha’s noon training session.

  What if her friends had been at the training centre to meet up with Radha? Had they been hurt?

  ‘Oh God.’

  ‘Everything okay?’

  Nina frowned. ‘I hope so. I just want to get back.’

  ‘I’ll get you there as quickly, and as safely, as I can, Senior Constable.’

  Nina nodded then sat back in her seat. It was all she could do for now.

  * * *

  Nina! Where was Nina? Andrei’s heart felt like a hard ball lodged in his chest as he swarmed through the hysterical crowds, hoping for a glimpse of her easy-to-spot ash-blonde curls. He stepped into one of the quads in the village, and saw Marcel.

  He bolted over and blurted, ‘Where’s Nina?’

  Unlike their previous interactions, Marcel flashed him a compassionate look. ‘Don’t panic. She’s fine.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘She posted some photos on social media. She was at the Wall when the bomb went off.’

  Andrei exhaled his relief. ‘Oh, thank God for that.’

  Somebody else ran up to Marcel and distracted his attention. Andrei was happy to be left alone. His Neens was safe. He drew in a calming breath then headed in the direction of B block.

  A Chinese-uniformed police officer stopped him, ‘Name?’

  ‘Andrei Strasinski.’

  ‘ID?’

  Andrei lifted the ID badge hanging from a lanyard around his neck.

  The man looked at it then turned to a man beside him. They whispered together in Chinese.

  The other man inspected the ID and said, ‘You Russian?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why no Russian ID?’

  ‘I’m competing for Australia. I’m Russian-Australian.’

  The men exchanged disbelieving looks.

  Andrei sighed. ‘It’s been all over the news. Check it out if you don’t believe me.’

  The first man stared at him, assessing. Andrei stared back, unflinching. He’d done nothing wrong.

  Finally, the man looked away, and said, ‘You go. For now.’

  As he walked past them, thoughts of Nina returned. Even though she was apparently safe, he wouldn’t rest or relax until he saw the proof with his own eyes.

  Chapter 32

  The feeling of helplessness on the long drive back to the village had been nauseating. She hopped from the now parked car and felt her head spin. Perhaps she should have eaten something after all.

  She frowned and held a hand to her head to steady herself.

  The driver was at her side the next second. ‘You okay?’

  Nina dropped her hand to her side and made herself nod. ‘I will be. As soon as I know my friends are all right.’

  ‘Let’s get you inside then.’

  Nina nodded and followed the woman in the direction of the village entry. They’d had to park a few streets away due to the increased traffic and media flow around it.

  As they neared the entry, Nina frowned. The chaos was worse than it had been at the Wall. Though it did seem to be somewhat organised. Police held back the media and spectators. Security guards had created barriers and lines for people to stand in. From what she could see, they were going through standard protocol, including metal detector sweeps and ID checks.

&nbs
p; The driver sighed, ‘I don’t think they’re going to let me in. Do you think you’ll be okay if I leave you?’

  Nina nodded. ‘I should be.’

  The woman smiled and was about to turn before Nina thought to say, ‘Oh, wait. I forgot to ask your name.’

  The woman grinned, ‘It’s Helen.’

  Nina took a step towards her, held out her hand, and said, ‘Thank you for everything you did for me today, Helen.’

  Helen smiled, accepted the handshake, and replied, ‘All part of my job, Senior Constable.’

  After an hour in line, and a much-needed toilet break, Nina was back inside the village, making her way towards a series of makeshift information booths that had been set up to deal with enquiries.

  After giving the name she most needed to hear about, the man behind the booth answered, ‘He has checked in.’

  Her heart pounded, ‘And?’

  ‘And he is fine.’

  ‘No injuries?’

  ‘That’s correct.’

  She exhaled from the relief and felt her heart beat soften. ‘Where is he now?’

  ‘I don’t have that information.’

  She nodded, satisfied for now that he was safe.

  ‘I have some other friends …’

  ‘Names?’

  ‘Willa Davidson.’

  He typed on a computer, scanned the screen, and said, ‘She was outside the training centre at the time. She sustained an injury, a wound to her leg, but should be fine in a few days.’

  She won’t be able to compete.

  Nina’s tummy clenched with guilt. ‘Maggie Chu?’

  He typed the name into the computer then looked at her again. ‘Maggie has minor burns to her arms.’

  She won’t be able to compete either.

  ‘Amber Cransen?’

  More typing, then, ‘Amber has a scratch on her face, caused by some flying shrapnel.’

  At least she could still compete.

  ‘I have one more. Radha Brezhneva.’

  After typing her name, a funny look appeared on the man’s face. He tried to cover it, but it was too late.

  Her heart raced as she asked, ‘What about Radha?’

  He swallowed and glanced away. ‘She was inside. Her session ran late. I’m sorry … she was killed.’

  Nina felt her legs go weak; everything around her seemed to blur. She’d failed to protect her friends. She failed …