Harhund fired. Glass exploded, showering the room with glinting debris. He jumped through.
Eddie sprinted into the open, already knowing that his plan to escape on the Sky Walk was doomed. If he ran along it without a safety line, the constantly shifting wind would knock him to his death. But if he went any slower than a sprint, Harhund would shoot him.
There was only one other way: the Sky Jump itself.
He ran towards the jumper. If he held on to her, he could ride the descender rig to ground level—
An attendant saw him coming and shouted to her companion. He spun, seeing the man charging at him and flinching in surprise – catching the hesitant woman with his elbow.
She toppled over the edge with a scream. Eddie had nowhere to go—
Except after her.
He leapt over the platform’s lip. Another bullet seared above his head as he plunged.
One death escaped, but now he faced another.
The wind tore at his face, forcing him to squint, but he couldn’t close his eyes. He had only one chance of survival, and his timing had to be perfect. If he missed it, he would be dead in six seconds.
He saw a flailing blue-and-yellow shape sixty feet below. The woman, still in free fall . . .
She suddenly grew larger.
The descender was designed to bring a falling person to a gradual halt without the sudden jolt and rebound of a bungee jump. The cable was slowing her – and now Eddie was rapidly catching up.
He opened his arms wide—
The woman rushed at him – and he tackled her in mid-air.
Her scream became a wail of pure terror at the unexpected impact. ‘Sorry, but I need a ride!’ he yelled, hooking his arms around her shoulders.
The buildings of Auckland’s CBD rushed towards them. Halfway down and slowing, but not quickly enough. The descender had been set for her weight; Eddie had more than doubled it. Her harness cables lashed at him as emergency brakes kicked in.
The landing zone was on a platform at the tower’s base, the tiny rectangle enlarging with frightening speed as they hurtled towards it. A red square appeared upon it, concentric white circles forming a target – a crash mat.
The name was appropriate. Even braking, they were going too fast. If he was still on the woman’s back when they landed, he would crush her, breaking her legs, or worse.
A hundred feet up, fifty, thirty – and he let go.
The woman shot away as the descender caught her. Eddie fell the final yards, bracing himself—
He hit hard, rolling as if making a parachute landing to absorb the impact. The mat was padded, but it still felt like dropping onto concrete. Searing pain shot through his left ankle. He cried out, bowling to a stop on the platform’s metal deck.
A shocked attendant rushed to catch the screaming woman. Another man ran to Eddie. ‘What the hell happened? Are you all right?’
The Yorkshireman staggered up, ankle on fire. ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Five-star experience, would recommend it to my friends. You’d better look after her, though.’ He limped as quickly as he could down the spiral stairs to ground level, leaving the bewildered attendant to help the crying woman.
Some tourists gawped at him as he reached the street, but his plunge had barely been noticed. Aucklanders paid only passing attention to screams from the Sky Tower. Eddie turned back to the complex of buildings at the landmark’s foot. Nina was still inside; he had to rescue her. He hobbled towards the entrance.
Wintz dragged Nina to the elevators, the panicked Miller following. ‘Get your fucking hands off me!’ she snarled, kicking and lashing at the mercenary. He grunted with the blows, but did not relinquish his hold.
Harhund ran out of the restaurant to join them, gun in hand.
‘Did you get him?’ Miller asked.
‘He escaped,’ was the frustrated reply.
‘What do you mean, escaped? We’re two hundred metres up!’
‘Where is he?’ Nina demanded.
‘He took the Sky Jump.’ Harhund jabbed at the already illuminated elevator call button. ‘Mr Miller, you stay here and make up a story for the police. We’ll get her to the car.’
‘What – what story?’ stammered Miller. ‘What am I supposed to tell them?’
A shrug. ‘You are a smart man, I’m sure you will think of something.’
‘Like hell you’re taking me with you!’ said Nina. She tried to deliver a reverse headbutt to Wintz’s face, but he jerked back just enough that she only caught his jaw a glancing blow. He still made a pained noise, which gave her some small satisfaction.
The elevator arrived. ‘Get in,’ Harhund told her.
‘What, or you’re gonna shoot me?’
‘Yes.’ He drew a second gun with his free hand – a Taser.
‘Oh, crap,’ said Nina – as Wintz let go and twin electrified barbs stabbed into her chest.
The Sky Tower’s security personnel had responded to the chaos within, uniformed guards preventing people from entering the building complex and hurriedly ushering others already inside through the exits. Eddie cursed as he watched from behind a concrete pillar. There was a good chance the waiter had already given his description to the authorities, and the Sky Jump employees would also have reported him by now. He wouldn’t be able to get back in without risking being caught – which meant he would have to wait for his enemies to bring Nina out.
At least he knew where they would emerge. Donny Miller didn’t strike him as the kind of man who used cabs; he would almost certainly have a chauffeur, and he had noticed a VIP drop-off and pick-up point at the tower’s foot. They would have to come this way – he hoped.
A squeal of tyres. He turned to see a black Porsche Cayenne SUV rounding the tower. The rear windows were heavily tinted, but the driver was visible: a man in a dark suit and peaked cap. The vehicle screeched to a halt outside the entrance. The driver jumped out to open the rear door.
Eddie looked towards the building. The passengers must be on their way . . .
Harhund hurried out, flanked by Wintz – with Nina between them. She appeared only semi-conscious, both men supporting her.
Eddie rushed from behind the pillar. Pain flared in his ankle, but he refused to surrender to it. The mercenaries bundled Nina into the SUV, the chauffeur watching in confusion before hurrying back to the driver’s seat in response to Harhund’s shouted order.
The mercenary leader saw the Englishman running towards him—
Eddie tensed, ready to dodge gunfire – but instead Harhund dived into the Cayenne. ‘Go!’ he bellowed. Wintz scrambled in after him as the vehicle powered away.
The Yorkshireman swerved to intercept, but his aching ankle slowed him. ‘Shit!’ he roared as the escaping Porsche bounded onto the street, making a skidding left turn. He ran after it, reaching the pavement just in time to see it run a red light at a crossroads and swing out of sight to head south.
Despite having no chance of catching up, he didn’t slow. He now needed to get clear of the Sky Tower before the cops arrived – which they soon would, sirens rising. He angled across the road, then around a corner. The street ahead sloped down towards Viaduct Harbour to the north.
Walking as quickly as he could, he called Cheng. ‘It’s me,’ he said. ‘Listen, they’ve got Nina.’
‘What?’ said Cheng. ‘Oh no! What are we—’
‘Just take the key and get out of the hotel. Meet me at, er . . .’ He didn’t know the city, and the only landmark he could think of was the Sky Tower itself. ‘Meet me at the dock where we went onto the ship. There was a ferry terminal, I’ll see you outside it.’
‘Are you okay? What about Professor Wilde?’
‘I’m fine. Just get there.’ He disconnected and continued down the street as more sirens sounded behind him.
An hour later, Eddie saw Cheng nervou
sly approach along the waterfront. As well as his backpack, the young Chinese was carrying the few items Nina and Eddie had left in the hotel room. ‘What took you so long?’ the Englishman demanded.
‘I wanted to make sure nobody was following me,’ Cheng replied. ‘Do you know what’s happened to Professor Wilde?’
‘No, and that’s worrying, ’cause I would have expected them to call me by now – to exchange her for the key. You got it?’
He nodded. ‘Are you going to give it to them?’
‘To get Nina back? Course I fucking am.’
Cheng was surprised, even alarmed. ‘But . . . but Professor Wilde almost died to keep it from them.’
‘Professor Wilde’s almost died for a lot of stupid archaeological crap. I’ve been telling her ever since we met that she’s more important, but she never listens.’ Eddie saw the younger man trying to hold back a smile. ‘What?’
‘It’s funny, but . . . in her lecture, she said her number one rule is that no archaeological find is worth risking your life for. I suppose she doesn’t even listen to herself.’
‘Sounds like Nina,’ said Eddie, with a half-smile of his own. It quickly faded. ‘I don’t trust ’em to make a swap without trying something on, though. They need her as well as the key and the coffin. They won’t let her go until they’ve made her do what they want.’
‘So how are you going to get her back?’
‘That’s a bloody good question. I wish I had a bloody good answer!’
‘I’m sure you’ll rescue her,’ Cheng told him. ‘You’ve done it before, after all.’
‘Too many times. This needs to be the last.’ He frowned in frustration. ‘But I can’t do anything until I know where she is.’
‘Have you tried calling her? She may still have her phone.’
‘No, but they just kidnapped her – they’re not going to let her put that up as a Facebook update.’
‘You said you were waiting for them to call you. Perhaps you should take the first step.’
‘Huh. Perhaps I should.’ He called Nina’s number.
To his surprise, it was answered. It was not his wife’s voice, though. ‘Chase?’ said Miller cautiously.
‘Yeah. Where’s Nina?’
‘She’s here, with me.’ There was an echoing background noise; the sound of an aircraft in flight.
‘Let me talk to her.’
‘Ah . . . okay, but before you do, let me tell you what’s going to happen—’
‘What’s going to happen is that I will hunt you down and pull your tongue out via your arsehole if you hurt her,’ Eddie growled. ‘I’ve killed richer people than you, so don’t think I’m bluffing. Where is she?’
‘She’s, she’s right here. Hold on.’ The echo changed as the phone was put into speaker mode.
‘Nina, you there?’ Eddie asked.
‘Eddie! Yeah, I’m here,’ she replied.
‘You okay?’
‘That son of a bitch Harhund zapped me with a Taser, but I’m fine now. They took me to the Miller building and we got a helicopter to the airport. We’re in his private jet. Pretty small one, I expected it to be bigger.’
Miller’s annoyance at having his planehood disparaged was practically audible. Eddie grinned. ‘Where are you going?’
‘We’re going to Queenstown,’ said Miller, reasserting himself. ‘And that’s where you’ll be coming too. Now, wait.’
A pause, then Eddie heard him muttering in the background. ‘What’s going on?’
‘He’s called someone else,’ Nina told him. ‘I’d imagine it’s whoever’s really behind whatever’s going on – the person who paid Harhund to raid the iceberg after Donny botched things in Germany.’
‘Great, another arse to kick.’
‘All right, be quiet,’ said Miller irritably. The other conversation had not left him in a good mood. ‘Now here’s the deal. Chase: you bring us the key. Professor Wilde: you use the key. If it works, we let you both go.’
‘What do you want it for?’ Eddie demanded.
‘To coin a phrase, none of your fucking business.’ Miller sounded far too pleased at turning the Englishman’s words back upon him. ‘Once you—’ He broke off in response to something Eddie couldn’t hear, muttering again.
‘You know,’ said Nina with clear amusement, ‘I think he’s being told off for swearing.’
Eddie laughed. ‘Who’s he talking to, his mum?’
‘That’s not important,’ snapped Miller, aggrieved. ‘Chase, you get on the midday flight to Queenstown tomorrow. We’ll meet—’ Another interruption from his other phone. This time, he was sufficiently wound up that his side of the discussion was audible. ‘Are you sure? You really can’t wait one more day— Okay, all right, okay.’ A huff of surrender, then he returned. ‘We’ll arrange a business jet to bring you to Queenstown today. Go to the NjetZ offices at the international terminal; they’ll be ready for you. You’d better be on the plane, though.’
‘Oh, I will be. Can’t wait to see you fist to face,’ Eddie said.
‘Remember, you bring us the key first. Then we let her go.’
‘Yeah, I remember. Nina, I’ll see you soon.’
‘Stay safe,’ Nina managed to reply before the call was cut off.
‘What happened?’ Cheng asked, having only heard one side. ‘Is she all right?’
‘For now, yeah. But they want the key before they’ll let her go. I’m going to fly to Queenstown and make the exchange.’ He had already dismissed involving the New Zealand authorities; he couldn’t risk being arrested for the trouble at the Sky Tower, and Miller was powerful and well connected, which would make the police hesitant about storming in to carry out a hostage rescue.
Cheng nodded. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No you won’t.’
‘But I—’
‘No.’ Eddie put a firm hand on his shoulder. ‘Thanks for everything, but this is as far as you go. I’m sure Nina’ll give you an A – if she gets back to the university.’
‘But I can help you!’ Cheng protested. ‘I’ll find out where Miller will be taking her in Queenstown, and—’
‘I’ll just have to play it by ear. Usually works out – I’m not dead yet. Give me the key.’
Cheng reluctantly produced the pouch. ‘I really can help, you know.’
‘I’m sure you could.’ Eddie checked the ancient artefact was inside it, then shoved it into his jacket. ‘But I don’t think you’ll be able to give me the kind of help I’ll need. Now if you could bring me a gun, that might be handy . . .’
‘I can’t do that right now, I’m afraid.’ The student sounded genuinely apologetic.
‘You get back to New York – and hopefully Nina’ll be back in class soon. I need to get to the airport too, so we’ll share a cab.’ He held out his hand. ‘You’ve done a good job, mate. Thanks.’
Cheng gave him a surprised look, then shook it. ‘Thank you, Mr Chase.’
‘Call me Eddie. All right, let’s get going. Those arses won’t kick themselves.’
17
Queenstown,
New Zealand
Nina normally had no concerns about flying, but the trip from Auckland to Queenstown left her clutching her seat’s plush armrests. The business jet was much smaller than a regular airliner, far more affected by turbulence – and the winds on the approach to her destination, flying through a valley with snow-capped mountain peaks rising high on both sides, were far from gentle.
‘Nothing to worry about,’ Miller said through his teeth as an especially harsh jolt shook the cabin. ‘I’ve made this flight hundreds of times.’
‘Yeah?’ Nina said. ‘And how many barf bags did you get through?’
He gave her an irate look, then concentrated on holding himself in his chair as the plane touched down with a bon
e-jarring thud. His sigh of relief was audible even over the roar of the thrust reversers.
A helicopter awaited them when the jet pulled up. Nina shivered as she stepped out; even at ground level, the wind was fierce and bitterly cold. The two mercenaries flanked her as the chopper’s pilot came to meet Miller. A short exchange with his boss, then he led the way to his aircraft. Some of the airport’s ground crew were not far away, and Nina considered raising the alarm – but Harhund was right beside her, one hand in a pocket. She didn’t know if he was holding the gun or the Taser, but nor did she want to find out.
The chopper took off, its flight quickly bringing it past the heart of Queenstown. Nina looked down. The lakeside town sat at the foot of a mountain, a cable car line rising to its cloud-shrouded summit. Even though the weather was far from idyllic, people were still enjoying the water; as well as wind- and kitesurfers, she saw numerous boats blasting across the whitecaps at high speed. New Zealand had a reputation for extreme sports, and its people seemed keen to live up to it.
The helicopter continued along the lake for several miles, then descended towards the western bank as it curved to the north. Mountains rose ahead, but there was a shallower sweep of green land above the waterfront – and on it she saw a lone building. A big building, she realised as they approached. A mansion overlooked both arms of the lake. The imposing structure was traditional in style, with high, steep rooftops and exposed wooden beams, but clearly modern in construction; one wing was still being built, steel and concrete behind the facade.
Nina regarded it quizzically as they approached a helipad. It was a large house, sure, but there was far more construction equipment than she would have expected. Several concrete silos, a veritable squadron of earth-movers, portable cabins and pallet after pallet of materials . . .
The helicopter touched down, a large man in a dark suit coming to the aircraft to open the door for Miller. He bent low and scurried from the pad. The two mercenaries followed, pulling Nina between them. They made a beeline for a veranda and went inside.
The Resurrection Key Page 19