Hit For Hire

by David Archer

  “So what we do now?” Moose asked.

  “We figure out how to find Adrian, and do exactly what she asked. Everybody think, there’s got to be something we’ve missed. Something that will tell us when he’s planning to strike.”

  “I don’t know what it would be,” Neil said. “I’ve gone over everything possible about Charles. I know his movements for the next week, everywhere he’s going to be, everything. We know Adrian’s supposed to strike tomorrow, so it’s bound to be one of the schools, but which one? Could we possibly cover them all?”

  “Tell me about them again,” Noah said. “Maybe there’s something that will give us a clue as to which one he’s planning to strike at.”

  Neil rolled his eyes, but turned to the computer again. He called up the itinerary he’d looked at before and began reading it off. “Thursday, he goes to Royal Academy at eight AM to hear their choir sing. Ten-thirty, he’ll be at Albemarle Primary to speak to the students about the British Constitutional Monarchy form of government—the Prime Minister is also going to be there, by the way—and then at three, he’s supposed to be at Hempstead...”

  “Wait,” Noah said. “You said the Prime Minister is going to be at Albemarle with him?”

  “Yeah, that’s what it says right here. I hadn’t seen that before.”

  “That’s because they were keeping it under wraps,” Noah said. “Catherine told me that Adrian had been planning some kind of a big assassination when he was captured, but they never found out who the target was. There was speculation, though, that it was the PM. If she’s right, that’s got to be it. He can take both of them out at the same time.”

  “That would make sense,” Moose said. “Two birds, one stone.”

  “Neil, can you get me the specs on that building? And I want to know exactly where this program is taking place.”

  “Give me a few minutes,” Neil said. His fingers began flying over the keys.

  “Noah,” Sarah said, “should we notify somebody? Get the whole thing canceled?”

  Noah shook his head. “Not just yet,” he said. “If it gets canceled, we may never get another chance to nail Adrian. What we got to do is figure out just what it is he plans to do, so that we can stop it.”

  Sarah stared at him. “Are you getting a little personal about this?”

  “No,” Noah said. “If we can’t figure it out in time, you’ll make the call yourself just before they arrive. I just can’t take the chance that Adrian might find out it’s been canceled and failed to show up. It’s the only time we know of where we know exactly where he’ll be.”

  “Okay, I’ve got it,” Neil said. “The program takes place in their main auditorium. Both Prince Charles and the Prime Minister will be on the stage, taking turns explaining the British system of government to the kids. I’ve also managed to get the blueprints for the building, take a look.”

  Noah leaned in and stared at the screen. The auditorium was one large room, set up theater-style with gradually rising seats. The stage was large, but open; there were no wings on it for anyone to hide in.

  “There’s nowhere he can take a shot from,” Noah said. “There’s no balcony, no booth anywhere. There’s no place I can see where a rifle could be concealed, and there should be enough security to make sure he can’t get close enough to make a pistol shot. How in the world is he planning to pull this off?”

  Neil was also studying the diagram on the screen, his finger tracing different possible paths toward the stage. He shook his head, dragging his finger back to try again, but he still couldn’t figure out how anyone could make a shot that would be certain, let alone two of them. “It’s a clear span building,” he said. “There’s not even any place in the ceiling or on the roof he could possibly hide. He’d have a better chance of making the shot from underneath the damned stage!”

  Noah shook his head. “No, there’s no trapdoors. Nowhere he can peek out of, he couldn’t be sure of...” He suddenly leaned forward and looked at the diagram again. “Neil, you’re a genius!”

  “I am? I mean, I know I am but...”

  “You said it, the only way he could possibly make the shot is from under the stage. What’s the only way to make a shot count when you can’t possibly see the target?”

  “Explosives!” Moose blurted. “He’s going to blow up the entire stage!”

  “Exactly,” Noah said. “That’s the only thing the could make any possible sense. He can take out both Prince Charles and the Prime Minister at the same time.”

  “God, he’d be killing God-only-knows how many kids!” Sarah said.

  “Yes, but he won’t care. Remember when they asked me to do this job? They wanted it to look like the work of some known enemy of the British state. I’ll guarantee you the explosives will be a type used by the Irish Republican Army or some other such group. They’ll get the blame, but whoever’s behind the assassination of the PM will reap all the benefits.”

  Neil was pounding on the keyboard. “Okay, there’s like ungodly security on that school for the next couple of days,” he said. “How can we put a stop to this without canceling the appearance and evacuating the school? We’ve got to find some way to get into that building tonight.”

  Noah nodded. “You’re right, but how?”

  “I’m looking, I’m looking,” Neil said. “Give me a minute, will you?”

  Noah sat back in his chair and waited, while Moose chuckled. A moment later, Neil pointed his finger at a spot on the screen.

  “There’s only one possibility,” he said. “See this, on the roof of the auditorium? That’s where an air conditioner used to be, but they upgraded the system sometime recently and took that one out. There’s a cover over it, probably screwed down. If you could get up there and take it off, you could rappel down a rope and end up right in front of the stage. From there, you can get to the access panel to get onto the stage right over here on the left, see it?”

  Noah nodded. “Okay, I see it,” he said. “Got any brilliant ideas on how to get me on that roof?”

  “Actually, I do. Can either of you guys fly a plane?”

  “Yes,” Noah said, “My grandfather taught me. What have you got in mind?”

  “There’s a small private airfield about 10 miles out of the city. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t have its own tower, no security for anything, but there is a school there for people to learn how to jump with a parachute. I’m thinking we could go there, snag a parachute, steal a small plane and fly over the school. Moose can use a parachute, right?”

  “Right,” Moose said.

  “Okay, so Noah flies the plane over the school, and Moose jumps out—with me strapped onto him.”

  “Oh, no,” Sarah said, “no way!”

  “I really don’t see any choice,” Neil said. “Does anybody else here have the necessary electronic or chemical knowledge that might be necessary to defuse a bomb? I’m telling you, this will work. Like I said, there’s a parachute school there. They’ll have one of those rigs they use, where they strap the student to the instructor and let them jump out together.”

  “And you think nobody will spot a parachute landing on top of that auditorium?”

  “Not if there’s a big enough diversion,” Neil said. “That’s where you come in, Sis. You’re always claiming you can outdrive anybody, right? Well, we steal you one of those fast and furious type cars, and you go racing around the parking lot of the school just before we get ready to jump. You make enough of a fuss, and all the security is going to be watching you. All you got to do is outrun the police cars that decide to go after you. Compared to making my first-ever jump out of an airplane, sliding down a rope and disarming God knows how big a bomb, you’ve got it easy.”

  Noah, Moose and Sarah sat there for a moment just staring at him. It was Moose who spoke up first.

  “As crazy as it sounds,” he said, “it actually might work.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Noah said. “This is why we are a team, ri
ght? Because each of us is the best at what we do. Neil’s right, it has to be him that goes in to disarm the bomb, nobody else here has his skills. I’m the only one here that can fly a plane, Moose is the perfect candidate for the parachute jump.” He turned his eyes to Sarah. “And you’re the best driver on the planet.”

  “Oh, my God,” Sarah said. “Geez, we’re really going to do this, aren’t we? Can I point out that there’s just one big flaw in this plan?”

  “What’s that?” Neil asked.

  “How we get you guys back out of there after you deactivate the bomb. Anybody figured that one out yet?”

  “Oh, that’s the easiest part of all,” Neil said. “We walk right out through the front door.”

  “The front door? What, you want me to come back and make another diversion?”

  “Not necessary,” Neil said. “Moose and I will just stay under the stage and get some sleep. When all the festivities end tomorrow, we can slip out and leave with everybody else.”

  Sarah just stared at him.

  “Okay, that’s the plan, then,” Noah said. “Let’s get busy putting it into action.”

  It was only a little past one, so they worked on refining the plan throughout the afternoon. Neil spent a good part of the time studying up on IEDs, and Sarah used her phone to plan her own escape route after her automotive diversion. Noah sent her out to grab some necessary supplies and dinner at five, and she came back with everything, plus a bucket of KFC. They sat down and ate, waiting for it to start getting dark.

  Finally, it was time to go. Neil gathered up the tools he would need and shoved them into his pockets, and then they locked up the house and headed out in the pickup truck. Sarah drove as they went out to the little airport, but there were a couple of cars at the airport when they arrived, and a number of people looking over an older twin-engine Beechcraft. They spent an extra forty-five minutes driving around the sparsely populated countryside, and were glad to find that the place was deserted when they came back.

  “Okay,” Noah said as he, Moose and Neil climbed out of the truck. “Go find yourself a car to steal, but then stay out of sight with it as much as you can until you hear from us. We’re only going to get one shot at this, so it’s got to work the first time. You’ll need to keep their attention on you for several minutes, at least, long enough for Moose and Neil to make their jump and gather up the parachute on the roof. As soon as they’re down, you make a run for it and find somewhere to ditch that car. Get somewhere safe, then you can take a taxi back to the truck and come to pick me up.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’ve got it, Noah,” she said. “It’s not like we haven’t been over this five hundred times, right?”

  Noah was standing beside her door, with the window rolled down. He looked at her for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her. She stopped complaining and wrapped her hand around the back of his head to prolong the kiss. When she finally let go, it was with a smile on her face.

  “Stay safe,” Noah said.

  “You, too,” she said. She put the truck in gear and drove away.

  It took Moose only a few seconds to break into the parachute school’s little building. Finding the instructor rig that would allow him to take Neil along with him on the jump took nearly 10 minutes. Unlike the rental parachutes, the instructor rig was kept in a cabinet in the manager’s office.

  Meanwhile, Noah had been looking over the few airplanes that were tied down on the apron. The jump school owned a single-engine Cessna that had been modified for its purpose. Only the pilot’s seat remained inside, and the right-side door was rigged with a mechanism that would swing it upward, rather than outward. That got it completely out of the way so that it didn’t interfere with the jumpers.

  Moose found the key to the plane in the office and brought it out. “I thought this might make life a little easier for you,” he said. “Something about riding in a hot-wired airplane doesn’t appeal to me.”

  Noah took the key and nodded. “I can imagine,” he said.

  They climbed into the plane and Noah fired it up. He let the engine warm up for a minute, then gave it a little throttle so that it could taxi to the end of the runway. A moment later, they were airborne.

  Sarah had hurried back into the city, looking for car that she felt would be suitable for her own part in this crazy operation. She was heading into heavy traffic when she spotted the one she thought would be ideal. It was a 2015 Subaru WRX sTI, and from the look and sound of it, it was one that had felt the touch of a high-performance shop. It was cruising along with a number of other such cars, and she followed it until the driver pulled into the parking lot of a small restaurant.

  She drove past as the driver got out of the car and went inside, then parked the truck behind the store a block away. She locked her purse inside and jogged back to the little restaurant, glad to see the Subaru still sitting in its parking space.

  She’d gotten a good look at the young man who was driving, and found him sitting with a couple of other boys in a booth inside. She ordered a Pepsi, then took it to a table right beside where they were sitting.

  It took only a moment for the boys to notice her, and she flashed them a slightly flirtatious grin.

  “Care to join us, luv?” one of the other boys asked.

  “Thanks, but I’m okay,” she said. “Hey, do you happen to know who owns that beautiful Subaru outside? The one with the flames painted on it?”

  Two of the boys started hooting, and pointed at their companion. “Oi, that’s Mikey’s car,” one of them said. “Fastest thing on the road, it is!”

  “Really?” Sarah said, her eyes going wide. “I’ve heard a lot about those cars, are they really as fast as they say?”

  Mikey grinned from ear to ear. “Mine is,” he said. “She’s been pumped up a bit. Over 500 hp coming out of her engine, she’ll break three hundred KpH. Ever ridden in one?”

  Sarah got up and slid into the seat beside him. “No,” she said as if awestruck. “I’m Linda. Would you take me for a ride?”

  Mikey smiled, and she could see the lecherous thoughts dancing across his mind. “Sure, baby,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  Sarah jumped up and let Mikey lead her out to the car, and tittered when he held the door open for her. She could see the other two boys gawking at them through the window as Mikey walked around and got behind the wheel. He fired the car up and backed it out of its space, then eased it onto the street.

  He made a couple of turns and got onto a fairly deserted street, then downshifted to second gear and floored the accelerator. The all-wheel drive grabbed the road and the car shot forward. The road had a couple of curves in it, and he took them fast, fast enough that Sarah could hear the tires squealing.

  When he finally slowed down, Sarah gushed over how fast the car seemed to be. “You know, I’ve never told anyone,” she said, “but going fast in a car really turns me on.” She made her eyes and smile as seductive as she possibly could. “I don’t suppose you know anyplace private we could go, do you?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Mikey said. “Just hang on, luv.” He sped up again, and headed out of the populated parts of the city. Within minutes they were cruising down a lane that seemed to be completely devoid of either traffic or houses.

  Sarah reached over and ran a hand down his chest. “Find somewhere to park,” she said, her voice thick and sultry.

  Mikey laid a hand on her thigh for just a moment, but then had to downshift as he made a turn into what looked like an old cemetery. “This okay for you?” he asked with a grin.

  Sarah nodded. “It’s perfect,” she said. “Let’s get out so we can do it on the ground.”

  Mikey’s grin got even wider as he opened his door and stepped out of the car. Sarah jumped out of the passenger side and ran around to where he was standing. She threw her arms around his neck and put her face just in front of his, then said, “Mikey, do you like surprises?”

  Mikey kept smiling, but his eyes suddenly held a question
. “Surprises?”

  The question was answered quickly, as Sarah’s little Beretta suddenly materialized in front of his face. “Surprise,” she said. “I’m so sorry, but you’re not getting lucky tonight. In fact, what you’re going to do is take off all your clothes and toss them into the car.”

  The grin vanished, to be replaced by a look of shock and anger. “Are you crazy? I’m not gonna...”

  Sarah pointed the pistol slightly to the right of his head and squeezed the trigger once. The bullet whizzed by, but the sound of the gunshot nearly burst his eardrum.

  “Geez, you crazy bint,” he yelled.

  She pointed the gun back at his face, but then lowered it until it was aimed at his crotch. “Strip, I said. Everything off, right now. Toss it all inside the car and then start walking.”

  Mikey’s gaze followed the aim of the gun, and then his clothes started coming off. He threw them into the open window, finally ending with his underwear.

  “Now, start walking.” Sarah pointed toward the far back of the cemetery. “Keep going in that direction, and don’t stop until you find some clothes. Got it?”

  Mikey started walking, screaming obscenities at her as he went. Sarah watched until he was a good 500 yards away, then opened the driver’s door. She had to throw his clothes into the backseat before she could get in, and then it took her a moment to adjust the seat for her shorter legs. She honked the horn twice, and then roared out of the cemetery and back toward the city.

  It would take Mikey at least a couple of hours to make his way back to civilization, she figured, especially since his nudity would make him want to avoid being seen. Hopefully, this crazy plan would be over and done with by then.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Sarah took out her phone and called Noah. He answered, but she could barely hear him over the noise of the airplane’s engine. “Can you hear me?” she shouted.

  “Yes, just barely,” Noah said loudly. “Are you ready?”