‘If anything goes wrong, you get it out of here,’ Eddie told him. ‘We’ll use a warning code. If we phone you and say our names, like “It’s Eddie,” then you grab the key and go, quick as you can. If we say, “It’s me,” then it’s safe.’
Cheng nodded. ‘Okay. But I still think—’
‘Stay here,’ Nina insisted. ‘You’ve been in enough danger already. Ah ah!’ she added, raising a finger as he prepared to say more. ‘You want to pass my class? Do what I tell you.’
‘Yes, Professor,’ Cheng replied with a huffy frown.
‘We’ll get a cab to the tower,’ said Eddie.
Nina donned her boots. ‘Think we’ll make it before he can get anyone there?’
‘Should do, unless he’s got goons who literally live underneath it.’
‘Dangerous place. You’d be constantly bombarded by jumpers.’ She held up the brochure to show him one of the tower’s main draws: the Sky Jump, where thrill-seekers could leap from on high.
Eddie grinned. ‘I’ll stick with the lift.’
‘Okay, Cheng, wait here for us to call. Remember what Eddie said about the code?’
Cheng nodded. ‘If you use your names, I take the key and go as fast as I can.’
‘Good lad,’ said Eddie. ‘You all set, love?’
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘It’s Miller time.’
From one hundred and ninety-two metres above the ground, the view across Auckland from the Sky Tower was spectacular. Both the east and west coasts of New Zealand were visible, the city built on one of the narrowest points of North Island. However, Nina and Eddie had other things on their minds than admiring the scenery. One was making sure Miller had not staked out the meeting; the other was right outside the window.
‘You were right,’ said Nina, watching as two attendants prepared a man in a bright blue-and-yellow coverall for the Sky Jump. The attraction’s summit was directly beside the bar of the Sugar Club restaurant, occasional screams rising over the soft background music as leapers took the fast way down to street level. ‘I think we’ll stick with the elevator.’
Eddie chuckled. ‘I’ve fallen off too many high things for free to want to pay to do it.’
She looked away from the platform outside into the main dining area, which curved around the circumference of the tower’s fifty-third floor. ‘What about in there? Anyone suspicious?’
He had recently returned from checking it out, pretending to admire the panoramic view while surreptitiously assessing the diners. ‘There’s only a few people. Two of ’em are an old couple, so I don’t think they’re hired goons, and the others were finishing their desserts. They’ll be gone in ten minutes.’
Nina’s watch told her they still had twenty before Miller was due to arrive. ‘And anyone else who turns up, we’ll see them.’ The bar was at the restaurant’s entrance; anybody arriving had to come past them. ‘Okay, so I guess we wait. And listen to the screams.’ The jumper finally plucked up the courage to step over the edge – and plunged towards the ground with a shriek, the cable attached to his harness rapidly winding out as he dropped in free fall before slowing.
‘Nothing like that to help you relax,’ said Eddie with a smile.
They had told a waiter they were expecting Miller, so were left alone while they waited. The dessert eaters departed. Another jumper was led to the platform, wobbling at the edge before disappearing with a Dopplering scream. It was clearly a popular draw, as the attendants bustled straight back inside to prepare the next customer for their vertical journey. Nina checked her watch again. ‘Five minutes. Shame we’re not planning to eat, I like the look of the menu!’
Eddie stood. ‘I’ll go and keep an eye on things.’ He went through a door leading from the bar to the glass-walled corridor outside the Sky Jump waiting area, taking up position behind it to watch the restaurant through a porthole.
Nina waited, becoming increasingly tense even knowing Eddie was only yards away. From her brief talk with Miller, she had already pegged his type: an overprivileged, entitled product of money who became angry and aggressive if challenged, especially by a woman. She had run into a depressingly large number of them over the years, as they gravitated into business, law and politics as if considering such professions theirs by birthright.
But she was angry too. If Miller was behind what had happened in the iceberg, she would make him pay, even if that involved dangling him from the Sky Jump by his ankles . . .
The main doors opened. Nina turned – and instantly recognised Donny Miller. He was tall, well over six feet, and the smug expression from the photos was present in real life as if permanently etched around his mouth. There was, however, uncertainty behind it, which was a relief. If he had set up a trap, he would be a lot more confident.
The waiter, a cheery man with a nametag reading ‘Simon’, met him. ‘Good afternoon, Mr Miller.’ He glanced around, noting Eddie’s absence with a small shrug, then led him to Nina. ‘Your guest is already here.’
She stood, extending a hand. ‘Mr Miller?’
He took it, giving her a perfunctory but still over-forceful power squeeze. ‘You’re Macy Garde?’
‘I am, yes,’ she replied – but he was already regarding her with suspicion, recognition starting to form. She distracted him by turning to the waiter. ‘Can we go to our table, please?’
He led the way to the one she had requested, by the window just inside the dining section. She had chosen it because of its proximity to the entrance, allowing her to see anyone coming in – and also in case she and Eddie needed to leave in a hurry. She sat looking back towards the bar, Miller facing her. ‘Two waters,’ he told Simon brusquely. The waiter hurried away.
Miller checked no other diners were within earshot before he spoke. ‘So. What do you want?’
‘I want to know why you sent mercenaries to attack the expedition to iceberg D43,’ she replied. ‘Why you stole a coffin containing the body of someone who lived over a hundred thousand years ago – and why your men tried to kill me in Hamburg to get hold of the key that opens it.’
He blinked, taken aback by the barrage of accusations. ‘Hamburg? You were— You’re not a journalist, are you?’
‘I’m not,’ she answered stonily. Behind him, she saw Eddie re-enter the bar. ‘I’m Nina Wilde.’
Miller stiffened, eyes widening before he covered his shock with clench-lipped indignation. ‘So you brought me here under false pretences? I’ve got nothing to say to you.’ He started to stand—
‘Ay up,’ said Eddie, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him firmly down. ‘Not leaving already, are you? You only just arrived.’
‘And that’s my husband, Eddie Chase,’ Nina told Miller. ‘If you know anything about him, you won’t try to stand up again until he lets you. He was in the SAS; he could kill you with his bare hands in a crowded room and make it look like a heart attack.’
Eddie gave Nina a crooked grin – the statement was a considerable exaggeration of his lethality – but Miller abandoned any further attempts to rise. ‘All right,’ said the Englishman, giving the younger man a patronising pat on the back before sitting between him and Nina, ‘now we can have a nice little chat.’
Miller eyed him nervously. ‘If I shout for help, the staff will have security in here in less than a minute.’
‘If you shout for help, you’ll have a fork in each fucking eyeball,’ Eddie replied mildly, picking up two examples of said silverware and slowly flipping them over between his fingers. ‘Just answer our questions, and you’ll get to keep enjoying the view.’
‘Start talking,’ said Nina. ‘Why did you steal the coffin?’
‘The coffin,’ Miller repeated, agitated. ‘Look, what happened in Hamburg was a mistake, okay? I sent Harhund and his men, but that was, ah . . . premature. ’He looked down at the table, almost as if ashamed; his attitude was more tha
t of a child being told off than the head of a multinational corporation. The arrogance quickly returned, though. ‘But I didn’t tell Harhund to kill anyone!’
‘What about at the iceberg?’ Nina snapped. ‘He sank our ship with a rocket launcher! That’s not exactly something you pack on the off chance it might come in useful.’
‘That was out of my hands!’ he objected. ‘Yeah, I sent Harhund to Germany, but I already told you that was a mistake. I had nothing to do with anything that happened afterwards.’
‘Then who did?’ demanded Eddie. He looked around sharply at movement near the entrance, but it was merely the waiter returning from the bar with the water. The Yorkshireman pointedly held up a fork as the bottles were placed on the table, daring Miller to say anything. Miller remained silent.
‘Would you like a drink, sir?’ the waiter asked Eddie.
‘No, I’m fine,’ he replied. ‘Can we have a few minutes before you bring the menus? We’ve got some business to discuss.’ Simon glanced at Miller for confirmation, but he remained close-lipped, so nodded and departed towards the kitchen at the restaurant’s far end.
‘So who sent them to the iceberg?’ Nina said. ‘You expect us to believe you’d order Harhund to Hamburg to get the key, but then wash your hands of everything else?’
Miller gave her an unexpectedly calculating look. ‘Do you have the key?’
‘None of your fucking business!’ Eddie growled. ‘Answer her. Or you’ll be taking the quick way down.’ He gestured towards the long drop beyond the windows.
Miller swallowed, then lowered his voice. ‘I had nothing to do with sinking your ship. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t!’
‘Then who was it?’ Nina demanded, anger returning at his prevarication. Was he trying to buy time? She glanced towards the entrance, but nobody was there.
Somebody was approaching from behind, though. Eddie heard them too. ‘Look, I said to give us a few min—’
‘This cannot wait,’ said a cold Scandinavian voice.
Nina and Eddie whirled – to see Harhund and one of his team from the iceberg. The mercenary leader had a hand in his jacket pocket, the unmistakable shape of a gun’s muzzle pushing at the fabric.
‘What the hell kept you?’ said Miller with relief.
‘I had to get my weapons past the metal detector.’ The Sky Tower had the same security systems as an airport. ‘And then I had to convince someone to let us come through the kitchen.’
The businessman nodded. ‘You were right that they’d staked the place out.’
‘It was predictable.’ He regarded Eddie and Nina. ‘Give me the key.’
She opened her hands wide. ‘We don’t have it.’
Harhund turned to his companion. ‘Wintz, search them.’
The other man performed a rapid pat-down of Nina’s clothing before moving on to Eddie. ‘Ooh-hoo, that tickles!’ the Yorkshireman cried in an exaggerated squeal. The other diners looked around, Simon giving them a curious glance as he headed for the bar.
Harhund was not amused. ‘Shut up!’
‘It’s not here,’ said Wintz, stepping back.
‘We didn’t bring it with us, dumbass,’ said Nina. ‘It’s somewhere safe.’
‘Then you will take us to it,’ Harhund replied. ‘I was hired to get the coffin, the key and you – and I always complete my contracts.’
Eddie made a sarcastic sound. ‘Great. A killer with a work ethic.’
Harhund waved the gun again. ‘Get up.’
Nina and Eddie reluctantly stood. Miller’s habitual smugness returned, confidence rushing back now he had the upper hand. ‘The Chinese kid must have the key,’ he said as he rose. ‘Where is he?’
Nina frowned. ‘How did you know he was still alive? We didn’t tell you.’
A flash of panic – which he tried to cover by counter-attacking. ‘I didn’t know, but you just confirmed it.’
Harhund’s narrow-eyed disdain, however, told Nina that Miller had said too much. ‘Let’s go find him.’
‘I’ll have to phone him to get him to meet us,’ she said.
Harhund shook his head. ‘No phone calls, no warnings. Just take us to him.’
‘I don’t know where he is,’ she shot back as they started out of the dining area, Eddie in the lead with Harhund flanking Nina behind him. ‘We told him to walk around the city so that if anything went wrong you couldn’t find him – or the key.’
‘We have to get the key,’ said Miller, perturbed. ‘Let her call him.’
‘No,’ the mercenary replied, eyes fixed on Nina as Simon the waiter rounded the bar, carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses on a tray. ‘She is lying, I am—’
Eddie passed Simon – and snatched up the bottle, smashing it against the counter’s corner. Shards and liquid flew up into Harhund’s face.
He shielded his eyes with his free hand, jumping back – as Eddie grabbed Miller and shoved the broken bottle’s jagged end against his throat.
16
‘Let her go!’ Eddie barked as he backed towards the exit, pulling the taller man with him as a shield. ‘Otherwise Donny Dipshit’s next drink goes straight through his neck.’
Miller started to struggle, only to freeze as the razor-sharp glass sliced his skin. ‘Jesus Christ, he’s going to kill me!’ he shrieked. ‘Do it, let her go!’
Harhund instead grabbed the startled Nina, pushing his hidden gun against her back. ‘He is bluffing. Let him go, Chase.’
Alarm from the diners as they saw the confrontation. The waiter hurriedly scrambled clear and took out a phone to call for help. ‘I’m not fucking joking,’ Eddie warned. Miller gasped as the jagged points drew blood, two hot red lines rolling down his neck to stain his pristine white shirt collar.
‘Nor am I.’ Harhund nodded to his companion. ‘Get her to the car.’ Wintz dragged Nina towards the restaurant’s entrance. The mercenary leader then drew his gun and took aim – at Miller’s torso.
Miller stared at the weapon. ‘Uh, Astor, what the hell are you doing?’
Harhund kept his eyes locked on Eddie’s. ‘Do not worry. I will shoot him dead before he can cut an artery.’
‘Yeah, but – but I’m in the way!’
‘The bullet will go straight through you, but then tumble and tear organs when it enters his body. You will probably survive.’
‘Probably doesn’t cut it!’
‘I’ll cut you if you don’t keep still,’ Eddie growled – but the situation was out of control. Despite Nina’s best efforts to resist, the other mercenary had hauled her to the doors, and it was now absolutely clear that while Miller had once been Harhund’s paymaster, he was no longer calling the shots.
Eddie backed towards the secondary exit. ‘Nina,’ he said, drawing his struggling wife’s attention to him – and giving her a look that after seventeen years together he hoped she would understand. Her small nod told him she did: distract him.
‘Watch her,’ Harhund warned his comrade, detecting the unspoken message but not knowing what it meant. The mercenary held Nina more tightly as he forced the doors open. The Scandinavian advanced, eyes flicking towards movement on the Sky Jump platform before locking back onto the Englishman.
Eddie continued his retreat, giving Nina the look she had been waiting for—
She kicked out hard, catching one of the doors and driving herself back against her captor.
He staggered against the other door, which hit the wall with a bang. Harhund’s head snapped around at the noise—
Eddie hurled the broken bottle at the mercenary leader’s face.
Harhund lunged sideways to dodge the jagged glass missile – and Eddie propelled Miller at him with a forceful kick. The two men collided and fell.
‘Nina, run!’ yelled the Yorkshireman as he darted to the other exit. He looked back, hoping she had broken
free – but the other man had kept his hold on her.
Harhund recovered, gun rising—
Eddie threw himself through the doorway as he fired. The bullet struck just behind him. He slammed the door shut, then ran down the curving corridor.
Glass walls revealed the Sky Jump to his left, Auckland sprawling beyond it. A woman was outside on the platform, attendants readying her for the drop. Eddie had reconnoitred when he and Nina first arrived; apart from toilets beyond the Sky Jump’s entrance, the only accessible exit doubled back to the elevators in the central core. Harhund must have used a service door to enter the kitchens, but the Yorkshireman had no way to open it.
Not that he would even have time to reach it. The Norwegian charged into the corridor behind him.
Eddie barged through the door to the Sky Jump’s reception area before Harhund could take another shot at his back. Outside the tower itself was another attraction, the vertiginous Sky Walk circling the entire floor. If he reached it, he might be able to loop round and find another way in, or at the very least evade his pursuer until the authorities arrived.
Another glass door separated reception from the chamber leading to the exterior platform. He hurried to it—
It didn’t open.
The exit was locked. A warning sign explained why; it was effectively an airlock, preventing the high winds at almost two hundred metres up from gusting into the tower. Before one door could be opened, the other had to be shut – and the entrance door was still swinging closed behind him.
Harhund raced towards it. A nasty smile as he saw his quarry was trapped—
The inner door clunked shut – and Eddie threw open the exit.
Harhund shoved at the entrance, but it remained closed. A snarl as he realised what had happened, then he stepped back and aimed his gun at the glass wall.
Wind blasted Eddie as he entered the next room. A large piece of machinery occupied it: the descender rig and winch for the Sky Jump itself. Cables ran out above the open exit, in turn leading to pulleys over the end of the launch platform. The woman about to take the jump was still standing fearfully at the edge, two attendants trying to convince her to step off—
The Resurrection Key Page 18
