by Ron McGee
“Dad, look out!”
But the warning was too late. Laughlin sucker punched his father from behind. Ryan watched in horror as his dad fell. He grunted in agony as he landed on his hurt ankle. Laughlin stomped down hard, but Dad rolled out of his way.
Ryan leaped forward. He swung a punch at Laughlin, but the older man blocked the swing. He tried to knee him, but Laughlin deflected that, too. Ryan was outmatched and knew it. But he couldn’t give up.
Laughlin backhanded him. Ryan’s head snapped around and he tasted blood in his mouth. The swing had left Laughlin vulnerable, though, and Ryan took advantage. He tried a left hook and finally connected. Laughlin staggered away a couple of steps, shaking off the blow.
Laughlin’s British cool was gone. He was furious, glaring at Ryan with contempt. “Time to end this.”
Too late, Ryan realized that Laughlin was going for his dropped gun. He ran forward, knowing he’d never stop him in time. Laughlin scooped up the pistol.
“Ryan!”
Everything seemed to slow down. Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan saw his father fling something into the air. A length of pipe. Never breaking stride, Ryan snatched it midflight.
Laughlin aimed the gun—
Ryan swung the pipe like it was a Louisville Slugger—
Laughlin’s finger started to squeeze—
As the pipe whipped around and smashed into his head!
Laughlin twirled in a complete circle, then dropped to the floor. Ryan prepared to strike again, but the mercenary wasn’t moving. Laughlin was down for the count.
Dad staggered up onto his good leg. Ryan dropped the pipe and helped him stand.
“You okay?”
“Hurts.” Which probably meant it was agonizing.
Ryan hugged him tight. Partially it was to help his father walk, but mostly it was just because he wanted to feel him close.
“Those were some nice moves, son.”
“I learned from the best.”
Dad looked down at Laughlin, then smiled. “Gotta tell you—after seeing that swing, I’m definitely looking forward to baseball season.”
Together, they headed out.
CHAPTER
53
FARAJI PROVINCE,
LOVANDA, AFRICA
The plane’s engine whined in the shadows. Danny stood alone at the end of the landing strip, staring into the distance. If he kept wishing hard enough, maybe he could make Ryan and his dad appear. So far, the road back to Houdali remained empty and dark.
Madame Buku would be outraged if she knew they were using her landing strip to fly out of Lovanda. Since no one was out here at night, they had the place to themselves. Unfortunately, if things went according to plan, she’d probably never even know they’d been here.
That was okay, though. Danny had a few other surprises in store for Madame Buku. By tomorrow morning, news outlets around the world would be getting digital copies of all her emails and correspondence. Everything Danny and his hackers could pull from her computer was going to be public knowledge. There were records of bribes, threats, and countless illegal financial transactions all over the world.
Madame Buku was gonna have some explaining to do.
Nadia stepped up beside him. “They’ll make it.”
“They have to,” Danny said. He wouldn’t let himself believe anything different. Lawrence put a hand on his shoulder, offering support.
Behind them, a small plane waited. The ERC pilot had arrived fifteen minutes ago, and Candace was with him now. They would fly the short distance to her home in Ethiopia, where they could then make their way back to New York. But no way was Danny getting on that plane without Ryan and Mr. Quinn.
“Someone’s coming.” Lawrence pointed to the horizon.
A lone pair of headlights sped toward the airfield. The vehicle was moving fast. Danny was excited—it had to be Ryan. But as it came closer, he recognized the white SUV and his excitement faded.
“Oh no. That’s one of the trucks Madame Buku’s thugs were driving.”
Nadia didn’t hesitate, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the plane. “Run!”
But as he turned to follow, Danny spotted someone leaning out the passenger window waving both arms wildly. The headlights flicked twice in greeting as Danny finally recognized Ryan.
“It’s them! They made it!”
Danny ran to his friend. When the SUV pulled to a stop, Ryan hopped out.
“You’re okay?” Danny asked.
“A little banged up is all.” He turned as Lawrence and Nadia joined them. “Everybody got out?”
“The plan worked perfectly,” Lawrence assured him. “What happened with Jaz and the others?”
“They all got away. They should be safely out of the country in a few hours.”
Nadia hugged him tightly. “Thank you!”
“A little help here?” Dad asked behind them.
Ryan pulled out of the embrace and hurried around the SUV. Helping his father out of the vehicle, Ryan motioned for Danny to lend a hand. “Can you get the other side?”
Mr. Quinn couldn’t put any weight on his leg, so Ryan and Danny served as his crutches. “Let’s load up,” Dad said. “It’s time to go home.”
“Actually, we won’t be joining you.”
Ryan stopped, looking at Lawrence and Nadia in disbelief. “What do you mean? You can’t stay in Lovanda—it’s too dangerous.”
Nadia nodded. “For now, you’re right. We’ll take the back roads and join Jaz and our friends across the border. But this is our home.”
Lawrence wrapped an arm around her waist protectively. “No more running. No more hiding. Our fight is here.”
“Mr. Quinn, tell them this is nuts,” Danny sputtered.
But Dad didn’t argue. Instead, he held out his hand to Lawrence. “Don’t hesitate to contact us if we can ever be of help.”
“Thank you.” The men shook hands, then Lawrence turned to the boys. “And thank both of you, too. Not sure how I can ever repay you.”
Ryan smiled. “Just keeping making great music. That’s all the thanks we need.”
“John!” Candace yelled from the runway as the plane’s engine revved up. “We need to go!”
Ryan and Danny hugged Lawrence and Nadia good-bye, then once more supported Ryan’s dad. They made their way to the Cessna, shuffling along as quickly as possible.
“You know, Mr. Quinn,” Danny said, “not to brag, but I think me and Ryan are pretty good at this rescue stuff. You should really consider making us full-fledged ERC members.”
Dad turned a steely gaze his way. “What I’m considering is grounding Ryan until he’s twenty-five and telling your parents to do the same.”
“Sure, that’s one option. Or you could make us honorary ERC members! A compromise.”
Ryan started to laugh as his father stammered, “It’s not a club. We don’t have honorary members.”
“Oh, you don’t? So then we’ll just be full members?”
“What? No—that’s not what I said.”
Ryan grinned as they arrived at the plane. “You might as well just say yes, Dad. He’ll keep bugging you ’til you do.”
Mr. Quinn limped up the stairs. “I’ve been interrogated by agents from Russia, China, and Pakistan. I can handle Danny.”
The moment he disappeared into the plane, Danny turned to Ryan. “We’ve got the whole trip back to change his mind. Think we can do it?”
“No doubt,” Ryan said. “When we work together, we’re virtually unstoppable.”
The boys high-fived, then climbed aboard.
CHAPTER
54
NEW YORK,
USA
EIGHT DAYS LATER …
The crowd in Times Square was ready to party. A big clock on top of the Toshiba building said it was only a few minutes to midnight. Everyone was bundled up against the cold, but that didn’t stop them from having fun. Ryan resisted a slight feeling of claustrophobia. He’d never be
en around this many people at once in his life. But with Kasey on one side and Danny on the other, at least he was surrounded by friends.
They were celebrating New Year’s Eve NYC–style. Drew and Kasey’s dad were here also, along with her two oldest brothers. It was so busy, they’d had to get here hours ago just to make sure they had a place to stand. Fortunately, the Stieglitz men were all giants—Kasey’s two college-age brothers were even taller than Drew! They formed a wall, keeping the younger trio from being shoved around too much.
“So after the Quinns dropped me off with my family, I went on and on about how amazing the camping trip was.” Danny was midway through a story, his voice already hoarse from yelling over the chatter of thousands. “I told my parents I didn’t miss my cell phone or laptop at all.”
“And they believed you?” Kasey asked.
“Yeah, and it totally backfired.” Danny looked to Ryan, who grinned. He knew how this story ended. “Since I loved it so much, they signed our whole family up for a camping trip. An entire week with just my parents and my sisters! And no internet! I’m gonna die.”
As they laughed, Ryan remembered how happy Danny had been to be back home. He might pretend to be annoyed by his little sisters, but Ryan knew the truth. When he saw Analyn and Lilibeth, Danny had hugged them both until they finally pulled away and ran off squealing. Danny adored his family, even if he didn’t always admit it.
After leaving Lovanda, they had barely made it back for Christmas Eve. Christmas was a big deal in Filipino culture, and Ryan’s mom had promised Danny’s parents that he wouldn’t miss it. Luckily, they had arrived just in time.
Standing in the Santiagos’ living room, Ryan had marveled at how effortlessly his mom talked about their “camping trip.” The anxiety and stress she’d been feeling for days was completely concealed. She was just a regular mom telling funny stories about their vacation. He understood now that she had been lying his whole life to keep him safe. She’d become really good at it.
Over Christmas and the next few days, Ryan had spent a lot of time with his parents. Mom was upset with Dad for letting Ryan and Danny take part in the rescue mission in Lovanda. But Dad held his ground, saying the boys had done great. They’d rescued Lawrence and Nadia and saved five innocent people from being executed. Plus, Danny’s release of Madame Buku’s personal records had exposed her illegal financial activities all over the world. The people of Lovanda were outraged, leading to giant protests fueled by several Anbo and Delilah pop-up concerts across the nation. The government ended up with no choice but to order Madame Buku’s arrest. She was now sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial.
Mom had to admit that Kasey had also handled herself remarkably well. Without her help, Braxton Crisp would still be selling ERC identities. Ryan’s parents weren’t convinced the kids should take part in ERC activities yet, but he was slowly wearing them down.
To no one’s surprise, Tasha Levi had disappeared from the hospital and not been seen since. Dad was hurt and angry when he learned about her betrayal. He considered Tasha part of his extended family and had always looked out for her, especially after her father’s death. He never even suspected she was keeping such a huge secret from him.
Which made him even more insistent there be no more secrets inside their own family. Mom and Dad were obviously relieved at being able to finally open up to Ryan about his history. He learned a little more about his birth, though they didn’t know much more than Dad had already told him.
A couple of days ago, though, they had invited Principal Milankovic over. Seeing his principal sitting in their kitchen felt odd at first. But Ludo Milankovic was Ryan’s only connection to his birth parents. Having watched Nina grow up, Milankovic had lots of great stories about her. She was adventurous and loved to ride horses and play sports. Ryan enjoyed listening, but couldn’t help feeling sad that he never got to know her.
Before he left, Principal Milankovic gave Ryan a photo of Nina and his birth father at their wedding. It looked like a huge celebration, and both the bride and groom were beaming. Theirs was a great but tragic love affair, Milankovic said. But he could see that the conversation was taking a toll on Ryan and suggested they save that story for another day. When he was gone, Ryan looked at the picture for a long time.
It would take a while to sort out his feelings, and he was okay with that. Mom and Dad would be there with him every step of the way. They were his family. He knew he could count on them no matter what.
“Hey—Ryan Quinn, right?”
Ryan turned as someone tapped his shoulder. He didn’t recognize the teenager in the red top hat with “Happy New Year” emblazoned across the front. He looked kind of like a young Mad Hatter.
“Yeah,” Ryan answered. “Do we know each other?”
“I’ve just heard a lot about you around school.” The kid was probably late teens and had a mischievous smirk. “Catch you in the new year, man!”
Ryan didn’t remember seeing him at school. He was pretty sure he’d never seen him anywhere. As quickly as he’d appeared, the guy spun around and melted into the crowd. Within moments, he’d vanished.
“One minute, kids!” Kasey’s father announced, diverting Ryan’s attention. “Everybody ready?”
Kasey was on her toes, taking in the frenzied activity of Times Square. “I can’t believe I’m finally getting to do this.”
Danny leaned in close to Ryan. “You know, at the stroke of midnight, you’re supposed to kiss her.”
“What?” Ryan felt his stomach twist in a knot. “Here? In front of her dad and brothers?”
Danny made smooching sounds.
Drew leaned in, having heard them. “Kiss her and die.”
“Five-four-three-two-one-Happy New Year!”
Ryan screamed along with everyone else as the night exploded in fireworks. Confetti canons shot into the air creating a snowstorm of colored paper. Music blared as the crowd broke out in a disjointed chorus of “Auld Lang Syne.”
Ryan and Danny hugged. “Happy New Year!”
“This is gonna be the best year ever!” Danny yelled.
Ryan turned to Kasey, who was laughing and spinning in a circle. Her wild hair was littered with blue and green paper. Her eyes sparkled as they found Ryan’s.
Before he even registered what was happening, Kasey leaned in and kissed him. It was his first real kiss, and Ryan prayed he wasn’t screwing it up. Drew and Kasey’s other brothers were probably glaring at him. Danny would tease him mercilessly. But who cared?
He was kissing the prettiest girl he’d ever met in the middle of Times Square on New Year’s Eve!
Maybe this really would be the best year ever.
EPILOGUE
NEW YORK,
USA
Through the jubilant crowd, Markus watched Ryan kissing the girl. He looked so happy. Without a care in the world.
Markus pulled off the ridiculous red top hat he’d been wearing. Tossing it to the ground, he forced his way through the mass of bodies. These Americans were so spoiled and decadent. He couldn’t wait to get out of here.
Following Ryan and his friends to Times Square was dangerous. Actually going up and speaking with him was even riskier. But Markus lived for danger. He craved risk. And besides, he’d been so curious to finally meet the boy he’d heard about all his life.
Finally making it out of the madness of the celebration, Markus took out his cell phone. He dialed an international number and waited for it to connect. It was a private number, known to only a handful of people. Markus was proud to be among them.
“Ya?”
“Uncle Janos, it’s me.” Markus was always extremely respectful with his uncle. Janos Balazar ruled Pelskova with a firm hand. Even from his family, he demanded submission.
“Did you find Kostya?”
“I did. I’ve seen him myself.”
There was a long pause on the other end. “Very good, Markus.”
Markus swelled with pride. He couldn’t recall
ever receiving a compliment from his uncle.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Kostya Balazar belongs in Pelskova,” Uncle Janos said. “I want you to bring him home.”
TO BE CONTINUED …
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Andy Keilen
RON MCGEE is a winner of the 2013 Children’s Long Form or Special Television Writers Guild of America Award for his work on the Disney Channel’s Halloween hit Girl vs. Monster. A writer and producer of TV series, he has written for the crime drama Rizzoli & Isles and the action-adventure The Nine Lives of Chloe King. Ron has penned numerous movies for television, covering everything from the story of the boy band the Monkees to epic disasters to behind-the-scenes dramas of sitcom favorites Saved by the Bell and Full House. His debut novel was Ryan Quinn and the Rebel’s Escape. Ron lives with his family in California. You can find out more about what he’s up to at www.ronmcgee.com.
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BOOKS BY RON MCGEE
Ryan Quinn and the Rebel’s Escape
CREDITS
Cover art by CHRIS SAMNEE
COPYRIGHT
RYAN QUINN AND THE LION’S CLAW. Text copyright © 2017 by Ron McGee. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Chris Samnee. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: McGee, Ron, author. | Samnee, Chris, illustrator.
Title: Ryan Quinn and the lion’s claw / by Ron McGee ; illustrated by Chris Samnee.
Description: First Edition. | New York : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishersCollins, 2017. | Series: Ryan Quinn ; [2] | Summary: Ryan Quinn and his best friend, Danny, stowaway on a plane to Africa in an attempt to save two revolutionary musicians whose identities have been compromised by a traitor within the Emegency Rescue Committee, while Ryan’s parents, and ERC operatives, try to track the turncoat back in New York.
