Sharp Shot

by Jack Higgins

  Even so, Chance managed to shake the man off. He spun round, thumping the soldier hard so he spun away towards the low wall round the roof. He slumped close to where a sniper rifle was set up on a tripod. It was fitted with a telescopic sight and pointing down between two parapets into the courtyard below.

  The soldier struggled back to his feet, but Chance took three steps across the roof and kicked him hard. This time he stayed down.

  Jade ran forward, but then a hand closed over her mouth and dragged her back. She could only watch wide-eyed as another figure stepped out from an alcove at the edge of the roof and picked up the fallen handgun.

  Mark Darrow aimed the gun straight at Chance.

  Chance backed away. “You can’t shoot me. It’ll warn the President’s men.”

  “Might be worth it, though.” He stepped forward and thumped the gun into Chance’s head, clubbing him to the ground.

  Jade tore free of the soldier holding her and ran to help her father back to his feet.

  “Losing your cool, Mark?” Chance asked as Jade helped him up.

  “Just having fun.” Darrow glanced over the parapet. “They’ll talk for a while, I think. These politicians and rulers like the sound of their own voices. Now, quickly but carefully, empty your pockets.”

  “I’m travelling light,” Chance told him. He took Rich’s camera out of his jacket, held it for a moment as if surprised to find it there, then put it down on top of the parapet close to the rifle. He placed his wallet beside the camera, angled against the rising parapet. Then he pulled a handful of loose change from his trouser pocket, and balanced it on top of the camera before stepping away.

  “Now you,” said Darrow to Jade.

  “No pockets,” she told him.

  “Handbag, then.”

  “Just a clutch and peppermints.” She took them out. “Want one?”

  “No.”

  “I will,” said Chance. He ignored Darrow’s glare, took a mint from the offered pack, and popped it into his mouth.

  “OK,” said Darrow, “so you’ve made your little gesture. Now back away. It’s show time.”

  Chance took Jade’s clutch bag and placed it carefully beside the camera and his wallet. Then he took Jade’s hand and together they backed away. From the back of the roof, they still had a good view between the parapets down into the courtyard. The President and King Hassan were just stepping on to the dais. The President waved to the assembled crowd.

  Two of the four soldiers on the roof were still unconscious. The other two stood side by side with Jade and Chance, handguns levelled at them. Darrow took his place at the rifle, shouldering the butt and looking down through the telescopic sight.

  “Ringside seats for you guys,” he said, without turning from his position. “One false move, one sound of warning, and the Prince’s Royal Guard will drop you where you stand. Got it?”

  “Got it,” said Jade. Her stomach was doing flip-flops as she watched Darrow take aim.

  Down below, the President was stepping towards a microphone. King Hassan stood beside him. Crown Prince Ali was at the side of the dais. He seemed to glance up at the tower, knowing what was about to happen—what Jade and Chance were powerless to stop. There was no sign of Rich.

  Suddenly there was movement at the side of the dais. Halford was pushing forward through the crowd. Chuck jumped up at the side of the platform.

  Darrow’s finger tightened on the trigger.

  “You know,” said Chance out loud, “this peppermint is revolting.”

  To Jade’s amazement, he took the mint out of his mouth and flicked it away.

  On the dais, Chuck hurled himself at the President, but Prince Ali stepped forward, blocking his movement.

  The President didn’t seem to see. He was standing absolutely still as Darrow squeezed the trigger.

  The bullet left Darrow’s rifle at over three times the speed of sound and slammed into flesh and bone less than a second later, killing instantly.

  21

  Everything happened so fast that it took Jade a moment to work out what was going on.

  Just as he saw Darrow exhale ready to take the shot, John Chance flicked his peppermint away. The mint rolled along the parapet close to the sniper rifle. It dropped over the side, bounced on to Chance’s angled wallet and rolled across Jade’s clutch bag.

  Then it hit the coins balanced on top of Rich’s camera. The tiny extra pressure was enough to set off the shutter—and trigger the automatic flash.

  The sudden bright glare caught Darrow by surprise as he took the shot. It didn’t disturb his aim by much. But it was enough.

  Crown Prince Ali had stepped in between Chuck White and the President. White was knocked aside, and the Crown Prince staggered sideways—right into the path of Darrow’s misaimed bullet.

  The Prince was hurled backwards, dead before he hit the floor.

  Darrow had been ready to take out King Hassan after the President, but knowing he had missed, he hesitated.

  With the two soldiers distracted by the camera flash and the events happening on the podium below, Chance moved swiftly. He kicked the legs out from under one of the men, and punched the other one hard enough to floor him.

  Darrow turned at the commotion.

  “You’re finished,” said Chance. “Give up now.”

  “I can still kill Hassan,” said Darrow. “The Prince’s faction will take control.”

  He turned back to the rifle, lifting it off the tripod and quickly taking aim. Down below there was pandemonium. Kate Hunter had appeared out of nowhere and was hustling the President off the dais, but Jade could see that Darrow still had a clear shot at the King.

  But then something streaked past both Jade and Chance and cannoned into Darrow. Rich was a rolling ball of arms and legs that sent Darrow flying. The rifle was knocked from his grasp and toppled over the parapet.

  “Glad you could join us,” said Chance.

  But the good humour was short lived.

  Darrow still had Chance’s handgun. Jade launched herself at him, but he shoved her aside.

  Rich and Chance both tensed, ready to leap at Darrow, but he had hold of Jade’s arm and hauled her up—the gun pressed to her temple.

  “You can’t get away,” Chance told Darrow.

  “Watch me.”

  “You harm her…” Chance warned.

  “I’m not going to harm her. She’s my ticket out of here. Once I’m safely away then I’ll let her go. Maybe,” he added, as if it was an afterthought.

  Jade was struggling. She tried to turn her head enough to bite Darrow’s hand as he held her, but he was too strong, and he was ready for her. He wrenched her head hard against the gun.

  “Don’t even think about it,” warned Darrow. “Now you and I are going to walk out of here. Very slowly and very calmly. He started to edge forwards, pushing Jade with him. “Neat trick with the camera, by the way. Though it’s been done before.”

  “That was for Ferdy,” said Chance quietly. He was holding the handgun from one of the soldiers he’d floored and aimed it at Darrow. “Now, you hold it right there.”

  Darrow grinned suddenly. “I don’t think you’d be that stupid. Not without a clear shot, and I won’t give you that. Take one shot and you know what I’ll do.” He jabbed the gun harder into Jade’s temple.

  “Just let them go, Dad,” said Rich. His voice was trembling. “You can’t play games with Jade’s life.”

  “He’s right,” said Darrow. “You know, Ferdy begged. Begged for his life. Are you going to beg, John? For the life of your daughter?”

  “It’s all right, Jade,” said Chance. “We’ll get you out of this safely. Just stay calm, OK?” Slowly, he lowered the gun.

  Jade nodded, as best she could. The gun was against her temple, and Darrow was holding her upper arm tightly.

  Jade could hear the sound of running feet on the stairs, but she knew that she had to act now. King Hassan’s troops might open fire on the man who tried to
kill their King and never mind who else got in the way.

  “It’s OK, Dad,” she said. “I’m cool. Remember what I told you in the desert? Remember what I always say, and believe me—I mean it. Just—chillax.”

  “I remember,” said Chance. In one fluid movement, he raised the gun and fired straight at the middle of Jade’s forehead.

  Rich watched Jade’s fingers counting down as she spoke. Even so, he could not believe his father had really just shot at her.

  At the same moment he fired, Jade lifted her feet off the ground, putting her entire weight on Darrow’s arms. The sudden strain caught Darrow by surprise, and Jade dropped—not far, but far enough.

  The bullet from Chance’s handgun hammered into Darrow at exactly the point where Jade’s forehead had just been—right in the middle of his chest. The power of the blow was enough to send him reeling backwards. His back caught on the lowest part of the parapet, and he flipped over it.

  There was no cry of surprise or fear as Darrow fell. He was dead already.

  Chuck White, sweating and pale, pounded up the last stairs and on to the roof in time to see Darrow fall.

  “Guess you don’t need the Cavalry after all,” he said. “It seems like no matter what they say, we should always leave these things to Chance.”

  Like the nuclear explosion, it was all a trick. Jade watched the news on the TV in their hotel suite in amazement.

  “How can they do this?”

  All the guests had been cleared immediately from the palace after the shootings. Like everyone else, Chance, Halford, Rich and Jade had been bundled out and into their limousine. King Hassan’s own Royal Guards were rounding up supporters of Crown Prince Ali, while the Secret Service made preparations for the President’s immediate departure.

  The TV news was cutting between footage of the crowds at the palace taken before the President and King Hassan arrived, and the speeches. Speeches that Jade knew had been made to an empty courtyard after everyone had left.

  She laughed out loud as she heard first the President, then King Hassan pay tribute to the late Crown Prince Ali who had—apparently— died saving his beloved nephew the King from an assassin’s bullet.

  “He threw himself in front of the shot!” Jade gasped. “Who are they kidding?”

  “Maybe no one,” agreed Chance, “but it’s a way of getting Ali’s supporters on his side. Their figurehead died a hero, and in doing so he endorsed the current leadership and by default endorsed its decision to hold an election. Pretty shrewd stuff.”

  “But it’s all lies. It’s dishonest.”

  Rich grinned. “It’s politics. Anyway, it’s no more dishonest than saying ‘shoot me right here’,” he tapped his forehead, “and then ducking away.”

  “Duck away from this,” said Jade, and threw a cushion at him.

  Rich caught it easily and threw it back.

  “Doesn’t it upset you, though?” asked Jade.

  “Only thing that upsets me is I didn’t get to meet the President after all,” said Rich.

  They were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Ardman. He was carrying a large bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne.

  “These are for you,” he said, handing the flowers to Jade. He gave the champagne to Chance. “And this is for you. Compliments of Mr White and Miss Hunter.”

  “Hey, I was there too, you know,” Rich complained.

  “Oh yes, sorry. Nearly forgot.” Ardman took something from his pocket and handed it to Rich.

  He looked at it dubiously. “So, Dad gets champagne and Jade gets a bouquet. And I get a disposable camera.”

  “I gather yours got knocked off a wall when Darrow fell.”

  “True,” admitted Rich.

  “Oh, and you get these too,” said Ardman. He handed each of them a plain white envelope.

  “What is this?” asked Chance.

  Jade had already opened hers. “Hey—awesome!”

  Rich was impressed too. “An invitation to a special reception at the White House?!”

  “There will be other people there too, of course,” said Ardman. “But the President is very keen for you three to be there. Mr White tells me the President was very sorry not to be able to meet you earlier today and wishes to make up for it.” Ardman smiled. “I’ll pay for the flights and hotels. Or rather, I’ll suggest the Foreign Office charge King Hassan for it.”

  Chance coughed. “I, er, don’t actually have much leave left.”

  Ardman nodded seriously. “I know. But since this is a special occasion I’m willing to let you have a few extra days.”

  “Yeah, Dad,” said Rich. “You don’t get out of it that easily.”

  “That’s right, you have to be there too,” Jade told him.

  Chance laughed. “OK, no problem. Actually, I’m looking forward to it. It’ll take a crisis bigger than the one we just sorted out to keep me away from making that reception. I’ll definitely be there.”

  “Just so long as you two don’t get into any trouble while you’re there,” added Ardman.

  “We won’t,” said Rich.

  “No way,” agreed Jade.

  Like their father, they were both going to be proved very wrong indeed.

  About the Authors

  Jack Higgins lived in Belfast till the age of twelve. Leaving school at fifteen, he spent three years with the Royal Horse Guards, serving on the East German border during the Cold War. His subsequent employment included occupations as diverse as circus roustabout, truck driver, clerk, teacher and university lecturer. The E agle has Landed turned him into an international bestselling author, and his novels have since sold over 250 million copies and have been translated into fifty-five languages.

  Justin Richards is the is the author of dozens of books, including many Doctor Who novels, The Death Collector and his Agent Alfie series for younger readers. He worked in the computer industry before moving into full-time writing and editing and has also written for the stage and the screen.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  Copyright

  First published in paperback in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2009 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

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  FIRST EDITION

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