Hearing the ding of her cell phone, Queenie quickly pulled it out to read Noah’s response.
Queenie breathed a sigh of relief. “You may not be interested in him, but you should be thankful he’s still interested in you.”
Olivia shook her head. The chances of Queenie letting her and Abby live if Noah gave her the money was zero. Even now, their chances were slim. The best prospect of survival was to make Queenie think Noah would not deliver.
“Noah won’t do it. When Chin kidnapped me, Noah told my father not to give in. He knew Chin would never let me live whether Dad gave him the ransom or not. Like father, like daughter. The situation’s the same.”
Queenie turned cold. “I’m not my father. And do you know how stupid it was for Noah to leave? He could have gotten away with half the amount and we could have all gone home. But no, he had to play the hero and that’s going to cost him.”
Chapter 36
“We need just a little something before we start. Wait a sec,” yelled Sam as he ran into the Dollar Store across the street.
Two minutes later, Sam dashed back. “Now we’re ready,” he said as he showed the dozen stink and smoke bombs he had purchased. “We’re good to go.”
Noah glanced into the lobby of the Vector Building and saw there were now two security guards on duty. He motioned for Sam and Walrus to enter first.
The two boys entered through the revolving doors that JJ had broken earlier.
“No visitors,” announced one guard sternly.
“Aw, come on. I came all the way from Hong Kong to see Skyscape. Please. Please,” begged Sam.
Focusing on Sam, the guards didn’t notice Walrus setting off the stink bombs or lighting the bag with the smoke bombs.
“You can come…” started a guard. Then the two guards began hacking and gagging. Spotting JJ and Noah entering, they pulled out their guns and began firing at them.
As JJ had mentioned, their marksmanship was superb, even with the smoke-and-stink distraction.
Noah and JJ leapt out of the way, allowing Sam clear sight to launch the throwing stars.
One guard quickly fired at the incoming lethal objects, clipping both in mid-flight. The stars deflected out of harm’s way.
He turned his weapon on Sam and Walrus but, before he could fire, Noah and JJ launched daggers at the security guards. There was no time for them to react and both men went down with the blade handles sticking out of their thighs.
As they screamed, Sam threw a twisting straight-arm martial arts punch on one guard, knocking him out. The second guard held his arms up for surrender as Walrus trained his father’s security pistol on him.
“Take us to the electrical room,” ordered Sam.
The guard glared. He led the two teenagers away as Noah and JJ boarded the elevator.
“What’s taking him so long?” asked Kenny impatiently. “It’s been twelve minutes and it doesn’t take that long on the elevator.
The passing of time worried Queenie, too. Was Noah bluffing? Did he have a change of heart? She didn’t think so but the possibility was enough to set her on edge.
“It’s a classic negotiating technique,” assured Byron. He had a pistol pointed at the boardroom door, waiting for Noah to arrive. “I’ve gone through enough similar situations to know that a strategy is to wait the other person out and let her sweat.”
“Maybe you should get her some anti-perspirant then,” said Noah as he entered the room with an unexpected swagger. He took a seat in a chair in front of Queenie.
“I’m glad you came to your senses, Noah,” said Queenie. “You can have Olivia and Abby back in time for drinks if you wire the funds now. One hundred fifty million dollars.”
Noah spoke firmly. “You are not going to get a hundred fifty million dollars. You’re not even going to get two million dollars… The Chad Huang Foundation will pay you one dollar for the New Amsterdam Arts Center.”
“Kenny, take care of Abby, will you?” said Queenie.
Noah remained still while Kenny took out a knife and moved toward Abby.
“Do something, Noah,” screamed Olivia.
Noah smirked. “What do you expect me to do? Kill myself?”
“Kill myself?” was the cue JJ and Sam were waiting for. Both had their cell phones on in conference call mode.
JJ was outside standing beside the window on the ledge. Wanting the element of surprise, he and Noah had taken the elevator to the eleventh floor, then climbed up a floor to Skyscape.
Sam and Walrus were in the electrical room of the Vector Building where Walrus had his father’s gun pointed at the security guard’s head.
Sam, holding a pair of wire snips, stared at a confusing labyrinth of wires, trying to figure out which ones to cut.
Hearing Noah’s cue, Sam threw his hands up.
“I give up.” Sam cut every wire in sight.
All the lights in the electrical room went out.
In the darkness, the security guard swung in the direction of Walrus. Hand smacked flesh and the guard heard the happy sound of metal hitting concrete as Walrus dropped the gun.
The guard grabbed Walrus around the neck. “Okay, boys. There’s a new sheriff in town.”
When the guard turned his cell phone light on, there was no sign of Sam.
“I will kill your buddy if you don’t come out,” yelled the guard.
“Go ahead,” said Sam from behind him.
When the guard whipped around, Walrus bit him. Sam grabbed the man’s cell and whacked him across the face with it. The bulb broke, putting the room back into darkness. The two boys pummeled him, but the guard was ex-military and he figured two young kids would not be much of a match.
But Sam had been mentored by Shaolin masters JJ, Noah and Master Wu, and the guard was not fighting soldiers but two creative teenagers.
It was a free for all in the blackness. Groans, yells, fists flying blindly...
“OOOW! OOOW!” howled the guard. His bellows intensified but then diminished to guttural moaning.
Sam flipped on his cell phone light, revealing the semi-conscious guard bleeding from his nose, cheeks and hands. His flesh wounds were courtesy of the wire snippers Sam used to cut the electrical wires. The contusions came from the beating by Walrus’ dad’s Glock.
“Let’s take off his clothes,” said Walrus. “If the dude’s buck naked, he ain’t gonna be chasing anybody around, even if he’s good to go.”
“You’re so wicked, man,” laughed Sam.
The boys gleefully removed the guard’s clothes, then secured his arms behind his back with his own belt.
Just before they left, Sam said, “A few more souvenirs.” He used the snippers to snip a whole slew of random cuts on the bottoms of the guard’s feet. There wasn’t a lot of blood but, if he tried to walk, it was going to hurt.
“Let’s go upstairs,” said Sam.
“No way. That’s twelve flights of hell. Besides, Noah said to stay put,” replied Walrus.
“He also told me to stay in the hospital. If I had, I wouldn’t be here and you wouldn’t be having so much fun.”
“Point taken.”
Upstairs in Skyscape’s corner office, the lights went out. JJ leapt into the room and dashed to Queenie, Byron and Kenny. He threw canvas tarps over them and, helped by Noah, rammed executive chairs against their covered bodies, ignoring the muffled expletives.
JJ and Noah quickly guided Olivia and Abby through the open window and back onto the windowsill. JJ jumped down to the sill of the window on the eleventh floor but disaster! His foot cracked the sill and JJ plummeted down. Only by quickly reaching into the window with both hands was he able to get a hold and pull himself up onto the building ledge.
“You trying to scare me?” asked Noah as he gingerly lowered Abby, then Olivia to the awaiting Shaolin master. As JJ led the two women into the eleventh floor office and got them to sit on his thighs to anchor his body as he reached his arms out the window.
Noah carefully clung to the twe
lfth floor window sill as he lowered his body. A quick look down saw JJ ready to catch him. Noah let go and dropped six feet before he caught JJ’s hands. Olivia and Abby tried to remain still as Noah climbed in to join them.
The three of them pulled JJ inside. Abby, observing the mess of construction and renovation materials, commented, “So that’s where he got the tarps.”
“Guilty as charged,” grinned JJ, shooting Abby an affectionate glance.
Noah turned to Olivia. “I love the New Amsterdam concept. We’ve got to do it, not just here but everywhere. Let’s grab lunch sometime to talk about it.” Then, with his best phony hipster attitude, he winked. “Love ya, babe.”
Abby and Olivia had the same thoughts. Despite the danger they were in, these guys still had a sense of humor. I like that.
After they disentangled themselves from the tarps, there was little time for Queenie, Byron and Kenny to check out the bruises Noah and JJ inflicted on them.
Noah, Olivia and Abby were no longer in the room.
Queenie ran to the window but there was no sign of them.
“Find them. Block the stairways,” screamed Queenie.
Using their cell phones’ lights, Kenny and Byron ran to the stairway. Kenny opened the door but there was no sign or sound of activity.
Queenie tried the elevator. With the power gone, the elevator was not moving.
Bathrooms were checked—nobody.
The trio went to Studio 5. The huge glass windows allowed light to illuminate some objects but nothing was moving. Piano, music stands, drums, microphones were all intact. No one was in any of the three isolation booths.
There was one last place to check. Byron, Queenie and Kenny went to the equipment storage room.
They opened the door.
Jackpot.
Noah, JJ, Olivia and Abby were not there but something even better was—six members of the children’s choir along with Jeff and Leonard. The ten-year-old choristers had quietly hidden when everybody else was leaving because they wanted to bask a little longer in the glow of the recording session. While the boardroom meeting was taking place, Jeff and Leonard explored the studio and found the kids hiding. When Queenie, Byron and Kenny made their entrance, the kids were playing games on their cell phones.
Noah might not give up a ransom for any board members of the Foundation but sacrificing kids who came to Skyscape for their first recording session?
Queenie composed a text.
“We’ll call the police, get these turkeys locked up, and tomorrow we can start on a Version 2.0 of the New Amsterdam, okay?” asked Noah as he pulled out his cell to make the call.
But before he did, Sam and Walrus entered carrying the security guard’s uniform.
“I thought I told you to stay downstairs,” growled Noah.
Sam stuck out his tongue. “After all we did for you? No way Walrus and me were gonna miss the action.”
Noah’s cell phone dinged.
There was another video and a text message.
SEE THIS BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY RASH DECISIONS.
Noah hit PLAY.
Queenie was with the six kids in the darkened recording studio. They stood against the window so there was enough light to make out their frightened faces.
One scared little girl stammered, “Noah, the price has gone up to five hundred million. If you aren’t up here within half an hour, ready to transfer the funds, I have to pick which one of my little friends gets killed first.”
The child began to cry.
Noah pursed his lips and exhaled a long thoughtful gust of air. “JJ, Olivia, Abby, take Sam and Walrus downstairs.”
“I am not going. You need warriors,” said JJ firmly.
“And I’m not leaving either, Noah. I got us into this mess,” glowered Olivia.
“Neither am I,” added Abby.
Walrus declared with conviction, “Hey, man, I ain’t going nowhere.”
“You need us, Noah,” said Sam. “Anyway, I got a plan. I’m small enough to get into the air ducts. I’m gonna sneak in and karate chop them to death.”
Noah shook his head in resignation. “Thank you all, but no. I’m not jeopardizing any of you and those innocent kids shouldn’t die because of my stupidity and stubbornness. I’m going to give the money to her.”
“No!” shouted Olivia. “Do you think she’ll let them live, knowing they could ID any of them? And what’s worse? Giving her money will only make her stronger. You think Queenie’s the type to stop, retire to a desert island and paint her toenails? No way. She’s just like her father. Greedy merciless people never change.”
Noah took a breath. He knew she was right.
Half an hour. If they told anybody, the kids were dead. If they made a mistake, the kids were dead. If he didn’t transfer the money, the kids were dead.
Suddenly, a black police officer of about forty trudged out of the shadows of darkness. “Hello, I’m Gaylord’s father. I found him and Sam with my GPS tracker.”
The policeman took the 9mm pistol out of Walrus’ hand and addressed Noah. “I heard everything and I think your problems are bigger than the whippin’ I’m gonna give Gaylord…”
Chapter 37
“Your real name is Gaylord?” howled Sam with laughter.
“You’re not supposed to tell anybody my real name,” cried Walrus.
“I like it. That’s why I gave it to you,” snorted the policeman. “Gaylord Perry’s a hero in Williamston, our home town.” The cop offered his hand. “Willie Mays Potter.”
“Say hey,” said Noah. He was also trying to suppress laughter at Walrus’ real name.
“I like you. You’re a baseball fan,” beamed the cop. “You know about ‘Say hey.’”
“No, I don’t know anything about baseball. I know about Hall of Famer Willie Mays because he started the Say Hey Foundation. They help kids, just like we do and, if we don’t do something fast, there’s gonna be six less of them in half an hour. They’re being held hostage for half a billion and there’s no time to get the authorities involved.”
Willie Mays turned serious. “I am here unofficially, if you get my drift.”
Noah nodded. What Willie was saying was that he was not tied to the restrictions that police officers on duty were hamstrung by. “Everything here is strictly off the record.”
Another now hated ding signaled the arrival of another text.
WE ARE WAITING. TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES TO GO BEFORE...
“What do we do with that?” asked Olivia.
“Nothing,” said Noah. “We let them squirm.”
“But they might hurt one of the kids,” said Abby.
“Noah’s right,” said Willie Mays. “They gave you thirty minutes. Don’t be too anxious. You lose all leverage.”
“Are you a hostage negotiator?” asked Olivia, furrowing her brow.
“No. Traffic cop. But I watched the movie five times.”
Just great.
“What if he doesn’t show?” fretted Jeff, sweating bullets. He had accepted the job because of promised easy cash. These complications were not part of the gig. “We’ll kill the kids and then where we gonna be? No money, no protection. They’ll catch us sooner or later. They’ll lock us up and throw away the key.”
“Stop worrying,” snarled Queenie.
“I am not going back to the big house. Your plan has screwed up big time. Noah didn’t come through at the morning meeting. He didn’t come through at the afternoon presentation, and he’s not going to come through now,” said Jeff in full-blown panic. “I want out. Now.”
Queenie softened. “Okay. Okay. Have it your way. I’ll give you five thousand bucks and you can go. I’ve got the cash in here.” She rummaged through her bag as she walked over to Jeff.
“Got it!” Instead of pulling the money out, Queenie whipped out a crane’s foot with sharpened talons and sliced Jeff’s throat.
With blood gushing from his jugular and his blood pressure dropping like a rock, Jeff gurgled a
nd keeled backward, trying to put pressure on the cut.
He didn’t have a chance. He was dead moments after he hit the ground.
Queenie glared at the children. “That’s what happens when you don’t obey me. Any questions?”
None of the kids spoke. All were shaking or crying; a few of them peed their pants.
Time raced for Noah and the team. So little time, so much at stake.
Noah outlined the sketchiest of plans, developed on a lifetime of immersion in martial arts and the study of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Deceive. Surprise. Surround.
Noah ordered, “We need small weapons that can be concealed. Look around. Office supplies, building materials. Whatever you can stuff on your person.”
As Sam, JJ and Walrus searched, Noah addressed Olivia and Abby. “Lose the dresses and heels. Too constricting and no pockets.”
“Yes, sir.” Olivia donned the guard’s long jacket while Abby put on the guard’s shirt and pants. Definitely not the fashion statements they were seconds earlier but much more comfortable in clothes suitable for carrying makeshift weapons.
“Okay, Olivia and Abby, go back out on the window ledge. They saw you guys freak and would never suspect you. You can be the element of surprise.”
Olivia balked at the prospect of being back up so high without a net. “Do we have to do this, Noah?”
Noah held back for a moment, then exploded. “No, you don’t, Olivia. You don’t have to do a damned thing. Just get out of our way. You have screwed this thing up from the start and I don’t have time to play nursemaid anymore… Hey, it’s not me you’re playing with anymore, Olivia. It’s the six kids’ lives on the line. The only reason they’re here was so you and Abby could play ‘superstar.’ So, do you have to do this? Do you even need to ask?”
This outburst stunned Olivia. No one had ever told her off like that in her life.
“We’ll go,” said Abby, then ventured timidly, “What are we going to do out there?”
The Noah Reid Action Thriller Series: Books 1-3 (plus special bonuses) Page 54
