The Principal's Daughter (8 page)
Read The Principal's Daughter Online
Authors: Zak Hardacre
"Right, people, equipment check and mount up in five minutes ready to move!" the tall man who Richard had found out was referred to as "Silver Commander" barked the order. "I need an update of the progress of the vehicle from the tracker, relayed to us." He looked at the young girl who had entered the room. She nodded her head and left the room, to return to the operations centre.
The team were busy checking their equipment and weapons. Richard withdrew the Glock 19 issued to him on his arrival. He released the magazine from its housing, inspecting to ensure that the fifteen rounds were all correctly seated. Satisfied, he returned it into the butt of the pistol, and placed it in the holster strapped to his right thigh.
Tori turned to face him, and winked and grinned at him. It was just like weeks earlier when they had been on the course. They had worked well together and had been an effective team. Richard had no reservations about how she would act under the current situation. Slapping his arse then giving his butt cheek a playful squeeze, she addressed him.
"You up for this soldier boy?"
Richard enjoyed the touch of her hand on his ass, smiled back at her and replied.
"You're feckin’ right I am, let's get it on!" With that they headed for the waiting cars, parked directly out the rear of the building.
There were six vehicles in all, four members of the team in each one. This would be more than enough for the operation, outnumbering the militants eight to one. They still did not know if the militants were armed, and if they were, what weapon systems they possessed. The car radio was alive with the sound of a female voice giving updates to the car’s progress across the city. The surveillance unit managed to get behind them at a safe distance. The “Silver Commander" gave the order for them to move, and with a screech of tyres they careered out of the gates of Scotland Yard.
Heading south across the city, they were on a direct intercept course with the target vehicle. The Silver Commander was assessing a way of surrounding the vehicle so that they could apprehend the suspects either passively or offensively, as the situation might indicate. The passive option was an unlikely outcome, but he needed to consider it anyway.
"Target vehicle has cross Waterloo Bridge and has turned left, now heading west along the embankment," the voice of the girl in the control room filled the car.
With Richard's limited knowledge of the city, even he knew that this could take the car and Pandora out of the city. If the tailing vehicle was to lose sight of her, or the tracker fail, Pandora might be lost forever. The Silver Commander must have been thinking the same, as he gave instructions for Richard's vehicle to place itself on Lambeth Bridge only two minutes away from their current position. They were to face north, and drive into the side of the car as it headed west. The remainder of the team were to confront it head on from an easterly direction. They would fan out across the road creating a natural barrier. The surveillance unit behind would then prevent any escape back the way it had come.
Tori and Richard sat nervously on Lambeth Bridge with the car engine running. The driver and front seat passenger were engaged in conversation. Richard was gazing across to his right in the direction the car would be coming from. The continued update from the control room, told him that they should soon be coming into sight.
"There they are!" he exclaimed, tapping Tori on the shoulder.
The other occupants of the car swivelled their heads in the direction he was pointing. The blue Nissan four-wheel drive vehicle could be seen making steady progress towards them. The person in the passenger seat immediately got on his radio and informed the Silver Commander. All radio traffic stopped, until a voice broke the silence.
"Standby. Standby...move to blocking positions now!"
The driver of Richard’s vehicle threw the car into first gear, floored the accelerator, let out the clutch, and sped towards the Nissan approaching rapidly from their right. As it crossed the intersection with the bridge, he drove headlong into its left hand side. Richard had just enough time to see the horrified look on Pandora's face, just before their vehicle collided with the bonnet of the Nissan. She was thrown to her right on top of one of the militants in the rear seat.
At the same time, the cars belonging to the Silver Commander’s group had screeched to a halt sideways to block any further progress for the vehicle. The surveillance unit slammed into the rear, throwing the occupants in the front forward. This had all happened in seconds. Richard and Tori, already out of the car, drew their weapons, and trained them on the left hand side of the Nissan.
The voice of the Silver Commander rose, projected with the aid of a public address system fitted to his car.
"Armed Police, please leave the vehicle with your arms raised or we will open fire!"
There was a deathly silence with only the sound of wailing sirens adding to the already tense situation. There was no immediate movement from inside the vehicle. Then suddenly Richard observed the front passenger door open a few inches, a hand gripping a pistol, then a shoulder appeared. Richard stepped forward with his left foot to steady his stance, prepared to fire. Then from his right the sound of Tori screaming aloud.
"Armed police throw down your weapon or we will fire!"
After a short pause the weapon was dropped and the kidnapper emerged from the vehicle.
"Place your hands behind your head and get down on your knees!" came the command from Tori. The militant complied, and Tori continued. "Lay face down on the ground!" she screamed.
Adopting the prone position, the terrorist turned his face to the side to look in the direction of the voice. The look in his eyes was one of pure hatred.
Richard moved his position to he could observe the driver, his hands frozen on the steering wheel. His eyes were drawn to movement in the rear of the vehicle, as the offside door was flung open. The shape of a hugely built bloke dragging something behind him with one hand, the other brandishing a semi-automatic machine pistol came into his peripheral vision. The sleek black hair and ghost white face of Pandora still dressed in her tennis clothing was unmistakeable. She looked in Richard’s direction, her eyes imploring him to help her.
Again, a raised voice announced an armed police warning. This time it came from one of the surveillance unit who had rammed the Nissan from the rear. He had his MP5 machine pistol raised pointing directly at the kidnapper.
Turning to face the threat, the militant pulled Pandora like a rag doll in front of his body, using her as a shield. With his weapon raised at the police officer he presented a perfect side on target to Richard.
Without a second thought and with both Pandora and the officer's lives in mortal danger, Richard squeezed the trigger of his Glock. Everything went into slow motion as the round left the barrel of the pistol. The hostage taker was unaware of his impending death, as the bullet slammed into his right temple. The left side of his head exploded his cranium left exposed to the elements. Cerebral tissue flew out in all directions, as his grip on Pandora loosened. He slumped to the ground his legs twitching in his death throe. A pool of crimson blood quickly spread across the road. As he breathed his last breath, his body went still.
Pandora stood looking around her, not knowing what had just happened. Armed officers rushed from all directions to secure the area. The two remaining terrorists were taken away, bound in cuffs.
Richard quickly headed around the vehicle, and on seeing him, Pandora burst into a flood of tears. She rushed into his arms, and he surrounded her in an embrace. Her hair still smelled as if she had stepped out of the shower, and that first time she had visited his room. For all of her seductive games she had embarked on, she actually had formed something more than just lust towards this rather rugged looking British guy. She felt safe as he held her close, feeling his heart beat against her breast. Safe, secure, and protected, she begged him not to let her go, Richard simply stroked her sleek hair she sobbed.
The wailing of the sirens abated as Richard looked down at Pandora. The tears had caused her mascara to run, and she resembled a prettier version of the rock singer Marilyn Manson. Taking his thumb, he gently wiped her away her tears and removing the smudge marks. She smiled at him her lips slightly open. He leaned forward without thinking, and their lips met.
The kiss tasted sweet as their tongues met, encircling one another. Pandora could feel the passion in its delivery and matched it with her own. Not wanting it to end, she felt something wrap around her shoulders. Richard broke the kiss stepping back slightly to let the paramedic cover her with a blanket.
The medic led her away to a waiting ambulance, and Richard’s gaze followed her. It was then that he saw the figures of Hank and Clarissa. They were both beaming, but he could tell that Clarissa had been crying. How long had they been there, and had they witnessed the embrace and kiss between the two? As Richard walked towards them, his question was answered by the look that he received from Hank.
Holding out his hand Hank greeted him. There was more than just a warmth to it. Richard could feel the steely grip that he had not felt on their first meeting.
"I have not got the words to thank you enough for what you have done today. I will forever be in your debt, but I think it may be time for us to part company"
This was not a question or request that required an answer. Richard simply nodded and attempted a smile. He had broken the golden rule for a close protection officer. He had become emotionally attached to a member of his client’s family.
As he released Hanks grip, and turned away, he wondered if he would ever be offered a contract again, for so high a profile principal. Reputation was everything, and his was now tarnished. He walked away towards Tori, took the Glock from his holster, and handed it to her. She leaned forward and planted kiss on his cheek, and wished him all the best for the future. With that he walked away from the scene without another look back.