BLOOD DRAGON by Freddie Peters (books to get back into reading .TXT) 📕

slammed into his back sending him flying over the concrete ground. He rolled again onto his side with a yelp of pain, managing a well-placed kick onto the kneecap of his assailant. Jack used the tree next to which he had fallen to stand up and shield himself from the next blow.

The other men had caught up with him and Jack stood back, fists at the ready, facing his two aggressors. One of the men lifted his hands, palms outstretched, left leg anchored behind him. The other started circling around Jack. These people had been trained in combat. The moves looked strangely similar to karate, but had an edge that made them more like wrestling.

The shriek of a police siren went almost unnoticed. The man to Jack’s right swung his leg in an impressive arc and caught Jack in the chest before he had time to swing his body sideways. The second slammed a semi closed fist into his kidneys.

The police car screeched to a halt and four police officers ran towards them, shouting instructions to stop and pull back. The final kick almost got Jack in the face, but he parried the blow with a strong-arm defence.

The two men ran off with two officers in pursuit. Jack tried to articulate a sentence as the other two officers approached him with caution. He caught his breath and managed to articulate the words … Steve Harris.

* * *

“Where is she?” Nancy was walking through her apartment, gathering a set of keys, her bag and coat. The voice at the other end of her mobile was getting more strained by the minute. “I’m on my way … just try to get her to wait somehow.”

Nancy ran out of the door without locking it. She pressed the lift button a few times, hurriedly. She arrived in the building’s garage less than two minutes later. Another minute and she was sitting inside her Aston Martin. It would not have been her choice of vehicle, despite its enviable reputation, but it had belonged to an old friend and she was loath to sell it.

The key had started the engine by remote activation. She engaged the gears into drive and slid out of the car park in the direction of the Viro-Tech offices.

She slowed down as she was approaching her destination. She had inserted her mobile into the hands-free holder on the dashboard and Beth was on the phone.

“We couldn’t stop her any longer … she’s gone into Martha’s Buildings.”

Nancy parked the car in a side street, got out and ran towards the lane she had visited earlier that day. Beth, Charlie and Johnny were huddled together in a small doorway that could hardly contain them.

“She’s gone mad.” Johnny was flapping his arms. “She’s trying to get in.”

Nancy gave Beth her car keys. “Aston Martin a block away, wait for me there.”

Nancy walked into the alleyway and stood still a few steps in … listening for the noise of someone moving around. There were no sounds at all and she feared Cora had already started her ascent of the office building. Even if she reached the top, which Nancy very much doubted, it was unlikely that the roof would be any less secure than the rest of the building.

The office blocks in the small lane formed a continuous wall without any gaps. The streetlamps were providing very little light, some corners remaining in pitch black darkness. Nancy recalled that the small street turned into a dead end on the right that provided space for cars to park. She took a few steps forward. Then stopped again in the hope of hearing a sound that would betray Cora’s position.

Still nothing.

She scanned the façade of the building. There was no movement there. Nancy judged that there was little chance a security guard would be patrolling the street.

“Cora …” she called softly. “It’s Nancy … we need to talk. I have an idea.”

Nothing broke the heavy silence. Nancy’s eyes had become accustomed to the dim lighting of the place. She spotted a few cars still parked at the top of the lane. She found it hard to believe people could still be working at this late hour … but perhaps they were. If so, she had to find Cora urgently.

“Cora … please.” She took a chance and spoke a little louder.

No answer.

Nancy scanned the front of the Viro-Tech building and squinted. Flat against the wall, a form was stretched between two window sills, paused in what looked like an impossible climb.

Nancy moved to stand below the figure on the wall two floors up.

“Cora, this is not going to lead you anywhere …”

Nancy was about to plead again with her friend, but a light came on in the small lobby. Someone had entered the lift and alighted at ground level. There was no way Cora could make it down before that person came out.

Nancy looked around. She dived into the recess of the backyard, hoping that whoever came out would be using a car facing in the right direction, away from her.

The door of Viro-Tech opened. Nancy ventured to take a look. Jared Turner, Viro-Tech’s CEO had been working late … very late.

He stood outside for a moment, uncertain, perhaps sensing the disturbance in the quiet environment of the secluded alleyway. He ran a hand over his face and walked towards one of the cars. He would need to turn around and was bound to spot Nancy huddled in the corner of the yard.

Nancy spotted a tall rubbish container. She squeezed behind it, holding her breath and staying as still as she could. She could no longer see what was happening in the lane. If Turner raised his eyes as he got into his car, he would spot the figure attempting to climb his building.

The beams of two headlights swept the small courtyard in a semi-circle, paused and moved forward to finally disappear. Nancy waited for a few moments and extracted herself from her hiding place. When she reached the