Soft Target (Major Crimes Unit Book 2) (28 page)

Sarah swallowed. 
“
You don
’
t understand anything, Hamish.  You think I got away scot free?  I
died in that desert just the same as you did.
”

Hesbani softened slightly. 
“
We should never have been there, Sarah.  Don
’
t you realize that?  Look what they did to you.  Did they treat you
like a hero for all that you gave?  Did they apologise for what happened to
your face?
”

Sarah thought about how she
’
d been discarded after her blow-up at Major
Burke in her hospital bed.  The Army liked to make out that an injured soldier
only had themselves to blame.  The report had said:
‘
Captain Stone breached protocol by assisting an unidentified
civilian.
’
 
It went on to blame
her for the death of her squad.  The woman with the watermelons had ended Sarah
’
s life, but it was her own government who
put dirt on her coffin. 
“
No,
they didn
’
t treat me like a hero,
”
she finally admitted,
“
because I wasn
’
t
one.
”
 

“
Then
what are you doing?
”
Hamish
said. 
“
Why are you fighting
for a country that doesn
’
t give
a wee shit about you?
”

“
I
’
m not doing it for my country, I
’
m doing it for twenty-nine dead children.
”

Hamish nodded thoughtfully. 
“
Well, I suppose we have something in common
then.
”

“
I
suppose we do.
”
 
Sarah
raised her SIG and let off a shot.  She hit Hamish in the shoulder, knocking
her original SIG from his hand and throwing him against Westminster Bridge
’
s railing.  As his sleeve rolled up, she
spotted a dagger tattoo on his wrist which made her snarl with rage.

Hamish gritted his teeth,
starting to sag.
 
“
Fuck you!
”
he spat. 
“
You don
’
t even know
what you
’
re fighting for.
”

“
You
’
re finished, Corporal.  Stand down before I
put you down.
”

Hamish laughed hysterically. 
“
I may be finished, but Hesbani isn
’
t.  You really think I
’
m the shooter?  I couldn
’
t hit a barn door with a rocket launcher. 
You have the right plan, but the wrong player.
”

Sarah took a step forward,
lowering her SIG. 
“
Start
talking.  Who
’
s the shooter? 
And the woman with Hesbani, who is she?  Where is she?
”

Hamish just grinned.

Sarah fired off a shot into
his knee.  The sound of gunfire brought armed police hurrying up each end of
the bridge.  They approached cautiously, shouting warnings to stand down.

Hamish slumped to the ground,
clutching his knee and gritting his teeth as he continued refusing to give
voice to the pain.

Sarah pointed the gun at his
head. 
“
I
’
ll give you credit, you
’
re a whole lot tougher than I remember.
”

“
Conviction
does that to a man.  Do what you want to me, my conscience is clean.
”

Sarah pressed the gun against
Hamish
’
s forehead. 
“
Might as well send you on your merry way
then.  Ready to see what
’
s
waiting for you on the other side?  I
’
m pretty sure there aren
’
t going to be any
virgins.
”

“
If
you kill me, the police will take you down.  Whoever you
’
re working with, you don
’
t have the authority to kill people in the
middle of a London street.
”

Sarah saw spiralling helicopters
converged above Westminster Bridge and the police at either end.  Hamish was
right.  If she fired one more shot, the police would gun her down.

The radio on Sarah
’
s lapel squawked as Howard
’
s voice came though. 
“
Sarah, the bomb squad are on their way. 
The Met have called off the parade.  The Queen is already onboard her royal
barge, but she
’
s being returned
to HMS
Britannia
under heavy guard.
 
She
’
ll remain onboard there until the threat has passed.  It
’
s over, Sarah.  Let the police take things from
here.
”

Sarah turned the radio off. 
She removed the muzzle of her gun from Hamish
’
s forehead and stepped back. 
“
You
’
ve lost,
”
she said. 
“
The Queen is safe.  They
’
re taking her to safety right now.
”

Hamish spat blood on the
pavement. 
“
You think so?  Far
as I see it, Her Majesty is still out in the open.  Doesn
’
t sound like she
’
s safe to me.
”

Sarah frowned. 
“
Where is the sniper?  Where is Hesbani?
”

“
You
’
ll never get to him in time.  Doesn
’
t matter where the Q

ueen is, he
’
ll be able to get her.
”

The choppers overhead
circled.  Sarah knew now where to find Hesbani, but before she could ask more
questions, Hamish leapt up on his good leg and shoved himself against the
railing.  At first, Sarah thought he was going to make a grab for her gun, but
then he threw himself over the railing.  By the time Sarah reacted, there was
nothing below but frothing water where Hamish had landed.

With the situation defused,
the police started up either end of the bridge.  They pointed assault rifles at
Sarah and shouted for her to drop her weapon and hit the ground.  Sarah held
onto her SIG for the time being, though.  It was the only thing keeping the
police from rushing her.  She opened up her radio so that MCU could hear her,
but she also spoke loudly enough that the police would hear as well.  She didn
’
t care who was listening, as long as
someone was.

“
There
’
s still a terrorist threat,
”
she shouted. 
“
The Queen is in danger.  I think the sniper is in a news chopper.
”

“
DROP
YOUR WEAPON!
”

“
There
is going to be an attempt on the Queen
’
s life any minute.
”

“
DROP
YOUR WEAPON OR WE WILL FIRE.
”

Sarah released her grip on her
SIG, but couldn
’
t bring herself
to drop it.  As soon as she did that, the police would rush her and she wouldn
’
t be able to fight anymore.

“
THREE
SECONDS.  THREE
…”

Sarah swallowed.

“
TWO
…”

A voice came over Sarah
’
s radio. 
“
Sarah, I hear you loud and clear, mate.  Looks like you could do
with a lift out of there, sharpish.
”

It was Mattock.  Sarah gushed
when she heard his calm cockney voice. 
“
Mattock.  Shit, I could really do with a way out of this.
”

“
Roger
that.  I
’
m here to drag your
arse out of the fire, luv.
”

Sarah glanced around the
bridge. 
“
Where are you?
”

“
I
’
m here!
”

Sarah was almost blown
sideways as the Griffin helicopter swooped down beside the bridge.  The police
were taken by surprise and leapt down into cover by the railings.  Sarah
shielded her hair to stop it blowing everywhere and blinding her.

“
Stop
pissing around and hop onboard,
”
yelled Mattock. 
“
Time
’
s a wasting.
”

Sarah glanced at the police
squads.  They were already getting up and coming back towards her.  She had to
move now. 

Screw it!
  

She hopped back, to get a run
up, and then sprinted towards the railing.  She leapt into the air, getting her
foot up on top of the steel railing and launching herself off the bridge.  For
a moment it felt like she was flying.

Voices of the police shouting
at her seemed to fade away as she fell.

Mattock grabbed a hold of her
in mid-air and dragged her onboard. 
“
You okay, Sarah?
”

She nodded.

“
What do
you know?  Where
’
s Hesbani?
”

“
I don
’
t know for sure, but I think he might be in
a news chopper.
”

“
No
place I
’
d rather be as a
sniper,
”
Mattock said. 
“
The Queen is en route east to the HMS
Britannia.
”

“
Then
that
’
s where we head,
”
she said. 
“
Wait, who
’
s piloting
this thing?
”

Mattock nodded to the
cockpit. 
“
Mandy.  No one I
’
d rather have at the stick than him, even
with a bullet wound in his chest.
”

Sarah climbed into the
co-pilot
’
s seat and looked
across at Mandy.  He was focused, jinking the helicopter left and right with
unnatural skill.  There was a bulge beneath his shirt where a heavy bandage no
doubt covered his wound.

“
You
okay?
”
she asked him.

He turned to her, a blank
expression on his face, and then said,
“
Just a flesh wound.  Glad you
’
re still with us, Sarah.
”
 
Then he refocused on flying them over the Thames as quickly as
possible.

As Sarah watched the deep lines
of focus on the big pilot
’
s
face, along with the protective stares from Mattock in the back, Sarah couldn
’
t help but feel like she was among family.

S
arah joined Mattock at
the rear of the helicopter where he was adjusting the sights on an AR-15. 
“
I didn
’
t bring anything bigger,
”
he apologised,
“
but
Mandy can loose a couple of Hellfires if need be.
”

Sarah shook her head.  She
hated hellfire missiles; they were too indiscriminate. 
“
There are too many boats down there.  They
’
ll be casualties.
”

“
What
’
s the plan, then?  How do we stop Hesbani
if he
’
s airborne?
”

Sarah shrugged.
“
When the time comes, we
’
ll do whatever we
have to do, but we have to find him now, before it
’
s
too late.
”

The HMS
Britannia
floated
ahead, not as large as its name would imply.  The Queen
’
s barge sailed nearby, easy to identify from its lavish red and gold
accoutrements.

“
There
’
s a dozen choppers up ahead,
”
Mandy said. 
“
How do we know which one we
’
re looking for?
”

“
Can
we hail them?
”
Sarah asked.

Mandy nodded and fiddled with
the dashboard knobs. 
“
Be
advised, all aircraft in the vicinity of HMS
Britannia
, please
identify.  Possible terrorist threat, please be advised.
”

The radio squawked back
immediately with pilots from other helicopters.  Some obliged and broke away,
while others were newshounds unwilling to lose sight of the Queen.  By the time
Mandy got off the radio, only three helicopters remained.

“
Who do we have left?
”
Mattock said
.

Sarah peered out the side
hatch and tried to make out the decals on the other helicopters.
 
“
Never Stop News, BBC World, and
…
the third is too far away.
”

“
Get
us up close, Mandy,
”
Mattock
ordered.

The Griffin tilted forward and
picked up speed.  They passed the Never Stop News chopper first and Sarah tried
to see who was inside.  She just about made out the shape of a man in the pilot
’
s seat.  He waved to her as she passed.  Seeing inside the BBC chopper
was much easier: a crew of three inside, but none of them Hesbani.

“
It
has to be the last chopper.
”

“
If
they have a high-powered rifle,
”
Mattock said with a hint of panic,
“
they can take a shot at the Queen any time.
”

Sarah looked down at the slow-moving
barge with the royal regalia and nodded grimly.  Any sniper worth his salt
would be setting up their shot right now.

Unidentified civilian
aircraft, this is HMS Britannia.  You are not cleared for this airspace. 
Please leave the area immediately.

Sarah jumped into the co-pilot
’
s seat and grabbed the intercom. 
“
HMS
Britannia
, this is
…
Agent
Stone of the MCU.  We are in
pursuit of a suspected terrorist.  Please be advised: imminent threat to Her
Majesty.  Repeat: imminent threat to Her Majesty.
”

Stand down, civilian
aircraft.  You are in restricted airspace.  Leave the area or face hostile
response.

“
Do
what you gotta do, dickhead.  I
’
m not leaving until the threat has been dealt with.
”
 
Sarah turned the intercom off and turned to Mattock. 
“
Call Palu, see if he can buy us some time.
”

Mattock was already on his
mob-sat. 
“
On it.
”

When they got closer to the
final helicopter, Sarah saw that it belonged to one of Rupert Murdoch
’
s rags.  Mandy edged up alongside it, as
Sarah prepared to fire her SIG.  But there were only dumbfounded expressions to
be found inside: three middle-aged men in turtle-necks.  Sarah recognised one
of them from the evening news.

“
Shit,
it
’
s not them!  It
’
s not the right chopper.
”

As if to prove her point,
there was an ear-piercing
ping
as something hit the Griffin
’
s hull.

Ping!

“
Some
cheeky bugger
’
s shooting at us,
”
Mattock growled. 
“
Mandy, take us up.  It must be the Britannia.
”

“
No,
”
Mandy said,
“
we
’
re being fired at
from the rear.
”
 
He
pulled back on the yoke and Sarah and Mattock were thrown to the back of the
cabin.  The wind howled through the open side hatch as the helicopter spun
around.

“
They
must be in the first chopper,
”
Sarah
shouted over the bellow of the engines. 
“
Never Stop News.  Get us close, Mandy.
”

Mandy didn
’
t reply, but the helicopter zipped back and
forth, making the Griffin a hard target for sniper fire.

Mattock grabbed hold of a seat
and looked at her unhappily. 
“
I
’
m gonna chuck my bloody guts up in a
minute.
”

“
Grow
some balls,
”
Sarah told him. 
“
There
’
s worse than this at Disney World.
”

“
I
never pegged you for a
Mouseketeer
,
”
Mattock said, trying not to gag.

The cabin tilted and Sarah
swung from the nylon hand holds above her like a rag doll, her feet flailing in
thin air.

Ping!

“
Shit,
we
’
re in the line of fire
again,
”
Mattock said. 
“
Mandy, get us out of their sights.
”

The chopper zipped sideways at
almost 90-degrees.  Sarah
’
s
legs swung around in a circle as she held on for dear life.

Snap!

Sarah hit the floor of the
cabin and moaned in agony.  The nylon hand hook was still wrapped around her
wrist, but the rigging had come loose from its ceiling rivets.

Mandy righted the chopper and
Mattock yanked Sarah to her feet. 
“
You went a bit of a pisser there, luv.
”

Sarah shrugged free of him and
strapped herself in beside Mandy up front.  She turned to him and saw the glint
in his eyes. 
“
You
’
re enjoying this, aren
’
t you?
”

Mandy stared back at her with
his typical poker face, but this time she was sure there was a grin at the
corners of his mouth

They hurtled forwards through
the air, heading directly for the Never Stop News chopper.  It was a game of
chicken now, but they were playing against a suicide bomber.  In a game of
chicken, a suicide bomber would always win.

Sarah was relieved when Mandy
dove underneath the other chopper, just as they were about to collide.  The
Griffin swooped through the air in a long arc and came up behind its target. 
They gained on the other chopper, which also had its side door open.

Sarah knew they
’
d finally found their sniper. 

Hanging out of the door with a
long, scoped rifle was the woman in the burkha.  Sarah narrowed her eyes and
concentrated.  Something about the woman was familiar.  She was covered from
head to toe, with only her hands and eyes showing, but Sarah couldn
’
t help but think she knew her.

Then she realised.

The woman in the burkha had
the sniper rifle propped over her left wrist.  She was using her wrist because
her hand was missing.

Sarah
’
s mouth dropped. 
“
It
can
’
t be.
”

“
What?
”
Mattock still looked like he might vomit.

“
I
know the shooter,
”
Sarah
said. 
“
She was responsible for
the death of my squad in Afghanistan.
”

“
You
mean the woman with the watermelons?
”

“
You
know about that?
”

“
We
all know about that.  It
’
s in
your file.
”
  He placed a hand
on her shoulder. 
“
Think you
owe that mad tart some payback, don
’
t you?
”

Sarah nodded.  Mattock
’
s hand on her shoulder felt nice.  For the
first time in a long time, somebody had her back.  Instead of blaming her for
her past mistakes, Mattock wanted to help her make them right again.

Sarah unclipped herself from
the co-pilot seat and held her SIG up in front of her.  One well-placed shot
would put an end to a whole lot of emotional baggage.

The Never Stop News chopper
was just slightly ahead of the Griffin.  Sarah leaned out of the side hatch and
brought up her aim.

PING!

She flinched back inside.  The
bullet had hit the hull only an inch from her skull.  She leaned back out and
tried to get a shot off again.

PING!

“
Damn
it,
”
she said. 
“
I won
’
t be able to
get a shot while she
’
s zeroed
in on us.  She
’
s too good.
”

Mattock went up to the side
door and blind fired his AR-15.  It was more a show of support than anything
else.

PING!

“
Shit!
”
 
Mattock dropped the assault rifle out of the hatch and
fell backwards into the cabin, clutching his bleeding hand. 
“
Bugger it,
”
he said. 
“
That was
my Monopoly-playing hand.
”

Sarah helped Mattock into a
seat just as the cockpit window shattered, turning the interior of the
helicopter into a wind tunnel.  Mandy cursed from the pilot
’
s seat and quickly gained altitude.

PING!

The shot came from beneath
them, hitting the underside of the hull.  Mandy tilted the chopper sideways and
headed away.

“
We
can
’
t get near them,
”
Mattock said glumly. 
“
We
’
re going to end
up in the Thames if we keep taking fire like this.
”

“
As
soon as she gets some distance from us, she
’
s going to line up a shot on the Queen,
”
Sarah said.

Mattock growled. 
“
The old bird must be under cover by now.  How is the shooter
planning on getting a line on her?
”

“
I don
’
t know,
”
admitted Sarah,
“
but if I know Hesbani, he won
’
t accept failure.  The threat isn
’
t over until he
’
s stopped.
”