Soft Target (Major Crimes Unit Book 2) (30 page)
Read Soft Target (Major Crimes Unit Book 2) Online
Authors: Iain Rob Wright
T
he slap of the river felt
like getting hit by God. It knocked Sarah
’
s senses sideways and cracked her teeth together. Her body gave up
and she sank beneath the Thames. Her empty lungs yearned for oxygen but she
felt no pain, only a rising pressure. As that pressure mounted, Sarah knew
there would be blessed relief to follow.
But sinking to her death
couldn
’
t be her reward after
all of the heartbreak in her life. She deserved better, and she was going to
get it. She was going to find some peace and maybe even some happiness.
Sarah flailed every limb she
could, moving upwards, towards the light. There was a chance she wouldn
’
t make it, having sunk so low, but when she
broke the surface of the water, she knew that she was alive. The sounds of the
city came back, wild and panicked. She desperately gasped for air.
Soon, the Navy surrounded her
in small crafts sent forth from the HMS
Britannia
. Sailors pointed
rifles at her and bellowed commands that were nothing but an audible blur. In
the distance, the Never Stop News helicopter sank beneath the river, its tail
boom pointing up into the air. It was comforting to know that Hesbani would
sink along with it.
Sarah flinched as something
hit the water beside her. At first she thought she was being shot at again,
but she turned to see that it was the bottom rungs of a rope ladder.
“
Told
you we
’
d get you,
”
Mattock shouted from the hovering Griffin.
Sarah grabbed hold of the
ladder and smiled wearily. This time she didn
’
t mind being rescued. In fact, if Mattock wanted to carry her in
his arms all the way home, that would be just fine.
Mandy hovered so close to the
water that it was easy for Sarah to drag herself up. Mattock helped her climb
the last few rungs before easing her down onto one of the seats inside the
cabin.
“
That was one hell of
an ending,
”
he said to her.
“
They should make a movie about this.
”
Sarah sighed.
“
Long as I don
’
t have to play myself, they can do whatever the hell they like.
”
And then there was nothing but
darkness.
Sarah woke two days later in
the Earthworm
’
s infirmary, Dr
Bennett leaning over her attentively.
“
You had quite the week, sweetheart,
”
she said.
“
You
’
ve been out like a light for a while now.
How
’
re you feeling?
”
Sarah stretched and felt pain
all over her body. Her thigh was burning and her ribs felt bruised.
“
I feel like I went a few rounds with a
rhino,
”
she said,
“
but you should see the rhino.
”
Sarah then fell asleep again
for a few hours. Eventually, she managed to get herself up and onto a pair of
crutches. The slug in her thigh hadn
’
t gone deep, but the pain was ever-present.
Palu asked Sarah to stay, told
her that MCU had been granted additional staffing funds after their recent
success. The Earthworm was going to be buzzing again soon, he said, delighted
and more dedicated than ever.
It was then that Sarah knew
Howard, Palu, Mattock, and Bennett would forever be working to protect the
country against a threat that would never cease. This work was their life, and
all they had was each other. Sarah might have been able to get onboard with
them if the scars of the past weren
’
t so heavy on her heart. Stopping Hesbani had put a lot of her
regrets to bed, but she still had a long way to go. Until she was happy with
herself again, she needed to be alone. She needed to find out who the hell she
was before she could even think about her future. Until she knew herself
better, she couldn
’
t afford to let people rely on her.
“
You
sure you won
’
t stay?
”
Howard had asked her as she headed up top where Mandy
was waiting to take her home.
“
I
’
m sure I can
’
t stay,
”
she
told Howard.
“
But it was good
meeting you. I had fun.
”
Howard smirked.
“
Fun isn
’
t the word I
’
d use.
”
“
I
jumped out of a helicopter
…
twice. If I didn
’
t call it
fun, I
’
d have to call it
lunacy.
”
“
Fun
it is then. I
’
ll miss you,
Sarah. Your bite
’
s not as bad
as your bark
…
once I got to
know you.
”
“
Tell
that to Hesbani,
”
she
said, smiling.
“
See you,
Howard. Take care of yourself.
”
“
You
too, Sarah. Stay in touch.
”
“
Maybe.
”
Then Sarah had left the
Earthworm forever. Mandy had taken her to her flat in Mosely, not saying a
word the whole way. It wasn
’
t
awkward, though. Mandy didn
’
t
get things done with words, he got things done with actions.
It had now been a week since
the last attack, and the country was slipping out of panic, into outrage. It
was already clear that the hostilities in the Middle East were going to
intensify. The Americans were back onboard and it looked like Afghanistan
would be occupied for another ten years. The Taliban had been reinvigorated by
Hesbani
’
s actions and the
entire terrorist community had started to rally behind the misused name of
Al-Sharir. The man himself had not yet emerged to shed light on the truth.
For all anyone knew, Hesbani may have killed his old mentor before any of this
even began. There was trouble ahead, for sure, but Sarah wasn
’
t the one to deal with it. Her only
obligation was what she was doing right now.
Sarah kept to the periphery of
Bradley
’
s funeral. She sat at
the back of the church and watched as his family and friends grieved. They
shared stories about a boy who always had a kind word to say, and a young man
who wanted to change the world. Sarah couldn
’
t help but shed a tear from the tear ducts that still worked.
By the time Bradley
’
s casket was laid into the earth, Sarah
felt more in touch with herself than she had since she
’
d felt a baby growing inside her. She owed it to Bradley to show
kindness wherever she could. The world had been deprived of someone wonderful
and she had to fill that void as much as she could. She would no doubt come up
short, but she would do her best.
Sarah edged behind a willow
tree as the funeral wrapped up. Howard, Palu, Mattock, and Bennett were all
there, but they hadn
’
t spotted
her. Their grief was deep and real, their focus entirely on Bradley. That was
the way Sarah wanted it. She needed to put the past behind her and holding a
reunion was not conducive to that.
It was finally time to go.
She said her goodbyes and said a quick prayer. Bradley was gone, and now she
needed to leave too. She stepped backwards, remaining concealed behind the
willow tree. There was a bus stop nearby that would take her home.
Sarah headed for the gateway
to the church yard. She walked backwards, not wanting to look away until she
had to. There was a part of her that wanted to run up to Bradley
’
s grieving family and tell them what a
brave hero he
’
d been, but she
knew that wasn
’
t the right
thing to do. She needed to turn around and walk away. She had to face the
future.
But something was tugging at
her. Perhaps the future was right in front of her, but she running away from
it. After what she had been through with the members of MCU, it almost felt
like she
’
d been part of a family again. Despite the horror of everything she
’
d been through, the gaping hole inside of herself had felt a little
fuller.
“
What am I doing?
”
she asked herself.
“
I have a chance to do
something with my life. There
’
s a place for me and I
’
m running away.
”
Sarah knew what she had to
do. It was time to put the fear and pain behind her and finally take a chance
on something. She belonged with MCU.
Sarah spun around, ready to
head back to the funeral and ask Palu and the others for a second chance, but
when she turned, she bumped into someone standing in her way.
Her eyes went wide.
“
You!
”
“
Yes
…
me.
”
Sarah
’
s
world went dark as a thick bag was shoved over her head and something hard
struck the base of her skull. She tried to call out for her friends, but as
she faded she realised she had none.
Hey, Reader. So you got to the
end of my book. I hope that means you enjoyed it. Whether or not
you did, I would just like to thank you for giving me your valuable time to try
and entertain you. I am truly blessed to have such a fulfilling
job, but I only have that job because of people like you; people kind enough to
give my books a chance and spend their hard-earned money buying them. For
that I am eternally grateful.
If you would like to find out more
about my other books then please visit my website for full details. You
can find it at: www.iainrobwright.com. Also feel free to contact me on
Facebook, Twitter, or email (all details on the website) as I would love to
hear from you.
If you enjoyed this book and would
like to help, then you could think about leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads,
or anywhere else that readers visit. The most important part of how well
a book sells is how many positive reviews it has, so if you leave me one then
you are directly helping me to continue on this journey as a fulltime
writer. Thanks in advance to anyone who does. It means a lot.
Author
Iain Rob Wright
is one of the UK's most successful horror and suspense writers,
with novels including the critically acclaimed, THE FINAL WINTER; the
disturbing bestseller, ASBO; and the wicked screamfest, THE HOUSEMATES.
His work is
currently being adapted for graphic novels, audio books, and foreign audiences.
He is an active member of the Horror Writer Association and a massive animal
lover.
Check out Iain's
official website or add him on Facebook where he would love to meet you.
FEAR
ON EVERY PAGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS