Hostage (Bodyguard #1)(66)
He flicked open the mobile phone and began dialling …
Connor stepped through the north-east gate, past the sentry and on to Pennsylvania Avenue. No one questioned him as part of the tour group. Which meant no one would have questioned a disguised Alicia either. Connor now realized he’d actually seen her on an earlier tour. She’d been on the grand staircase, her back to him, pretending to study a portrait of President Nixon. But he’d been in such a rush and so focused on finding a dark-haired Alicia that his gaze had shot straight past the unassuming girl in jeans with the platinum-blonde bob.
Standing at the entrance to Lafayette Park, Connor wondered which direction Alicia might have gone. Without the tracker, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. But he guessed she’d try to hook up with one of her friends.
Unlocking his phone, he called Kalila. ‘Hi, Kalila. It’s Connor.’
‘Hi … err … Daisy,’ answered Kalila, giving a nervous laugh. ‘That was some prom last night. You and Alicia left pretty quickly afterwards. Are you all right?’
‘It’s a long story,’ replied Connor. ‘But I was wondering if Alicia was with you? Or had called?’
‘No, sorry. Is anything wrong?’
Not wishing to worry her unnecessarily, Connor said, ‘Not really … can you just let me know as soon as she contacts you?’
‘Sure,’ replied Kalila.
In the distance Connor heard a deep rumble and wondered what it was. ‘Look, I’ve got to go.’
Hanging up, Connor tried Grace next. Then Paige. But neither of them had heard from Alicia. He was trying to think of who to call next when his phone rang and the Buddyguard logo flashed on the screen.
‘Bugsy’s had a breakthrough!’ said Amir, his voice tense and urgent. ‘Alicia’s mobile is definitely being tracked.’
‘Have you told Secret Service?’ said Connor.
‘That’s the problem,’ replied Amir. ‘We can’t get through.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘All hell’s broken loose. Washington DC’s being bombed.’
‘What?’ exclaimed Connor, his eyes scanning the park for danger. But everywhere appeared calm and peaceful. Then in the background he heard a second ominous rumble and the wail of police sirens.
‘Hi, Connor, it’s Charley,’ said a voice on the line. ‘Intelligence reports a suspected car bomb has gone off at H Street and Ninth.’
‘That’s near Secret Service Headquarters!’
‘We know. The explosion was detonated right outside the entrance. Hang on –’ there was a ping of an incoming message and a muffled gasp – ‘there’s been a second explosion, near the Capitol Building this time.’
‘I just heard it,’ said Connor, the tourists milling around him still oblivious to the impending danger.
‘Connor, it’s Colonel Black,’ said a gruff voice. ‘Get off the streets now. That’s an order.’
‘But I believe Alicia’s somewhere in the city,’ he replied, ‘without Secret Service protection.’
The colonel grunted. ‘Then it’s down to you to find her. Amir, has Bugsy managed to mirror the signal yet?’
‘Yes,’ Amir replied. ‘He’s patching through the tracer code to Connor’s phone as we speak.’
Launching the Tracker app, Connor watched the map home in on Alicia’s location. It showed her approaching the Jefferson Memorial.
‘I’ve got her,’ he told them.
‘Then it’s time to do your job,’ said Colonel Black. ‘Just keep your head down. DC’s turning into a war zone!’
‘Yes, Colonel,’ replied Connor, shouldering his backpack.
‘Stay safe!’ said Charley quickly. ‘I’ll send you threat updates.’
Taking the route dictated by the Tracker app, Connor sprinted along Pennsylvania and down 15th Street. The Jefferson Memorial was estimated to be over ten minutes away. Running flat out, Connor hoped he could reach Alicia in half that time. Her life might well depend upon it.
Sitting on the top step of the Memorial, Alicia gazed across the glassy waters of the Potomac’s tidal basin. Lush cherry trees framed its banks and families cruised about in paddle boats, laughing and splashing one another. She watched the carefree way the tourists wandered along the footpath and the easy enjoyment of the children running to and fro. Bathed in glorious sunshine, the scene was almost picture perfect.
A couple of teenagers walked by hand in hand, stealing the occasional kiss. Alicia’s eyes followed them, envious at the couple’s freedom to do as they pleased.
‘And they would think I lived the privileged life,’ she sighed.
Alicia glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time, impatient for Kalila to arrive. She had so much she needed to confide in her friend. The whole buddyguard issue, her father’s lack of understanding and her feelings for Connor crushed by betrayal. Even thinking about the boy brought tears to her eyes.
Blinking them away, Alicia looked up into the cloudless blue sky. It was then that she noticed a dark column of smoke rising from central Washington.
Alicia gasped, shocked by what appeared to be a massive fire in the heart of the capital.