Free Revenge by Joe Craig

electronic reader. His head drowned out the clatter of the hall. All he could hear was his own breathing and the ticking of the custom man’s watch. His fear connected directly to that darkest point, somewhere behind his stomach. It sent a vibration up the side of his body, which then wrapped around his brain.
    Against his will, he started visualising his escape. Wait until the last possible second , he could hear something saying inside his head. He screamed at it to stop, knowing that if he tried to run, he would feel the thud of a dozen bullets in his back. But the instructions became stronger as the time ran out – and more violent, until Jimmy’s imagination was drowned in a savage but efficient bloodbath. Any second he would burst into action, unable to control the destructive cravings that would surely cause nothing but his own death.
    Finally, his swirling thoughts were pierced by the coarse twang of the customs official. “Thank you, sir. You can go.”
    From customs, they made their way separately to a rank of hire-cars, where a mini-van was waiting, while Viggo picked up the keys. Moments later, they were all on their way to Manhattan.
    “Now can you tell us what’s going on?” Jimmy exclaimed as soon as the van door was shut.
    “You know what’s going on,” Viggo replied. “Your life is being saved and so are the lives of the people you love.” He slammed his foot down on the accelerator. Jimmy’s mother was sitting in the front passenger seat. She put a hand on his shoulder.
    “Calm down,” she said softly. “We’re all just relieved, that’s all.”
    “Well, a bit of gratitude would be nice,” Viggo grumbled.
    “Gratitude?” Jimmy exploded. “I thought I was going to get shot back there. Why didn’t you tell me someone had hacked into the airport computer? Or however else they got us through. How about sharing a little information about what’s going on?”
    Viggo could barely contain his anger. “Do you think I’m an idiot?” he seethed. “Do you think any stage of this operation hasn’t been completely thought out in advance? I told you they’d get us through customs. You’ve got to trust me. Have a little faith in the people we’re working with.”
    “But we don’t know who we’re working with!”
    To that, Viggo gave no answer. Jimmy shrank back into his seat. He looked around at the others in the back of the van: Neil and Olivia Muzbeke, Georgie and Felix. Nobody made eye contact. Surely they agreed with him?
    Jimmy couldn’t help thinking that after the amount of trouble these contacts must have gone to, they wouldeventually want something in return. It was so frustrating that his fate was completely in the hands of people he knew nothing about. Jimmy had lost control over his own life again. Of course, he was grateful that these people weren’t trying to kill him, but that seemed almost irrelevant now. Whoever they were, they had stolen control.
    “Maybe you could just tell us where we’re going,” Helen Coates suggested.
    “OK,” Viggo sighed. “As long as you understand that what I don’t tell you, it’s best that you don’t know.” He paused and wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve.
    “We’re going to Chinatown,” he explained. “We’re meeting a Mrs Kai-Ro. She doesn’t know who we are or anything about us. But my contacts say she can be trusted and she doesn’t ask questions.”
    Jimmy tried to imagine Chinatown, but he had no idea what it would look like. And wouldn’t they stick out if they weren’t Chinese?
    “That’s it,” Viggo insisted. “There’s nothing more to know. Once we get there I’m going to meet with my contacts again and discuss the next step. But for the time being, I can’t think of a better place in the world to hide than Chinatown.”

CHAPTER TEN – STORM IN A TEACUP
    Mitchell pulled his coat tight around him. Spring must have been late in Paris this year. Surrounding him were tower blocks that seemed to