Free Out of the Shadows (Akira and Deane Thriller Series Book 1) by Tim Jopling Page A

already in
the next room. At the sound of their son crying, Burton dropped
onto the bed and released a woeful sigh. His chest felt tight and
his whole body ached with stress. His mind was racing with
possibilities of how to save his family but only one presented
itself. ‘Kate, I’m going to pop out for a bit. I’ll get us in
something for dinner, make a change, huh?’ Burton walked downstairs
and out the door. In the car, he dialled a number on his mobile
phone. ‘John! Listen mate, you still got that dog track? Yeah, it’s
been a while I know but I’m feeling lucky this evening. Yeah, yeah,
I’ve just come into some cash, reckon I could double my money at
least! I’ll see you in a bit mate. You think of some tips before I
get there!’ He dropped the mobile on the dashboard, swallowed hard
and pulled out of the driveway, feeling confident it was the only
option left open to him.
     
    Olsen dropped
his mug onto the tray and poured himself another drink whilst
watching a news broadcast on one of the monitors in Operations
Command. The running commentary caught his attention as he listened
intently to the revelation that an explosion had taken place in
Moscow, Russia at one of the busiest Underground railway stations.
He watched the screen as the Mayor appeared, stating the explosion
was a terrorist attack. Olsen listened to the full statement and
took the information on board as he went back to his terminal. The
display showed an empty inbox on his email account. It was a
frustrating sight, especially as Olsen was just following protocol
to receive confirmation from his operation partner with the
recently authorised codes. Then he remembered his mentor’s
opinion . ‘Emails are never secure, don’t
believe all you are told Sam.’ With that,
he gave a quick shake of the head, logged out of the terminal and
made his way towards the large double doors of Operations Command.
He turned his head and watched details of the Moscow explosion on
the main view screen; a man’s face was shown and was then replaced
by a map of the local area. Olsen continued walking, doing his best
to remember the face, knowing that at some point in the future he
might need to recall the image.
    ‘You in tomorrow?’ Carter
asked, lifting his eyes from his laptop.
    Olsen looked back as the doors
opened for him. ‘No. I’ll get myself organised and then head to the
airport.’ He gave an assured nod to his friend.
    Carter smiled back. ‘Be
careful.’
    ‘You too, I’ll
see you when I get back.’ The upcoming operation still made him
feel uneasy but Olsen did his best to force it out of his mind as
he confidently walked out of the busy command area.
     
    Akira saw the
classic white Mercedes on the street corner and got in the back.
Ahead of him were the Kiprich brothers, who had been watching the
busy movement of cars and people in the market place. With the
dazzling sun and array of people and treasures, the market place of
Muscat was one of the friendliest and most beautiful in the Middle
East but all of it was lost on the three men in the car.
    For the Kiprich brothers, their
hearts and minds were consumed with the upcoming attack on the
British Royal visit that was now just days away.
    ‘Any trouble on
your travels?’ Asked younger brother Jozef, with just a hint of
sarcasm.
    ‘None.’
    ‘Before you ask, everything is
in place. The death of a British Royal Prince will certainly be
headline news.’
    Akira ignored
the comment. The death of a British Prince was a bonus; in truth he
couldn’t care less if he was killed or not. All that mattered was
the death of Thomas Deane. It was vital he was killed early, before
the war started, as there was no doubt in his mind that Deane would
play a vital part in the resistance; it would be a massive boost to
have him out of the way sooner. ‘The antique shop on the corner at
the far end of the street, the owner is a contact of an MI6 agent
based here.’
    Jozef, the more
outspoken of the