Free Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz

will set it off. Count to ten and it’ll blow a hole in just about anything … or anyone, I should add.‛
    ‚Just so long as it doesn’t blow off my ear,‛ Alex muttered.
    ‚No, no. It’s perfectly safe so long as the pieces remain attached.‛ Smithers smiled. ‚And finally, I’m very pleased with this. It’s exactly what you’d expect to find in a young boy’s luggage, and I designed it especially for you.‛ He had produced a book.
    Alex took it. It was a hardcover edition of the latest Harry Potter book. ‚Thanks,‛ he said.
    ‚But I’ve already read it.‛
    ‚This is a special edition. There’s a gun built into the spine, and the chamber is loaded with a stun dart. Just point it and press the author’s name. It’ll knock out an adult in less than five seconds.‛
    Alex smiled. Smithers climbed back into the combine harvester. For a moment he seemed to have wedged himself permanently into the door, but then with a grunt he managed to go the whole way. ‚Good luck, old chap,‛ he said. ‚Come back in one piece! I really do enjoy having you around!‛
    It was time to go.
    Alex’s luggage was being loaded into the helicopter, and he was standing next to his new parents, clutching the Harry Potter book. Eva Stellenbosch was waiting for him underneath the rotors. He had been shocked by her appearance, and at first he had tried to hide it. But then he’d relaxed. He didn’t have to be polite. Alex Rider might have good manners, but Alex Friend wouldn’t give a damn what she thought. He glanced at her scornfully now and noticed that she was watching him carefully as he said good-bye.
    Once again, Sir David Friend acted his part perfectly. ‚Good-bye, Alex,‛ he said. ‚You will write to us and let us know you’re okay?‛
    ‚If you want,‛ Alex said.
    Lady Caroline moved forward and kissed him. Alex backed away from her as if embarrassed. He had to admit that she looked genuinely sad.
    ‚Come, Alex!‛ Mrs. Stellenbosch was in a hurry to get away. She had told him that the helicopter had a range of only four hundred miles and that they would need to stop in Paris to refuel.
    And then Fiona appeared, crossing the grass toward them. Alex hadn’t spoken to her for the last two days, not since the business at the tunnel. Nor had she spoken to him. He had rejected her, and he knew she would never forgive him. She hadn’t come down to breakfast this morning, and he’d assumed she wouldn’t show herself again until he’d gone. So what was she doing here now?
    Suddenly Alex knew. She’d come to cause trouble—one last jab below the belt. He could see it in her eyes and in the way she flounced across the lawn with her hands rolled into fists.
    Fiona didn’t know he was a spy. But she must know that he was here for a reason, and she had probably guessed it had something to do with the woman from Point Blanc. So she had decided to come out and spoil things for him.
    Maybe she was going to ask questions. Maybe she was going to give Mrs. Stellenbosch a piece of her mind. Either way, Alex knew that his mission would be over before it had even begun. All his work memorizing the files and all the time he had spent with the family would have been for nothing.
    ‚Fiona…‛ Sir David muttered. His eyes were grave. He had come to the same conclusion as Alex.
    She ignored him. ‚Are you from the academy?‛ she asked, speaking directly to Mrs. Stellenbosch.
    ‚Yes, my dear.‛
    ‚Well, I think there’s something you should know.‛
    There was only one thing Alex could do. He lifted the Harry Potter book and pointed it at Fiona, then pressed the spine once, hard. There was no noise, but he felt the book shudder in his hand. Fiona put her hand to the side of her leg. All the color drained out of her face. She crumpled to the grass.
    Lady Caroline ran to her. Mrs. Stellenbosch looked puzzled. Alex turned to her, his face blank. ‚That’s my sister,‛ he said. ‚She gets very emotional.‛
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