1 Life 2 Die 4 by Dean Waite Read Free Book Online

hallway
leaving the flaming, shattered walkway behind us, she flicked me an
impressed smile.
    “Fast learner,” she grinned approvingly. Then
her eyes focussed ahead and while my spirits lifted a little, we
did our best to break the indoor sprint record.
     
    *****

9
    At the end of
the hall Veronica turned sharp left and we raced into the large,
open area of the north-eastern gallery. It was filled with
paintings by well-known Australian artists, along with a mob of
terrified people who hurried past us, frantically searching for an
exit. I thought they had the right idea, but Veronica ignored them,
heading instead towards a series of pencil sketches of Brisbane
icons which hung in the far corner. I guessed she must know of an
exit up ahead, but a second later, while I peered about at the
solid walls confronting us, it became clear that she’d mistakenly
led us into a dead-end!
    I slowed, preparing to backtrack and mentally
calculating where Redhead might be by now. If he’d been able to get
across the shattered walkway at the far end of the main corridor,
we’d be in deep do-do once we turned back onto it!
    Then I saw a crack appearing where a dogleg
in the wall met the ceiling, and while I watched in amazement, the
entire section of wall slid smoothly down into the floor!
    A few steps later, we were inside the
previously hidden area and climbing onto the meanest looking
motorbike I’ve ever seen. Like the bobtrain, it was made almost
entirely of raw, shiny metal, but its most striking feature was the
abnormally wide back wheel. At around three-quarters-of-a-metre
wide, this thing had to have phenomenal gripping power!
    While I hurriedly secured yet another helmet,
I looked over Veronica’s shoulder and noticed an unusual sculpture
dead ahead on the far side of the adjacent display area. It had
curving slabs merging in towards a wider central one which appeared
to rise out of the floor and curve up towards a massive window
behind it. I felt a chill run through my body. I was sure I knew
what Veronica had in mind, and for a moment I couldn’t help
wondering if I’d be better off waiting here for Redhead!
    My adrenaline surged as the engine suddenly
roared to life with a deep, throaty snarl that sent a nervous,
excited shudder through my guts.
    “Hang on!” Veronica yelled over the noise,
and I willingly slipped my arms around her slender waist for the
second time that day. I almost lost concentration when I tightened
them and felt my body pull in hard against hers. I could sense
every bump and curve from her shoulders down to her award-winning
backside and it was almost impossible not to get lost imagining
doing so under very different circumstances.
    Still, the thought of what we were about to
attempt kept my blissful daydream disappointingly short.
    Despite the back wheel’s abnormally wide
rubber, when Veronica threw the engine into gear and turned the
throttle it seemed as if it squealed forever, spinning madly on the
tiled floor while a cloud of burnt rubber boiled up around us. That
had to be one hell of an engine between her legs! When the massive
tyre finally bit into the tiles, despite feeling as if I’d been
holding Veronica far more tightly than necessary, I was almost
thrown off the back as the machine leapt forwards like a wild tiger
that had just had its cage door thrown wide. In the blink of an
eye, we were rocketing past the main corridor and I only got a few
milliseconds to register the surprised expression on Redhead’s face
as he bolted towards us along it.
    Before he could react, I heard Veronica fire.
But when I looked round, I saw she had her gun raised toward the
window ahead instead of our enemy. When we hit the sloping, central
slab of the sculpture, the huge sheet of glass in front of us was
already exploding into a million tiny fragments.
    I ducked down behind Veronica as we shot up
the ramp and blasted through the shattered window … then sailed up,
up, up though empty air. When I