Hostage by Chris Bradford Read Free Book Online Page A

marches
on its stomach,’ Amir replied, taking a pineapple juice from the chiller.
‘And, trust me, you’ll need the energy!’
    With plates piled high, Amir led Connor over
to a table nearest the window, where four other recruits sat.
    ‘You remember Jason?’ said Amir,
arching an eyebrow at Connor.
    A broad-chested lad turned round. With dark
tousled hair and an anvil jaw, Connor couldn’t forget his face … or his fists.
    ‘G’day!’ said Jason, an
Aussie twang now noticeable in his speech. He offered one of his hammer-like fists in
greeting. Connor took it and was subjected to a bone-crushing handshake.
    I’m off to a great start here!
thought Connor, trying not to wince. ‘You’re Australian then?’
    ‘He sure is! But don’t hold that
against him,’ teased the Chinese girl perched next to Jason and half his size.
She’d lost her emo make-up and was now dressed in jeans, pumps and a red
sleeveless T-shirt. ‘I’m Ling. How’s the leg?’ she asked with an
impish twinkle in her half-moon eyes.
    ‘Fine,’ said Connor, releasing
himself from Jason’s iron grip. ‘How’s the arm?’
    Ling smirked. ‘Not as bad as
you’d have ended up, if Jody hadn’t saved you.’
    ‘Saved
me
?’ Connor
responded, remembering the situation differently, but Amir cut in.
    ‘I wouldn’t argue with Ling. She
always
wins her fights.’ He sat down beside the boy with bleached
blond hair. ‘This is Marc; he’s from France.’
    Marc had replaced the gang fashion with a
more stylish Ralph Lauren shirt and white jeans. Dark shadows circled his eyes, the
after-effect of his bruising encounter with the skateboard.
    ‘
Bonsoir
,’ he greeted,
then with only the trace of a French accent asked, ‘How was the
journey?’
    ‘Long!’ remarked Connor. As he
took his place next to Amir, his eyes were drawn to the girl sitting opposite him.
Perhaps a year older than the others, with tanned skin, sun-kissed blonde hair and a
radiant smile, she looked like she’d just stepped off a Caribbean beach. She wore
a black halterneck top with a winged-shield badge in
gold
.
    ‘I hear you beat Jason,’ she said
in a soft American accent like honey. ‘That’s a first.’
    ‘I held back,’ Jason growled in
protest. ‘Didn’t want to hurt the newbie.’
    The girl gave a noncommittal nod. ‘Of
course you did!’ she smirked.
    In an effort to smooth over his rocky start
with Jason, Connor interjected, ‘Well, to be fair … he did telegraph that first
punch.’
    ‘Exactly,’ agreed Jason, a
little too quickly.
    The girl glanced at Connor, her sky-blue
eyes appraising him. Seeing straight through his white lie, the corner of her mouth
curled up into a knowing smile. ‘I’m Charlotte. But everyone calls me
Charley.’
    Connor smiled back, hoping the flush in his
cheeks wasn’t noticeable. He was usually fine around girls. But, for some reason,
this one made him feel a touch self-conscious. Opting for a safe opening question, he
asked, ‘Where in the States are you from?’
    ‘California,’ she replied.
‘Buddyguard gathers recruits from around the world.’ She pointed to the
other tables. ‘For example, José is from Mexico, Elsa from Germany, David from
Uganda, Luciana from Brazil.’
    Connor glanced around the hall, the tables
only half-full. ‘Are these
all
the buddyguards?’
    Charley shook her head. ‘Most are on
assignment. But no more than twenty of us are usually here at any one time.’
    ‘So where’s the skater boy who
attacked me?’
    ‘Richie’s in Ireland,’ Amir
replied, through a mouthful of rice.
    ‘
Bonne chose aussi
,’
mumbled Marc, massaging the bridge of his nose.
    ‘Sorry, what was that?’ said
Connor, wishing he’d paid more attention in his French lessons.
    ‘Good thing too,’ Marc repeated.
‘I might have forgiven him by the time he gets back.’
    ‘So that means, Connor, you’ll
be joining us in Alpha team,’ Charley announced. ‘By the way, the colonel
wants us all in the