Twister by Chris Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

got any better ideas, the best thing we can all do is keep calm.'
     
Better ideas? Ben took a deep breath and looked around. Everyone's eyes seemed to be on him now, and he sensed that they were all waiting for him to come up with something. As he looked around, his eyes fell on the damaged corpse of Angelo's bodyguard, lying motionless in a pool of his own blood.
     
The man had asked for better ideas, and Ben realized that he was talking to him again in a somewhat hysterical voice. 'So have you, son? Have you? '
     
Ben looked up at him and a whisper of a smile played across his lips.
     
'Actually,' he said quietly, stepping forward towards Brad's body, 'I have.'
     

Chapter Five
Everyone went quiet, waiting for Ben to explain.
     
'Look,' he said, slightly breathlessly. 'The hijacker is obviously worried that we'll be able to break the door in if we try. That's why he shot Brad. So it's obvious, isn't it? Either we do break the door down, or we get him to open it himself.'
     
'But he's got a gun,' one of the group said, as though speaking to someone of below normal intelligence.
     
'Yeah, but Brad's got a bulletproof vest.'
     
'And that did him a lot of good,' the older man said, not hiding the scorn in his voice. 'Look, kid, if you haven't got anything sensible to add—' 'Wait,' Ben said impatiently. 'Think about it. If we barge the door again and the hijacker opens up to shoot, what part of the body is he going to go for?'
     
The group looked at each other, like a bunch of children in a classroom who weren't sure they knew the answer to a teacher's question. The voice that finally replied came from behind Ben.
     
'The head,' it said, clearly and confidently.
     
Ben spun round and he sensed everyone else in the group looking at this newcomer. The man standing behind them was tall and well tanned with dark, slicked-back hair. He looked South American maybe, and his accent was American too.
     
'Exactly,' Ben replied. 'So we need to remove the bulletproof vest and whoever barges the door has to hold it in front of their face.'
     
Another silence. A long one.
     
'You're mad,' a woman said, and there was a murmur of agreement.
     
Ben felt himself getting angry. 'Well, has anyone got any better ideas? Or shall we just sit around and wait to be blown up?'
     
More silence. And then the older man spoke. 'It's got to be worth a try,' he murmured.
     
'Yeah,' someone else agreed. 'It's not like we've got many options.'
     
'I think it's a very good idea,' the newcomer said firmly. He stepped forward and offered Ben his hand. 'My name's Danny.'
     
Ben shook his hand briefly. 'I'm Ben.'
     
'So who's going to perform this act of bravery then, Ben?'
     
None of the older people answered, but that was OK. Ben had it all worked out. 'It makes sense for the smallest person to do it,' he said. 'That way the bulletproof vest will cover more of their body when they hold it up.' He looked around. He was quite a bit smaller than all the other adults. 'I'll do it,' he said firmly.
     
'And what happens,' Danny asked, 'if we overcome the hijacker? Does anyone here know how to fly a plane?'
     
Again, silence.
     
'Well, actually,' Ben said quietly, 'I kind of do. I mean, not a real plane like this, but I've flown a microlight before. I reckon I can keep it steady at least, and if we can get radio contact with Miami, maybe they can talk me through it, guide us down.' He glanced at everyone. They were all looking at him expectantly. 'Come on,' Ben said brusquely. 'We need to roll Brad's body over, unstrap the vest.'
     
It was Danny who bent down to help him. The bodyguard was quite a weight, and they really had to put their back into turning him over. As they did so, Ben tried not to look at the messed-up remains of his head. Danny ripped Brad's shirt open. Sure enough, beneath the torn material was a thick black bulletproof vest. The buckles were tight – they hurt Ben's fingers as he grappled with them – but a minute or so