Urban Outlaws by Peter Jay Black Read Free Book Online Page B

and pulled out one of his sketchpads.
    At the dining table, he flicked through the pages until he found the drawings of the buildings he’d made a couple of months back.
    Jack began to study them.
    ‘Not cool, guys.’ Obi pointed at several of the darkened monitors. ‘They’ve blacked out the surrounding area now. All of the CCTV cameras are down.’
    ‘Recon?’ Slink asked Jack.
    Jack nodded. They were out of time. Charlie needed them now .
    Slink jumped to his feet and buttoned his jacket. ‘Let’s do this.’
    •   •   •
    When they arrived at the target building, Jack stopped short and gestured to the building next door. He and Slink hurried over to it. The ground floor had large glass doors and they peered inside. A guard sat behind the reception desk with his feet up on the work surface, his head bowed, his eyes closed.
    Jack pulled back and nodded at the lock.
    Slink slid the wallet of picks from his jacket pocket and set to work. He used one to rake back and forth and within a few seconds he’d turned the tension wrench and the lock clicked.
    ‘You’re getting better at that,’ Jack said.
    Grinning, Slink opened the door and they sneaked through.
    They tiptoed across the foyer, heading for the stairs, all the while keeping an eye on the snoring guard.
    They were halfway to the door when the guard groaned. Jack and Slink froze, mid-stride, like a pair of comical statues. The guard shuffled in his chair, let out a huge fart and resumed snoring.
    Jack put his hand over his mouth, fighting back the urge to laugh out loud. He dared not make eye contact with Slink. Here they were, in a dangerous situation, and Jack’s body was shaking with silent giggles.
    Jack pulled himself together enough to make it through the door to the stairs, where he gasped for air.
    •   •   •
    Once on top of the building, they hurried to the edge of the roof and peered over the low wall. The target building was the same height and they had a clear view.
    ‘How big is the gap?’ Jack asked.
    Slink pulled out a laser measuring device from his inside pocket, flicked it on and aimed it at the other building. A red dot hit the opposite wall and Slink looked at the display. ‘Seven metres thirty centimetres.’
    Jack frowned. ‘Can you jump that far?’
    Slink stared. ‘Only one way to find out.’
    Jack winced. The thought of Slink plummeting twenty storeys was not a happy one. But, for now, they had to assume he could make it.
    Jack scanned the opposite rooftop – it seemed the same as the last time they visited, except . . . he spotted movement. ‘What’s that?’ He slid his mini binoculars from his pocket and pressed them to his eyes. By the rooftop exit was a CCTV camera. It was new – must have been fitted earlier that day because it hadn’t been there before. And what made things worse was the fact it was motorised, panning from side to side. ‘No.’
    ‘What?’
    Jack handed Slink the binoculars.
    ‘Oh.’
    ‘Yeah,’ Jack said, ‘that’s a problem.’
    ‘It gets worse.’ Slink passed the binoculars back and pointed to an air vent in the right-hand corner of the building.
    Jack looked and groaned. Mounted to a steel pole was another motorised camera. This too was panning from side to side. Both cameras covered all the angles. Not only was there no way to get to the door, but not even a way into the air vent.
    Jack spotted a data cable running from both cameras, which meant they were also computer controlled. No need for anyone to monitor the video – any movement would set alarms ringing. And judging by the cameras themselves – expensive, high-resolution – someone meant business.
    Jack’s mind raced through alternatives, for another way into the building, but he couldn’t find a quick solution. The main entrance was out of the question. The side exit in the alleyway was under CCTV surveillance. The windows were modern and reinforced, and the roof was now protected.
    Nope, they were in