The Assassin Drone, Part 11
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The phone rang at exactly seven, and Olivia nearly dropped it in her eagerness to snatch it up and press the button. "Owen?"
"Owen is here," the man said. "I'll put him on."
"Mum," Owen exclaimed a moment later. "They said we can go to Legoland to-morrow!"
"To-morrow?" Olivia asked stupidly. "Are you all right, Owen?"
"'Course!" he replied, rushing through the answer in his eagerness to get to what he considered important. "Mickey let me look at the website! I can design and program my own robot with Lego Mindstorms!"
"That sounds fun," Olivia said, trying not to let the sinking feeling in her stomach sound in her voice. To-morrow. It would all be over to-morrow, and Owen would be home again. Small wonder the men felt safe in telling him he could go to Legoland then.
"Yeah, and –" Owen's voice disappeared abruptly, and the man came on again. "Olivia. How's the project coming along? Is it finished already?"
"Yes," she replied, looking down at the paper with notes that Scott had written for her.
"Lucky for you that you got it done before you broke your arm," he said. "You led us to believe that it wouldn't be finished until the last minute."
Olivia caught her breath in fear, even though she knew they must have been listening, then said, "I've been working on it …"
"I'm sure you have," the man went on. "We want you to come to a street near Ravenscourt Park." He gave her an address. "Do you know where that is?"
"I'll find it," Olivia said. "But I can't—"
"Be there before nine o'clock to-night. Bring the project, and the mobile."
"Right." Olivia saw Scott motion urgently to the paper and hastily added, "But I can't drive! I broke my left arm! And you'll need someone to fly the dr—the project—I can send my brother instead."
"Your brother can fly the project?" the man asked.
"Yes!" Olivia exclaimed. "He—"
The man interrupted her and said, "Don't say anything to him about it. Just wait there, I'll call you back."
He hung up, and Olivia disconnected on her end as well. Scott asked, "What did you want to ask me? Something about a project?"
"It might be nothing," Olivia said. "I'm not sure, I'm waiting for more details. If I need you, I'll tell you."
"Fair enough," Scott said, and turned on the television to find yet another news program.
The mobile phone rang again a few minutes later. Waiting for Scott to switch the television off, Olivia clicked the right button. "Yes."
"Your brother can bring you," the man said. "Don't tell him what's going on, just tell him you need him to drive you, that's all. You both come, and remember, the project and the mobile, too."
"Right," Olivia said, but the man had already hung up. She looked at Scott. "I need you to drive me somewhere to-night."
"Where?"
"It's near Ravenscourt Park," she said. "At about nine. Before nine, that is."
"Why? What's going on?"
Olivia frowned. "It's, ah—" She could feel her face burning with humiliation as she tried to think of a suitable excuse. Blast. Why couldn't she be as glib as Scott? "Ah—I'm meeting a friend, and I just need you to drive me there, that's all."
"Oh. Right." Scott waited a second, then asked, "Is it a girlfriend? Is she single?"
"No," Olivia said.
"No, what? Not a girlfriend, or not single?"
"It's not a girlfriend."
"Well, does he have a single sister? A single female cousin?"
Olivia sighed. "Scott …"
"A bloke can ask, can't he?" Scott changed his tone of voice. "All right, all right, I'm watching the news now."
Olivia went upstairs to search the internet for directions to the address, printing out a little map so they wouldn't get lost. She didn't know about Scott, but she'd never been in the area around Ravenscourt Park. Then she pulled out the carrier bag she had used for the helicopter, found the memory stick and slipped it into a side pocket. She was just picking up the drone, balancing it carefully in one hand to lift it into the bag when Scott came into the bedroom. He held one finger to his lips, then showed her a piece of paper. On it was written simply, tracker. Startled, Olivia looked up, and Scott extended a tiny device on the palm of his hand.
Olivia watched as he opened the drone and found a hiding place for the tracker in the gap between one of the thrusters and the outer wall, then snapped it shut. Once he'd placed the drone inside the carrier bag, he took it by the handles and led the way downstairs again. The television was still on, and Scott sat down, watching as though fascinated. Olivia sat down as well, but was unable to feel anything near the patience that Scott was exhibiting. Instead, she alternated morose glances at the screen with morose glances at Scott and anxious glances at her watch. It seemed like forever until she could say, "Let's go."
Olivia tucked the mobile phone into a side pocket on the carrier bag, and Scott took it out to the car, settling it carefully on the backseat. They drove in silence; Olivia didn't know what to say, so she just sat there, staring out of the window and worrying about Owen. They were just turning into the correct street when there was a familiar ring tone from behind her, and Olivia realized it was the phone. Twisting around in her seat, she reached out her right arm, but couldn't get the pocket open. "Blast! Stop the car!"
Scott put the brakes on, and Olivia jumped out, throwing the back door open and almost tearing the zipper apart in her haste to get to the phone. Thankfully, it was still ringing, and she flipped it open. "Yes! Hallo!"
"Hallo, mum," Owen said.
"Owen?" Olivia glanced up to where Scott was looking at her. Behind them, another car had pulled up and stopped as well.
"Mum, there's a man there," Owen said. "You're supposed to give him the project."
Owen's voice became fainter, but she could clearly hear him ask, "Did I say that all right?" Looking over her shoulder, Olivia straightened up. Two men had gotten out of the car behind them and were approaching.
"Are these the friends you're supposed to be meeting, or did we have a fender bender without me noticing?" Scott asked from inside the car, but Olivia had no chance to reply. Both men were holding guns.
"Give me the phone," the man closest to her demanded in a distinct accent. Hastily, Olivia handed over the mobile.
"Now, where is the project?"
Unable to take her eyes off his gun, Olivia indicated the back seat, and the man commanded, "Get it out."
Bending down slightly, acutely aware of her sling and the cast around her left arm, Olivia fumbled for the handles and pulled the bag out. The other man took it from her, looked inside, and nodded. Lifting the phone to his ear, the first man said, "I have it," and gave the other man a jerk of his head. As the other man carried the bag back to their car, the first man told Olivia, "Get back in."
She moved to get into the back seat, but he said, "In the front," and she changed direction. Next to her, Scott was holding both hands up and away from the steering wheel, and watching the action in the rear-view mirror. The first man crawled into the back seat, keeping his gun visible, and scooted over so that he was directly behind Scott. "Drive," he said. "Turn left at the corner."
"What's going on?" Scott asked. "Olivia, who is this man?"
"Shut up or I will shoot her," the man said, and Olivia felt the skin crawl on the back of her neck.
Part 12
The phone rang at exactly seven, and Olivia nearly dropped it in her eagerness to snatch it up and press the button. "Owen?"
"Owen is here," the man said. "I'll put him on."
"Mum," Owen exclaimed a moment later. "They said we can go to Legoland to-morrow!"
"To-morrow?" Olivia asked stupidly. "Are you all right, Owen?"
"'Course!" he replied, rushing through the answer in his eagerness to get to what he considered important. "Mickey let me look at the website! I can design and program my own robot with Lego Mindstorms!"
"That sounds fun," Olivia said, trying not to let the sinking feeling in her stomach sound in her voice. To-morrow. It would all be over to-morrow, and Owen would be home again. Small wonder the men felt safe in telling him he could go to Legoland then.
"Yeah, and –" Owen's voice disappeared abruptly, and the man came on again. "Olivia. How's the project coming along? Is it finished already?"
"Yes," she replied, looking down at the paper with notes that Scott had written for her.
"Lucky for you that you got it done before you broke your arm," he said. "You led us to believe that it wouldn't be finished until the last minute."
Olivia caught her breath in fear, even though she knew they must have been listening, then said, "I've been working on it …"
"I'm sure you have," the man went on. "We want you to come to a street near Ravenscourt Park." He gave her an address. "Do you know where that is?"
"I'll find it," Olivia said. "But I can't—"
"Be there before nine o'clock to-night. Bring the project, and the mobile."
"Right." Olivia saw Scott motion urgently to the paper and hastily added, "But I can't drive! I broke my left arm! And you'll need someone to fly the dr—the project—I can send my brother instead."
"Your brother can fly the project?" the man asked.
"Yes!" Olivia exclaimed. "He—"
The man interrupted her and said, "Don't say anything to him about it. Just wait there, I'll call you back."
He hung up, and Olivia disconnected on her end as well. Scott asked, "What did you want to ask me? Something about a project?"
"It might be nothing," Olivia said. "I'm not sure, I'm waiting for more details. If I need you, I'll tell you."
"Fair enough," Scott said, and turned on the television to find yet another news program.
The mobile phone rang again a few minutes later. Waiting for Scott to switch the television off, Olivia clicked the right button. "Yes."
"Your brother can bring you," the man said. "Don't tell him what's going on, just tell him you need him to drive you, that's all. You both come, and remember, the project and the mobile, too."
"Right," Olivia said, but the man had already hung up. She looked at Scott. "I need you to drive me somewhere to-night."
"Where?"
"It's near Ravenscourt Park," she said. "At about nine. Before nine, that is."
"Why? What's going on?"
Olivia frowned. "It's, ah—" She could feel her face burning with humiliation as she tried to think of a suitable excuse. Blast. Why couldn't she be as glib as Scott? "Ah—I'm meeting a friend, and I just need you to drive me there, that's all."
"Oh. Right." Scott waited a second, then asked, "Is it a girlfriend? Is she single?"
"No," Olivia said.
"No, what? Not a girlfriend, or not single?"
"It's not a girlfriend."
"Well, does he have a single sister? A single female cousin?"
Olivia sighed. "Scott …"
"A bloke can ask, can't he?" Scott changed his tone of voice. "All right, all right, I'm watching the news now."
Olivia went upstairs to search the internet for directions to the address, printing out a little map so they wouldn't get lost. She didn't know about Scott, but she'd never been in the area around Ravenscourt Park. Then she pulled out the carrier bag she had used for the helicopter, found the memory stick and slipped it into a side pocket. She was just picking up the drone, balancing it carefully in one hand to lift it into the bag when Scott came into the bedroom. He held one finger to his lips, then showed her a piece of paper. On it was written simply, tracker. Startled, Olivia looked up, and Scott extended a tiny device on the palm of his hand.
Olivia watched as he opened the drone and found a hiding place for the tracker in the gap between one of the thrusters and the outer wall, then snapped it shut. Once he'd placed the drone inside the carrier bag, he took it by the handles and led the way downstairs again. The television was still on, and Scott sat down, watching as though fascinated. Olivia sat down as well, but was unable to feel anything near the patience that Scott was exhibiting. Instead, she alternated morose glances at the screen with morose glances at Scott and anxious glances at her watch. It seemed like forever until she could say, "Let's go."
Olivia tucked the mobile phone into a side pocket on the carrier bag, and Scott took it out to the car, settling it carefully on the backseat. They drove in silence; Olivia didn't know what to say, so she just sat there, staring out of the window and worrying about Owen. They were just turning into the correct street when there was a familiar ring tone from behind her, and Olivia realized it was the phone. Twisting around in her seat, she reached out her right arm, but couldn't get the pocket open. "Blast! Stop the car!"
Scott put the brakes on, and Olivia jumped out, throwing the back door open and almost tearing the zipper apart in her haste to get to the phone. Thankfully, it was still ringing, and she flipped it open. "Yes! Hallo!"
"Hallo, mum," Owen said.
"Owen?" Olivia glanced up to where Scott was looking at her. Behind them, another car had pulled up and stopped as well.
"Mum, there's a man there," Owen said. "You're supposed to give him the project."
Owen's voice became fainter, but she could clearly hear him ask, "Did I say that all right?" Looking over her shoulder, Olivia straightened up. Two men had gotten out of the car behind them and were approaching.
"Are these the friends you're supposed to be meeting, or did we have a fender bender without me noticing?" Scott asked from inside the car, but Olivia had no chance to reply. Both men were holding guns.
"Give me the phone," the man closest to her demanded in a distinct accent. Hastily, Olivia handed over the mobile.
"Now, where is the project?"
Unable to take her eyes off his gun, Olivia indicated the back seat, and the man commanded, "Get it out."
Bending down slightly, acutely aware of her sling and the cast around her left arm, Olivia fumbled for the handles and pulled the bag out. The other man took it from her, looked inside, and nodded. Lifting the phone to his ear, the first man said, "I have it," and gave the other man a jerk of his head. As the other man carried the bag back to their car, the first man told Olivia, "Get back in."
She moved to get into the back seat, but he said, "In the front," and she changed direction. Next to her, Scott was holding both hands up and away from the steering wheel, and watching the action in the rear-view mirror. The first man crawled into the back seat, keeping his gun visible, and scooted over so that he was directly behind Scott. "Drive," he said. "Turn left at the corner."
"What's going on?" Scott asked. "Olivia, who is this man?"
"Shut up or I will shoot her," the man said, and Olivia felt the skin crawl on the back of her neck.
Part 12