He’d set me up. And I had no idea when it was going to blow, or how destructive it would be. What the hell was I going to do?
I could try to deactivate it, but I didn’t rate my chances high. The bomb squad was something I’d never gotten involved with in the SAS. I had some basic knowledge, but was probably more likely to blow myself, and anyone near me, to pieces rather than defuse it. No, my only option was to find somewhere I could safely detonate the bomb. I needed a place where an explosion wouldn’t cause any casualties. Somewhere it could be contained. And it had to be close. Someone jostled me as they walked by. I looked up and down the crowded street.
In the middle of Rome? – Who was I kidding? There wasn’t anywhere safe. At rush hour each square mile of central Rome contained two thousand people.
I looked around at the bustling crowds for a moment, then turned my head up to the sky. The dome of St. Peter’s loomed over me. I needed somewhere safe, somewhere underground, where an explosion would cause the minimum number of casualties.
I had it.
I checked my watch. It was 4:45. I had forty-five minutes before Cooper set off that device in Petra’s heart. I had to deal with this damn bomb and find Petra before then. The only problem was, I had no idea how I would stop Cooper from activating the defibrillator and killing her.
Covered in a sheen of cold sweat, I ran into to the crowd pushing people out of my way, heading towards the cathedral. I didn’t want to damage years of heritage but that was better than killing hundreds of people. Anyway, if my plan worked no one would get hurt and St. Peter’s would remain intact – mostly.
***
A few minutes later I was standing in the enormous square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was crowded with hundreds of tourists milling around. The dome of the Basilica stretched high up into the sky above me. It looked impossibly strong, and had stood in the center of Vatican City for more than 500 years. I sincerely hoped I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it down.
Gripping the attaché case tight in my hand, I sprinted across the square towards the Cathedral’s main entrance. Inside, the church was dark and cool. Fifty or sixty people were scattered around sitting on pews or kneeling and praying.
I let out a small breath. It could have been worse.
“Everyone get out. I’ve got a bomb,” I said, waving the attaché case in the air.
Within seconds the church was empty. I ran toward the altar. About halfway, I turned off to the right and went through a small door set back from the wall. The sign above it said catacombs.
I slid through the door, pushing it closed behind me and shoving down the heavy metal bar that locked it. Then I climbed down the winding stone staircase into a dank underground world and looked around. A notice on the wall said the catacombs had been closed to the public two hours ago.
Perfect .
I put the attaché case on the stone floor and knelt down in front of it. The lighting down here wasn’t great – just a few dim bulbs attached to the wall at intervals. Probably something to do with conserving the crypts. They would have to do.
Inside, my stomach was a knot of panic I was barely keeping under control. I couldn’t get Petra’s face out of my mind. By not delivering the case as Cooper had asked I had risked her life.
I checked my watch. 5 p.m. Petra had just thirty minutes until Cooper activated the device in her heart. I gulped. I’d done my best to get everyone clear – but if the bomb went off there would still be a lot of damage to St. Peter’s, and some people would die.
I ducked my head, rubbing my hand over my face.
Dammit!
I had to at least try to defuse it. I’d give it ten minutes then go find Petra. I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then clicked the locks on the front of the case open and lifted up the lid. I felt my eyes widen. Inside was a silver box about ten inches square,
I could try to deactivate it, but I didn’t rate my chances high. The bomb squad was something I’d never gotten involved with in the SAS. I had some basic knowledge, but was probably more likely to blow myself, and anyone near me, to pieces rather than defuse it. No, my only option was to find somewhere I could safely detonate the bomb. I needed a place where an explosion wouldn’t cause any casualties. Somewhere it could be contained. And it had to be close. Someone jostled me as they walked by. I looked up and down the crowded street.
In the middle of Rome? – Who was I kidding? There wasn’t anywhere safe. At rush hour each square mile of central Rome contained two thousand people.
I looked around at the bustling crowds for a moment, then turned my head up to the sky. The dome of St. Peter’s loomed over me. I needed somewhere safe, somewhere underground, where an explosion would cause the minimum number of casualties.
I had it.
I checked my watch. It was 4:45. I had forty-five minutes before Cooper set off that device in Petra’s heart. I had to deal with this damn bomb and find Petra before then. The only problem was, I had no idea how I would stop Cooper from activating the defibrillator and killing her.
Covered in a sheen of cold sweat, I ran into to the crowd pushing people out of my way, heading towards the cathedral. I didn’t want to damage years of heritage but that was better than killing hundreds of people. Anyway, if my plan worked no one would get hurt and St. Peter’s would remain intact – mostly.
***
A few minutes later I was standing in the enormous square in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was crowded with hundreds of tourists milling around. The dome of the Basilica stretched high up into the sky above me. It looked impossibly strong, and had stood in the center of Vatican City for more than 500 years. I sincerely hoped I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it down.
Gripping the attaché case tight in my hand, I sprinted across the square towards the Cathedral’s main entrance. Inside, the church was dark and cool. Fifty or sixty people were scattered around sitting on pews or kneeling and praying.
I let out a small breath. It could have been worse.
“Everyone get out. I’ve got a bomb,” I said, waving the attaché case in the air.
Within seconds the church was empty. I ran toward the altar. About halfway, I turned off to the right and went through a small door set back from the wall. The sign above it said catacombs.
I slid through the door, pushing it closed behind me and shoving down the heavy metal bar that locked it. Then I climbed down the winding stone staircase into a dank underground world and looked around. A notice on the wall said the catacombs had been closed to the public two hours ago.
Perfect .
I put the attaché case on the stone floor and knelt down in front of it. The lighting down here wasn’t great – just a few dim bulbs attached to the wall at intervals. Probably something to do with conserving the crypts. They would have to do.
Inside, my stomach was a knot of panic I was barely keeping under control. I couldn’t get Petra’s face out of my mind. By not delivering the case as Cooper had asked I had risked her life.
I checked my watch. 5 p.m. Petra had just thirty minutes until Cooper activated the device in her heart. I gulped. I’d done my best to get everyone clear – but if the bomb went off there would still be a lot of damage to St. Peter’s, and some people would die.
I ducked my head, rubbing my hand over my face.
Dammit!
I had to at least try to defuse it. I’d give it ten minutes then go find Petra. I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then clicked the locks on the front of the case open and lifted up the lid. I felt my eyes widen. Inside was a silver box about ten inches square,
Similar Books
Boxcar Children 61 - Growling Bear Mystery
Charles Tang, Gertrude Chandler Warner
Burying the Past
Judith Cutler
Shakespeare: A Life
Park Honan
Cloudland
Joseph Olshan
Accept Me
J. L. Mac
To Serve Is Divine
R. E. Hargrave
Virgin Dancer
Deborah Court
