quickly extended her leg out over the seat and then shifted her hips, pulling free the other leg as the coaster got to the top of another rise and started to slow down.
Her legs free, she pulled her head away from Karl’s lap and risked a glance at the track. There was a bend up ahead, which meant the coaster would be slowing down even more before accelerating down the next peak.
If she was going to make her move, it would have to be soon.
‘Target’s moving,’ the sniper reported, his voice cold and professional.
‘What do you mean?’ Anderson asked from his mobile command centre in a converted motorhome just outside the amusement park.
‘She’s trying to get out of the car.’
‘Can you take a shot yet?’ Anderson asked quickly.
‘Negative,’ the sniper replied. ‘Not yet. After this bend. She. . .’
There was a pause, and Anderson knew his man would be watching the woman’s actions carefully. Then muffled thumps came over the connection; the sniper was firing. But there were too many shots.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Anderson demanded.
‘I’ve missed,’ the sniper replied. ‘She got out over the other side, used the train for cover. She’s in the tunnel scaffolding, heading down to the ground.’
‘Dammit!’ Anderson cursed. ‘Keep watching. If you get another shot, take it.’ Cutting the connection, Anderson changed channels to link with the other members of his team. ‘All units, converge on the rollercoaster. The woman has escaped. Don’t let her leave this park alive.’
The ‘slow’ section of the roller coaster was still terrifyingly fast. But fearing a bullet even more, Alyssa finally took a deep breath, steadied herself, and swung her body right out of the car.
She saw chips of wood flying inches from her hands, and some small part of her mind processed the information, realized the sniper was shooting at her. The car was blocking the shots and she gripped the side for dear life, timing her next action carefully.
One . . . two . . . now!
Alyssa let go of the coaster and stepped out on to the side of the wooden tracks. The speed left her stumbling, falling, about to go right over the edge and plummet forty feet to the ground below. But then she managed to grab a metal strut in the tunnel scaffolding and steadied herself.
She could hear screams from below now as people realized what she had done, vaguely saw people pointing up at her. But then one of her hands spun off the scaffold as something hit the metal strut, the sound of the ricochet coming moments later, and she knew the sniper was firing at her again, and the cars of the rollercoaster were no longer there to protect her.
Gasping, she stepped off the side of the track and dropped straight down, catching hold of the metal struts underneath, steadying herself once more in the scaffold, hoping the wooden tracks would give her cover.
Breathing out slowly, gathering herself, Alyssa looked down; a crowd was gathering beneath, and she felt safer knowing that there were people there. Surely nobody would risk killing her once she was among them.
She hadn’t climbed since that fateful day in the mountains, when she had failed her daughter so badly. She hadn’t visited so much as an indoor climbing wall since. She just hadn’t been able to bring herself to do it. But now she barely gave those fears a thought. With the adrenalin surging into her system, for the first time in years the desire to climb became as powerful – as natural – as the urge to breathe.
Steeling herself, she started to carefully climb down the scaffold.
‘There are a lot of people here,’ Anderson heard one of his men say as they approached the coaster. ‘Too many people.’
Anderson understood. Other information coming from the park indicated that the ride was being stopped; too many people had seen the woman climb out on to the scaffolding. And when the ride stopped and Karl Janklow’s body was discovered . . .
A thought
Her legs free, she pulled her head away from Karl’s lap and risked a glance at the track. There was a bend up ahead, which meant the coaster would be slowing down even more before accelerating down the next peak.
If she was going to make her move, it would have to be soon.
‘Target’s moving,’ the sniper reported, his voice cold and professional.
‘What do you mean?’ Anderson asked from his mobile command centre in a converted motorhome just outside the amusement park.
‘She’s trying to get out of the car.’
‘Can you take a shot yet?’ Anderson asked quickly.
‘Negative,’ the sniper replied. ‘Not yet. After this bend. She. . .’
There was a pause, and Anderson knew his man would be watching the woman’s actions carefully. Then muffled thumps came over the connection; the sniper was firing. But there were too many shots.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Anderson demanded.
‘I’ve missed,’ the sniper replied. ‘She got out over the other side, used the train for cover. She’s in the tunnel scaffolding, heading down to the ground.’
‘Dammit!’ Anderson cursed. ‘Keep watching. If you get another shot, take it.’ Cutting the connection, Anderson changed channels to link with the other members of his team. ‘All units, converge on the rollercoaster. The woman has escaped. Don’t let her leave this park alive.’
The ‘slow’ section of the roller coaster was still terrifyingly fast. But fearing a bullet even more, Alyssa finally took a deep breath, steadied herself, and swung her body right out of the car.
She saw chips of wood flying inches from her hands, and some small part of her mind processed the information, realized the sniper was shooting at her. The car was blocking the shots and she gripped the side for dear life, timing her next action carefully.
One . . . two . . . now!
Alyssa let go of the coaster and stepped out on to the side of the wooden tracks. The speed left her stumbling, falling, about to go right over the edge and plummet forty feet to the ground below. But then she managed to grab a metal strut in the tunnel scaffolding and steadied herself.
She could hear screams from below now as people realized what she had done, vaguely saw people pointing up at her. But then one of her hands spun off the scaffold as something hit the metal strut, the sound of the ricochet coming moments later, and she knew the sniper was firing at her again, and the cars of the rollercoaster were no longer there to protect her.
Gasping, she stepped off the side of the track and dropped straight down, catching hold of the metal struts underneath, steadying herself once more in the scaffold, hoping the wooden tracks would give her cover.
Breathing out slowly, gathering herself, Alyssa looked down; a crowd was gathering beneath, and she felt safer knowing that there were people there. Surely nobody would risk killing her once she was among them.
She hadn’t climbed since that fateful day in the mountains, when she had failed her daughter so badly. She hadn’t visited so much as an indoor climbing wall since. She just hadn’t been able to bring herself to do it. But now she barely gave those fears a thought. With the adrenalin surging into her system, for the first time in years the desire to climb became as powerful – as natural – as the urge to breathe.
Steeling herself, she started to carefully climb down the scaffold.
‘There are a lot of people here,’ Anderson heard one of his men say as they approached the coaster. ‘Too many people.’
Anderson understood. Other information coming from the park indicated that the ride was being stopped; too many people had seen the woman climb out on to the scaffolding. And when the ride stopped and Karl Janklow’s body was discovered . . .
A thought
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