“What did you do that for? The poor thing,” Joanne whined.
“Are you for real?” he asked in disbelief. “It was gonna crush us.”
“It’s not the bull’s fault. They train it to do that and stick him in a ring with thousands of people watching. Then they stick spears in it and tease it to make it chase people.”
“You don’t need to tease it. It knew what to do. Come on. We’d better keep moving,” he said, throwing the empty gun away.
Girls are crazy. “What did you do that for?” he mimicked to himself, shaking his head.
After two hours of walking north through the Spanish countryside, they stopped and took shelter from the sun under a tree. He watched her as she closed her eyes and relaxed. The sun filtered through the branches and leaves. Her lightly tanned Asian face glistened with a thin layer of sweat. Her black hair fell delicately down her back as she tilted her head back to rest against the trunk. Her stomach started to rumble loudly.
“Oops, excuse me,” she said in Chinese with half a smile. Jason smiled back at her and looked into her brown eyes. Joanne smiled and looked deep into Jason’s sapphire blue eyes. His perfect white teeth stood out in the shade. His face was tanned. His blond hair was stuck up in all directions. She put her hand through his blond hair and laughed. “You need to comb this. Look, you have still got a piece of straw in it.” She grinned and spoke in Chinese. Her hand plucked the straw out. Then she gently held his shoulder.
“Thanks.” He paused and looked at her. For a few brief moments, the world stopped revolving and the birds stopped singing. It almost felt as if the clouds stopped drifting overhead. They said nothing. Their gaze was intense—their faces just a few inches apart. It felt so natural, but it felt forbidden too. She was a school friend of Catherine’s. He was Catherine’s boyfriend and a Westerner. Her father would never approve of someone like him. She broke the gaze, removed her hand, and tried to break the silence. “Your Chinese is good, although you speak it with an English accent,” she joked.
“Your English is good, although you speak it with a Chinese accent,” he said and grinned.
“Why couldn’t we stay with Jean and Martin or now go direct to a police station?”
“We can’t trust them. They knew we were at the villa, so they must have inside information. Someone working for SYUI has betrayed us. We now know they have connections here, as they gave the orders to those poor policemen,” he said and sighed. “Come on. We’d better get moving. I want to get far away from here.” He forced himself up onto his tired legs—his muscles complaining as he did. He pulled Joanne up. As they walked, she held his hand. He looked at her and she was crying again.
“What did I say?”
She stopped and burst out in tears and hugged Jason. “Martin…he might die because of me,” she cried.
Jason held her tightly, trying to think of something to say but nothing he could think of would be appropriate. “No, I think he will be okay, but if he dies, it’s because of Boudica.”
• • •
Back in London, Raymond Steed arrived at SYUI with Scott in tow to find out where exactly they had taken his son. Ray was surprised how many police and SYUI officers knew Scott on a first-name basis.
“How much time have you spent here?” Ray asked as they climbed a flight of stairs.
“I was here every day when Jase was in juvie. I wanted to know everything that was happening. I want a job here when I grow up. This place is amazing.”
“How did Jason cope with juvie?”
“He hated it. He had to fight his way through it. Every time I saw him, his knuckles were cut and split. But that wasn’t the worst part. Every time I visited him and it was time for me to leave, he got upset. You could see it in his eyes. They welled up. He hated staying there.”
Inside the SYUI department, they bumped into George, who was coming out of the men’s room and wiping his hands on his pants. He immediately noticed Scott and smiled.
“All right, mate. How’s it going?” he asked. Then he stuttered when he noticed Raymond Steed. “Mr. Steed, I, um…did not know you were back. Nice to see ya again.” George gulped, holding his hand out for Ray.
“Where is Jason?” Ray said, coming straight to the point.
“Let’s have a chat. Fancy a brew?” George asked, gesturing to the coffeepot.
“No thanks.” They followed George into his office. He tipped some files off a chair facing his desk so Ray could sit. Slowly, he walked around to his desk and sat looking at Ray.
“Jason’s with my wife and son in my villa in Spain. We also have the daughter of the Chinese commissioner there. I did it for their safety. Yeah, and I know before you say it. It’s my fault he had to leave the country, I know. My own family is at risk. The Triads want revenge for bringing Boudica’s empire down. It’s cost them millions. We have temporarily lost contact with me misses. They’ve probably gone fishing or shopping,” he said, slightly concerned.
“When did you last talk to them?” Scott asked.
“Two days ago, but you know what women are like—”
“They were supposed to call every day,” Scott snapped back. Ray looked shocked, looked back at George, raised his eyebrows, and asked for an explanation.
“All right, keep your hat on. We called the local police, who said they would drop in and say hello. They should be reporting back any second. I’ll get that brew I promised and see if they’ve heard anything. Scott, show Mr. Steed around,” George said, climbing out from behind his desk.
When George came back, he was as white as a sheet and sat heavily into a chair, looking straight ahead but not focusing on anything.
“You had better start telling me what’s going on, George,” Ray shouted.
George got up, loosened his tie, and ran his hand through his greasy hair. He looked at Ray. “They found three dead bodies at my villa—Boudica’s men. They also found the neighbor, a French woman, shot dead. My wife and the kids are gone. They are still looking at the scene, but there may be some good news. Two of the dead men had been shot, but the third had no marks on him. They are going to examine his body,” George said. He was now sweating more than usual.
“Why is that good news?” Ray snapped back.
“I can only think of one person who can kill with his bare hands. We both know who that is,” George said, forcing a smile.
“Jason Steed strikes again,” Scott said and punched the air in triumph so hard he could have left a bruise. The adults around him looked down at him. His remark was in bad taste, but that was typical Scott.
“When will we know more?” Ray asked.
“The Spanish Police are searching the whole area now. They will find them. Mrs. Young has probably just moved to a safer place. It’s now a full-scale murder investigation,” he said.
• • •
By late afternoon, Jason and Joanne stumbled across a railway track and followed it north. Whenever they heard a train approaching, they would hide behind shrubs and vegetation so they could keep out of sight. They had no idea who they were hiding from, but they felt safer being out of sight. The sun was hotter today, and the jagged terrain all seemed the same.
They eventually came upon a tiny railroad station. Tired, they decided it would be safe enough to board.
“If this is correct, the train will be here in half an hour. I’ll get two tickets,” Jason said, digging in his pocket for the money Interpol had given him for snacks. His voice was slightly hoarse, and he rubbed his throat, which was severely bruised from the stranglehold Kotang had had him in yesterday.
Jason smiled as he helped Joanne up into the carriage. He looked over her shoulder and noticed a figure duck behind a wall. Jason looked up and down the platform but could not see the man again. Joanne left Jason looking out the window and went to find a seat. Slowly
, the train started to pull out. Jason noticed that four men ran for the train. They opened the door much to the objection of the guard and jumped on.
Chapter 22
Unaware, Joanne had already gone off down the corridor. Jason wanted to jump off, but she was gone. His face turned white as he ran down the corridor with a sense of dread and looked through the windows of the compartments. He got to the end of the carriage and went into the first-class section. He continued running down the corridor and looking through the windows. Then he saw her taking a seat in a sleeping compartment.
“Where did you go? Are you stupid or what? We have to get off. Come on,” he shouted as he grabbed her arm. He took her to the main doors and opened them. They had already left the platform and started moving a lot faster.
“I can’t jump down there,” Joanne protested.
“Stay here,” he said. He opened the door, and before she could protest, he was gone. Rather than wait for the Triads to attack, he would go after them. He looked down the corridor, and he saw that it was still clear. He could not yet see them. They were still a few carriages back, working their way forward. Jason opened the sleeping compartments and searched for anything he could use as a weapon. In the first compartment, he found a lady sleeping. He looked at her belongings but could not see anything he could use, so he moved onto the next. A young couple lay on the bed, smoking.
“Get out. This is private,” they shouted in Spanish.
“Sorry,” Jason said and smirked. The next sleeping compartment he checked was empty. As he made his way to the end of the carriage, he could now see ahead. The four men dressed in black would soon be in his carriage. They slammed every door as they rapidly worked their way forward. Jason quickly ran back to the sleeping compartment with the lady. He opened the door and went through her belongings. He picked up a can of hair spray. He then ran to the next compartment with the young couple. Again, they protested and tried to cover up. Jason quickly ran and made a grab for the cigarette lighter. Then he ran back out.
Jason ducked into the empty compartment. He closed the door, pulled down the fold-up bed, jumped on it, and closed it with him hiding inside. The train slowed down a little when the track took a steep turn around a mountain. Above his racing heartbeat, he heard the door opening and voices. They were in the compartment with him. Not leaving anything to chance, they lowered the folding bed and were taken by surprise. Jason sprayed the hair spray at them and lit the cigarette lighter. A huge ball of flame burst out in their direction. Two men screamed out in pain. One ran out of the compartment, holding his face. The other fell back against the window. Jason jumped down and threw a roundhouse kick at the man, knocking the wind out of him. He dropped his gun and fell to his knees and held his eyes in pain. Jason grabbed the gun and turned. The other man was moaning and holding his eyes in pain.
The air was filled with the ghastly smell of burnt hair and singed flesh. Jason crawled on his elbows to the doorway, the gun in front of him. As he got to the door, he could see the leg of another man creeping slowly toward the door. The train entered a tunnel. The dim lights gave Jason the chance to see the man’s reflection in the window. He was getting closer—a gun aimed at the doorway. The two blinded men continued moaning and asking for help. Jason lurched forward, took aim, and fired a single shot at the man. The bullet hit his chest, and the impact from the German P32 gun threw the man back down the corridor, where he now lay motionless. Jason jumped to his feet and looked for the fourth man, who was nowhere to be seen.
He grabbed one of the blinded men by the arm.
“I’ll help you. We need to wash your eyes. Come with me to the bathroom,” Jason spat. He guided the man down the corridor and opened the main door to the carriage. Without a second thought, Jason shoved him off train. He went back and did the same to the second blinded man. Once both injured men were off the train, he decided to throw the dead Triad’s body off the train too. He hated touching the dead man’s hands, but he pulled the body back down the corridor. He was heavy, but slowly, Jason made progress. Once he got the body to the doorway, he started to push it out of the train.
He sensed something behind him. He turned and saw the fourth man kicking out at him. Jason blocked the kick, but the momentum pushed him back and almost out of the door. He held on with one hand, trying to crawl back over the body that was now almost fully out the door. The man kicked again at Jason and caught him in the face, knocking the boy back farther. Jason scrambled to stay on the train. The body that Jason was kneeling on fell out and rolled down the bank.
Jason pulled himself back in, but the man was kicking and punching him still. As more punches caught Jason’s face, he made the extreme decision to jump and take the man with him. He couldn’t risk leaving the man on the train to find Joanne. Jason grabbed the man’s wrist, and with a judo technique, he pulled the man out of the train with him. Immediately, Jason let go and rolled up into a ball, covering his head with his arms and spinning through the air. For the smallest of moments, as he gained the highest point of his leap, Jason seemed to hover above the tracks, as if gravity itself had paused.
Crunch! He landed on his back in gravel. He skidded along the ground and grazed the skin off his unprotected legs and back. Once he came to a stop, he sprang to his feet and got his bearings. He ran at the moving train as fast as he could. He didn’t stop to see what had happened to the man he had pulled off. His heart pounded against his chest as he forced himself to sprint faster than he ever had before.
The last carriage was the mail carriage. Jason ran toward it but found nothing he could grab hold of. Then he saw it. Right at the very end of the approaching carriage, a metal handle stuck out. Jason dived. It smacked against the palms of his hand hard, and in lightning speed, he clasped his hands tightly around the handle. He was picked up and flapping like a kite in the wind. As he dangled, he was unsure how long he could hold on for. The wind pushed his body back and made him feel heavier. He could just see the very back of the carriage. There was a metal service ladder that led to the top of the carriage.
It was too far around to grab with his other hand. He was stuck. He yelled out in anger and frustration. He turned his back to the train and curled his legs back. The train had now started to speed up again, and the wind was fighting him.
As he felt the pain and knew he had reached the last reserves of his strength, Jason managed to hook his feet around the ladder. It took the weight off his hands, but he now had to let go with his hands and try to hold on to the ladder with just his feet. He was bent around the back corner of the carriage. He didn’t stop to think. He was getting tired and had to act fast. If his feet slipped, he would fall and Joanne would be gone. And at the speed the train was moving now, he could get killed. He let go and pulled himself around the edge of the carriage by using his stomach muscles. His muscles screamed in pain, but he just managed to catch the ladder with his hands. Once he had his body supported by the ladder, he could finally rest a bit.
The mail carriage had no back doors. The only way Jason could rejoin the passenger carriages was to go up and over the roof. He climbed the ladder and made it to the top of the train. The wind was stronger than he had imagined. He had to keep low.
It’s not like this in the films, he said to himself as tiny pieces of dust and grit went into his eyes and blinded him.
Tears poured from his eyes. He tried wiping them, but the tears and his dirty, grease-covered hands just made them worse—his face even dirtier. Jason crawled on all fours along the roof of the mail carriage. He had to close his eyes to prevent more dust stinging them. The railcar seemed to go on forever. Eventually, he made it to the end and was pleased to find another metal ladder at the end. He climbed down between the mail carriage and the passenger carriage. He jumped across. The last passenger carriage was the dining car.
Jason opened the door and entered. It was full of people seated at tables with white
tablecloths, drinking and eating. There was a hum of chatter and soft classical music in the background. As Jason started to walk through the car, the hum of chatter got quieter and quieter until there was silence. Jason noticed that everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Why, he did not know.
“Where did you come from?” a waiter asked in Spanish, looking down his nose at Jason.
“Do you have a ticket?” a train guard asked as he walked toward Jason. Everyone in the carriage was now staring at Jason. He felt the pocket of his shorts, and to his relief, he found the two tickets he had bought. He passed one to the guard. As he did, he noticed his hands and forearms. They were black with dirt and grease from the ladder. He looked down and noticed that he had blood and dirt on his shirt. His legs were dirty and cut. His shorts were ripped open down one side. He could only imagine what his face was like.
“You are traveling alone?” the guard asked.
“No, of course not. You don’t think my parents would let me go on a long trip on a train alone, do you?”
“Why do you look like that? What happened?”
“I fell over.”
“You can’t be on the train like that.”
“I didn’t see a dress code when I bought the ticket,” Jason protested, snatching his ticket back from the startled guard. “Sorry, but I was told not to talk to strangers.”
He walked out of the dining car, and everyone’s eyes followed him. Once he was in the next carriage, he started to run from carriage to carriage until he came to the first-class carriage. The exit door was still open. Jason closed it and noticed a trail of blood where he had dragged the dead body. He went to the compartment to check on Joanne. His heart sank. It was empty.
Chapter 23
Joanne!”
“Jason, in here,” came a muffled shout. She was hiding in the fold-up bed. He opened it. She had been crying again. Her eyes were red and puffy. She climbed down and hugged him so tightly he could not breathe.