First Strike Read Online Free

First Strike
Book: First Strike Read Online Free
Author: Jack Higgins
Tags: Fiction
Pages:
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again. He’d given Rich the fright of his life when he sat up and grabbed Rich’s arm.
    Then the nurses had arrived and sorted out the drips and equipment with an urgent efficiency. Rich left them to it, turning on his mobile phone and calling Chance to warn him about Colonel Shu and tell him Jade was in pursuit.
    When he returned to the room, the nurses had finished and a doctor was checking Ralph’s vital signs.
    â€œNo serious harm done,” he assured Rich. “Lucky we weren’t a few minutes later, though.”
    The plain-clothes policeman was slumped in a chair while a nurse dabbed at his bruised head.
    Rich cleared up the flowers scattered across the bed, and a nurse gave him a dustpan so he could sweep up the glass. No one said anything, but he got the impression they were more annoyed with him and Jade for making a mess than the woman who had tried to murder their patient.
    When he was done, and the policeman had staggered off to make his report, Rich sat down in the visitor’s chair beside the bed.
    It took him several moments to realise that Ralph’s eyes were wide open, and he was looking straight at Rich.
    â€œYou’re awake,” said Rich, startled. “You’re OK. I’ll get someone.”
    Ralph’s expression didn’t change. His eyes were wide and unfocused.
    â€œYou are OK?” said Rich. He waved his hand in front of Ralph’s face. There was no change. Nothing to indicate that Ralph even knew he was there. Until Ralph spoke.
    â€œFlown…” His voice was hoarse and quiet. Rich leaned closer to hear. “Sorry? What do you mean?”
    Ralph blinked. His face creased into a frown. Suddenly he was staring right at Rich—really staring at him, focused and alert.
    â€œTell your father. Tell Ardman.” Every word seemed forced out of him.
    â€œTell them what? That you’re awake?”
    â€œIf the birds have flown, they will try for the Football.” Ralph took a rasping breath of air. “That is what they are planning,” he gasped.
    Then he slumped back, and his eyes closed.
    The heart monitor bleeped forlornly as Ralph slept and Rich wondered what he could have meant.
    With its back doors still banging and blue lights flashing as it raced through the evening traffic, the ambulance was easy to follow. Until Colonel Shu realised she was being chased and turned off the emergency lights.
    Traffic was moving slowly through the busy town centre. As soon as the ambulance lights went off, Chance put his hand on the horn and his foot on the accelerator. He swung the powerful BMW on to the pavement, sending people scattering. Half on the road, half on the pavement, the car roared towards the ambulance making slow progress further ahead.
    But before they reached it, the ambulance lights came on again. The siren cut through the evening, and traffic pulled over to let the ambulance through.
    The BMW followed in its wake—cutting through the gaps in the traffic before the vehicles had time to move back into the middle of the road.
    Jade closed her eyes as they sped through a red light. A car that had braked hard for the ambulance had to do so again. The car behind it slammed into the rear and both cars slewed across the junction. Chance swerved round them, and carried on as if nothing had happened. From behind came the sound of more breaking glass.
    Then the sound of more sirens.
    â€œPolice,” said Chance, glancing in the rear-view mirror. “Just what we don’t need.”
    He slammed the car down a gear to get more power as they raced uphill, along a narrow side street. In front of them the ambulance was spilling equipment and supplies out of its back doors. A car coming the other way caught a glancing blow and spun off on to the pavement, then scraped down the wall of an office block.
    The ambulance turned out of the street on to another main road—a dual carriageway. Without hesitation, Chance
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