The Seventeen. Joel Arcanjo

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ asked.

      “I’ve heard of him. Another money hungry suit, right?” Max Boyd replied.

      “Not just any suit. This guy is powerful. He has connections or, rather, his father has. This is the kind of case that can make or break careers, Boyd. Yours and mine. You got that?”

      “Yeah. I got it.”

      “Make it quick and clean. In and out. We don’t want press waiting outside on this one. This guy is well liked in this city. We want to minimize the media backlash or at least postpone it.”

      “Anything else?” Boyd asked.

      “Yeah. Get your heavy gear on. Chances are there won’t be any problem, but these guys supply advanced weaponry to the military so who knows what they are capable of.”

      “Seriously? You think they’ll have people waiting for us?” Boyd’s tone showed his slight apprehension, but not fear. Never fear.

      “A 1% chance maybe that he’s heard that we are on to him and won’t go down without a fight. But 1% is enough when lives are at stake.”

      Boyd nodded. He knew the Chief was right. Gearing up was a direct order, so he followed it.

      ****

      Thirty minutes later they were in the back of an unmarked black NYPD van outside the location. There were five guys in his team. Boyd had been relaxed but now the adrenaline was coursing through his veins. This was a powerful family. If they were wrong it could end his career.

      The others sat in silence, breathing hard and staring at their feet. Boyd was the only one with his head up, thinking and planning. He was the veteran. They looked to him as leader. This wasn’t a drug bust. It wasn’t some rickety shack out in the middle of nowhere. This was the centre of New York City in full view of everyone. Not an ideal scenario.

      “OK. Everyone know their roles?” Boyd finally said after another few seconds of nervous silence passed.

      Everyone answered but no-one spoke. They just nodded. He could tell that each man was going through his own tried and tested routine. They were psyching themselves up. He hadn’t told them that it was just a 1% chance that they would meet armed resistance. Better for them to think that it was a high probability. That way they would be hyper-vigilant and fully prepared. They would thank him later.

      “Let’s go. You two up front. You two with me.”

      The moment they exited the van every eye in the street fell on them. But that didn’t disturb Boyd. He was used to it. He actually looked less intimidating with the gear on. He would’ve made a useless spy. Far too big.

      They sprang out of the van and ate up the twenty yards of sidewalk between the vehicle and the entrance in a flash.

      As they approached the huge glass doors automatically swung open and they entered running. Inside was a giant lobby, huge marble pillars marking the pathway. On the far side was Security and past that, the elevator they needed. It was clear that Security had not been briefed about their visit. There were just two men at the desk. Both jumped to their feet and threw their hands in the air the moment they saw Boyd and his armed colleagues coming at them.

      “Let us through. Now!” Boyd barked.

      The nearest guy swiped his card and quickly shuffled out of their way. Some security, Boyd thought.

      “You, stay here with them. Make sure they don’t get brave,” he said, pointing to one of his men. He dropped back. Now there were four.

      They reached the elevator and piled in, breathing hard. Not because they had run far or fast, but when you are faced with a potentially dangerous situation, sometimes you forget to breathe. All four of them fit, barely. They were squashed together and, to make matters worse, the elevator music started. Repetitive droning of a guy that had never quite hit the heights he had hoped for, but was elevator famous. Seventeen floors to go and no-one said a word the whole ride. It was probably best that way.

      The gentle ping of the elevator reaching their stop kicked them into high gear again. They flew out the elevator and turned the corner. What they found wasn’t a wall of armed security waiting for them. It was a man, sitting at his desk, tapping away on his computer.

      This was why they were here. He was their murder suspect.

       Chapter 2

      “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense,” Boyd finished. A perfect rendition. It had to be, he couldn’t let this joker off on a technicality in court.

      This was a big fish. His name was Lex Archer, son of billionaire tech mogul Theodore Archer. A huge catch for the NYPD. Archer owned ArchiTech. A company that was so successful that he had built his own tower on West 57th Street. Archer had named it Tech Tower. It couldn’t match the 58 storeys of Trump tower but, at 45, it was impressive to say the least.

      Archer’s son was very different to his father. Boyd only had to look at him to see that. He was eccentric, charismatic and lived for the finer things in life. Theodore Archer was a stiff suit who only cared about furthering his company. He annihilated people who got in his way. His motto was famous across the US: “If people don’t like you, you’re doing something right.”

      Idiot, Boyd thought. But it was difficult to argue with his results.

      Boyd grabbed the kid and led him out of the 17th floor office, every employee gawking at the boss being dragged away by a four man team of fully geared up police officers.

      The kid didn’t even blink. He kept his head dead straight, maintaining his composure all the way down in the elevator. Boyd kept glancing back at him. It wasn’t how he expected a murderer to react. No. The sense of calm was unnerving.

      “Hey kid, knock it off.”

      He said nothing.

      Boyd wasn’t even sure what he wanted the kid to stop, but whatever it was, it made Boyd uncomfortable. Boyd hated to feel uncomfortable, but he had to let it go. This self-adoring suit would get what was coming to him. The rich and powerful often forgot they were bound by the same laws as mere mortals. They were soon reminded of that the moment they stepped into federal prison. He wanted to be there to see this wise guy heading for the metal gates. Lex Archer wouldn’t be so sure of himself then.

      Boyd dragged the kid out of the elevator by his left arm. The fibers of his suit were probably worth more than Boyd’s house and all of its contents. A sickening thought and one which made him tighten his grip further. Boyd was a big guy. It must have felt like a small anaconda attempting to squeeze the life out of his bicep. His captive didn’t even grimace. The kid wasn’t small himself. Boyd put his height at about 6’1 and noticed he was well put together. A college football player or wrestler maybe. Slender but quite powerful looking.

      Boyd marched Archer across the atrium. The whole lobby ground to a halt the moment Archer. was spotted exiting the elevator. Boyd heard a collective gasp followed by hushed whispers. He paid no attention and kept walking. It must have been a bizarre sight, police officers in full raid uniform СКАЧАТЬ