BLOOD DRAGON Freddie Peters (books to get back into reading .TXT) 📖

and the woman’s bike had lodged itself underneath the other bus. Pole hobbled as quickly as he could over to the place where her bike was now immobile.

A crowd of pedestrians were assembled around a body that had rolled near the curb, lying on the ground motionless.

Pole took out his police ID and asked people to give way. She was on her back, her jacket had been turned almost inside out and the nurse’s uniform was in shreds.

Pole knew better than to try to remove the helmet, but he slid up the visor. He shook his head in disbelief. There was Cora’s friend, Nat looking pale and lifeless.

The sound of two ambulances made him stand up. The paramedics rushed towards them. A small Asian man took Nat’s pulse. “She’s alive but the pulse is faint.”

“Where are you taking her? UCH?”

“That’s the closest.”

How ironic. She was being taken back to the very hospital they had come from.

A police car had arrived to cordon off the area. Pole spoke to the officer in charge and asked for a lift back to rejoin his team.

“Andy … I’m on my way back.”

“Mandy and PC William are OK, but DS Branning is in a bad way.”

“Nat Price is barely alive.” Pole took his DS through the chase. They were coming back to UCH, directly to A&E.

When Pole arrived back on Ollie’s ward, Andy was holding a tea for both Mandy and PC William. They looked a little bruised but otherwise alright.

“Branning?” Pole’s voice shook a little.

“They are operating … the scalpel she used to fight him off made a large gash in his neck … very close to the jugular artery.”

“Half an inch and he would have …” Mandy let the phrase hang.

“How about you, Gov?”

“Just a few bruises … nothing to worry about.”

“They brought her in 25 minutes before you arrived.” Mandy took a sip of tea. “They wouldn’t say anything about her condition.”

“I tried to confirm her ID.” Andy looked a little off himself.

“No need … As I told you, I’m absolutely certain it is Nat Price.”

“How do you know?”

“She is … was … one of Cora’s closest friends.”

Those who had tea concentrated on their drinks, and Pole turned around to find the vending machine. “Where is Cora in all of this?”

“I’ve sent her back home with a police escort.”

Pole was about to ask how Cora had taken the news they had caught the suspect, when a senior nurse came out of the operating theatre.

“How is he doing?” Pole moved towards him.

“Not out of the woods yet.”

“Any news about the woman?”

“They are running a CT scan.”

“Is she conscious?” Pole couldn’t quite believe it.

“She is, although we have given her something to calm her down. Amazing after the battering she’s taken.”

“You need to show me where you’ve taken her.”

“Sorry, but that information is for medical personnel only.”

Pole took out his ID again.

“Sorry, but she is incredibly dangerous, and the reason why one of my officers is on the operating table at the moment.”

The nurse went pale and moved the heavy translucent plastic door aside. “I’ll show you where she is.”

Pole nodded to Andy to follow them.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

“I am finding the answers to some of my questions … Father always seemed a mysterious and complex person. I dismissed it as just the memory of a child, but perhaps I was right.” Nancy had sent a long voice message to Pole. She had tried to call him at 2pm London time, hoping he would be busy. She didn’t want to have to lie to him about the Sichuan trip. She had spent the rest of the day planning her trip, thinking about how she would be able to help Jack in his request.

It was time to get as much rest as possible. The next 48 hours would be gruelling. But the thought of not knowing how Pole was, kept her awake more than the trip to Sichuan. She had made up her mind about her return. There was no more room for prevarication or fear.

She drifted into sleep but thoughts kept bringing her back to consciousness. Her father, if he had survived, would be 78 years old. What would she do if he stood there in front of her? She moved around to find a more comfortable position. She would know tomorrow.

The limo was now gliding along the highway to the airport. A small bag and rucksack were all she had packed. She changed into a fresh pair of jeans, chose a white t-shirt, a dark blue leather jacket and kept her designer trainers.

Licot was already at the airport when she arrived. He handed over her ticket and her passport with a temporary Chinese visa. It was good for 30 days and she didn’t intend to spend more than two days on the mainland.

“Who are we flying with?”

“First leg of the journey, Cathay Pacific … then an internal flight, with Air China.”

“How about the transfer between the international and local terminals at Shanghai?” Nancy was reading the details of the flight.

“Not really a problem … you’re not arriving at Shanghai International. It’s considered an internal flight.”

Nancy nodded. They started queuing for the check in. The line of people waiting for passport control was short. Nancy followed Licot, her heart banging against her rib cage. In a few moments she would be one step closer to setting foot back on Chinese ground.

Licot turned back and smiled. His relaxed manner gave her confidence.

The first part of the flight very much resembled any other international flight Nancy had taken. She was prepared for a staggering difference when it came to the internal flight, but the Air China Airbus was comfortably kitted out. Licot had chosen business class. He was travelling with a wealthy client and that choice made sense. There were very few women on the flight, and most of the male passengers were sporting the requisite dark suit and white shirt.

Nancy had picked up a non-contentious book to read during the flight but she couldn’t