Read C.T. Brown - Second Time Lucky? for Free Online Page A

an author, archer and photographer - at least that's what he tells
himself while moving numbers around on spreadsheets in his day job as a data
analyst. He is very happily married to his muse and lives in London. His blog
is available at http://archerctb.wordpress.com and he can be contacted by email at [email protected]
     

 
    Coming
Soon:
    Sovereign Nation, a full
length adventure novel from C T Brown – see over the page for a free sample.

 
    Sovereign
Nation
    By
    C T
Brown

 
    Free
Sample chapter.

 
    Full
length novel available soon.

 

 
    Chapter
One.

 
    Sanderson
peered through his expensive binoculars at the nerdy academic standing on the
street in the pouring rain across the road from his stationary van. He could
see the heavy rain soaking the worn suit, untidy bundle of papers and
threadbare shoulder bag that were the stereotypical outfit of choice for such
men. As Sanderson watched the academic tried to clean the rain from his glasses
using the corner of his un-tucked shirt - he wondered why it was that such
academically gifted people were so often completely bereft of simple common
sense. The kind of simple common sense that, for example,
would tell them that you cannot clean rainrops from
glasses lenses with the corner of a wet shirt while it is still pouring down. In the process of trying to clean his glasses the academic managed to drop half
the papers he was carrying, he then dropped the rest as he bent over to try and
retrieve them.
    While
the academic was making a second attempt to retrieve his papers Sanderson
watched a dark blue Ford Focus pull up at the kerb beside him. Refocusing his
binoculars on the new arrival Sanderson studied the driver, an attractive young
woman. To Sanderson the woman was an enigma, given how attractive she was it
was unlikely she was the academic's wife or girlfriend but, as he was also
young, she couldn't be his daughter. As he had at least a dozen times since he
had been surveilling them, Sanderson dismissed his
musings on the relationship between the two people and got back to work. He
started his jet black van’s diesel engine and, after the academic got into the
car, carefully followed as the couple drove away. As he did so he called over
his shoulder for the three other men in the back of the van to get ready.
    Followed
by the van the Focus drove through the rain-soaked, darkened streets of the
West End of London, now only populated by the tourists, party-goers and less
than entirely savoury characters that populate the area late on a Friday night. Sanderson kept at least two cars between himself and the academic's vehicle
until they reached Oxford Circus, as they crossed onto Regent Street the two
cars continued turned the other way and were replaced by a pink, stretched Humvee
that he assumed was on its way to collect or drop off a hen party as no-one
else hired such vehicles. All three vehicles continued in convoy to Piccadilly
Circus and then down to Trafalgar Square where the Humvee turned onto Charing
Cross Road as the van and the Ford Focus turned towards Westminster.
    Placing
other road users between them wherever possible, and dropping back to follow
from a distance when he couldn't, Sanderson continued to follow the car across
the Thames via Westminster Bridge, down to the Elephant and Castle and
eventually onto the Walworth Road. The Focus pulled over across the road from a
Turkish mini market which was the only shop in that particular parade open at
this time of night. Sanderson stamped his foot down and accelerated, yelling a
warning to his passengers. He swerved the van across in front of the parked car
and braked hard, blocking it from moving. Without a pause Sanderson and his
passengers opened the van doors and jumped out onto the street, all were dressed
in black and carried guns that they aimed at the car. Half out of the front
passenger door the academic stopped as soon as he saw the guns, his companion
hadn't moved from the driver's