Soft Target by Stephen Leather

Author:Stephen Leather [Leather, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780340834091
Amazon: 0340834099
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2004-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

'Didn't see that in the job description,' said Shepherd.

'Don't worry, Stu,' said Rose. 'You're not my type.'

The car radio crackled. 'Trojan Five Six Nine, armed robbery in progress at Speedy Pizzas in Battersea high street.'

Sutherland put the car into gear and switched on the siren and flashing lights.

g Rose picked up the mike. 'MP, Trojan Five Six Nine en h route] he said.

* Cars were pulling to the side of the road to let the Vauxhall through. 'Hopefully we'll get you an orgasm this time, Sarge.'

Sutherland laughed as he stamped on the accelerator and tore past an open-topped tour bus. There was still a roadblock leading to Westminster Bridge but the uniformed police waved them through. They sped across the empty bridge and through the road block on the south side.

The controller filled Rose in on what was happening. Two IC3S, black males, had gone into the pizza shop and produced sawn-off shotguns. A customer had decided to have a go and grabbed for one of the guns. It had gone off and the noise had alerted passers-by. Three had phoned 999 on their mobiles, and within two minutes a local ARV had been on the scene with two area cars. They had contained the situation but the two robbers were now holding the customers and staff hostage.

'Why the hell would anyone stick up a pizza place?' asked Sutherland. 'How much cash would they have at this time of day?'

'Could be druggies,' said Rose.

'Druggies with shotguns? They're more at home with blood-filled hypodermics or knives,' said Sutherland.

Shepherd felt the blood pounding through his veins and the elation that came from the body's release of adrenaline.

This was no false alarm: there were men with guns and they were prepared to use them. And it was up to him and his colleagues to stop them. He focused on his immediate task,

of finding the most efficient route to the crime scene, but his mind was already whirling through the ramifications of 11 a hostage situation. There would be no gunfight while the 233 men were inside the building with hostages. The officer in charge would play it by the book and negotiate for as long as he could. The SO 19 officers would be there to contain and control, but to shoot only as a last resort. The hostage takers would be hoping for safe passage, but Shepherd knew that wouldn't happen. The police would keep a dialogue going until the robbers realised that the siege would end only one way - with them in custody.

Sutherland cut through the south London streets. A second local ARV called up that it was on its way to the scene, and the officer in charge called in to request a hostage negotiator,

then an ambulance. A customer had been hit by the shotgun blast and was bleeding heavily. That changed the situation,

Shepherd knew: if the life of a hostage was in immediate danger, there was a chance that the armed police would be ordered in.

Trojan Five Eight One called in that it was en route with an ETA of six minutes.

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