Bodyguard: Ransom (Book 2) by Chris Bradford Page A

the edge of the towering skyscraper and plummet fifty floors to the pavement below.
    The office’s interior design was as minimalist as the walls themselves. There was no furniture beyond a slim glass desk and four chrome and black leather chairs. For a man in charge of a billion-dollar corporation, the see-through desk was strangely uncluttered. No paperwork, no computer monitor, no ornaments, not even a picture of hisdaughters – just an ultra-thin aluminium laptop and a cordless phone.
    ‘Welcome to Sydney,’ said Maddox Sterling, greeting each of them with a firm handshake and a slick smile, then gesturing for them to take a seat.
    ‘Thank you, Mr Sterling,’ said Colonel Black, settling into one of the designer chairs, Ling and Connor taking their places either side of him.
    From behind his desk, Maddox Sterling swivelled towards an unbroken view of one of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks. With a broad sweep of his hand as if he owned it, he declared, ‘Without doubt, the finest natural harbour in the world, made even more magnificent by our stunning opera house and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Truly a sight to behold.’
    Connor stared out of the window – first, at the sparkling waters of the harbour, then at the overlapping shell roof of the opera house, and finally at the dramatic latticework of arching girders that spanned the waterway. It certainly was an impressive sight.
    ‘They call the bridge the Coathanger because of its arch-based design,’ Mr Sterling explained, a hint of disapproval noticeable in his tone. ‘But that does it a great disservice. Up close, it’s truly majestic. The arch soars so high a ten-storey building could pass beneath. And the weight of the bridge is monstrous. Over three hundred and fifty thousand tons of steel and six million rivets went into its construction.’
    He glanced sideways at Connor and Ling, checking to see they were suitably impressed.
    ‘The bridge has a surface area larger than sixty football pitches, which means it needs a fifty-man team working three hundred and sixty-five days of the year just to clean and repaint it. Obviously such maintenance is incredibly dangerous work. That’s why they’ve recently employed two autonomous robots for the more hazardous sections. An appropriate reduction of risk.’
    Mr Sterling pivoted back to face them. His cobalt-blue eyes fixed first on Ling, then on Connor, with an intensity that seemed to cut right through them both.
    ‘Similarly, I’ve employed
you two
to reduce the risk in my family’s life.’
    Connor wasn’t sure how he felt about being compared to a mindless robot, but Mr Sterling didn’t seem to consider this an insult and carried on regardless.
    ‘I
already have a personal protection officer, who will be accompanying me on the holiday. My yacht has a ship security officer and there are other safeguards in place here and at home. But, as you know, that wasn’t enough. I have two beautiful daughters who are very precious to me. And God forbid that I have a repeat of last year.’
    ‘You can rest assured, Mr Sterling, that my buddyguards will protect your daughters,’ said Colonel Black. ‘Since this is a family vacation, their presence will appear to be relaxed and low profile. But I can guarantee they’ll be on constant alert to any threat and avert any danger.’
    ‘Your organization comes highly recommended, Colonel Black, so I expect nothing less.’
    Colonel Black didn’t flinch under Maddox’s steely gaze.And he gave no answer, none being required when his belief in his recruits was absolute.
    Mr Sterling wagged a finger in Connor’s direction. ‘Is this the lad that saved the President’s daughter’s life?’
    Colonel Black nodded.
    ‘Then I want
him
protecting Emily.’
    Connor glanced over at Ling. Her lips had tightened, clearly taking the role assignment as an affront to her abilities. But she stayed silent.
    ‘Not a problem,’ agreed the colonel. ‘Now I understand that you