The Whitehall Syndicate: A time travel conspiracy thriller Read Online Free Page B

electric, as if sparks were crackling in the air and he was the only one who could feel them, the only one afraid of them. He took a step closer to the girls, preparing to explain himself, when he saw a small red dot appear on Gina's blouse. Time seemed to blur and adrenaline took over. Jack leaped forwards and pushed Gina out of the way, somehow also swinging himself out of danger.
    As the pair gently sailed to the floor, a chunky, high-pitched shot tore through the air and he could see a spark fly from the chair behind her.  Maybe everyone else in the café didn't hear the shot or maybe they were pluralistically ignorant. He wasn't sure. But he knew he had to leave now. And the girls knew it too. Scrambling to their feet in a flurry of blind panic, they took off across the café, Jack momentarily hunching down to sweep up the briefcase before they all pelted down the street.
    As they rushed down the road, blood coursed through Gina's veins, and though she was tired and light-headed, she still had the sagacity to wonder what was going on. This random friend of Neesh's had strolled by after seven years and in ten minutes he'd already managed to get people shooting at her.
    She'd never heard a gunshot in her life. She couldn’t say whether it had been silenced or not, but it was so loud she could still feel a muffled dampness to everything she heard. As it was, she could barely hear her feet crunching against the gravely path as she ran.
    What had just happened consumed and strangled her with fear: she'd just flirted with death. But at the same time she was also excited and after a tedious, monotonous year, the thrill of it all was exhilarating.
    Jack looked back to an empty street and simultaneously realised his scrawny legs were going to give way. Seeing him slow down in front of her, Gina followed suit, her legs appreciating the rest. Anisha was quick to seize the opportunity. “What the hell was that?”
    He panted, grabbing his sides and looking back towards the café. Convinced he was out of harm’s way he replied, “Okay I'll start at the beginning.”
    They continued walking forwards while Jack, in between heavy breaths, summed up some of what had happened so far. As the three sweaty red bodies floated down the walkway, Anisha saw a bench and insisted that they stop for a rest.
    Gina, curious and inquisitive by nature, immediately wanted to open the briefcase but Anisha, with her security background, was more cautious. What if it was a bomb? Despite her objections, Jack agreed with Gina and after calming down Anisha, he placed it on the bench and looked at it.
    It was a standard size briefcase, slightly slim and most surprisingly, built with no lock. Jack fumbled with his fingers and slowly undid the small silver clasp. As he saw what was inside, his skin bleached of all colour. He momentarily stopped breathing, only faintly aware of the chorus of gasps around him.
     

Chapter 3
     
     
     
    The London sky began to murmur as large tumultuous clouds pulsated in the sky above. Although only early evening, the city had already darkened substantially; the dark nimbus clouds allowing only the smallest drops of sunlight to leak through. On the park bench where Jack sat, the weather echoed the mood. A collection of high-resolution photographs lay in front of him, all of them showing images of him dead. Murdered. His brain matter visible through a clean entry wound to his forehead.
    Although he had never seen a picture of a corpse before, the death itself didn't shock as much as seeing himself, pale and lifeless. It was overwhelming; it felt like he had a shadow looming over him. He couldn’t comprehend the pictures and could find no rational way to understand how he was looking at what he was looking at. Whoever it was that was behind this, he knew now more than ever; they were deadly serious.
    A tingling feeling crawled up the back of his throat as he realised he was bound to be contacted again. With a groan and a