Taipei, Taiwan Shilin Night Market...
The chopper was black with a white stripe running down the side, and Caine recognized the aircraft’s long, sleek silhouette. It was a Robinson R-44, a four-seater craft, and one of the most popular models of helicopters in the world.
The killer sprinted toward the dangling rope ladder. Her crossbow swung from a leather strap around her right shoulder. A nylon hip quiver filled with more bolts slapped against her thigh as she ran.
She broke through the wall of wind created by the rotors, then jumped up and grabbed the ladder. Bracing her foot on the bottom rung, she began to climb. The whump of the rotors grew louder, and the helicopter lifted away from the street.
Caine felt a jolt run through his legs and spine as the bike’s front wheel slammed down on the pavement. He drew his pistol and fired a single shot into the air. The remaining crowd screamed and dispersed, clearing the road ahead. Jamming the weapon back in place, Caine leaned over the handlebars and gunned the throttle, pushing the little bike as fast as it could go.
The woman in black continued ascending the ladder. The lower rungs rose up, leaving the ground. They twirled in the air ahead of him.
Not gonna make it, he thought.
As he raced closer, the panicked crowd continued rushing away from the street. A group of men toppled one of the food carts as they struggled to escape the scene, sending trays of grilled meat spilling across the pavement. As the cart crashed on its side, one of its metal cabinet doors popped open and fell down at an angle.
Caine glanced up… The helicopter drifted to the side of the street, rising above the nearby buildings. The killer was nearly up the ladder now, and Caine saw a dark figure swing open the aircraft’s side door and lean out.
The ladder hung in the air a few meters ahead of him, just out of reach. Caine watched as it swayed over the toppled cart.
He revved the throttle again and turned the handlebars to the right. Screams rose from the crowd as the moped swerved toward the fleeing pedestrians. The cart and the sloped metal door sped closer.
The bike’s motor screamed as it hit the makeshift ramp. The tiny moped flew up and over the cart. Caine kept his eyes focused on the ladder as it whipped through the air ahead of him. He flexed his legs and stood, pushing himself away from the bike. He reached out with his right arm…
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Andrew Warren