Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1
The Yamaha RD 250 motorcycle circled at the end of Tower Hill Terrace. It was just going to be bad luck for the rider that one of the people in the line was eleven-year-old Jason Steed.
Princess Catherine stood in line with Jason; she wore a knitted red hat and glasses with plain lenses so the hundreds of tourists that surrounded them at the Tower of London would not recognize her.
Slowly the long line moved forward. Some of the excited tourists took photographs of the historic buildings. A Yeoman Warder walked passed. Many in the line quickly took a picture of him dressed in a smart purple and red uniform. He carried a large spear-shaped mace with a polished, solid silver point.
"This line's hardly moving. It will take at least another twenty minutes to get in at this rate," Catherine complained, leaning heavily on Jason.
"Well, this is what normal people do, but if you wanna take off your glasses and hat and let everyone see who you are and walk to the front, go ahead," Jason said, grinning.
The motorcyclist slowly made his way up Tower Hill Terrace. In a low gear with high revs, the rider removed his left hand from the handlebars, pulled close to the long line of waiting tourists, and grabbed the straps of two purses. He accelerated and pulled the purses free from the startled owners; the motorcycle's front wheel momentarily left the ground as he gained speed. Screams and shouts caught the attention of others as he roared up the narrow street, almost knocking into some of the tourists, and the line snaked out of his way.
Jason had seen it and was already moving in the direction of the Yeoman Warder, who was backing away to allow a gap for the speeding motorcycle. In a single move, Jason grabbed the mace with one hand, pushed the Yeoman back out of the way with the other, and jumped into the path of the motorcycle. The rider didn't slow or try to alter course; he was sure this foolish boy would move out of his way. At the last second, Jason jumped clear, but as he did, he thrust the spear into the front wheel. A loud crack echoed across the street like gunfire as the silver tip of the mace jammed between the front wheel spokes and the frame.
The front wheel instantly locked up, and the motorcycle catapulted the rider over the handlebars and sent him sprawling across the cobblestone street. The crowd screamed and gasped as the motorcycle whooshed into flames. The dazed rider got to his feet and started to run. Jason took off and tackled him, bringing him down to the ground for a second time.
The rider struck out at Jason and caught the side of his face. He kicked Jason and managed to get to his feet again. Jason paused-the punch on the side of his face had really hurt. The rider shouted obscenities and spat at Jason. That was enough to tip Jason over the edge; he leapt onto one leg and threw a mae geri kick. The powerful kick ripped off the rider's helmet, causing the chin strap to cut deep into his neck before the buckle broke. Jason followed with a roundhouse kick directly to the man's face.
The injured rider collapsed on the cobblestones, oozing blood from his nose and neck wound. Two police officers on nearby traffic duty ran to the scene. The rider was escorted away in handcuffs, swearing at Jason all the while.
Jason picked up the ladies' purses and returned them; his crimson face glowed with embarrassment as the crowd applauded him. The Yeoman took Jason and Catherine to the front of the line and allowed them into the tower without having to pay.
"Wow, Jase, that was amazing," she remarked as she proudly held his hand. "You moved so fast."
"I did it to stop your complaining. See, we don't have to wait in line now."
Catherine loved going out alone with Jason. She could forget about being a princess and all the pressure associated with it. Today, she was just a young, pretty girl out with her boyfriend on a visit to the Tower of London. They later settled down on a bench and shared a bag of chips, looking out over the River Thames.
Any onlooker watching this little, blond-haired boy sitting and laughing on a bench with a young girl would never have guessed that in a few weeks, he would be the most wanted person in Europe.
