Chris Bradford - Bodyguard - Target (4)

Chris Bradford is atrue believer in practising what you preach. For hisaward-winning Young Samurai series, he trained in samurai swordsmanship, karate,ninjutsu and earned his black belt in Zen Kyu Shin Taijutsu.

For his new Bodyguard series, Chrisembarked on an intensive close-protection course to become a qualified professionalbodyguard. During his training, he acquired skills in unarmed combat, defensivedriving, tactical firearms, threat assessments, surveillance, and even anti-ambushexercises.

His bestselling books are published inover twenty languages and have garnered more than thirty childrens bookawards and nominations.

Before becoming a full-time author, hewas a professional musician (who once performed for HRH Queen Elizabeth II),songwriter and music teacher.

Chris lives in England with his wife andtwo sons.

To discover more about Chris go towww.chrisbradford.co.uk

The Young Samurai series (in readingorder)

Available as ebook

To my goddaughter, Lucinda
Always there for you

Brilliant Book Award 2014 Winner

Hampshire Book Award 2014 Winner

Bone-crunching action adventure

Financial Times

Breathtaking action as real as itgets

Eoin Colfer, author of thebestselling Artemis Fowl series

Bradford has combined Jack Bauer, JamesBond, and Alex Rider to bring us the action-packed thriller

Goodreads.com

Wholly authentic the action andpace are spot on. Anyone working in the protection industry at a top level willrecognize that the author knows what hes writing about

Simon, ex-SO14 Royalty CloseProtection

A gripping page-turner that childrenwont be able to put down

Red House

Will wrestle you to the ground and leaveyou breathless. 5 Stars

Flipside magazine

A gripping, heart-pounding novel

Bookaholic

The best bodyguardis the one nobody notices.

With the rise of teen stars, the intense media focuson celebrity families and a new wave of millionaires and billionaires, adults are nolonger the only target for hostage-taking, blackmail and assassination kidsare too.

Thats why they need specialized protection

BUDDYGUARD

BUDDYGUARD is a secret close-protection organizationthat differs from all other security outfits by training and supplying only youngbodyguards.

Known as buddyguards, these highlyskilled teenagers are more effective than the typical adult bodyguard, who caneasily draw unwanted attention. Operating invisibly as a childs constantcompanion, a buddyguard provides the greatest possible protection for anyhigh-profile or vulnerable young person.

In a life-threatening situation, a buddyguard is thefinal ring of defence.

The hot Californian sun glinted off theSUVs hubcaps as it cruised the quiet suburban street. The man behind thewheel spotted a schoolgirl skipping along the sidewalk, his attention caught by herponytail of golden-blonde hair flicking from side to side. Judging from the carefreebounce in her step, she was no more than ten years old.

With a quick glance in his rear-viewmirror, the driver slowed down. He was almost alongside the girl when a voice criedout, Charlotte!

She stopped and turned. Another girl,petite with almond-shaped eyes, emerged from the porch of a large house. Her pinkbackpack rode high on her shoulders as she ran across the sun-baked lawn.

N ho,Kerry! Charlotte called back.

Her friend smiled warmly, revealing aset of braces. Hey, your Chinese is getting good.

Ive beenpractising, said Charlotte as the SUV continued past, unnoticed.

You want to learn somemore? Kerry asked.

Yeah,Charlotte replied eagerly. We could use it as a secret code atschool.

Kerry moved closer and whispered,A best-friend language. She held up her little finger. Friendsforever?

Charlotte entwined her own little fingerround Kerrys. Friends forever.

Then, hand in hand, they set off downthe road. At the junction the silver SUV with tinted windows pulled up in front ofthem, and the passenger door swung open.

Excuse me, girls, said thedriver with a forlorn look. Can you help me? Im a bit lost.

They both stared at the man, taking inhis bald head, reddened cheeks and beginnings of a double chin. Intrigued by hisaccent, Charlotte asked, Are you from England?

The man nodded. On holiday.Im supposed to meet my daughter at Disneyland, but I missed the junction offthe highway.

You really are lost, saidKerry. Disneylands in Anaheim. Youre in NorthTustin.

The man sighed and shook his head at themap on the passenger seat. American roads! Theyre almost as wide asthey are long. Can you show me exactly where I am?

Sure, said Kerry, leaningin to look at the map.

The mans eyes lingered briefly onCharlotte. Then he turned his full attention to Kerry.

Charlotte noticed an illuminated screenon the dashboard. Why not use your satnav? she suggested.

The man responded with a tight smile.Cant work it for the life of me. Rental car.

Charlotteseyes narrowed. His explanation was unconvincing; even her dad could work a satnav.Kerry, I think we should be go

Before Kerry could move, the man rammeda stun gun against her neck. Kerry shrieked, her body juddering with a millionvolts. Her eyes rolled back and she fell limp. The man seized Kerrys backpackstraps and, with a vicious tug, wrenched her body into the footwell.

Shocked by the speed of the attack,Charlotte stood rooted to the spot. She didnt try to grab Kerry, or even callfor help. She just watched as the door slammed shut on her best friend. Then the SUVshot off, sped round a corner and disappeared.

Charley gazed at the thin line of horizonseparating sea and sky. In the suns warm summer glow, she waited for thetelltale ripple that would swell into the perfect wave to ride. Yet, as the oceanlapped gently against her surfboard, a shudder of uneasiness swept through her.