Flying Without Wings

by Paula Wynne

  Straight towards Matt’s spy hole.

  The iron cable whacked into the wall where, only a second before, his eyes had been glued to the skulduggery going on inside.

  In shock, Matt stepped backwards and crashed into something. In the pitch black he couldn’t see what he’d kicked over for a second, until he made out the shape of a metal bucket as it rolled away from him, clanking and clattering along the gravel path.

  Matt ducked down and held his breath. Would they hear the bucket?

  A long moment passed without any sounds from inside or out. Maybe they hadn’t heard him. After all, the cable had made a huge crashing sound, which would have reverberated around the hangar and disguised the noise from outside.

  He straightened, leaning towards his spy hole. Just then, a torch beam shone in his face.

  59

  Matt couldn’t see the face behind the beam, but the sultry voice from his dreams of the past week told him all he needed to know. Although that voice had never had the hard, mocking edge to it that it contained now.

  ‘So, you came back. Just in time, we need an extra hand.’

  In the stream of light, Matt spotted his discarded drink from when he’d come out here to grab a breather from serving tea. Without even thinking, he grabbed it and hurled it at Cami.

  ‘Oh for God’s sake! Really?’ Her torch dropped as the dregs of liquid splattered over her.

  Matt spun around and sprinted off, but after a few strides his ankle gave in and he hobbled to one side and faltered. He righted himself and stumbled forward again, trying to gain momentum.

  Instead, he sprawled into the ditch down the side of the hangar. Spasms of pain shot through his ankle and up his leg. He scrambled back up the bank and carried on running as best he could, too afraid to look behind.

  In his mind, he’d had the unconscious thought that she was as bad at running as him, but of course that was a lie.

  ‘Don’t bother trying to escape, Matt, we both know you won’t get away,’ her voice floated after him, as if reading his thoughts. Now it was edged with the malice he had heard earlier, when she’d revealed her hatred of the Nazis. He’d half wondered if her father could be the missing Nazi, but surely that didn’t fit with her obvious feelings. But nothing made sense right now. After what had happened to Allan, anything could be true.

  As Matt neared the locked gate, a thought struck him. Instead of heading home and leading his pursuers to where they could harm Mum, he should dive into the woods. He knew how to get lost in the thicket of trees. And he could hide in his old den.

  Just then a sharp, searing pain exploded in his calf. His bad leg crumpled under him and, in full flight with arms flailing, Matt crashed to the ground. He twisted and glanced backwards.

  A throwing knife was embedded in the flesh of his leg.

  Grimacing in shock, Matt yanked the dagger out of his calf. He ignored the pain and the sudden spurt of blood that he felt make his jeans around the wound warm and stickily wet. Still clinging to it, he spun around as Cami advanced on him.

  It wasn’t like he didn’t already know, but seeing her walk so normally forced a dark bitterness to rise up inside him. A bile of resentment shot into his throat. What a fool he had been, to be played so very easily!

  He held out the dagger, pointing it at her. His blood dripped off the end. Some of it ran back down the shaft making his fingers sticky. ‘Don’t come near me!’

  ‘Or you’ll do what?’ She cocked her head at him, ‘So brave and strong. I really like this new you.’ She stepped closer and breathed on him. ‘It’s so, so sexy.’

  ‘Stop!’

  ‘I can’t.’ She took another step up to him. ‘You’re driving me nuts. That look on your face. So hurt and betrayed.’ Her voice dropped to a husky whisper, ‘Ooh, I could take you right here, right now.’

  Suddenly, from behind, a muscular arm swung over Matt’s head and yanked him backwards into a neck lock. Of course: he’d forgotten about Glynn.

  Cami took the last step up to Matt and leaned up to his ear and licked it.

  Matt jerked his head away, hating the pleasure her tongue still gave him despite everything.

  Cami held his head still with both her hands and licked his ear again. ‘How does that feel?’

  Trying to think of a retort, he exhaled hard.

  ‘Exactly! That’s just what I thought. You’re so hot for me, you wouldn’t stick that dagger into me if your life depended on it.’

  Her words breathed hot air over the cool parts of his ear where she’d licked him, sending a quiver down his spine.

  The bitch! He wanted her so badly, yet equally she disgusted him. How could those two strong emotions coexist with each other in him?

  She snatched the dagger from his unresisting hand, then stared at him for a moment and asked, ‘Would you have done it?’

  ‘Done what?’ Matt snarled.

  ‘Stabbed me.’ Her eyes were on fire as if the very thought turned her on.

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘I don’t believe you would. Or even could. Not that you’re a pussy. That’s not it.’ She pursed her lips. Her tongue snaked out and licked them. ‘I just can’t see you hurting one little hair on my head.’ She wiped the blade along his chest.

  Matt’s eyes widened as he glanced down.

  Cami turned the dagger over and did the same thing, this time wiping the other side of the blade over his clothed stomach. Using the point, she lifted his tee-shirt and ran her eyes over his abdominal muscles, that he’d been trying to turn into a six pack with little success.

  ‘Not the hairy kind, I see.’

  Matt flinched. Had she seen Luke’s surprisingly hairy body? ‘What have you done with my brother?’

  ‘Pretty much the same as I’m going to do with you. But first, I want to have a little fun with you.’ She inclined her head curtly. ‘Take him inside, Glynn.’

  Glynn dragged Matt into the hangar and shoved him down in front of the barrel. ‘Don’t move!’ He turned to Cami and said, ‘I’ll get the lights.’

  ‘No! I don’t want to warn Bomber when he returns. Best he flies right into our web.’ She passed the dagger to Glynn and then, the circle of torchlight roving in front of her, walked to the iron handle sticking out of the ground, bent down and studied it.

  ‘I think it’s a trap door.’

  She turned her attention back to Matt. ‘What time will Bomber be back?’

  ‘What?’

  She hissed, ‘Tell me!’

  ‘Dunno.’

  ‘You want to see Luke again? For that to happen you and Bomber need to do exactly what I say.’ Her tongue flicked over her lips and her eyes roved over him. ‘You really want me to search you, don’t you? You want to feel my hands rubbing over your thighs…between your legs…over your groin.’

  Matt steeled himself and shook his head. ‘What makes you think Bomber will do what you want? Luke isn’t his family.’

  ‘No, but he is Bomber’s best friend’s kid. If Bomber’s the kind of guy I think he is, he’ll give up his treasure as an exchange for your brother. From what I can gather from the local Post Office gossip, when your dad’s plane went down but only Bomber crawled out, he made a promise to always look out for your mum, you and Luke.’ She nodded. ‘So I reckon he’ll do what I want in exchange for Luke. I’ve seen how he dotes on your brother. I’m sure he’d do the same for you if you gave him half a chance.’

  Matt said nothing. She’d read him in an instant, and he knew with uncomfortable certainty that she was right about Bomber, too.

  She sniggered, seemingly able to read his thoughts. ‘I know he went to tell your Mum about Allan. Glynn was outside the cabin listening, but he couldn’t hear what time you agreed to meet back here.’

  Matt twisted, trying to test the strength of the arm holding him. ‘No, you don’t, mate.’ Glynn poked the dagger into the small of his back. ‘One wrong move and you die. Like your cousin.’

  Matt gaped. ‘You! You had so
mething to do with Allan’s death?’

  ‘Oh, stupid boy, don’t belittle me so!’ Cami swivelled her head and glared at Matt. ‘Why does everyone always think only a man is powerful enough to take a life? He didn’t have anything to do with it, I did it.’

  ‘Why?’ Matt cried out.

  ‘He knew too many of my secrets. Secrets that I’d let him have so he could help me find what I wanted. But then he wouldn’t tell me what he knew about Bomber’s family’s Nazi. It just seemed very ungrateful.’ She stepped in front of Matt and stared up into his face. ‘But that’s okay, because I have Luke and now you, too. Bomber’s going to spill his guts…unless he wants to watch his best friend’s boys have theirs spilt right in front of him.’

  At that moment, a car door slammed outside.

  60

  With Glynn’s big sweaty paw clamping his mouth shut, Matt listened to Bomber’s footsteps crunching on the gravel pathway. A key sounded at the door. Bomber must have seen the dim light on and wondered who was in the hangar, when he had locked it earlier.

  Cami motioned to Glynn to bring Matt forward, and he held him there with one arm, the other poking the dagger against his neck.

  The door opened a crack and a hand came in and flicked the light switch. When the fluorescent lights had buzzed into life, Bomber shoved the door open. His eyes took in Matt and Glynn, and then moved sideways to Cami. ‘What the hell do you want?’

  ‘You’ll see.’ Glynn let go of Matt and waved the dagger to usher Bomber inside.

  Bomber made a show of sliding the hangar door shut with as much thudding and banging as possible. But it wouldn’t do much good, no one would hear. There weren’t any houses close enough to hear any noises. Even if they did, they would probably think the coppers were searching the place after the incident earlier. Or that Bomber was tidying up from the Air Fest.

  ‘So how do you open it?’ Glynn stared at the pilot.

  ‘How do you open what?’ Bomber looked confused.

  ‘The bunker.’ Glynn spat out.

  Bomber’s shocked gaze pivoted between Matt, Glynn and Cami and then back to Matt.

  ‘I…um.’ Matt squirmed for a moment, glancing towards the out-of-position shelves.

  Bomber glared at Matt. ‘You told this bitch and her tame thug there was a bunker under here?’ His face was incandescent with fury.

  ‘I didn’t, honest! I just mentioned the door handle sticking out of the ground.’

  ‘That’s not a bunker, you little idiot!’

  ‘I didn’t say―’

  ‘Don’t say any more,’ Bomber shouted. ‘Especially when you don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  Glynn glared at Bomber and poked Matt in the ribs with the dagger. ‘Stop jabbering, both of you. Or the kid gets this.’

  ‘She’s got Luke!’ Matt cried out.

  Cami gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Can we just dispense with all the macho posturing, please? You’ll see Luke when I get what I want. If I don’t, then you won’t, which is why no one’s going to cause any problems. Right?’ Cami snatched the dagger out of Glynn’s hand and jerked her head towards the pilot.

  Glynn stalked over to Bomber, who glared sullenly at him. Suddenly Glynn shoved him in the chest, at the same time hooking an ankle behind his knees. With a thud that echoed round the hangar, Bomber crashed to the floor, wincing as he hit.

  Glynn was on him immediately, and Bomber didn’t fight back as Glynn zipped hub cap ties around his wrists and ankles.

  ‘You’re next,’ Glynn sneered, walking towards Matt.

  Matt sunk to his knees before Glynn could take him down as he’d done to Bomber.

  Cami leaned over Matt. ‘Remember, I have Luke.’ Her hair fell about her head, framing it and catching the light. Earlier today he had thought it attractive, yet now she looked like a red-haired, fiery witch.

  ‘You want to see your brother alive,’ she hissed, ‘make him talk.’ She didn’t even glance at Bomber, just referred to him as though he wasn’t even there.

  Matt muttered to Bomber, ‘Sorry. I didn’t think it was important.’

  ‘You’re a bloody idiot!’ Bomber grunted.

  ‘But what’s the big deal, if there isn’t a bunker down there?’ Matt retorted, stung.

  ‘That’s not the point. You’ve put Luke’s life at risk, making them believe there is. Never mind what they’ll do to us when they don’t find anything.’

  ‘Sorry, Bomber,’ Matt’s mouth dried up and he swallowed hard. ‘I’m really sorry.’

  ‘Just try and think of how you can at least save your brother.’

  ‘You two,’ Glynn bellowed at them, ‘shut it!’

  Bomber’s gaze stayed on Matt. His eyes glowed like coals in a fire.

  ‘Stand back, Cami, I’ll give it another go.’ Glynn waited for Cami to move aside and he leaned over and almost pulled his arms out of his sockets, straining to open the door handle.

  ‘I told you, there’s nothing there. What looks like a door frame is just some kind of repaired section of floor.’ Bomber said, ‘Someone cemented the handle into the ground as a joke when we renovated the hangar.’

  ‘In my father’s concentration camp, liars had their tongues cut out. Want me to try that on you?!’ Cami swung a kick at Bomber’s stomach.

  Bomber recoiled from the strike, gasping but still shaking his head.

  Matt flinched for him.

  Cami turned on her accomplice now. ‘Not that way Glynn. Get the hook, like we were trying to do before Limp-it here interrupted us.’

  Glynn nodded and reached up to grab the cable, which had now stopped swinging. He clipped the hook on the end of it onto the iron ring embedded in the cement floor. Reaching up to the peculiar lever contraption at the other end of the cable, he heaved it.

  With mixed emotions, embarrassed fury at her nasty little name for him, and still the embers of lust that just wouldn’t die, Matt watched Cami’s hand stroke Glynn’s back. ‘Clever boy,’ she purred and glanced sideways to Matt.

  The cable tightened but the hatch wouldn’t budge.

  Cami joined him and for a few minutes they both tugged on the lever, trying to get the hatch to lift.

  Spinning around and marching over, Cami dug her nails into Matt’s arm. ‘Help him!’ With an abrupt motion, one of her hands gripped his butt cheek as she said, ‘Pull. I want to see those shoulder muscles straining.’

  A cool sensation ran up his spine and tickled his shoulder blades. It took him a few seconds to realise the tip of her tongue was teasing him again. He tried to suppress the involuntary shiver, but it broke out before he could stop it, proving to her that no matter what she did, she could still turn him on.

  ‘I want to be aroused by you toiling away as much as you are by my tongue caressing you.’

  Too embarrassed by his inability to just lash out and punch her, Matt avoided looking at Bomber. He shambled over to grip the lever next to Glynn and put his anger into trying to move it. At least if she got what she wanted, Cami might let Luke go.

  The aluminium roof retained the summer heat from the unusually hot day and now it seemed to ooze out into the closed hangar. Perspiration poured down his armpits, almost as much as under the heat of the burger grill.

  Cami ran two fingers down his almost hairless chest, over the makeshift ripples of his would-be six pack, and tucked them into the top of his jeans, drawing him closer to her. ‘I’ll have to get more of that before the night is over. Seeing you work up a sweat, has really given me the hots. Think you can do me later?’

  Matt gaped.

  Glynn looked over, equally sweaty and looking annoyed. ‘We don’t have time to waste on playing prick tease, Cami.’

  Without taking her eyes off Matt, Cami murmured at Glynn, ‘Jealous?’

  Matt held her gaze.

  After a long moment, she glanced sideways and murmured to Glynn, ‘Your turn will come, big boy. Patience is a virtue. My father taught me that from a young girl. And see where that�
�s got me.’

  ‘Where?’ Glynn frowned.

  ‘This close to finding the ultimate Nazi treasure that my father spent his whole adult life seeking.’ She flicked a fingernail at Matt’s nose and stepped sideways.

  ‘It’s never gonna move,’ Matt shouted. ‘Like Bomber said, there’s no hatch here, it’s just a joke handle in a repaired patch of floor’

  Cami stepped in front of him and dropped to her knees.

  Startled, Matt watched Cami at his feet, wondering what she was up to now. She ran a finger along the narrow, rectangular gap in the concrete and then glanced up his legs, past his groin and his stomach, and finally into his eyes.

  This time, Matt controlled the shiver, nipping it in the bud before it ran loose again. Consciously, he stood dead still as though her eyes moving over him hadn’t bothered him at all.

  She straightened and raised one eyebrow. ‘You’re right, at least about it never moving like this. A bunker’s doors must be as strong as or stronger than the walls, but to reduce the weight, the doors were normally made of steel with a fitted steel lintel and frame. This concrete was either added later or is just to blend in with the floor. It won’t be more than an inch thick.’

  ‘What?’ Glynn blinked at Cami,’ how do you know that?’

  ‘They weren’t stupid back then. They knew they were building these bunkers for life.’ Cami glanced around the hangar, her eyes darting back and forth. ‘The hatch has been sunk into the frame, probably so that a possible blast wave wouldn’t lift the edge.’

  Glynn’s lip curled into a smirk. ‘I see you’ve done your homework.’ Matt found himself strangely reminded of Ben’s constant sneering.

  ‘Someone has to, Glynn, otherwise the brawn wouldn’t know what to do, now would it?’ She grabbed a screwdriver from a nearby toolbox and dragged the blunt edge through the gap. Flicking the mud, grit and rust flakes up, she ploughed out the packed dirt all around the gap between the door and frame. ‘Look, this has been filling the gap and preventing the small lateral movement needed for the door to open. After a moment, she straightened. ‘There! Come on boys, have another go.’