She schooled her voice to sound casual when she broached her idea. ‘We think the key is the guards. We need one of them on our side.’
She hadn’t exactly told Raj this. But she was sure she was right. Nine would help. And now that they were so close, she needed to know as much about him as she could.
Christopher considered this, nodding thoughtfully. ‘That could work. You get a guard on your side, he distracts the others, helps you get in and out safely. Yeah.’ He looked impressed. ‘That’s probably the best way, actually. Has Raj been working on one of them in particular?’
‘I think so,’ Allie lied. ‘But we need to know more about them. That way we could know how to reach them.’
He seemed to accept this. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘Why are they loyal to Nathaniel?’
He didn’t hesitate. ‘Money.’
‘Money?’ Allie didn’t hide her surprise. ‘What, he just pays them? That’s it?’
‘Almost. Nathaniel chooses his recruits well and pays them a fortune.’ He leaned forward, warming to the subject. ‘Most of these guys have real financial problems when he hires them. Child support, bankruptcy, gambling debts… Their lives are a mess. That’s what he looks for. Ex-military or ex-police with problems. He swoops in and offers them a solution to all their troubles.’
Allie must have looked sceptical because his tone grew a little defensive. ‘We’re talking life-changing money here, Al. You work for Nathaniel for a few years, if you’re a regular guy, you’re made. You just won the lottery. All your worries go away.’
Allie thought of the things she’d heard Nine and the other guards say on the radio. That no money was worth what they were being asked to do.
‘After a while, though,’ she said, ‘why don’t they quit? This can’t be an easy job.’
‘Because money is addictive,’ he said. ‘They start out thinking it’s the perfect job. By the time they realise how dodgy it is they’re trapped. If they leave, they slide right back into the problems that brought them to Nathaniel in the first place. And they want a new car, a new house, a new girlfriend… There’s always something more they can buy to make it all worthwhile.’ He sighed. ‘That kind of money’s like a prison without walls.’
Allie thought of all the zeros on the papers she’d signed the other day with Lucinda’s lawyers, and blood rushed to her face.
Was she in that wall-less prison now?
She forced herself to stay focused on the subject at hand.
‘Do you know any of them by name? On the radio they only talk in code.’
Christopher’s eyes widened. ‘You hacked into Nathaniel’s system?’ When Allie nodded in reply, he smiled. ‘You guys really are smart as hell.’ He ran a hand across his head as he thought it through. ‘I know a few, but there are dozens of them. If you showed me some pictures of them, I could tell you all I know about them. But it’s hard without images.’
Allie made a mental note to ask Raj for images of the guards.
‘How can we get to them?’ she asked next. ‘I mean, you say they’re in it for the money… could they be bribed? Like, if we offered to pay them more than he was paying, do you think they’d help us?’
He considered this. ‘It could work. I don’t think most of them are with him because they agree with him or they like him. But you’d need a lot of money.’
‘Money isn’t a problem.’
Christopher shot her an amused look. ‘Where are you going to get that kind of money, Al? Mum and Dad have never even seen the kind of money we’re talking about. These guys will need real money.’
She opened her mouth then closed it again.
He didn’t know what had happened. Didn’t know about their grandmother’s will. She didn’t have to tell him. She could tell him it was Isabelle’s money she was talking about.
But she wanted to tell him. Because she wanted to know how he’d react if he knew.
The students who’d been sitting by the door talking, walked out of the room. Now it was just the two of them and the guards.
‘The thing is… Lucinda,’ she said cautiously. ‘When she died she left me… a bit of money.’
‘Did she now?’ His gaze sharpened. ‘How much is a bit of money?’
‘A lot.’
‘Right.’ He leaned back into the soft leather chair and studied her, realisation dawning in his eyes. ‘She leave you everything, Allie?’
She thought about Nathaniel and Isabelle – how an inheritance had destroyed their relationship, their family, their lives. A parent’s decision – something neither of them could control – had all the impact of a wrecking ball.
But Christopher had done the same thing to their family when he walked out. Maybe there was nothing left to destroy.
She lifted her gaze to meet his. ‘More or less.’
He blew out his breath. When he spoke his voice was low. ‘Allie, our granny was a billionaire. Does that mean…?’
‘That I’m a billionaire now?’ she asked. The word sounded insane. But she’d seen all those zeros. And there was no point in denying the truth, to herself or her brother. ‘I think so. Kind of. Yes.’
He stared at her for a long second and then, a smile slowly spread across his face. His shoulders shook with suppressed mirth. Until he threw back his head and laughed.
‘Bloody hell, Allie. That is amazing. I am so freaking glad she left it to you and not Nathaniel.’ He slapped his hand on his knee and the guards both glanced at him reflexively. ‘He’s going to be so deeply pissed off when he finds out. First his dad, now Lucinda – twice he’s been left out of massive wills that could have given him everything he wanted. That is…’ He wiped his eyes ‘…perfect.’
Even as Allie smiled, she watched him closely. But he gave no hint of rancour or rage. Not even the slightest flicker of indication that he wished Lucinda had left the money to him instead of her.
She allowed herself to relax a little. ‘Well, I don’t feel rich,’ she grumbled. ‘For one thing, I’m still in sodding school…’
For some reason, that left Chris doubling over with laughter.
‘Oh, our family,’ he said, as his laughter subsided. ‘What a strange, messed up bunch of crazy rich bastards we are.’
23
After she left Christopher, Allie pelted it up the stairs, adrenaline bubbling through her veins, sending her heart racing. She had all the information she needed now to present her plan to Isabelle and Raj. If they agreed, the whole thing could be over tonight.
It was time to talk to Nine.
She’d appeal to his hatred of Nathaniel. Offer him a lot of money.
It would work.
But when she burst through the door of Dom’s room, prepared to launch into her spiel she found everyone gathered at one end of the room, listening to voices emerging from speakers.
The tension in the room was palpable; no one spoke or moved. Everyone seemed glued to the voices.
Before she could ask what was going on, Dom caught her eye and held up a hand for quiet.
Allie closed the door behind her carefully.
Dom spoke into the radio. ‘What are you seeing right now?’
Raj’s voice crackled through the speakers. ‘We’ve personally identified two of Nathaniel’s vehicles here. We’re seeing guards in black uniforms in the grounds, apparently patrolling.’
Dom and Isabelle exchanged a look.
Isabelle took leaned towards the radio. ‘What’s your assessment, Raj? Is this the place?’
There was a pause before Raj replied.
‘I think so.’ But he struck a cautious note. ‘I need clearer identification. It could still be a decoy.’
Isabelle bit her lip. Allie could see she was trying to contain her frustration. There was so little time. They were so close.
‘What do you need, Raj?’ Her voice was measured. ‘Is there anything we could do with the satellite footage?’
‘I won’t be happy until we hav
e a visual on Nathaniel,’ he said. ‘We need to be certain. There are cars warming up now – this looks like a convoy. If we’re lucky, these could be his personal vehicles. Can you see anything on the screen there?’
As one, everyone turned to look at the wall-mounted screen. Allie squinted at the increasingly familiar satellite image of a farmhouse rooftop and scattered buildings in the sprawling yard. It looked like three cars had pulled up to the front door, but overhanging trees were blocking her view – it was hard to see much beneath the leaves.
Dom seemed to come to the same conclusion. ‘We need to zoom in,’ she muttered, typing something into the computer.
A few seconds later, the camera inched closer. Now Allie could see the dark roofs of the car glistening in the late afternoon sun. She could just barely see the front door.
‘We can see the cars, Raj,’ Isabelle said. ‘But no people.’
‘Give it a minute,’ he said. ‘They’ve just gone inside. I haven’t got the best angle here to see their faces. I’ll be able to see them when they get to the gate, but I was hoping you could see more.’
On the monitor, the front door of the farmhouse swung open, and a group of men walked out.
‘We have motion,’ Isabelle said, tensely. ‘I count four… no, five men. All in suits, no black gear.’ She looked down at the radio. ‘This could be it, Raj.’
‘Copy that,’ he replied. ‘Can you see their faces?’
Isabelle had moved closer to the screen to get a better view, so it was Dom who replied. ‘That’s negative, Raj. There’s a tree blocking our view at this time.’
Unconsciously, Allie moved closer to Isabelle, staring up at the image.
All she could see was glossy dark heads, shoulders in tailored navy blue and dark grey, clustering under the branches of a sprawling chestnut tree.
Then: motion. The doors of the cars opened and the men disappeared inside. The doors slammed shut. The satellite brought them no sound, but she could see the way the cars moved slightly from the impact, the way the dust jumped and floated from the disturbance of the air.
Silently, the cars began to roll forward.
‘Raj – they’re on the move,’ Dom said urgently. ‘We’ve got no face visuals here.’
‘Copy that. I can see them. Stand by.’
Allie heard Raj say something quietly to one of his guards before the signal went completely quiet.
As the cars rolled with slow deliberation down the short drive, the room took on a kind of breathless anticipation. No one dared even move.
Isabelle stood in front of the monitor, one hand covering her mouth, watching the procession.
Next to her, Allie stared at the screen.
Come on, she thought. Come on.
The satellite showed the sturdy gate opening slowly in the dappled shade. The first car rolled out onto the road. The second followed closely.
The third was just turning out of the drive when Raj’s voice crackled from the speakers.
‘Visual identification made. Nathaniel is in car number two. Repeat: visual identification confirmed.’ Allie could hear the grim satisfaction in his voice. ‘We’ve got him, guys.’
Everyone whooped at once. Isabelle sagged forward for just a second before standing tall and striding back towards the radio. Shak high-fived Allie.
Even Dom allowed herself a moment’s celebration. ‘Hell’s yeah,’ Allie heard the tech say to herself. ‘Now we’ve got ourselves a party.’ Her usual decorum returned quickly, though, and she switched the microphone back on, raising her voice to be heard above the jubilation in the room. ‘Copy that, Raj. Visual identity confirmed.’ She added after a pause, ‘You’ll be able to hear how that news was received, I imagine.’
‘That’s affirmative,’ Raj said. Allie could hear the smile in his voice. ‘Further information, one of my guards is following Nathaniel’s entourage now. The rest of us are keeping watch on the house.’
They continued to talk through technical details, making arrangements. Then Isabelle headed towards the door, motioning for Zelazny to follow her.
‘There are some things we need to work out,’ Allie heard her say. ‘I’m concerned about the logistics of the next step. And the speed.’
Allie waited for them to make their way into the corridor, then she slipped through the door after them.
‘Isabelle.’
The two glanced up at her in surprise.
Allie took a deep breath. ‘I have an idea.’
‘Absolutely not.’ Isabelle shook her head firmly. ‘There is no way I will allow this.’ The look she gave her was scathing. ‘I can’t believe you would even suggest such a thing.’
‘Now, hang on.’ Zelazny held up his hands. ‘I’m not sure it’s the best idea either, but I can’t really think of a better one. Can you?’
Allie sat next to him on one of the chairs facing Isabelle’s desk. She’d given them the gist of her plan, and now she was letting them argue it out. She’d expected Isabelle to say no at first.
What she hadn’t expected was that Zelazny would say yes.
‘If we let her speak to one of Nathaniel’s guards, we are putting a great deal on the line,’ Isabelle leaned forward. ‘Not least Allie’s safety.’
Zelazny didn’t back down. ‘We can make sure it all happens in a public place, we’ll stay with her at all times. Nothing can happen to her if we do this right.’
When Isabelle paused to think of a response, Allie jumped in.
‘Look, I know it’s a gamble, but I’ve been listening to Nine for days now. He’s not just a little unhappy. He really hates Nathaniel. He helped me the other night, and he didn’t have to do that. He talked about me – about how what Nathaniel was doing was wrong. I can use that.’ She pointed at her face. ‘I’m just a kid, right? Nine has a daughter, I’ve heard him talk about her. He sees me and it makes him think of her. So he’s not going to want to hurt me.’
Isabelle shook her head, her lips pressed in a thin line. ‘Even if I was willing to risk your life, I’m not convinced he’d listen to someone your age.’
‘Actually, you’re wrong. He wouldn’t listen to someone like you or Raj – any adult. He doesn’t seem to trust grownups.’ Allie took a breath. ‘I think he’d listen to me.’
The headmistress met her gaze speculatively, then shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. I know you want to do this but it’s just too dangerous.’
Allie wanted to tell Isabelle this wasn’t her decision. That Lucinda would have backed her on this. She wanted to shout that she was going to do this either way so they might as well help her.
But she knew if she said any of those things she’d lose her advantage.
‘Hear us out first,’ Zelazny said, stepping smoothly into the tense silence. ‘Allie’s done her legwork here. She’s researched the guard. Monitored his conversations. Made contact. We know he’s unhappy. He’s not loyal to Nathaniel.’ He banged a closed fist lightly against his crossed knee. ‘I think she’s right. I think we can turn him.’
‘I’m sorry but you’re not using Allie.’ Isabelle’s voice was still firm. ‘Not for this.’
‘I don’t like how closed minded you are on this. Your emotions are getting in the way.’ The history teacher gave her a stern look. ‘Allie’s intelligent, capable and trained. She’s one of our best students. You can’t be afraid to use your best.’
‘August, I can’t believe you would even consider sending a student into such an unpredictable environment,’ Isabelle said reprovingly. ‘After what happened in London, I thought we’d agreed to change our approach.’
Forcing herself to sound calm, Allie spoke up. ‘Isabelle, I know why this makes you nervous. And I get that it’s dangerous. You know I do.’ She held her gaze until Isabelle lowered her own in acknowledgement. ‘I know how he thinks. How his mind works. I know he doesn’t trust his peers – he thinks they’re all after something. I think he got caught up in this situation because he was desperate. Christopher says all th
ese guys are in debt. Nine must have been in a lot of trouble. Now I think he wants out. And I think he might listen to me because I’m young. And he feels sorry for me – we have to use that.’
‘Even if that was the case, Allie, it’s not reason enough to let you walk up to one of Nathaniel’s guards and identify yourself as the one person Nathaniel would love to grab.’ Isabelle looked from her to Zelazny. ‘Surely you can both see that.’
Zelazny was ready for that argument. ‘That’s why we do it in a public place,’ he said. ‘That’s why we send half a dozen guards with her. If he tries anything? We’re ready.’
‘I’m sorry August, but the answer is no.’ Isabelle’s expression was closed. Her tone indicated the argument was over.
Her earlier bravado fading, Allie began to despair. If Isabelle thought this was a terrible plan then… maybe it was. What did she know, anyway?
But even as her hope began to slip away, she thought again of that moment at the gate. The intensity in Nine’s eyes. The subtle warning signal.
And his voice on the radio. ‘It ain’t right…’
Her determination returned. Isabelle had to understand. If they didn’t let her meet with Nine, then all they could do was continue to sit outside St John’s Fields as the clock ticked down. Or try a dangerous home invasion that could end very badly for everyone.
They had just over twenty-four hours left.
One day.
Allie leaned forward. ‘Isabelle, I know why you’re afraid but please trust me. This man, Nine. He could get us inside. If we take this chance, he really could help us get Carter home.’ Seeing Isabelle about to argue she spoke quickly. ‘If he says no, the worst thing that happens is we reveal our hand. It doesn’t really help Nathaniel. All he would know is that we know where he is.’
‘Actually, I think the worst thing that happens is we end up with both you and Carter on our computer screens in chains.’ The look Isabelle shot her was challenging. ‘Are you ready for that?’
Allie suppressed a shudder. But when she spoke her voice was firm.
‘You know Raj better than that,’ she said. ‘It won’t happen.’
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