Silence fell. In the distance someone clanked a door open. We heard voices on the other side, then the door shut again.
I had to leave. ‘No,’ I said firmly. ‘I need to find Charlie first.’
‘But it’s too dangerous for you to go off on your own,’ Lucas insisted. He straightened up. ‘I can’t let you do it.’
A hot wave of anger washed over me. This was how it had always been with me and Lucas, I suddenly realised. Lucas in charge, dominating family life; me looking up to him, eager to please and to follow his lead in everything.
But not any longer.
‘You can’t stop me.’ I glared at my brother. I was as tall as him now. Well, almost. ‘You can’t tell me what to do any more.’
I don’t need your approval.
The thought rushed through my head, the truth of it – and its implications – startling me to my core. I suddenly realised why Mum and Dad had seemed so different earlier. It wasn’t really them who had changed.
It was me.
I took a step back from Lucas. ‘I’m leaving to speak to Latimer, then find Charlie. Go back to your ward. When I hear from Jas and Mum and Dad, I’ll explain you’re okay.’
Lucas’s mouth gaped. For a moment I thought he was going to argue, but instead he held his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
‘Fine,’ he said. ‘You win, little brother. But there’s no way I’m staying in this hospital a second longer. I’m okay now – I just need to build up my strength – and I’m certainly not going back to that room or letting a bunch of doctors poke around doing tests on me.’
‘But—’
‘No “buts”.’ Lucas pointed across the room to where one of the canteen workers had left a pair of orange overalls. ‘Fetch me those. You can go and find whoever you like, but I’m getting out of here.
Charlie
I shrank away as Latimer strode towards me, his fist raised.
‘My son is unconscious, thanks to you,’ he roared.
I caught a glimpse of the female police officer in the corridor. She looked horrified. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her turning, hear her calling to someone, and then Latimer’s hands were around my throat, spit flecking at the corners of his mouth. He looked insane.
I tried to pull away, but he was holding me too tightly, yelling terrible names at the top of his voice. Panicking, I punched at his stomach. He grabbed my wrist with one hand. Let go of my neck. As I reared away from him, he slid a piece of plastic into my palm. ‘Play along,’ he whispered.
I stopped struggling instantly. What was he doing?
The Mayor’s eyes narrowed. ‘You little bitch,’ he roared.
Then, for a split second, he leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
‘Riley’s plans . . . virus . . . Operation Silvercross,’ he hissed. ‘I just found out. Get away . . . Warn Nat.’
The piece of plastic he’d given me dug into my palm. Latimer’s hands clamped around my throat again, but though he was holding me tightly still, he wasn’t exerting any pressure.
His fury was a front; he was trying to help me.
I slid the piece of plastic into the pocket of my dress as he resumed his yelling. Hands free, I punched out again.
A second later two officers rushed in and dragged him off me. Still yelling and cursing, he was hauled out of the room. I rubbed my throat as Riley came in.
‘Are you alright?’ His voice oozed concern.
‘Like you care.’ I glared at him, resisting the temptation to check that the plastic card, whatever it was, was still safe in my pocket.
Riley shook his head. ‘Actually I do care,’ he said. ‘And so does your father. You’ll be with him again in a couple of days, when all this is over.’
So the plan was to keep me here while Nat and Jas died and Riley made out like some hero, supposedly saving London from a bio-weapon he had himself created and deployed.
The female police officer appeared with a blanket and a pillow. As she laid them on the floor, Riley spoke again.
‘Get some rest, Charlie. This will pass.’
I glared at him. Did he seriously think I would ever forgive either him or Uchi for what they were doing – what they had done. But I said nothing. I wanted to get rid of Riley as soon as possible, then see what Latimer had left me. His words echoed in my head.
Operation Silvercross.
Was that what this terrible plan with the bio-weapon was called?
With a final concerned look, Riley said goodnight and swept out of the room, closely followed by the female officer. I sat down on the pillow and carefully retrieved the piece of plastic. It was Latimer’s bank card – with the numbers 3299 written in black marker above his name. Was that the PIN? Had Latimer given me a way of getting out money? I glanced up at the door. Perhaps he had, but he had also given me my best chance of getting out of here. I had always been good at opening locks using the edge of a card or a knife; of all the ‘exit strategies’ Taylor had taught us, this was the one I had truly excelled at. Did Latimer know that?
There was no time to think about it. Nat was under a death sentence. Jas too. I hurried over to the door and pressed my ear against the wood. I couldn’t hear anyone.
Taking a deep breath, I slid the bank card down the gap between the side of the door and the frame, feeling for the edge of the lock.
Nat
Lucas was in trouble before we reached the end of the car park. Only able to move in a slow shuffle and breathing heavily, every step was clearly a terrible effort for him.
‘This isn’t going to work,’ I said, as Lucas steadied himself against his metal walker. I stared beyond the wall, past the small patch of trees and shrubs, all shadowy in the darkness, then glanced back towards the hospital. I had hoped I could get my brother temporarily settled in a nearby café, then go back to Aaron’s ward and find his dad, but the state Lucas was in, I didn’t think I should leave him alone.
‘I’m fine,’ Lucas muttered. ‘Just need a bit of a breather. Get my legs used to moving again.’
I chewed on my lip. Even if we made it out of the car park and into a café, I had no idea where I could take Lucas after that. Our home was out of the question – Riley would almost certainly be watching out for me there – and I couldn’t simply turn up at a friend’s house and expect them to take us in, with all the risk and danger we brought with us. I should never have let Lucas talk me into helping him leave the hospital.
‘I’m not going back inside,’ Lucas went on, as if reading my mind.
‘But—’
‘No, Nat,’ he went on. ‘You’ve got no idea. I nearly went mad when everyone around me started talking and I couldn’t speak or move or even let them know I could hear.’
I stared at him, shocked. ‘You could hear? But the doctors—’
‘Doctors don’t know everything,’ Lucas said, darkly. ‘Look, I was only conscious or whatever for the last few days or so before my body started working again, but believe me that was enough.’
My thoughts sped back to early this morning, when I’d stood at Lucas’s bedside and shouted at Mum and Dad to look after Jas. Had Lucas heard that?
‘Why don’t you rest there for a bit?’ I said, pointing to the patch of shrubland to our right.
Lucas nodded and, leaning on my shoulder, he hobbled over and sank down, on to the grass.
‘We were all here this morning . . .’ I started.
‘Yeah, I heard you. Well, bits of what you said. Talk about tough love.’ He grimaced. ‘Poor Mum – and poor me, you told her I wasn’t “properly alive”, remember? Told her and Dad to get a grip and do their job as parents, or something like that.’
So he had heard me. ‘I was just trying to look out for Jas,’ I said, feeling awkward.
Lucas chuckled and I saw a glimpse of his old self: charming and laid back and everyone’s favourite.
‘You were right, man. Everything you said. I’m not having a go. It’s just hard getting my head a
round everything that’s happened since last year.’
‘I know,’ I hesitated. ‘You do believe me about Riley and Taylor, don’t you?”
‘I believe you think they’re the bad guys,’ Lucas said.
What the hell did that mean?
‘They took Jas,’ I said, my anger rising again. ‘They nearly killed us both.’
‘Okay, okay.’ Lucas held up his hands in surrender, then propped himself up against a tree. He was hidden from the car park by a large shrub. I glanced back at the hospital. My only hope of locating Charlie was through Latimer. And I had to talk to him immediately. I’d wasted enough time. The thought of what Riley might do to Charlie now he knew she had tricked him made me feel sick to my stomach.
‘Go on,’ Lucas said. ‘Get back inside. Stop thinking about it and do it.’
I looked at him. ‘I won’t be long.’
‘I’m not going anywhere.’
I hesitated.
‘Go.’ A shadow of his old grin flickered across Lucas’s face. ‘I just hope she’s worth it.’
Embarrassed, I spun on my heel and headed back to the hospital. As I reached the entrance I stood back, keeping my head down, as a burly man in a suit pushed his way out.
He looked around, then called to the people behind him. ‘Let’s go. Quick as you can.’
I glanced up to see who was emerging from the hospital.
To my surprise it was Aaron. He hurried outside, his mother fussing over him, tugging a jacket around his shoulders. Aside from the bandage across his head, Aaron looked completely fine. As they passed me, Aaron glanced over.
‘Nat!’ he said.
I walked towards him. Immediately the bodyguard stood between us. The wind whipped across my face as he drew back his jacket to reveal a gun in its holster.
‘Stop,’ he said. ‘Stop or I’ll shoot.’
Charlie
It took three attempts before I managed to make the bank card Latimer had given me open the interview-room door. My palms were sweating as I slid it down the final time and, with a telltale click, the lock gave way. I pulled, very gently, on the handle and peered out through the crack between the door and the frame.
There was no one outside. I crept into the dimly lit corridor, closed the door quietly behind me, then tiptoed away. I reached a corner. Voices – loud and male – echoed towards me. I turned and sped in the other direction. I had no idea where I was – I’d been led through a maze of corridors to get here; but I was on ground level, which meant sooner or later I would surely come to a door or a window.
Footsteps sounded ahead of me. They were getting closer. I ducked around the nearest corner and flattened myself against the wall. I peered back along the corridor as two men passed. They were just inches away, but so intent on their conversation that neither noticed me.
My heart thumped as they reached the room where I’d been held. Were they going to check on me? No. I sighed with relief as the two men walked on. I crept along, hoping I was heading for an exit. I passed more doors, all closed. Voices drifted out from several of the rooms. At last I came to a fire door. I hesitated. I’d managed to move silently so far, but opening a big door like this would make a noise. Plus I had no idea where it would lead. Still, there wasn’t a choice. The longer I stayed inside the police station, the more likely I was to be found and imprisoned again.
I pressed slowly on the metal bar. With a clunk and a screech, the door opened. I peered outside. It was dark, but the light from the building revealed I was in a car park, with squad vehicles on one side, and unmarked cars on the other. Again, I could hear voices in the distance but nobody was in sight. Apart from the motors and a few shrubs there wasn’t much to see. High walls surrounded the tarmac on all sides, the only exit from the car park being a solid metal gate. My heart sank. There was no way of getting a purchase on the gate to climb up it. Still, maybe if I stood on top of one of the cars, I might just be able to get my leg over the brick wall.
An alarm sounded behind me, its sudden screech making me jump. Was that because of me?
Gritting my teeth, I raced over to the largest car, an estate with a roof a few centimetres higher than the other cars. As I clambered on top of it, the car alarm sent a deafening whistle into the air. Now both alarms screeched in my ears. I bent my knees and jumped, clawing on to the top of the wall. My muscles burned as I hauled myself up. My arms and legs scraped along the rough brick. I barely noticed the pain. The alarms were joined by shouting voices. I crouched on top of the wall, legs trembling. It was a long, long way down to the alleyway below. The shouts were getting louder. Closer. There was no time to look back.
I scrambled sideways along the wall about a metre. I was immediately above a pile of rubbish bags.
‘Oi! She’s out here!’ The yell was just metres away.
No time to lose.
I took a deep breath and jumped.
Nat
I put my hands in the air. Aaron’s mother uttered a terrified squeak. The bodyguard narrowed his eyes and let his jacket cover his gun again.
‘I’m not going to hurt anyone,’ I said.
‘Shut it,’ the bodyguard snarled. ‘I’ve seen your face on the news, you’re wanted for that bomb at the Houses of Parliament. I’m going to call the cops.’
‘Wait.’ That was Aaron. ‘It’s okay, he’s okay.’
‘What’s going on?’ his mum asked.
‘I need to find Charlie,’ I said to Aaron. ‘If your dad is really on our side, he’ll want to help.’
‘Who are you?’ Aaron’s mother demanded. She turned to her son. ‘What’s he talking about?’
‘I should call the police,’ the bodyguard threatened.
‘No, everything’s fine.’ Aaron motioned them both to calm down. ‘This is Jas’s brother, he’s a friend. My dad knows him, he’s cool.’
The bodyguard gave a reluctant nod.
‘Jas’s brother?’ Aaron’s mum frowned. ‘I thought her brother was in a coma?’
‘I’m her twin brother,’ I said, deciding now wasn’t the time to confuse matters by explaining that Lucas was in fact conscious and hiding just metres away in the shrubs by the car park.
‘Have you heard from her?’ Aaron asked anxiously. ‘I’ve been so worried.’
I shook my head. ‘I’m sure she’ll call later. Or Mum and Dad will. I’m only turning my phone on every now and then, I don’t want anyone tracing me.’
‘Why would anyone—?’ Aaron’s mum started, but before she could finish, Aaron interrupted.
‘Do you promise you’ll call me if you know where she is?’ Aaron pleaded. He pulled a phone out of his pocket. ‘This is brand new,’ he said. ‘Definitely no bugs. I told her it was okay to call me on it, but she hasn’t yet.’
I hesitated. I was certain Aaron and his dad were genuinely on our side, but I still didn’t trust their phones: Riley was capable of tracing anything.
‘Please, Nat, promise you’ll let me know if you hear from her,’ Aaron repeated.
‘Tell me where your dad is first,’ I said.
‘What’s going on?’ Aaron’s mum frowned at me. ‘Why do you want to speak to my husband?’
‘It’s fine, Mum.’ Aaron leaned close to my ear, so the others couldn’t hear. ‘As far as I know, Dad’s with Riley at his house. Riley still thinks Dad’s on his side. Mum doesn’t know what’s really going on, she’d freak out if she had any idea what a risk he was taking.’ He stepped back. ‘Now do you promise you’ll let me know if you hear from Jas?’
‘What did you just say, Aaron?’ his mum asked.
‘I promise,’ I said. ‘Thank you.’ I turned away from Aaron. I needed to make my way to Riley’s house as fast as possible and wait for Latimer to emerge.
And then I remembered Lucas.
‘Aaron?’ his mum persisted.
‘It’s nothing, Mum.’
I stopped. What on earth was I going to do with my brother while I travelled across London?
&nbs
p; ‘What is it?’ Aaron asked me. ‘Why have you stopped?’
‘Aaron, we really need to get you home,’ his mum said.
I turned around. I’d had an idea.
Charlie
I landed with a thud, my fall broken by the bin bags. One burst and a foul smell of rotting meat filled my nostrils. Flies swarmed into my face.
Spluttering, I pushed myself up and ran along the narrow road. Arms pumping hard, I turned on to what looked like a high street and raced past shops and a bus stop where people stood, waiting. Every one of them stared at me as I pelted past.
I swerved to the left, across a patch of wasteland. Over a fence into a back garden. A dog barked in the darkness. I had no idea where I was or where to head for. I ran on, over another fence. Out into an alley. This time I heard my dress rip as I jumped down. I darted right, towards the lights, out on to another road – or was it the other end of the high street from earlier? More people stared at me.
‘Good party was it, love?’ one man asked as I ran past.
I glanced down at my dress. It was ripped right across from halfway down the thigh. The loose strip of material dangled and flapped around my shin. I took it in both hands and tore it off, then tore a little more off the front in a hopeless attempt to even up both sides. Now it was ridiculously short. I reached a bank with a hole in the wall for getting money. I stopped, determined to try out the bank card Latimer had given me. I could just make out a tube station further down the street, about forty metres away. I was too far away to see which one, but it didn’t matter.
I punched in Latimer’s PIN number. It worked, much to my relief. I examined my arms and legs as I waited for the bank to dispense its cash. Both were grazed and sore, but otherwise I was fine. I ran my fingers through my hair and rubbed at my face, hoping that I was removing the worst of the dirt. In the distance, sirens sounded. I needed to hurry.
I collected my money and set off at a run.
Every Second Counts Page 20
