Blood Ties

by Sophie McKenzie

I frowned. Simpson. The name seemed familiar. In fact, so did the name Lewis. Where had I heard them before?

  Beside me, Rachel shivered.

  ‘Well, Lewis?’ the masked man barked. ‘What happened?’

  There was a short, tense pause. Then Lewis swung his arm up and round. The movement was so quick there was no time for the other man to jump back. Lewis’s hand – the hand holding the gun – slammed into his forehead.

  The man staggered backwards, clutching his brow.

  Lewis darted forwards and thumped the man on the upper back with the edge of the gun. The man fell to the ground.

  ‘Oh . . . no . . . no,’ Rachel whimpered beside me.

  I stared at Lewis. How had he done that? His movements were so quick. So precise. Lewis stood over the man for two long seconds, his gun pointing at the man’s chest.

  It was like watching a film. I wondered if Lewis would shoot.

  Rachel turned her face away.

  Lewis stared down at the man. His arm shook.

  Then he drew back his arm and tucked his gun in the back of his trouser waistband again. ‘Hurry,’ he said. He yanked on Rachel’s arm, half dragging her towards the school gates.

  I raced after them.

  Through the gates, Lewis swerved to the right. He pounded down the hill, past the bus shelter where I had met Rachel for the first time. I flew after him. Rachel was stumbling, panting. Lewis holding her up.

  We turned down a side road. A navy BMW with darkened windows was parked near the corner. Lewis clicked open the locks. ‘In the back,’ he ordered.

  I pulled open the back door and bundled Rachel inside. Lewis was in the driver’s seat, already revving the engine. I slammed my door shut and he zoomed off.

  Silence.

  I sat back against the leather seat, my hands in my lap. I realised with a jolt that I no longer had my backpack with me. I must have left it on the tarmac when . . . when . . . I suddenly flashed back to the gun barrel pressed against my forehead. I could feel the cold metal against my skin.

  Don’t think about it. I tried to remember exactly what was in the bag. Clothes. Toothbrush. My picture of Dad. My only picture. Something twisted in my gut. Don’t think about it.

  ‘My passport.’ No.

  ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get you a new one,’ Lewis said.

  Had I spoken out loud? I looked at him. Who was ‘we’?

  ‘Who are you?’ I said.

  ‘Lewis Michael.’ He half turned round to give me a quick look.

  I felt Rachel stiffen beside me. I remembered the name now. Lewis Michael. The person who’d written the email to Rachel’s dad about ‘shutting me up’. That’s where I’d heard the name Simpson too.

  My stomach twisted again. The gun. Pressing against my skin.

  ‘But you’re with RAGE,’ I stammered. ‘We saw your email. You said you were going to kill me. Shut him up – permanently. That’s what you said.’

  Lewis Michael snorted. ‘Shut you up as in stop you talking. Which you were doing far, far too much of.’

  He turned a corner. We were driving quite slowly, through heavy traffic. I had no idea where we were.

  I glanced at the door nearest me. It was locked. ‘But RAGE want to kill me. And you’re with them.’ The twisting feeling was filling my stomach now, swelling inside me. I had this strong sense that I had to keep it down, that it was way, way too big to let out.

  ‘I was working undercover. You saw me taser that guy earlier – knock him out.’

  ‘Taser?’ Rachel’s voice sounded weak. She was huddled in the far corner of the car, her arms wrapped round her body. Her face was pale and scared and tear-stained.

  ‘Electric stun gun,’ Lewis said. He looked round at me again. ‘I work for your . . . your dad.’

  ‘My dad?’ I sat forward, trying to ignore the panicky feeling that was growing and growing inside my stomach. ‘You work for my dad?’

  Lewis nodded. ‘That’s why I’m here. He sent me to rescue you.’ He sighed. ‘Even though it meant blowing my cover.’

  ‘What about my dad?’ Rachel said.

  ‘We’re in touch with him.’ Lewis reached for some kind of mobile phone set into the dashboard. ‘We’ll let him know you’re safe as soon as we can. And your mum, Theodore.’

  ‘It’s Theo,’ I said, absently.

  ‘Theo.’ Lewis pressed the phone. ‘Zeus?’ There was a distant crackle from the receiver. A few indistinct words. ‘Gods are safe in heaven. Over.’ Lewis said. He switched off the phone.

  Rachel nudged me. ‘That’s what my dad’s text said,’ she whispered. ‘Goddess still safe in heaven.’

  ‘That’s right, Rachel.’ Lewis glanced over his shoulder. ‘It’s our code message to confirm you guys are safe. Your father was supposed to send me the text every week. If it didn’t arrive we’d know to check it out, make sure you were okay.’

  ‘But how did you know where we were?’ I said.

  Lewis sighed. ‘RAGE got suspicious as soon as your friend Max started hacking into the RAGE membership list.’

  ‘They know about Max?’ I said.

  ‘They’d been keeping tabs on her since then, trying to work out why a fifteen-year-old girl was hacking into their data. It took them a few days to make the connection with you. And then with Rachel. They’ve been tracing Max’s calls – that’s how they found out about tonight. Some friend of yours – Jake something? He called Max. Told her you were meeting Rachel here.’

  I shook my head. Jake and his big, girl-impressing mouth.

  ‘I found out RAGE were planning to catch you here about an hour ago. I got word to your dad, but by then there was no alternative but to scope the school, go in with them and get you both out. Before they took you out.’

  Took me out.

  The image of the gun against my head filled my mind. I could feel it too, pressing cold against my skin. Then the click.

  The wait.

  Without warning the twist in my stomach exploded into this shattering fear that threaded through every vein in my body. Panic surged up from my gut. Spiralling through me. All that I was. All that I knew. I started shaking uncontrollably. My breathing all shallow and jagged. Help me. Help me. So scared. I was going to piss myself I was so scared.

  I bent forwards, pressing my hands together, trying to stop the shaking.

  ‘What happened to Theo’s bodyguard?’ Rachel was saying.

  Roy. I’d completely forgotten about him.

  Lewis Michael gave a little cough. ‘I had to get him out of the way, but he’ll be fine.’

  I hunched further over, closing my eyes, focusing on pushing away the panic that filled me. Silent tears were streaming down my face. I had no idea why I was crying.

  I never cried.

  I felt Rachel’s hand on my shoulder. ‘Theo?’

  Oh, man, she’d seen me bawling. How embarrassing. I turned away from her, determined to make myself stop. But I didn’t seem to be in control of my body any more. I wanted to pee. To shit myself. To vomit.

  And I could not stop shaking.

  32

  Rachel

  I caught Lewis’s eye in the rearview. He looked concerned. My hand felt awkward on Theo’s shoulder. I wanted to help him so much, but he was turning away, turning his back on me.

  I sat back in my seat. At least my dad had nothing to do with RAGE. He wasn’t a murderer. He hadn’t helped kill all those people.

  I breathed out. A heavy sigh of relief. Outside we were moving onto a faster road. It was raining – cars whooshing past.

  ‘Theo.’ Lewis’s voice was low and commanding. ‘Theo, buddy.’

  I opened my eyes. Theo was still hunched over at the other end of the back seat.

  ‘Theo.’ Lewis’s tone was sharper now. ‘That was some hardcore stuff back there. You were seconds away from dying. There’s no shame in how you’re feeling now. You were brave when you needed to be. D’you hear me? Now it’s time to let the bad stuff out.’


  Theo said nothing.

  ‘Theo. Listen to me,’ Lewis said. ‘I’ve been where you are now. It’s better you let it out. I promise you.’

  Theo shifted slightly. His hands were pressed together but I could see they were shaking.

  ‘Do you trust Rachel?’ Lewis said.

  Theo looked up at last. Tears shone on his cheeks. More leaked out of his eyes. He nodded.

  It was like a fist squeezing my heart. A feeling that somehow made total sense, that I recognised even though I’d never felt it before.

  Love. I loved him.

  ‘Let Rachel hold you,’ Lewis said. ‘Let it all out. Right now. She won’t laugh at you. I won’t. If you like, we’ll never mention it again. Just let her hold you. It’ll help.’

  Theo shook his head, but only half-heartedly. I reached out and put my hand over his. I gave it a gentle tug and he turned, his head bent down. He wound his shaking arms round me and laid his head against my shoulder.

  And then he cried and cried and cried.

  33

  Theo

  Gradually I stopped shaking. The tears dried up. Rachel was still holding me, stroking my hair. Lewis had been right. Being held had helped. At least it had helped when I’d been all weird and shaking. Now, I just felt embarrassed. I mean, I was beginning to think of Rachel as a friend. A good friend. But I hadn’t cried like that since I was a little kid. Not even with Mum.

  I sat back, hoping Lewis had meant what he said about not mentioning me bawling ever again.

  I wiped my face with my sleeve and stared out the window. We were speeding down a motorway.

  ‘Er . . . where are we going?’ I sniffed.

  ‘A safe house. Somewhere RAGE won’t find you.’

  The sudden thought was like a punch in the gut. ‘What about my mum?’ I sat forward, gripping the seat in front. ‘Is she in danger? What—?’

  ‘Your mum’s going somewhere safe too. So are Rachel’s parents. It’s better they don’t know exactly where you are right now. But you’ll be able to talk to them from the safe house.’ Lewis sighed. ‘There’s no other choice, I’m afraid. You’re both in too much danger.’

  ‘What about my dad?’ I said. ‘Do RAGE know where he is?’

  ‘No,’ Lewis said. He glanced over his shoulder at me. ‘Look, I know you have a lot of questions,’ he said. ‘Both of you. But I’m not the right person to answer them.’

  Rachel and I exchanged glances. ‘So who is?’ I said.

  Lewis smiled. He suddenly looked very tired.

  ‘Your dad, Theo,’ he said. ‘That’s where we’re going now. To meet your dad.’

  Part Two

  Scotland

  34

  Rachel

  I woke up. We were still in the car, travelling over a bumpy road. I was lying slumped sideways, my head resting against something hard. With a jolt I realised it was Theo’s shoulder. It was damp where – oh no – where I must have dribbled onto it. I opened my eyes and sat up, wiping away the crusted spit from round my mouth.

  Yuck. How embarrassing.

  Ow. My neck was all cricked. I rubbed it and glanced at Theo. He was still asleep, his head nodding forwards. Lewis looked at me in the rearview mirror. He yawned.

  ‘Not far now,’ he said.

  I looked out of the window. Lewis had switched the headlights on full. We were driving down a narrow lane, with what looked like moorland on either side of us. The night sky was clear and wide, stars shining all across the horizon.

  ‘Where are we?’ I said.

  ‘Scotland.’ Lewis smiled. ‘Just.’

  We’d changed cars earlier, not far out of London. The second car was much bigger. Lewis had brought sandwiches, water and blankets out of the boot. I must have drifted off some time after that.

  I checked the dashboard clock. It said 2:41 a.m. We had been driving for over six and a half hours. A few minutes later Lewis took a right turn onto an uneven track. He slowed down as we jolted towards a small building in the distance. It was a stone cottage – set in isolation in the heart of the wilderness we were travelling through. A single light was on in one of the downstairs rooms. As we pulled up, the front door opened. A woman in a baggy sweater stood in the doorway, her arms hugging her chest. She was black, with straightened, shoulder-length hair.

  ‘Where are we?’ Theo said groggily, stretching out his arms.

  ‘Home.’ Lewis answered, his eyes on the woman in the doorway. ‘For now.’

  I opened the car door. A blast of icy wind whistled past my face. I put my bare feet onto the bumpy ground outside. They’d warmed up inside the car and the stones were cold and hard against my skin. I stood up. Ouch.

  Lewis walked over to the woman in the cottage doorway. There was something about the way he leaned into her – close but without touching – that made me think he knew her well. Really well. I limped round the side of the car.

  ‘Hey, Lewis.’ The woman had an American accent. She looked over at me, then back at him. ‘Be a British gent, why don’t you? Girl’s got no shoes on.’

  She smiled warmly at me. I relaxed a little. I was glad there was a woman here. Lewis glanced round at me. ‘Sorry, Rachel,’ he said. ‘D’you want me to carry you over the stones?’

  No. I shook my head, hoping the darkness would cover up the fact that I was blushing furiously. Theo appeared next to me.

  ‘I’m fine,’ I said firmly, striding across the stones and trying to ignore the sharp pains stabbing at my bare soles.

  ‘Hey, there,’ the woman said. ‘I’m Mel.’

  She had a striking face – beautiful, with strong, broad features. It was hard to say how old she was, maybe a little older than Lewis.

  ‘You’ve had some night, haven’t you?’ Mel put her arm round my shoulders and guided me inside. The front door opened into a small living room. There was a long sofa down one wall and two armchairs. The floor and walls were made of stone, with a large empty fireplace in the middle and a red patterned rug in front of it. It felt warm and cosy, though my bare feet were still cold.

  ‘Hey.’ Mel turned away from me to welcome Theo. ‘I’m Mel. I . . . I’m your dad’s friend.’

  Theo stared blankly around him, like he was having to force his eyes to stay open.

  I didn’t feel tired at all.

  ‘You guys must be wiped,’ Mel said. ‘Why don’t we get you settled for tonight? We can talk in the morning.’ She led us across the living room to an open doorway in the opposite corner. A set of narrow stone steps led up to a tiny landing. I climbed them.

  Upstairs the cottage smelled slightly musty.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Mel said. ‘We’ll only be here a few days. Coupla weeks at most.’

  I whipped round. A couple of weeks? What about Mum and Dad? What about school? Mel must have seen the concern on my face. She smiled.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘We’ll talk in the morning. Get some sleep for now.’

  I felt less tired than ever as she herded me through one of the four doors that led off the landing. It contained a small single bed and a chest of drawers. A nightgown lay on the bed. I walked over and picked it up. It was blue and silky with thin little straps – really elegant and grown up.

  ‘It’s a spare one of mine,’ Mel smiled. ‘We’ll get you some clothes tomorrow.’

  I was desperate to ask her some questions. When was I going home? Why was I even here? It was Theo RAGE wanted to kill. But Mel was hovering by the door, giving off very definite don’t-ask-me-any-questions vibes. Looking at her big, baggy jumper, I couldn’t imagine her in a girlie nightie like the one in my hands. Yet there was something graceful about her – and something shy too.

  ‘Restroom’s next door,’ Mel said. She yawned. ‘There’s a towel and a toothbrush in there for you. Pink ones.’ She smiled. ‘Get some sleep, babe.’

  She backed out of the room and shut the door.

  I sank onto the bed, the silky nightdress in my lap. For the first time since we’d left Londo
n there was absolute silence. I could hear my own heart beating loudly. This was all so strange. So scary.

  Tears pricked at my eyes. My questions slid away and all I wanted was to be in my bedroom at home, with all my familiar things and Mum and Dad next door.

  I sniffed back the tears and went out onto the landing, hoping I would see Theo. A minute later he staggered out of a room opposite. He blinked at me, then yawned. He looked so tired he could barely stand up.

  ‘Well, this isn’t weird. Much.’ He raised his eyebrows, sleepily. ‘Lewis took your phone off me, by the way. He said we couldn’t call anyone for now.’

  I stared at him.

  He yawned again. ‘You okay?’

  I nodded. No.

  ‘Want the bathroom?’

  I shook my head. I want you to hug me, like you did before. Make me feel safe.

  ‘Night, then.’ Theo stumbled into the bathroom and shut the door. I went back to my room and lay on the bed. A tear trickled down my face.

  I heard the sound of running water on the other side of the bedroom wall. I closed my eyes. I was never going to sleep.

  I woke with a start some time later. I had no idea how much later. The bedside lamp was still on, and I was lying on top of the bed, clutching the silk nightdress. I was freezing cold. The house was silent. I checked the time. Only 3:15. I’d been asleep for less than twenty minutes.

  My heart sank.

  I wriggled under the covers and lay still for a few minutes. I wasn’t warming up. It was just too cold. And I needed the bathroom.

  Outside on the landing, the two doors opposite were shut. I went next door, and spent several minutes wondering whether or not to flush the toilet. The house was so small I was worried I’d wake everyone up. On the other hand . . .

  Then I heard a laugh from downstairs. Mel. I left the toilet unflushed and stood on the landing.

  I could hear her voice – soft and low. But not what she was saying. I crept down the narrow stone stairs to where the door at the bottom opened into the living room.

  ‘I know, but I couldn’t kill him.’ That was Lewis. He sounded bitter. ‘I just couldn’t do it. Not in cold blood like that.’