CHERUB: Brigands M.C. - Robert Muchamore Page 0,103
kids lived within walking distance and left straight away, but a dozen had to wait for pickups and they all mucked in with the clean-up. Lauren loaded the plates and glasses into the dishwasher, Dante hoovered and swept while Anna mopped the kitchen floor.
By half-eleven the two cops and all the kids except Lauren, Anna and Dante had left. The house looked reasonable, but Joe was still going to get in trouble for the things that would take time to fix: three busted windows, torn felt on the pool table, and the huge penis and hairy balls someone had drawn on the wallpaper in the upstairs toilet.
‘It’s not bad at all,’ Lauren said. She sat on a bar stool in the kitchen draining a wine spritzer, with the dishwasher humming in the background.
Joe came in from taking out black rubbish bags filled with empties. He was almost back to his cocky self and moved in to give her a kiss, but Lauren leaned towards him and completely lost her balance. She hit the floor hard. Dante was concerned enough to come running over, but Lauren clutched her sides and began shrieking with laughter.
Joe gave her an arm up as Dante inspected the wine spritzer bottle. ‘How many of these have you had?’ he asked.
‘I love your cute little chops,’ Lauren grinned, as she pinched Joe’s cheek between her thumb and finger and then stumbled forward. She was heavy and Dante had to grab her waist to stop her knocking Joe over. The two lads then grabbed Lauren under the arms and dragged her to the conservatory where they dumped her over the sofa.
‘Those things are delicious,’ Lauren hooted. ‘Someone go back to the clubhouse and rob more spritzers!’
Anna hovered behind the two boys. ‘I could make her some black coffee or something.’
Dante sighed. ‘It’d take half the Brazilian coffee harvest to sober that up.’
‘Did you phone your mum?’ Joe asked.
Dante knew that Chloe was helping with surveillance duty. ‘She’s on a date and she’ll go nuts if she sees Lauren in that state.’
This was completely true. CHERUB agents have to fit in and are allowed to drink and smoke within reason in social situations, but it’s easy to make slip-ups with your cover story when you’re as drunk as Lauren was, and if Chloe found out she’d be in serious trouble.
‘I’ll take her home,’ Dante sighed. ‘Hopefully the walk will sober her up a bit.’
‘I’m hardly even drunk,’ Lauren protested, as she stood bolt upright with her arms rigid like a soldier about to march.
Joe looked at Anna. ‘What about you?’
‘I lied and told my mum that I was sleeping over at Tracy’s house,’ Anna explained. ‘But Tracy’s dad picked her up ages ago.’
‘You can stay here,’ Joe said.
‘But no hanky panky,’ Lauren snorted, as she bunched a fist. ‘He’s my man. You keep your hands off !’
‘Come on, sister,’ Dante moaned as he grabbed Lauren’s arm and pulled her forward. ‘Let’s get you home.’
‘We’ve got a wheelbarrow,’ Joe grinned. ‘You could stick her in that if you like.’
Anna cracked up laughing as Lauren staggered down the hallway, holding on to the walls and telling nobody in particular that she was perfectly fine and didn’t need any help. Then she tripped over the doormat and sprawled out on the patio.
‘Ooopsie daisy,’ Lauren giggled, as Dante rushed forward and helped her up. ‘Who put that stupid thing there?’
‘See you tomorrow, maybe,’ Dante called back to Joe, as he began walking up the drive with Lauren’s arm draped over his shoulder. ‘Or maybe at school on Monday.’
‘Not if I see you first,’ Joe said, giving the thumbs-up as he closed the front door.
Lauren being off her face had seemed funny back in the kitchen, but by the time they’d made it up the long drive and turned towards home the stumbling and giggling was getting on Dante’s nerves. When they reached a section of the busy lane with a grass verge he stopped walking, grabbed Lauren’s hand and jerked her arm to make sure she was looking at him.
‘I don’t know if Chloe’s home,’ Dante warned. ‘But if she sees you walking into the house like this you’re gonna face suspension from missions. So stop mucking about.’
Lauren poked out her tongue. ‘Bee boo,’ she giggled, showering Dante in spit.
Dante squeezed her hand hard and spoke firmly. ‘I’m not mucking about, Lauren. This is serious.’
‘You’re hurting me,’ she whined, as she tried tugging her hand free.