CHERUB: The Fall - Robert Muchamore Page 0,68

and be my lookout.’

‘Na-uh,’ Kerry said. ‘No way. It’s a massive risk.’

‘But you’re smart Kerry, I really need your help on this.’

‘James, if you’re really concerned about Ewart, speak with Meryl or go to a member of the ethics committee.’

‘Ewart will smooth-talk his way out of it. And let’s face it, he’s married to the chairman.’

‘You know what I think?’ Kerry said. ‘I think your curiosity is getting the better of you. You’re not really worried about Ewart. It’s just that this investigation is preying on your mind and you want to go into his office and have a good snoop around.’

‘Fine,’ James snapped. ‘If you’re not gonna help me I’ll ask Kyle.’

Kerry shook her head. ‘Can’t, he went off on some mission this morning.’

‘Shak then.’

‘Training,’ Kerry said.

James thought it through: Callum and Connor were away on a mission, so was Lauren, and Bruce was in the medical unit with a broken leg.

‘Please Kerry,’ James grovelled. ‘You’re the only one.’

Kerry grabbed James’ bicep. ‘I’m begging you, James, don’t do this. I know you’re worried about the investigation, but this is going to make things worse, not better. Even if you do start sneaking around Ewart’s office, there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually find the information you’re looking for.’

James huffed. ‘I guess you’re right. I’ll give Mr Pike his card back and tell him that it didn’t work out.’

‘You know it makes sense,’ Kerry said, as she went up on her knees and swung her leg across James’ waist.

James pulled the front of Kerry’s T-shirt out of her trousers and blew a raspberry on her stomach as he grabbed hold of her bum.

‘You know, your new look with the scar and the slightly bent nose is very cute,’ Kerry giggled, as they started snogging. ‘It’s like I’ve got my own personal thug.’

*

The Toyota swung into a desolate alleyway. There’d been no sign of the police coming after them, but the driver and his companion – who Lauren now knew were called Roman and Keith – both wanted to abandon the car as soon as possible.

A lad of about twenty waited on the kerb as they pulled into an open garage. He took the keys off the driver and swapped them for a set belonging to an aged Nissan Micra parked a few metres down the cobbled road.

‘Are you sure it’s small enough?’ Roman asked the youngster, as he snatched the keys.

‘I only had fifteen minutes’ notice,’ the kid said. ‘That’s my nan’s car, so don’t mash it up.’

Roman gave the teenager a friendly pat on the cheek. ‘Don’t worry, you saved our lives. Keep the Toyota locked up till dark, then drive it on to the Downs and burn it out.’

‘No sweat,’ the teenager said, as he eyed Lauren and Anna. ‘Those two are young even for you ain’t they, Keith? And what happened to your nose?’

‘Mind your own,’ Keith snapped back, squeezing Lauren’s knuckles as he yanked her out of the car. ‘But the person who did it will be crying herself to sleep tonight, I guarantee you that.’

They were squeezed inside the Nissan and back on the move within a minute. There wasn’t much room in the rear and Keith’s legs were spread out wide. He placed his hairy hand on Lauren’s knee.

‘We’ve got a buyer lined up for the princess in the front,’ he whispered. ‘But you’re a little bonus. You belong to me.’

Lauren shuddered as Keith blew her a kiss.

‘Come on, baby,’ he grinned. ‘Don’t I get a smile from my little Lauren? Just a teensy weensy one?’

Lauren turned to look out of the window and tried to think of all the painful ways she could slice Keith up with the knife strapped to her leg.

28. HOUSE

As she was driven up the motorway towards the suburban sprawl around London, Lauren was anxious, but not truly scared. She’d been in far more precarious situations on other missions and knew that John would be arranging backup and tracking the signal from her phone. In some ways this might even turn into a good thing, because they were being driven deeper into the traffickers’ operation.

Anna sat in the front seat looking shocked, with red eyes and a blank face. Lauren wanted to reach between the seats, rest a hand on her shoulder and tell her that things weren’t as desperate as they seemed.

Lauren’s problem was that escaping from a moving car is extremely dangerous, because overpowering the driver can easily cause an accident. On the other hand she didn’t want