CHERUB: The Sleepwalker - Robert Muchamore Page 0,67

business, but I’m not gonna stand here and let you push her around.’

‘I’m OK,’ Gemma said shakily. ‘Just go back to the girls.’

James hesitated.

‘Sling your hook before I knock you into next week,’ Danny said.

James shook his head and reached out to Gemma. ‘Why don’t you walk back with me? We can get our cab to drop you off at the flat.’

Danny didn’t like this one bit. His eyes opened wide and he turned towards James. ‘You’re asking for a slap, you chunk of shit.’

Danny was a big man who’d been in his share of scraps, but he moved like a sack of potatoes. He tried shoving James back with his two massive hands, but even though he was quite drunk, James was too fast for him. He ducked down, then brought his knee up to slam Danny in the kidneys.

Danny groaned in pain but kept coming forward.

‘You’re getting it now, ya little bastard.’

‘Leave him alone,’ Gemma screamed, but she needn’t have worried.

Danny was going in slow-motion compared to the teenagers James met thrice weekly in combat training. As the big man waded in, James flattened his palm and slammed it against Danny’s right temple. Seeing stars, Danny collapsed sideways, hitting the corridor wall before sliding down and ending up slumped in the trail of water leaking from the gents’ toilet.

‘Holy shit,’ Gemma gasped, leaning over Danny before raising her hands up to her face. ‘What did you knock him out for?’

‘Was I supposed to stand there and let him slap you about?’

Gemma was frightened. ‘There’s four other bouncers out there, James, and they’re all Danny’s mates. You’d better get out of here, because if they see this they’ll bloody murder you.’

‘Come with us,’ James begged. ‘Our cab should be here any second.’

Gemma sounded irritated. ‘Where am I going to go, James? I live in his house.’

‘Well …’ James said, feeling bad.

Gemma managed a slight smile as she placed a hand on James’ shoulder. ‘I know you meant well, but we’re a couple. You flooring him won’t do me any good.’

A couple of blokes were ambling towards the gents. They were surprised seeing the big man on the ground, but they didn’t want to get involved.

‘Do you want me to drag him somewhere out of harm’s way?’ James asked.

‘No,’ Gemma said anxiously. ‘Find Kerry and Dana and get in your cab, please.’

‘Guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow.’

Gemma shook her head. ‘Friday,’ she said. ‘Tomorrow’s my day off.’

James wasn’t sure what to feel as he walked off. He thought he’d done the right thing, but Gemma clearly didn’t agree and he was worried about what would happen to her when Danny came round.

‘Took you long enough,’ Kerry said, as they met up in the lobby. ‘Cab’s waiting.’

‘I met Gemma,’ James said – but he saved the rest of the explanation for the ride home.

‘What were you talking to that little Goth about?’ Dana asked.

James was drunk and distracted, so it took him a couple of seconds to remember the incident. ‘It was nothing,’ he tutted. ‘She just asked if I had a lighter … and you’re one to talk with a phone number written on your neck.’

He was pleased that Dana cared enough to be jealous, but he didn’t smile until they’d walked past the bouncers on the door and climbed into the waiting Nissan.

27. SQUAD

Once all the listening devices were in place, there wasn’t much for Lauren and Jake to do except go to school and stay friendly with Fahim. Lauren didn’t mind because Camden Central was slack and she had to do way less than on campus. Plus they were in London, so Bethany, Rat and a couple of Jake’s friends had visited on the weekend. Rat didn’t know London so they went on the Millennium Wheel and took in a couple of other touristy places, but mostly they just wandered around the shops and then went to the cinema in the evening.

Mac was almost unbearably sad on Tuesday, when his wife of forty years, plus his daughter-in-law and grandchildren Angus and Megan, were cremated in a private service. Although Mac’s father was the founder of CHERUB and the organisation had been a huge part of his life, his family thought that he worked as a weapons evaluation specialist for the army. This explanation covered the fact that Mac worked on a military firing range as well as his regular meetings in London and occasional trips abroad.

Despite his obvious grief, Mac maintained a professional attitude towards the mission.