to release me back where I came from.’
Fay steamed down the hallway and entered Wendy’s office without knocking.
‘Elstree?’ she screamed. ‘I’m not from anywhere near Elstree. I thought you got released back into the care of whatever local authority you were arrested in.’
Wendy sat at her desk and looked resigned to another shouting match. ‘You were arrested in Camden,’ Wendy began calmly. ‘But Camden has a network of foster-parents in other boroughs. And given that your aunt was murdered by a gang based in Camden, it was decided that you’d be better off living a few miles out of harm’s way.’
Fay tutted. ‘If Hagar had wanted me dead he’d have done it already. But I’m just a kid. He doesn’t regard me as a threat.’
‘Elstree is a perfectly nice place,’ Wendy said. ‘It’s not like you’ve got friends or relatives in Camden.’
‘I wasn’t even consulted – as per usual,’ Fay huffed.
‘You might have had time to make changes if you hadn’t got yourself locked up in seg,’ Wendy said stiffly.
‘Always my fault,’ Fay said, before storming back to the cell.
‘You can always come and visit me,’ Ning said soothingly.
‘Where are you?’ Fay asked.
‘The north of Islington,’ Ning said. ‘Some place called Nebraska House.’
*
Ryan still felt down after another morning of school, moving between lessons without really connecting with anyone. At lunchtime he queued up for sausage and chips at a takeaway near the school, then walked briskly towards the swing park.
The kids with links to Hagar’s operation were a close-knit bunch of Year Nines and Tens. They lurked at the back of the park on a skateboard ramp, while Year Seven kids mucked about on the swings and the roundabouts.
Ryan got a text from James, All set?
He dabbed ketchup over the screen of his iPhone as he responded.
Ready when U R.
A couple of minutes later, six boys came into the park wearing the black blazers of the nearby Dartmouth Park school. None of the sextet had ever been near Dartmouth Park. They were all CHERUB agents, including Ryan’s mates Max and Alfie and a kid called Jimmy who looked like he could break rocks with his head.
‘St Thomas’,’ Jimmy shouted, as he approached the kids by the skateboard ramp. ‘Why you got this park? It’s nearer to our school than yours.’
A target of Ryan’s named Ali took the bait. ‘You got the massive reservoir park, right next to your school.’
Jimmy laughed. ‘That’s ours, but now we’re taxing this park.’
Ryan picked up the last of his chips as eight of his target kids moved towards the six CHERUB agents.
‘Why don’t you start something?’ a target called Andre shouted as he stepped out to the edge of the skating ramp. ‘You bitches be lucky to leave this park on two legs.’
As Andre stepped forward, CHERUB agent Alfie DuBoisson met him with a fist in the face.
‘Our park!’ Alfie shouted.
The St Thomas’ kids piled forward into the CHERUB agents. Blows flew in all directions, but the results were predictable as combat-trained CHERUB agents knocked three kids on their arses. One St Thomas’ kid charged in with a lump of wood, but was swiftly disarmed by Max and had the wood shoved up the inside of his blazer.
As the melee erupted between fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds, most of the little kids scrambled out of the park gate. Ryan balled up his chip paper and charged towards the action.
‘Think you’re hard?’ Ryan taunted, as he strode in with chest puffed and fists bunched.
The first rival Ryan faced was his friend Alfie. They’d fought in the dojo a few times and Ryan always got his arse kicked. But this time Ryan launched a pivoting roundhouse kick and Alfie acted out a backwards stumble, clutching his ribcage.
Jimmy had a Somali named Youssef in a headlock, until Ryan approached and karate-chopped him in the neck, forcing him to let go before giving him a two-fingered eye jab that didn’t quite make contact.
As Jimmy stumbled back with his hands over his eyes, another CHERUB agent charged at Ryan and ended up sprawled on his face from a trip.
‘Any more of you wanna piece of me?’ Ryan yelled.
The St Thomas’ kids who’d been knocked down in the initial onslaught were still mostly crawling around on the ground, while four of the CHERUB agents were getting to their feet. At the centre of it all, stood Ryan.
‘I got four of you,’ Ryan yelled confidently. ‘Where’s your bravado now?’
Alfie was the first CHERUB agent back on his feet, but as Ryan stepped closer