stepping forward.
Expecting a cocky teen who’d probably done a few judo classes, Mya kept her hands low as she stepped forward and launched a vicious thigh kick. The blow hurt, but Ryan was taller and lunged with his right arm.
Ryan caught Mya under the chin with his palm, then took her by the throat, driving her backwards across a desk top. He narrowly avoided a kick in the face as he let go, and rather than take the opportunity of a knockout blow, he flipped the desk.
Mya crashed off the back, accompanied by pens and a tape dispenser. Then Ryan leaned on the underside of the desk, pinning his opponent between the desk top and the wall behind.
‘You can’t do that,’ Mya protested, arms flailing as she tried to break loose.
‘You kept your arms low,’ Ryan said, matter of factly. ‘You showed me a lack of respect.’
Uncle was smiling as Ryan took his weight off the table. Mya furiously launched herself back at Ryan. He went low and used Mya’s momentum to roll her over his shoulder, judo style.
‘Enough,’ Uncle yelled, stepping between as Mya hissed.
Mya got up in such a fury that she caught her ankle on a cable, tugging a lamp off a desk top. The twins smirked as Ryan and Mya eyeballed furiously.
‘How old are you?’ Uncle asked.
‘Seventeen,’ Ryan said. ‘My brothers are fourteen.’
Uncle smiled. ‘You like hurting people?’
‘Only if I have to,’ Ryan said.
‘How’s your moral compass?’ Uncle asked.
‘What do you mean?’ Ryan asked.
‘I mean, if I pay you a hundred quid to go smack someone into next week.’
Ryan shrugged, so Leon answered. ‘If he won’t, I will.’
‘I know potential when I see it,’ Uncle smiled, looking at Mya and wagging a finger. ‘You’re living at Nurtrust, right?’
Ryan decided to push his luck. ‘I asked Beast about a job at the scrapyard. Full time, part time. He’ll tell you I’m a hard worker. I just moved into the neighbourhood and I’m flat broke.’
Uncle shrugged. ‘Come by my office at the yard tomorrow morning. I’ll see what we can do.’
‘Awesome,’ Ryan grinned. ‘Thank you so much.’
‘Now I need some quiet,’ Uncle said, as he made to sit down at one of the desks. ‘You boys better clear out.’
‘But Trey said we should—’ Ryan began.
Uncle laughed as he sat in an office chair. ‘Trey’s lucky that his father is one of my oldest friends. He can get down on his knees and pull up carpet tiles for himself.’
As the boys headed out, Uncle opened a MacBook and the microphone under the desk recorded his login.
22. ROCKY
It was Saturday morning. With no school, kids at Nurtrust were pottering around in nightwear and grabbing breakfast to eat in bed. Ryan hated his cramped room with tiny escape-proof window, so he settled on a sofa in the TV lounge with bacon and hash browns. Rhea sat alongside, tucking her feet under her bum and smiling as she sipped hot chocolate.
‘We could do something tonight,’ Rhea said. ‘You got an ID? There’s a club called Passenger, not far from here.’
Ryan raised his hand. ‘What about my little brother?’
Rhea shrugged. ‘Leon’s cute, but he’s just a kid.’
‘I can’t,’ Ryan said. ‘I like you, but I’m not gonna start some huge row with Leon.’
Ryan was in shorts and he found Rhea’s hand touching just above his knee.
‘I can be very persuasive,’ she purred.
Daniel picked that exact moment to step in from the hallway.
‘A word, brother,’ he said, taking a superior tone.
Ryan apologised to Rhea as he ditched breakfast and headed out into the hallway.
‘Leon’s not gonna like that if he finds out,’ Daniel said, smirking as he led the way to their rooms.
‘I just got a text,’ Daniel explained. ‘James wants the three of us to drop by the flat in half an hour.’
They knocked on Leon’s door, and found him towelling off after a shower.
‘Nice zit on your back,’ Ryan teased. ‘Want me to splat it?’
‘So what does James want?’ Leon asked, as he dropped the towel and went for jeans, which still had yesterday’s briefs lined up inside.
‘Probably wants to tell me how great I am,’ Ryan suggested. ‘How the whole mission was going nowhere, until my magnificence stepped in and saved the day.’
‘You don’t half talk some crap,’ Leon said, as he realised that the trousers he’d just pulled up were gummed with carpet glue and went to his locker for a clean pair.
‘You heard from Rhea?’ Daniel asked his twin, stirring it.
Leon instinctively glowered at Ryan. Then shrugged and acted