Num8ers - By Rachel Ward Page 0,59

any nearer.”

“No, no, it’s cool.” Spider backed away. He was down on the tracks again.

“Spider, just give him the money.” My voice didn’t sound like mine.

He looked at me for a second, his face a picture of agony.

“I can’t, Jem. This is our future. You and me. This is a hotel room and a big double bed. It’s a pint or two in the pub, and fish and chips on the pier. How can we have that, how can we have all that, without any money?”

I had a big lump in my throat. He’d got this all in his head, what he wanted for us. Christ, it wasn’t much, was it? But we’d never have it. We’d never have even that. I started to cry. They were hot tears of frustration and longing, tears of hatred for the ticking clock.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant for you to get scared. You’re right, Jem. It’s only money. We’ll get some more. Let her go,” he said to Tattoo Face, “and you can have your money.”

“Yeah, right, soft lad. I wasn’t born yesterday. Give me the money and I’ll let her go.”

“We’ll do it together, yeah?”

“No, you’ll give me the money,” Tattoo Face said evenly, “and then I’ll let her go.”

Knowing Spider, I knew what was coming next. I could see it all in my head in slow motion, but Tattoo Face couldn’t. He let out a great cry of dismay as Spider got the money out of the envelope, took the rubber band off, drew his hand way back, and then flung it up and forward, launching the roll into the sky.

Tattoo Face’s grip slackened. He dropped the knife, dropped me, and hurtled down the embankment to the railway track.

I ran toward Spider and we met halfway. He gathered me into him, pressing me into his chest, clutching at my hair.

“It’s alright. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, Jem.” His voice was thick, he wasn’t far from tears himself. “Let’s get out of here. Leave him to it.”

The air was full of money. The pound notes were still falling all around us as we picked our way up the embankment. I looked back at Tattoo Face, bent over, picking up note after note. You could tell he was mad, really mad, muttering to himself as he puffed and panted his way along, facedown.

Spider had both arms around me. When we got to the top of the slope, he helped me over the fence again. I waited for him to join me, but he was standing there, one hand on the railings.

“Come on, let’s get away from here,” I said.

He looked over his shoulder. I groaned.

“No, please, leave it. It’s only money.”

“Just a hundred quid, Jem. Think what we could do with a hundred.”

I reached through the railings and grabbed his sleeve.

“Spider, don’t.”

He unwound my fingers and kissed them.

“I’ll be back in one minute,” he said and started back down the slope.

“Spider, no! No!” I screamed. He was down on the tracks now. Tattoo Face looked up at him.

“Come back for more, have you?”

“I just want a little bit. My cut — it’s mine, anyway.”

“You’re not having any, you little shit. You go back to your girlfriend, right now, or I’ll give you a good hiding.”

Spider squared up to him. “I’m not frightened of you.”

“Funny, that’s what your gran said when I paid her a visit.”

“You what?”

“I just wanted to know where you were. Bit of information. She wasn’t very cooperative, your gran. Gave me a bit of lip, just like you. Still, she wasn’t saying anything by the time I left her….”

“You bastard! What have you done to her?” Spider launched himself straight at him, charging head down into his stomach. He knocked Tattoo Face off his feet, and they rolled together down the embankment onto the tracks. They were tumbling around, wrestling and landing real punches on each other with the sickening noise of flesh slamming into flesh. Behind their animal grunts and groans, there was other noise building up in the background: the rumbling of a distant train, and sirens, lots of them, getting nearer and nearer.

“Spider!” I screamed. “Just get away from him! Get away!” I don’t know if he heard me.

Suddenly, there was so much happening at once. Two police cars and a van swung into the road, screeched to a halt, and spewed out teams of uniforms. They swarmed over the fence. Two