Black Friday (CHERUB) - Robert Muchamore Page 0,64

moonlighted as an elastic band. She looked amazing, but walked like she’d had too much to drink and only stayed upright because Vlad’s steroid-pumped arm was holding her up.

Vlad deliberately took stools at the bar close to Ryan. ‘Vodka,’ Vlad said. ‘Double rum and Coke for the lady and a lemonade for the little boy.’

Ryan shook his head with contempt. The barman took the hint and didn’t pour his lemonade.

‘Hello, Ryan,’ Natalka said, slumping over the bar and giving him a limp wave. ‘I’m having fun with Vlad. He’s got really big muscles and he’s not a liar!’

Natalka giggled as Vlad pushed the double rum and Coke at her. ‘A toast,’ Vlad said. ‘To the most beautiful girl on earth.’

Ryan felt like he’d been stabbed as Natalka downed her double, then pulled Vlad in for a snog. When Natalka broke off, she caught Ryan’s eye and gave him an evil little smile.

‘I haven’t been with a proper man for ages,’ Natalka said.

‘Reckon it’s past your bedtime, Ryan,’ Vlad said. Then to the barman, ‘Another double for my girl.’

The barman wasn’t convinced this was in Natalka’s best interests, but Vlad’s diet of steroids made him aggressive as well as strong. He wasn’t a guy you could easily say no to.

Ryan didn’t want to admit defeat and leave, but rage and jealousy chewed him up as Vlad tugged up the back of Natalka’s skirt. Anyone who cared to look got a view of her bum as he scooped her easily off the stool into his lap.

‘Drink up,’ Vlad told Natalka. ‘I’ve got two hundred Dunhills for you in my room.’

Ryan baulked, certain Natalka would get more than two hundred cigarettes if she ended up in his room.

‘Where you going?’ Vlad asked, as Natalka slipped off his lap. ‘You’re my girl.’

‘Piss,’ Natalka said, before setting a wobbly course across the cigarette-scarred carpet.

Vlad turned towards Ryan once she was out of earshot. ‘I’m gonna be banging that tonight. How’s that make you feel?’

Ryan tutted. ‘She’s fourteen. You must be really proud of yourself.’

‘God only puts tits and arse like that on the earth for one reason,’ Vlad said, giving a wink. ‘She can have little Vlad babies!’

‘The amount of steroids you do, I’m amazed your balls haven’t shrivelled completely,’ Ryan said.

Ice cubes chinked as Ryan drained his Coke and jumped off his stool in disgust.

‘Sleep tight, baby boy,’ Vlad said.

Ryan shook his head as he crossed the bar and headed for the stairs. Part of him wanted to go to bed and try to forget everything, but he loved Natalka and felt responsible because he was the one who’d told her to get out of her room.

Although Ryan had done a ton of combat training on CHERUB campus, he’d seen Vlad bench press 240kg and do sets of bicep curls with dumbbells that he couldn’t even lift off the rack. If Ryan was going to take Vlad on, he had to knock him out fast. Steroids make you super-aggressive and a guy that strong can cave your head in with a few punches.

Ryan needed a weapon, but his window of opportunity began to close as Natalka stumbled out of the toilet into Vlad’s arms.

‘I’ll look after you, baby,’ Vlad said, feeding an arm around her back to hold her up.

Natalka had been drunk when she arrived at the bar and Vlad forcing two double rum and Cokes down her neck had left her near comatose.

As Vlad waited for the lift up to his third-floor room with Natalka, Ryan raced upstairs still trying to think up a plan. He was on the last landing when he noticed a sand bucket and fire extinguisher.

The extinguisher was a big chrome job, marked Expiry 2006. But while its fire-fighting ability was questionable, Ryan only cared about its weight. By the time he’d picked the extinguisher up and stepped through double doors into the third-floor corridor, the lift was on its way up.

Natalka was coughing as the doors opened and Vlad sounded furious as he shoved Natalka out of the lift.

‘Puked on my best shirt, you dumb slut,’ he snarled.

‘I didn’t mean it,’ Natalka said weakly.

‘Might have to punish you for that.’

Natalka was coughing and groaning as Vlad grabbed a handful of hair and shoved her towards his room. The waft of Natalka’s boozy puke coming from the lift made Ryan heave, but he managed to stifle it.

‘Hey, big man,’ Ryan shouted.

The instant Vlad turned Ryan lunged, belting him in the face with the end of the fire extinguisher.