New Guard (CHERUB) - Robert Muchamore Page 0,59

the top half was only lightly frosted and James could see the outline of a couple kissing. Both about the same height, girl with long black hair.

‘Mmm,’ Bruce moaned, as he kissed the girl’s neck.

James was intrigued. She was too tall for Tovah, the caretaker’s wife was sixty and had grey hair and the female training assistant was practically a skinhead.

‘Aww, shit,’ the girl gasped.

James gasped too when he realised it was Ning.

‘What happened?’ Bruce asked anxiously.

‘Your watch strap caught in my hair,’ Ning said. ‘It’s fine.’

‘Sorry,’ Bruce said, as Ning started kissing him again.

James was torn. On one hand, Bruce was his mate, Bruce was a decent guy and he never seemed to have much luck with women. On the other, Bruce had been teaching martial arts on campus, which meant he was CHERUB staff, and since Ning was seventeen and an agent, this broke all kinds of rules.

James watched as Ning backed up and sat on a desk in the middle of the room. Bruce leaned over, kissing her, while running a hand through her hair. James wondered if Bruce would kick his ass if he burst in and told him to stop.

‘I don’t mind,’ Ning said soothingly, as she clenched Bruce’s bum. ‘I want you to. I’m seventeen. I’m not a kid.’

Bruce backed off, running a tense hand over his face.

‘I want to know what it’s like,’ Ning begged. ‘I want you to be the one.’

Bruce sounded frustrated. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to,’ he said. ‘But staff and agents is a big no. I shouldn’t even be kissing you.’

‘Temporary staff,’ Ning said. ‘You’re going back to Thailand straight after this mission. Which isn’t even a CHERUB mission.’

‘Temporary staff is still staff,’ Bruce noted sadly.

Ning seemed a bit upset, but then stood up and gave Bruce a kiss. ‘Trust me to fall for the only guy on campus who wants to keep his dick in his pants.’

‘It’s not that I don’t want to,’ Bruce said. ‘You’re smoking hot.’

Ning laughed as Bruce held her wrist and looked into her eyes.

‘You’ll leave CHERUB early next year,’ Bruce said. ‘I’ll sort you a job in Thailand and then we can be together without breaking any rules.’

‘I’m gonna miss you so much when you leave,’ Ning said. ‘I could quit CHERUB.’

‘You’re still not eighteen,’ Bruce reminded her. ‘And besides, what’s the rush? You’ve got the rest of your life to not be a CHERUB agent.’

‘We’ll have to Skype.’

‘Every day,’ Bruce agreed. ‘I’m not going anywhere. I really like you.’

Ning smiled coyly. ‘Since you’re still refusing to deflower me, I suppose I could go for some breakfast.’

‘We’d better not be seen together,’ Bruce said. ‘I’ve already had a few sly comments from the twins about the chemistry between us. You head off first.’

James ducked back into his office as Ning made a swift exit. As soon as she was out of sight, James stuck his head around the frosted glass door and found Bruce picking up the stuff he’d knocked off the table.

‘Caught you!’ James shouted.

‘What do you mean?’ Bruce blurted, shooting upright and looking mortified.

James smiled. ‘Mate, I’m bloody impressed that you took the moral high ground.’

‘Rules are there to protect kids from abuse by adults,’ Bruce sighed. ‘My pre-CHERUB years were no bed of roses, so I respect them.’

‘Fair play,’ James said.

‘Are you gonna tell on us?’ Bruce asked. ‘I think technically, my employment contract with CHERUB expired when I flew here and signed up for an off-the-books mission.’

‘Nah,’ James said. ‘You’re one of my best mates and one of the nicest guys I know. Ning has worked as my assistant in mission control. She’s clever, funny and I totally get why you like her. Plus, you’re both nuts about beating people up. So basically, it’s a match made in heaven.’

‘Six-year age gap,’ Bruce said, smiling awkwardly. ‘You won’t be the only one who calls me a cradle snatcher.’

‘Screw the lot of ’em,’ James said, smirking. ‘I’ll come visit you in Thailand when you’re all settled down with four kickboxing brats and a family dojo.’

32. WEIGHT

James tried to stay awake by keeping himself occupied. Nobody else was around to clean up, so he went into the little sick bay in the admin building and restocked the medical pack. Thoughts turned to Kerry as he scraped her dried blood from the stretcher and nuked it with bleach spray, before setting it to rest against a wall. It was a quarter to eleven, so she was probably getting wheeled into surgery