Secret Army - Robert Muchamore Page 0,26

up, or put your backs into it. You’ve no idea how happy it makes me to see you all working effortlessly as a team.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ PT said, and the younger kids all followed his lead.

‘It’s just past seven,’ Henderson said. ‘I’m going across to the farmhouse to have dinner with my wife. I’d suggest that you relax for a couple of hours. Put the lights out at nine-thirty and get a good night’s sleep. I want you up and ready for action at six tomorrow. We need to do a run-through of the weapons and explosives demonstration that Mr Takada and I have worked out and if the train is on time our guests should arrive before nine. Don’t stay up too late.’

‘Goodnight, sir,’ Marc said. ‘And congratulations on the baby.’

Henderson looked embarrassed as the other five trainees congratulated him.

‘You can name it after me,’ Paul said.

‘Yeah,’ Marc grinned. ‘If it’s a girl.’

Henderson smiled as he backed out and headed down the hall to give a similar speech to the kids from Group B in the next room.

As soon as Henderson was out of sight, PT grabbed the metal-legged table by the windows and dragged it into the middle of the room. He then produced a pack of shabby playing cards from the back of his shorts.

‘Who’s up for poker?’ he asked. ‘If this unit gets canned, this could be your last chance to win back the money you all owe me.’

‘I’m in,’ Marc said, as he sprang off his bed. ‘I’ll go grab a couple of chairs from the classroom across the hall.’

Rosie and Joel joined the table, bringing with them a square of green dress material that gave the table an authentic poker feel and a cardboard box filled with metal buttons which they used as chips. Luc hated card games and always stuck to his cowboy and detective novels.

‘You playing, Paul?’ Rosie asked.

‘Not tonight,’ Paul said.

‘Come on, mate,’ PT said encouragingly, as he sat backwards on a school chair facing towards the table. ‘You might be the youngest, but you’re my only serious competition.’

Paul shook his head. ‘I’ve got a headache and my guts are turning somersaults.’

Luc shouted from the other end of the room. ‘When I beat you up, you stay beaten up.’

‘Luc, shut your stupid mouth,’ Rosie yelled.

‘Fat whore,’ Luc shouted back.

Marc came in with a chair in each hand. He gave one to Joel and sat on the other.

‘Don’t you think Joel looks different with clean clothes and his hair combed?’ Rosie smiled.

‘Almost human,’ Marc nodded.

Rosie leaned across the table and cheekily kissed Joel on the cheek.

Marc laughed. ‘Better watch out, PT, your woman looks set to stray.’

Rosie gave PT a kiss, then Marc complained that he felt left out so she kissed him too.

‘Whore!’ Luc shouted again.

‘Shut up,’ the poker players all shouted back.

‘OK,’ PT said, as he split the cards and shuffled them expertly. Just for show he then shot them repeatedly from one hand to another and fanned them in a perfect arc across the table before cutting the deck and starting to deal. ‘The game is five card poker, deuces wild, no limits. Everyone starts with a thousand pounds’ worth of buttons.’

‘Why not a million pounds’ worth,’ Marc smiled. ‘Seeing as none of us actually has any money.’

‘I’ll pay my debts when I’m rich and famous,’ Rosie grinned.

After the first couple of hands, Troy came in from the other room acting shy. ‘I heard that you guys play cards. Mind if I join?’

‘More the merrier,’ PT nodded. ‘Go get a chair from across the hall.’

‘That’s one fancy dressing gown,’ Troy smiled, as he looked at Marc in his thickly quilted robe.

‘Yeah,’ Joel grinned. ‘It doesn’t make you look even slightly like a tart.’

‘Kiss my balls,’ Marc replied, as he tried not to make the disappointment of his first three cards too obvious.

Troy was late to the table, but surprised everyone by out-bluffing PT to win the second hand.

‘Beginner’s luck,’ PT said.

Troy smiled. ‘My dad was a fisherman. When they couldn’t go to sea they’d play cards. I’ve been watching since I was three, playing since I was five.’

PT didn’t like having his poker supremacy threatened and raised one eyebrow. ‘I’ve worked as a cabin boy on four different ships. I’ve played against cheats, hustlers and drunks who’ll stab you in the eye if you look at ’em the wrong way.’

Marc couldn’t resist making fun of the bravado. ‘Well, I’ve played poker with a giant squid called Neddy who’s been