Hunted (25 page)

‘The police will be here soon,’ Nico said.

‘Ed and Ketty should be here sooner,’ I said.

‘Let’s wait in those trees,’ Nico went on.

I’d only gone a couple of steps before I realised Harry wasn’t with us. He was still standing, staring, open-mouthed, at the bombsite in front of him. I went back and touched his arm gently.

‘Harry?’ I said. ‘We need to get under cover of the trees.’

He turned and stared at me, his eyes wide with wonder. ‘You just saved all our lives,’ he said.

‘Yeah, I’m awesome like that,’ I smiled. ‘Come on.’

Harry followed me. As we reached the trees, Laura drove up with Ketty and Ed in the back of the car. As we got in, Laura gaped at the devastation behind us.

‘What on earth . . .?’

‘We have to go,’ I urged.

The sound of sirens filled the air. Laura cast an anxious glance at her son, gritted her teeth and drove off.

Two hours later and all of us except Harry were clustered under a large tree on the edge of a motorway café. The sky was overcast and a light drizzle pattered onto the leaves above us.

I glanced over at Harry. He was squatting under a neighbouring tree, Ed’s laptop in his hands. He didn’t appear to be paying any attention to our conversation.

Not that anyone was speaking right now. In fact, a heavy silence hung over the group. Ketty – who hadn’t needed stitches, but who was still pale and limping from the bite on her leg – was the first to break it.

‘So we’re decided, then?’

‘It’s the only way,’ Nico said. ‘The only way we’ll be safe.’

Laura nodded. She’d been resistant at first, but after we’d explained how we’d seen – and then lost – the proof against Geri, she accepted our decision. After all, if we turned ourselves over to the authorities, we would just end up in Geri’s hands.

‘I’ll call ahead and find you somewhere to stay tonight,’ Laura said. ‘Will you let me know when you get there?’

‘Of course,’ I reassured her. ‘Once we’re out of the country, everything will get easier.’

Laura hurried away from the tree to make the call.

Our plan was to smuggle ourselves on a ferry to France and head along the coast to wherever Laura managed to book for us – a place for us to hide out for a few days and work out where on earth we went next.

It wasn’t what I wanted.

At last I knew who killed my parents – but, instead of being able to take revenge, I was running away.

Now that I’d had a little time to think, I could hardly contain the loathing I felt for Geri. Knowing what she’d done to my mom and dad was bad enough, but when I thought about her lies and deceit . . . the way she’d pretended she was my friend . . . confided in me . . . a terrible fury consumed me and all I could think about was hurting her in some way.

‘Guys?’ Harry appeared, Ed’s laptop tucked under his arm. ‘I think I’ve found something.’

‘What?’ Ed asked.

Harry glanced at his mother. She was still busy with her phone call. He lowered his voice and turned to me. ‘D’you remember last night Geri said that she killed your dad because he was threatening to reveal something?’

I nodded, a fresh wave of rage flowing through me as I thought back to the conversation and Geri’s smug, arrogant attitude.

‘And d’you remember those five meetings your dad had with Bookman in the week before he died and how I downloaded the notes that had been logged on those meetings?’

‘Course we do,’ Nico said impatiently. ‘What have you found?’

‘I’ve just managed to decrypt the files from those meetings and there’s something interesting,’ Harry said.

‘What?’ I stared at him anxiously. With everything that had happened I’d completely forgotten about the meetings between my dad and Bookman.

‘Most of it just backs up what Geri said about William – your dad – threatening to expose her latest project. All the references to what William wanted to expose have been deleted, except in one place,’ Harry said eagerly. ‘It’s the last conversation William Fox had with Bookman. It doesn’t make any sense on its own, but if you understand the context . . .’

He handed me the open laptop and pointed to the screen.

I read the email out loud.

‘The code’s the Medusa code obviously,’ Nico said.

‘Yes, my dad was threatening to tell the police if Bookman gave it to this guy Sydney,’ I said.

‘I didn’t think anyone else other than William Fox
had
the code before he died,’ Laura said. ‘Bookman and Geri must have stolen it.’

‘But if Geri stole the code years ago you’d have thought she’d have kept a copy before selling it to Sydney,’ Ed mused. ‘In which case, why was she so desperate to get hold of that copy William Fox left with his brother?’

No one had an answer to that.

‘At least we know why Geri killed my dad,’ I said. ‘To stop him exposing the fact that she and Bookman were giving the code to Sydney.’

‘Who’s Sydney?’ Ed asked.

‘I don’t know.’ I frowned.

‘And why would William risk his own life to tell the police about Sydney having the code?’ Nico said.

‘Because he knew it killed our mothers,’ Ketty breathed. ‘And he didn’t want it used again.’

Silence fell, the only sound the soft pattering of the rain above our heads.

‘D’you think they did it?’ I said. ‘I mean, d’you think Bookman and Geri really gave the Medusa code to Sydney?’

I caught Ed’s eye. I could see he understood where my thoughts were headed.

‘Man, if they did . . .’ Nico said.

‘. . . Then there might be others,’ Ketty added. ‘Others like us . . . with the Medusa gene.’

Exactly.

I stared at the grey sky in the distance. Another shock, in a day full of them. For as long as I’d known about the Medusa gene, there had only ever been the four of us.

‘Others with the gene means others with psychic powers,’ Ed said.

‘And dead mothers,’ Ketty added.

‘We have to find out,’ I said.

I might not be in a position to take revenge on Geri, but I could at least try to find out what my father had died attempting to stop.

‘But we don’t know who Sydney is or where to find him,’ Ed said. ‘He might be dead. He might be dangerous. And if the code for the Medusa gene did change hands, it happened fifteen years ago . . . the trail will be completely cold by now . . .’

‘I know it won’t be easy,’ I said. ‘But there are people who can help us.’ I threw a glance at Harry. ‘You’re a good hacker,’ I said. ‘Having you on the end of the phone could make all the difference.’

Harry stared at me. I couldn’t read his look.

Laura walked over. ‘I’ve booked you into a hotel in France. It’s near the place where the ferry docks and it’s paid for in advance. It shouldn’t be hard to find. I’ve texted you the details, Dylan.’

Ed cleared his throat. ‘Geri might believe for a while that Dylan and Nico died in the blast, but eventually the forensics will show there are no bodies in the rubble,’ he said. ‘Which means the sooner we leave the better.’

‘I’ll take you to the docks,’ Laura said.

‘No,’ Nico said. ‘I mean, we’re all grateful for your help, but if anyone sees us together, you and Harry could become targets.’

Laura opened her mouth to protest, but I spoke first.

‘We need you here, in the UK,’ I said. ‘Any taxi can take us to the docks, but you’re the only people here we can trust, which is much more important. Please.’

Laura closed her mouth and let out a long, shaky breath. ‘Okay, I’ll call you a cab.’ She took out her phone.

The rain fell more heavily. I could feel it on my hair and neck. I reached out and touched Laura’s arm, sending my protective force around us both.

I couldn’t believe how simple it was, once I stopped trying so hard to control the energy.

Laura smiled, suddenly aware that the rain was no longer falling on her head.

After the call, she drew me to one side. ‘I can’t bear to lose you having only just found you,’ she said. ‘But I can see it’s for the best. Geri Paterson is too powerful to take chances with.’ She paused. ‘I want to thank you. When Harry told me how you saved him and Nico, I didn’t know whether to shout at him for coming after you or hug you for protecting him.’

‘Harry saved me, too,’ I said, glancing round to make sure he wasn’t in earshot. ‘He worked out about the gas. If we hadn’t known about that so early on, I might not have had enough time to get out of the room.’

‘When’s the cab coming?’ Nico wandered over. ‘Laura and Harry should go before it gets here. We don’t want anyone to connect us to them.’

‘It’ll be here in a few minutes,’ Laura said. ‘I want to stay, make sure you get off okay.’

‘No, please. Nico’s right,’ I said. ‘You should go.’

‘Okay.’ Laura gave me a hug, then went back to the others. ‘Come on, Harry. We can call later.’

I watched her and Harry saying goodbye to Nico, Ketty and Ed. As Laura walked over to her car, I stared at the damp grass, bracing myself.

Harry was about to leave.

And then he walked right up to me. ‘Hey, Red,’ he said. ‘Come with me for a sec.’

I could feel Nico, Ed and Ketty staring at us, but I kept my eyes on Harry, following him past the trees and into a clearing near some large bushes. As soon as we were out of sight, Harry grabbed my hand. My stomach flipped over.

‘I could come with you, Red,’ he said. ‘I can hack into IT systems . . . I can be useful . . .’

‘I know,’ I said. ‘But you have to stay with your mom. She needs you. And you can be useful here, too.’

Harry shook his head. He smiled. He dropped my hand and dug into his pocket. ‘Well, at least take this.’ Harry took the Clusterchaos program and pressed it into my palm. ‘I can get another copy . . . I’ve shown Ed how to use it. He can tell the rest of you.’

I nodded. ‘Thank you.’

‘Harry! We should go,’ Laura called.

‘Coming!’ Harry took a step away from me. ‘I’ll miss you, Red.’

‘Wait.’

Harry stopped.

I swallowed. ‘I’m sorry I was rude to you . . . before. I didn’t think . . . I mean,
I
thought Jack was amazing when I met him . . . and he’s your dad. I can understand why you got caught up in his—’

‘No, there’s
no
excuse,’ Harry said bitterly. ‘I can’t believe I thought Jack was so cool . . .’ He paused. ‘. . . I can’t believe I let him make me lie to someone I really like . . .’

He stopped and a silence fell between us. The rain started to fall harder again. Instinctively, I summoned my force field to stop the rain from reaching me. In the background I could hear Laura’s car door slam shut and the others talking in a low murmur.

I moved closer to Harry. ‘When you say . . . about the someone you really like . . . is that . . . do you mean . . .?’

‘You, Red.’ Harry took a step towards me. He grinned. ‘Obviously, I mean you.’

We were standing right in front of each other now.

‘You think you’re real cute, don’t you?’ I raised my eyebrows.

‘I think you think I am.’ Harry’s grin split his face.

He bent down so our faces were almost touching.

And then I let the force field around me slide away and we kissed.

It seemed to go on forever, but it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. We drew away from each other. Harry blew out his breath.

‘We are so doing that again,’ he said.

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Real soon.’

He squeezed my hand, then we walked through the trees and out to Laura’s car. She waved at me as Harry got in beside her. Seconds later they were gone.

I stared after them, along the empty road. The rain was falling more heavily now, drops running down my face. I didn’t bother to engage my force field.

Instead, I stood in the rain. Alone.

After all my efforts to find out what really happened to my parents, what was I left with?

I’d lost the only proof that Geri Paterson killed my parents – and both she and Jack were still at large and unpunished while I was forced to flee the country.

The copy of the Medusa code my dad had left me was buried in a remote garden and – even if I was ever able to come back here to reclaim it – I didn’t have a clue what I was supposed to do with it.

And, just as Laura and Harry came into my life, they were gone.

Nico and Ketty appeared on either side of me.

I glanced at them. ‘What?’

‘I like the guy,’ Nico said with a grin. ‘What about you, Ketts?’

‘Harry?’ Ketty said. ‘Sure I like him. He’s cool. I wonder how Dylan feels?’

‘Don’t either of you even think about making fun of me,’ I snarled. ‘I’m not in the freakin’ mood.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing,’ Nico said archly.

‘Me neither,’ Ketty added. ‘I mean, it’s not every day you see people fall in love. It’s kind of a special thing.’

‘I’m not in—’ I stopped, knowing that getting defensive would just make me look like I was lying . . . knowing, in my heart, that denial
was
a lie . . .

‘Whatever . . .’ Nico chuckled. ‘Hey, maybe having a boyfriend will soften Dylan up a bit.’

‘If you don’t shut up, I’ll soften
you
up a bit,’ I growled.

‘She doesn’t sound softer, does she?’ Ketty giggled.

‘I like her lacking in softness,’ Ed said with a smile, wandering over. ‘It’s what I’m used to.’

A car pulled round the corner and a tired-looking, grey-haired man leaned out of the window. ‘You kids call a cab?’ he shouted.

We headed to the taxi.

‘I call shotgun,’ I grunted. ‘By which I mean I want to sit in the front seat . . . as far away from you guys as I can get.’

‘Fine with me,’ Nico said. ‘You can sit where you like. I owe you for saving my life.’

‘And me,’ Ketty said. ‘Feel the love, Dylan.’

Ed grinned. ‘Looks like you’re stuck with it.’

‘Three friends and a boyfriend,’ Ketty laughed.

‘And all being nice to you in one day,’ Nico added.

‘Oh, bite me,’ I said.

And, trying not to let them see me the smile that, in spite of everything, was creeping across my face, I got into the front seat of the cab and we drove away, into our new future.