Part 18 (1/2)

They'd only gone a hundred metres when the heat blew out one of the back tyres. A few seconds later, the fuel caught and the back end of the car went up in a fireball.

It was less than a kilometre home, but they were feeling their injuries and the walk seemed to take for ever. James had a pounding headache. When they staggered through to the kitchen, Ewart jumped up from the table, surprised by the state they were in. He made them both hot drinks and sandwiches while Zara and Nicole cleaned up their cuts and bruises.

'Shower and go to bed,' Zara said, after they'd explained what had happened. 'Don't bother getting up for school in the morning. You both need a good day's rest.'

'I better ring Kelvin first,' James said.

'OK,' Ewart said. 'Do that while Kerry's in the shower, then go straight to bed.'

18. RISKS.

James was out as soon as he hit the pillow and the next thing he knew it was 10 a.m. the following morning. He had six huge bruises, a couple of grazes and a giant scab on his bottom lip. When he stood up, his thigh muscle felt tight and he could only manage short steps.

Down in the kitchen, Joshua was on the floor playing with some magnets he'd pulled off the fridge door and Kerry was at the table in her nights.h.i.+rt. She looked sh.e.l.l-shocked.

'Sleep OK?' James asked.

'Not bad,' Kerry said. 'Zara just made a pot of tea if you want some.'

James poured a mug and got a bowl of cereal.

'I can't believe all we went through last night,' Kerry grinned. 'If I didn't hurt in ten places, I might believe it was all a dream.'

'Same here,' James smiled. 'You were so tough on Crazy Joe when you had him tied up. I know you've got a temper, but I've never seen you juiced-up like that before.'

'I was so angry,' Kerry said. 'I mean, what kind of scuzzball pays skinheads to beat up kids?'

'At least Kelvin seemed cool when I explained how we got the drugs back; and we saved the mission.'

Zara stepped in from the garden and threw an empty laundry basket down beside the was.h.i.+ng machine. She'd heard James' last line.

'You know,' she said, 'sometimes a mission isn't worth saving.'

'What?' James gasped.

Kerry looked surprised as well.

'I respect what you two did last night,' Zara said. 'You made a decision under tricky circ.u.mstances and it came off. But Ewart and I both feel you should have come home. It was an unacceptable risk going up against a man with a gun.'

James and Kerry both looked wounded.

'There's no need for those faces,' Zara said.

She picked Joshua off the floor and sat him on her lap at the table.

'CHERUB is one of the most secret organisations in the world,' Zara explained. 'Only two people in the British government know it exists: the Intelligence Minister and the Prime Minister. When politicians first find out about CHERUB, they're usually queasy about putting kids in danger. Then Mac explains about all the useful work cherubs do and the lengths we go to to make you guys safe.

'Imagine if you two had been hurt, or even killed, last night. Mac would have had to go to London to explain the facts: two kids got mugged and went chasing after an armed drug dealer. At the least, Mac and the senior people within CHERUB would be sacked for letting something so irresponsible happen. The politicians might even decide they can't stomach what CHERUB does and shut the whole show down.'

Kerry nodded. 'When you put it like that, I can see it wasn't worth it.'

'Sorry,' James said.

'You've got nothing to be sorry for,' Zara smiled. 'Just try to be less gung-ho from now on.'

Kelvin rang James' mobile around midday.

'I've been making calls about what happened,' he said. 'Can you meet us down here at the boxing club and bring everything you got off Crazy Joe with you?'

'I'm not in s.h.i.+t, am I?' James asked.

'No, no way,' Kelvin said. 'I just want you to fetch the stuff down and we'll see you right. And that bird you had with you.'

'Kerry,' James said.

'Yeah, bring her as well.'

Kerry had never been up to the boxing club. The gym was quiet at this time of day; just a few of the more serious boxers putting themselves through punis.h.i.+ng workouts. Ken, as always, sat in his chair holding a mug of tea and watching everything that happened.

'They're using my office,' he said. 'Knock before you go in.'

A gigantic man in a suit and tie stood guard at the door of the dingy office. James did a double take when he got inside. Crazy Joe was leaning against the back wall; he had a bloodstained dressing over a cut in his forehead. Kelvin sat on a cabinet off to one side and the big cheese himself was in the cracked leather chair at the desk.

'Take a seat,' Keith Moore said.

He didn't look like anyone special. A smallish man, with cropped brown hair. He wore Levis and a white polo s.h.i.+rt. The only conspicuous sign of wealth was a chunky gold ring.

'I haven't had the pleasure before,' Keith said, reaching over and shaking James' and Kerry's hands. 'Have you brought everything you took off Joe?'

James rattled the carrier bags between his legs.

'It's all in there.'

'I take it you know who I am?' Keith asked.

'Yeah,' James said. 'I've seen you at your house. I was on the Playstation with Junior.'

'My business runs itself these days,' Keith said. 'People go off to South America to buy stock, stock arrives, stock gets distributed.'

James noticed that he never referred to drugs or cocaine, in case the room was bugged.

Keith continued, 'Sometimes I go for weeks hearing the same message: all the usual problems, boss, but nothing we can't handle. Then, just when you think nothing is ever going to excite you, something turns up like what you two did last night.'

'It was a test, wasn't it?' Kerry asked.

'That's right,' Keith smiled. 'You won't last long in business without loyal people. The best way to find what they're made of is to give them some fake merchandise and put them in a situation like we put you two in last night. Some people get scared and turn hysterical. Those are the ones who'll cause problems if they get busted. We have to kick them out. Some people are sorry for losing the merchandise, but they tough it out and beg for another chance. That's what we're hoping for: guts and determination. Until last night, though, n.o.body ever showed enough guts to hunt down and get revenge on the guys we paid to rob them. What you two did was very impressive.'

James and Kerry both smiled.