Night School - Endgame (21 page)

‘I think you need to leave. You’re not safe with me right now.’

‘
W
ait
.’ Allie held up her hands, panic rising in her chest. ‘We just had to know who you were before we came to you. It wasn’t like that. What if you were a murderer or… something?’

‘From the sounds of it, you’re the murderer, kitten,’ he growled. ‘And if you’ve looked at my records you know I’ve killed a fair few people myself.’

Every muscle in his body was tense. She kept looking at his hands, which rested flat on the table. They looked strong – dangerous.

From the corner of her eye, Allie saw Raj had set his newspaper down and was watching them closely. Until that moment she’d almost forgotten he and the others were there.

She let out a breath.

‘That was war,’ she said quietly. ‘Not murder.’

She didn’t specify which of them she was talking about.

Nine was unmoved. ‘Call it whatever you want, kitten. Killing’s killing.’

‘Then we’re both murderers,’ she said.

It felt strangely liberating to say that. How odd that it was so easy to confess her crime to the only person who really understood – somebody else who’d done the same thing.

‘Just… please don’t think I’m as bad as Nathaniel,’ she said. ‘I’m not. I want to do good things with my life. I want to help people. I don’t want to spend my life making my money. I want to spend my life doing good work. Being useful. Changing things.’

They were completely off-script now. She was winging it. Which was exactly what Raj had warned her not to do. None the less, her instincts told her Moran would see right through their carefully prepared lines. He seemed to have an instinct for honesty.

So honesty was what she’d give him.

‘I want you on my side,’ she continued. ‘But if you don’t want to be on my side, if you want to keep working for Nathaniel, that’s fine, too. You don’t owe me anything. I just don’t understand it. Because I know you hate him.’

He studied her for a long minute, as if making up his mind about her.

‘How do you know I hate him?’

He picked up his fork again. Allie took a long, relieved breath. And hoped he wouldn’t stab her with it.

‘Look, don’t freak out at me, but I’ve spent hours listening to you talk about him,’ she said. ‘I think you hate him as much as I do.’

He chewed his food thoughtfully, swallowing before he answered.

‘He’s as mad as a box of badgers, that much I’ll allow you.’

Allie’s lips twitched. ‘That’s a nice way of putting it.’

Moran turned his attention to his plate – he didn’t speak again for a few minutes. Allie suspected this was a tactic to throw her off, but she didn’t try to interrupt his meal.

He ate with mechanical thoroughness. Fast. Not messy, just efficient. Like a soldier.

When he’d finished, he pushed his plate away and picked up his mug of tea.

‘I didn’t know what he was on about that night,’ he said. ‘Some papers he wanted you to sign. Something crazy like that. I think he might have killed you if he got his hands on you.’ He took a sip of tea. ‘Just didn’t want to have to clean up the mess.’

‘He was asking me to sign away my rights to him,’ Allie explained. ‘My legacy from my family. From my grandmother. She left it to me. He wants it. I don’t want it, but I won’t give it to him.’

It was a miscalculation.

‘Family money.’ He spit the words out. ‘You rich people, squabbling over who gets how many millions. Living in your mansions. You don’t have a clue. You’re just a kid and look at you.’ He thrust a finger in her direction. ‘Already fighting over money. Clawing each other’s eyes out. Using working people like we’re not humans, too.’

Allie flinched. She was beginning to worry this wouldn’t work at all. His rage always seemed to be simmering, just beneath the surface. She had to do something to win his trust.

‘It’s not the money I want,’ she insisted. ‘I’ve never been rich. Don’t you see? This isn’t about money. It’s about power.’

He watched her narrowly. ‘Explain.’

‘There is a group of people who run things. The government, the courts. Not directly – you couldn’t find them if you wanted to. But they’re there. My grandmother was one of them until she died. Nathaniel is too, now. He wants the power she had. If he gets it…’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t even know what he could do. You know he’s crazy. I know he’s crazy. I just…’ She exhaled slowly. ‘I want to stop him. Then I want to get away from him. I want…’ She picked up her water. ‘I want to live a little while longer.’

He didn’t speak immediately. Seconds ticked by. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to have gone quiet. The big cook had disappeared, presumably into the kitchen. It was as if the whole building held its breath.

A complex array of emotions crossed Moran’s face. Resignation. Worry.

At last he sighed. ‘What do you want me to do? Tell me that, then I’ll tell you my decision.’

It was what she’d been waiting for. Allie leaned forward eagerly.

‘Nathaniel’s holding a friend of mine. A boy. His name is Carter West. He’s locked up somewhere in that farmhouse right now.’

Moran’s unsurprised expression told her he knew all about it.

‘I need you to unchain him,’ she said. ‘And get him out of the building. Tonight.’

‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Is that all? I thought it might be hard or something.’ His tone was sardonic. ‘Jesus Christ, kid. You don’t ask much, do you?’ He raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Even if I wanted to do that, I’m not sure I could. Nathaniel has guards watching that kid. Constantly.’

‘One of those guards is you,’ Allie said reasonably. ‘And you know the others. How many watch him overnight?’

He held up two fingers.

‘Can you get a shift tonight so that you’re one of them?’

‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘Probably. I don’t know.’

He was close. Allie could tell. She nearly had him. He didn’t want to – the job was dangerous. But he would do it. If she didn’t blow it.

‘You know what Nathaniel’s doing is wrong,’ she said. ‘I can tell you do. And I think you’re a good person. You don’t want to work for him anymore. I think you’re trapped.’ She leaned towards him. ‘We will help you. Get Carter out of that room tonight at 1 a.m. Take him to the side door – the one leading to the stables. We will have people there waiting for you. They will get you and Carter to safety. For this, my people will pay you one million pounds. Cash.’

His jaw dropped.

‘That is the deal we’re offering you, Mr Moran,’ she said quietly. ‘We will change your life.’

If she’d punched him in the stomach he couldn’t have looked more stunned. Perspiration broke out on his brow.

It took him a second to reply.

‘How do I know I can trust you?’

It was a loaded question. But Allie didn’t blink. ‘I think you’re a pretty good judge of character, Mr Moran. Do you think you can trust me?’

For a long moment they stared at each other across the table. Then he pushed back his chair and stood up. She couldn’t read his expression.

‘One o’clock,’ he said. ‘I’ll get the kid out. I can’t promise any more than that.’

It was well after seven o’clock by the time they got back to the school.

Raj rode back to the school in the car with Allie and Zelazny so they could go over everything Nine had said. By the time they reached the front gates, they’d formulated a plan.

They had no choice but to work fast. They had less than four hours.

When the SUV stopped at the front door, they leaped out, jogging together up the front steps. Isabelle met them in the entrance hall – Raj had filled her in by phone along the way.

They ran upstairs to Dom’s office, planning as they went.

Allie could never remember them working like this before – with such urgency. As if all their own lives depended on it. Not just Carter’s.

When they arrived, Dom already had the maps up on the wall.

‘Update?’ Raj snapped as they stormed into the room.

‘Nine is back at work,’ Dom said. She glanced at Allie. ‘He appears completely normal.’

‘Any news on Carter?’ Allie asked.

The American shook her head. ‘Not a word from anyone.’

In a way, it was good news. If Nathaniel was suspicious of what they were planning – if he had any inkling – he’d be moving Carter, or protecting him.

‘What’s the plan, Raj?’ Isabelle asked.

They gathered around a map. The boundaries of Nathaniel’s farm had been carefully measured and marked on it.

‘We leave here at midnight,’ he said. ‘Arriving at St John’s Fields, we have thirty minutes to set up. My teams will be here, here, here and here.’ Raj pointed at four locations widely spaced around the farmhouse.

‘Ten vehicles will wait on this road.’ He pointed to a slim white line that ran past the front of the complex.

Allie, who had seen it on the satellite feed many times, could visualise the narrow country road.

‘Isabelle and Allie will wait here.’ He pointed to a location about a quarter of a mile from the farmhouse. ‘They’ll coordinate communication and provide backup assistance.’

Allie’s heart gave a flutter of excitement. This had been decided in the car on the way over. With her injury, she couldn’t run well enough to be out on the ground, but they’d agreed she could be close.

That had to be enough, this time.

‘Presuming Moran does as he’s said,’ Raj continued, ‘once Carter is secured, we separate, travelling on foot to the vehicles in multiple teams. Each team acts as a decoy for the others, in case the security system is alerted.’ He glanced up. ‘We need to keep them divided and confused.’

All the instructors were arriving now as word spread of their return, along with senior Night School students and a few of Raj’s guards.

Raj, still dressed in jeans and the casual grey top he’d worn to the Chequers, was in his element. Confident and focused, but relaxed. Next to him, Isabelle was tense, her forehead creased with worry.

‘How many guards will you take?’

‘Thirty.’ Raj’s jaw was set. ‘If we’re going in, we’re going in mob-handed.’

‘Good.’ The headmistress gave a terse nod. ‘The rest will remain here, guarding the grounds.’

The plan was solid. Everything had been carefully thought out on their side, at least.

But Allie was increasingly worried about how Nine could pull this off. He was alone against all of Nathaniel’s well-trained guards.

If he failed, Carter was dead.

Raj called for questions.

‘This plan relies heavily on the cooperation of one of Nathaniel’s guards.’ Zelazny’s sharp voice cut through the low murmur of conversation in the room. ‘What’s your plan if this Moran sells you out? What if it’s not Carter who comes to the door but thirty of Nathaniel’s guards?’

It was a question he’d asked more than once in the car on the way back from the Chequers, and Raj was ready for it.

‘Then we fight.’ His voice was cool. ‘I’m bringing ten guards into the grounds. Twenty will remain hidden just outside the fence line. If I call for backup they are to move at speed to our location.’ He glanced at Isabelle. ‘I estimate we could have everyone on the grounds in less than twenty seconds. I’ve been watching the grounds for days. There are never more than fifteen security personnel on site. We will outnumber them two to one.’

Isabelle glanced at the history teacher. ‘Does that satisfy your concerns, August?’

‘It will have to do,’ the history teacher replied, but he didn’t sound mollified. Allie knew he was worried, and she couldn’t blame him.

Isabelle was already moving the conversation along, though. ‘What’s happening on the ground now, Raj? Dom?’

‘I have ten guards at various locations surrounding the farm – they’ve been there all day,’ Raj said. ‘They report normal activity. Nathaniel is not believed to be inside the house. He was seen to leave at 1600 hours. He has not returned. The house is quiet.’

Dom added, ‘Comms are normal at this time – no sign Moran’s warned them what we’re planning.’

Isabelle glanced at Raj. ‘Is there anything you need?’

He shook his head. ‘The vehicles are being fuelled and prepped now. We leave at midnight.’

The room had gone still. Everyone knew how important this moment was. Everyone knew what was at stake.

Isabelle turned to face the crowd, which now filled the converted classroom and spilled into the hallway. It seemed every person in the school had come to see what was happening.

‘This is a crucial operation.’ Her voice was strong but tinged with sombreness. ‘Our future depends on what happens tonight. Once we have Carter back, we can begin to plan our next steps as a school. As a family. For we are the family of Cimmeria Academy. This is our home.’ For a brief second her gaze met Allie’s. They both knew how short-lived this home could be. ‘I think we all realise it’s time to end this battle with Nathaniel once and for all. But we cannot do that until all our people are safe.’

She turned to Raj.

‘Bring Carter home. We’re counting on you.’

T
he planning continued
into the night.

When Allie finally slipped outside for a breath of fresh air just after eleven o’clock, ten black cars were already parked on the long gravel drive. Waiting.

It was a cool, clear night, with a hint of autumn in the air. The moon hung low on the horizon, casting just enough light to see, but not enough to reveal what needed to remain disguised.

A perfect night for hiding, she thought.

It was so strange, what her life had become. She’d been Allie Sheridan, trouble-maker, angry girl. And now she was Allie Sheridan, heiress, fighter, rebel.

She wasn’t entirely certain how she’d got from there to here. It happened so fast.

With a sigh, she lowered herself down to the top step and pulled up her knees, wrapping her arms around them. She wondered if Carter could see the moon from his room in that farmhouse. If he knew they were coming.

If he believed in her as much as she believed in him.

She didn’t know how long she’d been there, lost in her thoughts, before a familiar French-accented voice broke the silence.

‘Are you afraid?’

Sylvain stood in the open doorway. The light framed him from behind, adding hints of gold to his wavy, brown hair.

Allie’s heart lurched.

He kept his eyes on the sky.

‘A little,’ she confessed.

It was a lie. In reality, her stomach was tied in knots. So much hinged on this night. Everything was in the balance. Carter’s life, most of all.

‘Me too.’ A self-conscious smile touched the corners of his lips. ‘It’s a dangerous plan. Maybe we’re foolish to trust this man.’ For the first time he met her gaze. ‘But every courageous person is also a fool, no? You have to be stupid to jump out of a plane. Or climb a mountain.’

It was oddly nice to talk to him. She’d missed his accent. His oddly formal way of speaking.

I will hate it,
 
she realised,
 
if we can’t figure out how to be friends.

She stood up, to be on the same level as him. ‘What do you really think? Is this going to work?’

His turned his gaze back to the moon.

‘I don’t know. I hope so. For Carter’s sake. But there’s no way to know with Nathaniel involved. Everything is a game to him. And he always seems to predict our next move.’

‘I just wish I understood how we got here,’ she said, frustration in her voice. ‘How everything got this bad.’

Sylvain stayed silent for a long moment. ‘Things got bad one step at a time. The way they usually do.’

Allie wondered if they were talking about the same thing.

‘Sylvain,’ she said. ‘I am so sorry about everything.’

He closed his eyes, his lashes soft shadows against the planes of his cheeks.

‘Don’t, Allie. I don’t want to talk about that. It’s done.’

‘I know,’ she said. ‘But you and I both know that, whatever happens tonight, we don’t have much time left here.’ She gestured at the dark grounds around them. ‘We could all be split up. You’ll go home to your family. I’ll go wherever Isabelle goes. Our lives are going to change. Who knows when we’ll see each other again?’ She took a step towards him. ‘I know we broke up but… I don’t want to lose you from my life. I will always be your friend. If you let me.’

He let out a long breath and turned his eyes back to the moon.

‘Allie, I don’t…’ His voice trailed off.

She held out her hand to him. He dropped his gaze to it, hesitating for a long time before finally taking her hand in his strong, steady grip.

Allie fought back a sudden urge to cry for both of them. For Cimmeria. For Jo. For everything that had been lost in the last two years.

‘I am so, so sorry I hurt you,’ she said, her voice low. ‘Please be my friend.’

He pulled back. For a second she thought he would say nothing. That he’d just walk away. But then, as so often was the case, he did exactly what she hadn’t expected. He leaned close and brushed his lips against her cheek, light as feathers.

‘Toujours,’ he whispered in French.

And then he was gone.

She spun around just in time to see him disappear inside, his back straight, walking fast into the light.

At midnight, Allie followed Isabelle and Raj down the wide hallway to the front door.

Outside, a crowd of black-clad guards waited. Among the faces looking up at them, Allie spotted Zelazny and Eloise, and, in the back, Sylvain, Nicole and Lucas.

Allie was to stay with Isabelle in the control car – thanks to the stitches in her neck, she couldn’t go into the grounds with the others. Being nearby would have to be enough. Zoe had been forbidden to accompany them. She was upstairs in Dom’s office with Rachel – sulking.

As soon as their boss appeared in the doorway, the group snapped to attention.

Raj paused, surveying his team with cool assessment.

‘You’re trained. You’re ready.’ His gaze was predatory as he looked out at them. ‘Let’s roll.’

The low, ominous roar that came back from the group made the fine hairs on the back of Allie’s neck rise. It was a bloodthirsty sound.

With swift efficiency, the group divided into the cars. Seconds later, the rumble of powerful engines filled the air.

Allie and Isabelle climbed into the back of a black SUV. The driver nodded to acknowledge their presence but, after that, kept her gaze straight ahead.

Throughout the thirty-minute journey, Isabelle sat stiffly, arms crossed, eyes straight ahead. Both of them had earpieces, connected to the comms system. Dom fed through constant updates from the team already on the ground at St John’s Fields.

‘Nathaniel has not yet returned,’ Dom said, as they drove down a dark country road. ‘House and grounds are quiet. No activity. All appears normal.’

‘Copy that.’ Raj’s voice responded.

The roads were nearly empty and at half past midnight they turned into a tiny country lane, bookended on both sides by high hedgerows, and slowed to a crawl. After a short distance, they pulled off the road.

The driver cut the engine.

In the sudden quiet, Allie could hear the other two women breathing, and the ticking of the cooling car engine.

‘Where’s the target from here?’ Isabelle’s voice broke the silence.

The driver pointed across the dark, adjacent field to a cluster of lights a short distance away.

‘Those lights are the farmhouse,’ she said.

Allie stared at the light cluster, trying to guess how far away it was. It was hard to tell in the dark, but she figured she could probably get there in ten minutes, running fast.

Isabelle pressed her microphone button. ‘Control in position.’

Raj’s voice crackled through Allie’s headphones. ‘Alpha Group in position. Lima Group, state your status.’

Seconds later, an unfamiliar male voice spoke: ‘Lima Group in position.’

Raj responded. ‘Copy that. Romeo Group, state your status.’

A female voice responded. ‘Romeo Group is in position.’

‘Copy that,’ Raj said. And so on, through all the three groups assigned to enter the property and the three who would remain outside the fenceline.

When all had responded Raj said, ‘All groups remain in position until you receive further orders from me.’

Now, all they could do was wait.

Time seemed to stretch. Allie forced herself to breathe. Next to her, Isabelle was staring into the darkness, unblinking.

Allie kept looking at her watch. It was nearly one o’clock. Nathaniel could come back at any moment.

Come on, Nine,
 
she thought. Don’t let us down.

But nothing happened. Five minutes ticked by. Then ten.

Suddenly Dom’s voice crackled urgently in their earpieces. ‘We have action. I’m patching Nathaniel’s comms through to you.’

Nine’s deep, gravel voice boomed into Allie’s earpiece. ‘Repeat. Intrusion alarm sounding in Quadrant Nine. All personnel report to Quadrant Nine immediately. Intrusion alarm sounding.’

‘Any visual?’ A voice Allie thought she recognised as Six asked him.

‘Negative.’ Nine’s reply was curt. ‘I’m inside the building. I will stay behind. Everyone else report to Quadrant Nine for possible intrusion.’

Allie turned to Isabelle, eyes wide. ‘What’s happening? Have they spotted us?’

The headmistress kept her gaze on the lights in the field. ‘This could be a decoy to get the other guards out of the way. It’s not us. It can’t be us. We wouldn’t be spotted.’

But her hands knotted into fists in her lap.

‘Copy that,’ Six said after a moment. ‘Heading to Quadrant Nine now. All personnel to follow.’

Raj’s voice overrode Nathaniel’s guards. ‘Teams Romeo, Alpha, Lima, we have a go. Move in now. Repeat move in now. Alpha Group moving in. Others, please respond.’

Seconds later a woman’s voice. ‘Romeo Group, moving in.’

A man’s voice followed. ‘Lima Group, moving in.’

Allie squeezed her hand hard against the handle of the car door, digging her nails into the smooth plastic.

A minute passed, then: ‘Romeo, Lima and Alpha Groups have reached the location.’ Raj’s voice was a whisper. ‘No sign of target.’

Allie closed her eyes. Please, God, let this work. Please…

Silence fell. Then, Raj’s voice broke over the speakers. ‘Alpha Group, on the move.’ His voice shook, as if he was running. ‘We have the target. Repeat target in custody.’

Allie drew in a sharp breath and covered her face with her hands. Something held tight inside her let go.

They’d done it.

Next to her, Isabelle punched her right fist into her left hand. ‘Yes.’

‘Copy that, Raj,’ Dom said, and Allie could tell she was smiling. In the room with her, people were cheering.

Allie dropped back against the leather seat of the car. It was over. Carter was coming home.

Suddenly, Raj’s voice appeared again. He was shouting, breathless. ‘We are under pursuit. Repeat. Alpha Group on the run. All groups take evasive action…’ Allie could hear him running, his voice shook with every step. ‘Alpha Group…’

There was a sound like a gunshot. Then the radio went silent.