Another Together (A Next Together short story) by Lauren James

Author:Lauren James [James, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781406374117
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd.
Published: 2016-06-01T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

When they arrived at Natalie’s lodgings, Kitty barely paused to turn off the engine before running to the door. She banged on it with both fists, but however violently she knocked, there was no answer.

“We can’t just leave,” she said. “What if she’s in danger? What if Wilkes has already got to her?”

“We don’t know anything for sure.” At Kitty’s glare, Matthew took a deep breath. “You want me to kick down the door, don’t you?”

“Oh, would you?”

Matthew took a step back, and ran at the door. A terrible pain shot up his calf when he kicked it. “Bloody hell,” he hissed as the door opened. “That hurt quite a bit more than I imagined it would.”

Kitty just pushed past him. “Hello? Miss Mitchell?” she yelled. “Are you here?”

At her shout, there was a muffled cry from the back of the house, and then a sudden, frightening silence. Kitty looked back at Matthew, and then sprinted down the hallway. He followed her, ignoring the pain in his leg.

They burst into the kitchen to find Wilkes and Natalie engaged in a struggle. Matthew grabbed Wilkes and then stopped short, reprocessing what he was seeing.

Wilkes wasn’t attacking Natalie. Natalie was attacking him.

The linguist was tightening a length of red wire – the kind they used on the Bombe machines – around Wilkes’ throat. He was fighting to get free. His skin was bright red and mottled with white, and his eyes bulged as he gasped for air.

Kitty was quicker to adjust to what she was seeing than Matthew. While he stood frozen in shock, she charged at Natalie and punched her in the stomach. Natalie roared but kept her grip on the wire. She shoved Kitty away with her elbow.

Matthew jumped into the action then. He grabbed Natalie’s arms, twisting her wrists in an attempt to make her let go of the wire. Natalie was strong, though, stronger than her pink cashmere jumper and pearls implied. But she couldn’t fight them both, and Matthew finally pulled the wire away from her, releasing Wilkes, who doubled over, gasping for breath.

Looking very red in the face, Wilkes stumbled a few steps before collapsing against the door frame. His eyes slid shut. He had fainted. Before Matthew could go to him, Natalie lunged at Matthew, knocking him to the ground and pouncing on him. She pressed something cold and metallic into his jaw.

It was a knife. She must have grabbed it from the kitchen table.

“Stop,” Natalie hissed, easing the knife closer to Matthew’s throat.

He froze. He could feel the sharp edge of the knife biting into his skin. He was more shocked and confused than afraid. It was hard to believe that this poised, elegant woman − who had sobbed as they interviewed her – was braced to cut his throat, her teeth bared in a grimace.

Matthew’s mind was suddenly full of Kitty: her dark brown eyes and the full curve of her cheeks when she smiled. He was glad that it was him Natalie was threatening and not her.

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