Blackout by Kit Mallory

Author:Kit Mallory [Mallory, Kit]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781999969714
Publisher: Kit Mallory
Published: 2018-01-14T16:00:00+00:00

24

A WOLF AT THE DOOR

And that was why it was difficult with Mackenzie. It was why, for nearly three years, Skyler had done her best to avoid him. Every time she looked at him, all she could think about was that day.

She kept waiting for it to get easier, but it never did.

Twenty-four hours after she and Angel had delivered her laptop to Fox, they were heading back to collect it. They were almost there, halfway down a street where yellow light spilled onto the pavement from the houses either side, when Angel laid a hand on Skyler’s arm.

She started. “What is it?”

Angel nodded towards the shadows. “We’re being watched.” To Skyler’s horror, she raised her voice. “I know you’re there. Come out.”

A figure emerged from behind a dustbin, half-crouched. A girl, about eleven, with a puffy jacket and a high ponytail. She kept her hands raised and her wary eyes on Angel.

Angel didn’t relax, but she didn’t go for a weapon either. “What do you want?” she asked.

The girl stood firm. Perhaps she’d seen scarier things than the two of them. “Rob sent me.”

“Did he, now?”

“Yeah. Said you’re not to go to the flat, it’s not safe. You gotta meet him here.” She thrust a piece of paper towards Angel, who edged closer as though approaching a hungry wolf.

A chilly trickle of dread in Skyler’s bloodstream. My laptop. She opened her mouth to ask the girl a question, but Angel got there first. “Did he say anything else?”

“Said you owe me now.”

Angel pulled a small wad of cash from her jacket and held it out to the girl, who snatched it and shot backwards. “Thanks for the message,” she said. “Are you all right out here on your own?”

The girl wrinkled her nose as though this was by far the strangest part of the conversation. “Yeah,” she said at length. “I’m good. You better go see Rob. He’ll be in a hurry.” She darted away into the shadows.

Angel peered at the scrap of paper. “And he’s given us a code word. That’s not good.” She sighed. “Well, we’d better get over there.” As they picked up their pace, she nudged Skyler gently. “If anything kicks off this time, you let me take care of it, okay?”

The new address was a disused launderette in a small parade of shops, all in darkness. When they tried the door, it opened.

Inside, everything was still. Angel stood with her hand at her waistband and said into the gloom, “The fox is a crepuscular animal, and by God you’d better not have brought us here to waste our time.”

Behind the row of big drying machines, a torch flicked on. Skyler tensed and then relaxed as Rob shuffled out, moving stiffly.

One eye was dark purple, swollen shut. His cheek was grazed. Skyler’s laptop bag was slung across his back.

“What happened?” Angel asked.

He lowered himself onto a bench in front of a row of washing machines, wincing. “Sorry. Everything hurts.”

“Have you had medical attention?”

He shook his head.

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