The Dealer by Robert Muchamore

Author:Robert Muchamore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Chapter 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 nightshirt. She looked shell-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 washing machine. She’d heard James’s 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 circumstances 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 up off the floor and sat him on her lap at the table.

“CHERUB is one of the most secret organizations 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 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’s mobile around midday.

“I’ve been making calls about what happened,” he said. “Can you meet us down

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