Monstrous Design by Kat Dunn

Author:Kat Dunn [Dunn, Kat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781789543674
Publisher: Head of Zeus

13

The Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

James jumped off the boat, tossing a coin to the ferryman, before he and Olympe raced up the river steps towards the pleasure gardens. They couldn’t have been far behind Camille and the others, but it felt like a lifetime. Wickham’s smug smile replayed in his head, the pure fury he’d seen in his eyes. The way he’d looked up at the edifice of James’s family home and vowed to bring it tumbling down.

He’d shaken off his near miss with the cab and gone pelting to stables. Olympe had been there, confused but fine – which had only brought more dread. If Wickham hadn’t found Olympe, then maybe he was going after another target.

There are so many of you, you cannot keep your eye on them all at once.

And where was Edward while Wickham confronted James?

His family. Too many moving parts. Too many to protect all at once.

The pleasure gardens would make that job even harder. If Wickham’s threats were serious – and James was sure they were – he had a clear run to whichever of James’s family he wanted.

Inside the gardens the crowd was thick and raucous, the ground churned to mud. Olympe wrenched out of his grasp.

‘Al! It’s Al!’

And it was – sloping past was Al, smartly dressed, hands in pockets. He stopped dead, eyes wide. ‘Good god, that was even easier than I thought.’

Olympe flung herself towards him. ‘Thank goodness you’re here.’

He looked down at the bundle of girl in his arms. ‘That’s what everyone always says.’ He quirked an eyebrow at James. ‘Er, is this you surrendering? Because if so, can we tell Camille I heroically disarmed you and persuaded you to see the error of your ways? I know you already asked her for help, but maybe you can let me have a bit of the glory.’

James was in no mood for it. ‘Where’s my family? And Camille?’

Al shrugged. ‘Your family are messing around with balloon rides, last I saw. Lost Camille in a hedge maze, which sounds ridiculous but is unfortunately the truth. She’ll be around here somewhere…’

The future yawned in front of James. The decision he made now would determine more than his own fate.

It was time he accepted which battles he’d already lost. He stepped back, leaving Olympe with Al.

‘Take Olympe with you and look for Camille. I’ve got to find my family. There are people after us. Olympe can explain.’

Al’s brows drew together. ‘James, what have you done?’

He grabbed Al’s arm, squeezing too tightly. ‘Listen to me. This fight between us, it’s over, okay? Whatever I did, it’s not as important as keeping everyone safe.’

Al studied him, mouth drawn into a sneer. ‘Whatever you did was pretty awful and no, it’s not over. But the battalion doesn’t leave people in the lurch. Unlike some others.’

James clenched his jaw. ‘Find Camille, then get out of here. And for god’s sake – watch your back.’

The three of them split up, Al and Olympe disappearing into the crowd while James peeled off, following the rough directions to the launch site Al had given him.

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