Night School - Endgame (15 page)

She fumbled for the switch on the desk light, knocking over the alarm clock. It fell with a musical crash.

The light, when she finally located the switch, seemed insanely bright; it blinded her.

That was when she heard it again.

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

Three taps in quick succession. From the door.

Suddenly, she was wide awake.

Throwing back the duvet in one smooth movement, she leaped out of bed. Her bare feet made no sound on the whitewashed wood floor as she crossed the room.

She pressed her ear to the cool wood of the door and held her breath. Her heart had begun to pound.

‘Who is it?’ she asked, her voice still rough from sleep.

At first there was nothing. Then, ‘Allie? It’s Dom.’

She exhaled, all the tension leaving with the breath, and yanked the door open. Dom stood in the darkened corridor.

She wore the same clothes she’d had on earlier. Her narrow glasses made her eyes hard to read, but there was something in her expression – something that made Allie’s stomach clench.

‘What’s happened?’

‘It’s Carter,’ Dom said. ‘Nathaniel cut the feed.’

W
hen Allie slammed
into Dom’s office a few minutes later, Isabelle stood by the map talking to three of Raj’s security guards. She’d changed at some point into neat grey trousers and a white blouse. A black cashmere cardigan hung loose from her shoulders. You wouldn’t know she hadn’t slept, were it not for the circles under her eyes.

Standing next to Dom at the back of the room, Raj was clean shaven, a mug of coffee in one hand. Dom was explaining something, and he was listening attentively.

Shak and Zoe sat at the table, each in front of a laptop, but they weren’t typing. They were looking up at the wall-mounted computer screen.

She followed their gaze. Carter was gone. All that was left was darkness, and a warning carved out in stark white letters: DO AS I DEMAND AND YOU WILL SEE HIM AGAIN.

In the bottom corner of the screen the red clock still glowed: 47:53:15.

‘What happened?’

Her words came out as a stunned whisper. But Isabelle heard and walked over briskly.

‘Allie, good. I’m glad you’re here. Now, listen. Nathaniel cut the feed. Dom and Shak are trying to get it back – there may be a way to hack into the webcam. She’s trying that now. In the meantime…’

Allie didn’t let her finish.

‘I don’t understand. Why did he do this? What is going on?’

The bottom seemed to have dropped out of her world.

They’d been so close to getting him out. And now they didn’t even know if he was still there.

‘Allie,’ Isabelle said, ‘this is how Nathaniel works. He loves a performance.’ She turned to Dom. ‘Show her.’

Dom typed something. Suddenly, Carter reappeared on the monitor, chained to the wall. Something was taped across his mouth. He looked pale. Seconds later, Nathaniel walked into view.

As always, he wore a perfectly tailored suit, his tie was neatly knotted. Cufflinks glinted at each wrist. It was perverse that someone so horrible should be attractive.

Moving without any apparent urgency, he approached the camera, his face looming as he leaned towards it. He did something they couldn’t see. Suddenly, the sound came on. Allie could hear Nathaniel’s footsteps. Hear Carter’s chains jangle when he shifted uneasily.

Whistling to himself, Nathaniel walked away. The tune echoed eerily as he crossed to stand behind Carter’s chair. When he was ready, he lowered his hands onto Carter’s broad shoulders and smiled at the camera.

Carter flinched at his touch. A muscle worked in his cheek. Allie could see hatred flickering in his eyes.

‘Isabelle. Allie.’ Nathaniel’s lips curved into a perfect, smooth hateful smile. ‘I’ve given you the chance to see where we stand. You’ve received my message. As you can see, time is running out. Let’s end this now.’ His voice was rich, almost pleasant. As if he was talking to old friends. ‘We all know the game is over. It ended that night in London. Admit your defeat. Leave the school and never come back. Tell Lucinda’s few remaining supporters that you’re done. And you can have Carter West back.’

Carter shook his head and tried to talk, but the tape across his mouth made his words unintelligible.

Nathaniel continued. ‘If you don’t then you can watch Carter die. Live on camera.’ He patted his shoulder in a sickening mock of sympathy. Watching it made Allie’s skin crawl. ‘You can see the clock. You know how much time you have. My phone lines, as they say, are always open. But I’m turning this off for now. I think you’ve seen enough.’

He gestured at someone off screen. Instantly the image disappeared, replaced by a series of white numbers.

‘Nathaniel’s phone number,’ Isabelle explained, contempt dripping from her voice.

Then the message that Allie had seen when she walked in the room flashed up on the screen.

Isabelle turned to face her. ‘And that’s how it’s been since.’

A tidal wave of panic seemed to hit Allie all at once. ‘I can’t stand any more of this. We have to do something.’ Her voice rose. ‘There must be something.’

The room fell silent. Everyone was watching them now.

‘We are doing something, Allie.’ Isabelle’s reply was measured. ‘This is a tactic. Surely you can see that? You have to think with your head, not your heart. Look at this rationally. Nathaniel gave us the chance to see Carter, because he knew it would make us panic. Now he’s taking that away for the same reason. He wants us to panic. That’s why he’s doing it. Don’t give him what he wants.’

Allie didn’t know how she was going to do that. It felt like her heart was being torn in two.

Raj joined them, his expression grave. ‘Allie, I genuinely believe Carter is fine. Nathaniel is a businessman – he wants something we have. There’s no logical reason for him to harm Carter.’

‘Maybe he is fine right now.’ Flinging out a hand, Allie pointed at the red clock on the screen, ticking inexorably down. ‘But what happens in two days, Raj?’ He opened his mouth to answer but she didn’t let him speak. ‘I want him back.’ Tears burned the backs of her eyes. ‘This can’t happen. Nathaniel has to pay for this. We have to get it right this one time…’

Her voice quivered with emotion, and she bit her lip hard.

Raj answered her.

‘It’s nearly dawn. I’m heading out to St John’s Fields with a group of my best guards. Dom has secured satellite time. As soon as the sun comes up we’ll be all over this place. I believe Carter is in there. And if he is, we’ll get him.’ He leaned forward, his gaze unwavering. ‘I swear to you. We’re going to get him back.’

As promised, Raj’s team headed out just before dawn, staking out positions all around the sprawling acreage of St John’s Fields.

When daylight finally broke, Dom’s satellite company contact came through. Just after 6 a.m., Nathaniel’s message disappeared, replaced with a hazy green image of rural England.

For a second, everyone stopped what they were doing to look. The view was of a ribbon of winding narrow road. Peeping through a thick canopy of trees, Allie could see a large brick house with a chimney. Set further back from the road were several hulking barns.

Cars were parked haphazardly on the grass in front – whatever this place was, it was crowded.

Allie stared at the house fixedly, as if it might give some hint as to what it held. But nothing moved.

It all looked empty.

Dom patched the feed through to Raj.

After that… nothing happened. They waited for ages. Occasionally cars arrived and a flurry of excitement arose. But by that afternoon, neither Nathaniel nor any member of his immediate circle had been seen.

Slowly, the faint flame of hope Raj had lit began to dim.

Allie found herself doubting everything. Her thoughts became a tangle of fears.

What if this isn’t the place? We have a day and a half left. So little time! Why are we wasting it on this house? 

And finally, inevitably, a suspicion.

What if Christopher lied to us? 

That last thought kept nagging her.

And so, late that afternoon, she slipped away and went in search of her brother. She found him sitting alone in the common room, a book open in his lap. The two guards assigned to watch him sat a short distance away.

Somebody had loaned him trousers and a dark blue Cimmeria pullover. He looked comfortable – like he’d always belonged here. And something about that enraged her.

Why should he be sitting warm and safe while Carter was a prisoner?

She was determined to get the truth out of him.

‘You look better,’ Allie said, dropping into the leather chair across from him. ‘Did you sleep?’

‘Yes.’ His eyes searched her face. ‘You look worse. I’m guessing you didn’t?’

‘No time,’ she said. ‘There’s too much going on.’

‘You haven’t found him yet.’ He stated it as fact. And Allie’s suspicions grew.

‘No,’ she admitted. ‘Nathaniel set up a feed for a while, so we could see him in his… prison.’ It was the only word for it. ‘But he cut it last night.’

Christopher’s breath hissed between his teeth.

‘God, Allie. I’m sorry. That’s a classic Nathaniel move. The guy’s such a douche.’ He glanced at her. ‘He’s messing with you, you know that, right? Whatever he’s asking for right now, it’s just a game to him.’

Allie didn’t know what to think. He was completely believable. He looked genuinely frustrated with Nathaniel. Sympathetic, even.

But what if it’s all an act? 

‘That’s what Raj says,’ she replied, a little grudgingly. ‘But it’s hard to believe it when Nathaniel’s put a clock up on the screen counting down a day and a half, and says he’s killing Carter at the end of it if we’re still here.’

She searched her brother’s face for clues to what he was thinking. ‘Chris, we’re staking everything on your word that he’s at St John’s Fields. When there’s no sign of him there. At all.’

She leaned forward to meet her brother’s surprised gaze. ‘Please tell me you’re not playing us,’ she said. ‘I’m your sister. If you ever loved me, don’t do that to me now. Because if you are I swear to God, you are not part of my family.’

Despite all her efforts to keep it steady, her voice quivered. For a second she looked away to gather her emotions.

When she turned back, he caught her gaze and held it. ‘I swear on our mother’s life, Allie, I’m not playing you. This is real. I’m done with Nathaniel. I’m here because I don’t want anything to do with him ever again. Please, I’m begging you. Believe me.’

Allie didn’t blink, searching for any sign of duplicity. But there was nothing in his voice but pleading. Nothing in his familiar face but candour.

She sagged back in her chair. ‘I want to believe you, I really do. But I’m just so scared. You’ve been gone so long. You’ve been with him all that time. I can’t trust you now. I want to, but I can’t.’

He looked stung.

‘Come on, Allie,’ he said. ‘That’s not fair. I risked my life to get to you. I risked everything. At least give me a chance to prove I am who I say I am.’

‘I don’t know how to do that.’ Allie’s voice rose, and she forced herself to lower it again. ‘Everything’s so dangerous. Giving you a chance is freaking dangerous. Not giving you a chance?’ She held up her hands. ‘Well that’s dangerous too. So I can’t bloody win.’ He looked like he wanted to speak but she didn’t let him. ‘The thing is, Christopher, if you’re not real anymore – if Nathaniel has messed with your brain so much you aren’t you any longer – Carter could die. And I can’t let that happen.’

Christopher rubbed his eyes hard before replying.

‘Nathaniel messed with my head when I was a kid. I was vulnerable and he took advantage of it. I’ve never denied the mistakes I made. But I’m telling you – I’m swearing to you – that I’m done with him. I see who he really is now. He kills people. Or at least, he hires people to kill for him. And that scares the crap out of me.’ He hesitated, his eyes locked on hers. ‘I thought he’d kill you, Allie. I really did. And I still think he would, if he thought it was useful for you to die. So… if you want to know why I’m here now, that’s why.’

For a moment, Allie couldn’t think of anything to say. She’d thought many times that Nathaniel might kill her. Or get Gabe to do it. But hearing Christopher tell her she was right was somehow even scarier.

Perhaps more importantly, though, she believed him. The passion in his voice, the veiled loathing for Nathaniel – no one could fake that. No one. He might have been lying about some things, but she believed this part. He was here because he was afraid for her.

‘OK,’ she said. ‘Then, here’s the thing. I need your help.’

He searched her face hopefully. ‘You believe me?’

‘More than I did before,’ she conceded. ‘But if you want everyone here to accept that you’ve changed, help us get Carter back.’

His brow creased. ‘Al, I was right about St John’s Fields. I still believe that’s where Nathaniel would hold him. He doesn’t trust anyone in the world enough to let them hold an asset as valuable to him as your friend. He’s too cautious for that. He’s going to keep this guy on his own property.’ He thumped his finger against the table for emphasis. ‘He’s there, Allie.’

Her heart jumped, but she kept her expression steady.

‘We’ve got people watching the grounds,’ she said. ‘If you’re right, we’ll know soon. But, even if Carter is there, we still need to get in. And that doesn’t look easy. I’ve been listening to Nathaniel’s guards – there seem to be loads of them.’

Christopher didn’t disagree. ‘He’s got his own army. And he likes that farmhouse for a reason – it’s set back from the road. Like this place.’ He glanced at the guards watching them from across the room. ‘He has a good electronic security system inside the house…’ He paused. ‘Basically, the guy’s obsessed with security.’

This was just what Allie had expected.

She schooled her voice to sound casual when she broached her idea. ‘We think the key is the guards. We need one of them on our side.’

She hadn’t exactly told Raj this. But she was sure she was right. Nine would help. And now that they were so close, she needed to know as much about him as she could.

Christopher considered this, nodding thoughtfully. ‘That could work. You get a guard on your side, he distracts the others, helps you get in and out safely. Yeah.’ He looked impressed. ‘That’s probably the best way, actually. Has Raj been working on one of them in particular?’

‘I think so,’ Allie lied. ‘But we need to know more about them. That way we could know how to reach them.’

He seemed to accept this. ‘What do you want to know?’

‘Why are they loyal to Nathaniel?’

He didn’t hesitate. ‘Money.’

‘Money?’ Allie didn’t hide her surprise. ‘What, he just pays them? That’s it?’

‘Almost. Nathaniel chooses his recruits well and pays them a fortune.’ He leaned forward, warming to the subject. ‘Most of these guys have real financial problems when he hires them. Child support, bankruptcy, gambling debts… Their lives are a mess. That’s what he looks for. Ex-military or ex-police with problems. He swoops in and offers them a solution to all their troubles.’

Allie must have looked sceptical because his tone grew a little defensive. ‘We’re talking life-changing money here, Al. You work for Nathaniel for a few years, if you’re a regular guy, you’re made. You just won the lottery. All your worries go away.’