London Escape

by Cacey Hopper

  Four stops go by before I release the breath I’ve been holding. Finally I give up inspecting every passenger that gets in our car too. Jason is leaning heavily on my shoulder and when two seats in the back finally free up I haul him over to sit down. He lays his head in my lap, clearly exhausted. I can’t help but gasp as I finally get a good look at him in the light.

  He has definitely paid a price for keeping his silence about where he had hidden the necklace. His left eye and cheek are badly bruised and his lip is puffy and scabbed over. I reach down and brush his hair away from his forehead and see him smile.

  “I’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” he mutters, cracking open one eye.

  I scoff. “You’ve got that right.”

  “Where do you want me to start?” he asks, closing his eyes again.

  “At the beginning,” I say honestly. As far as I’m concerned we could ride this train until morning. As long as we are moving I feel safe.

  “My father has been selling rare antiquities on the black market. V is his buyer,” he says at once.

  I nod even though he can’t see me, that much of the story I have already figured out.

  “How did you find out about the necklace?” I begin, just the first of many questions that have been forming in my mind over the past few days.

  “I saw him looking at it one night in his office,” he begins. “I didn’t know what it was, but it looked valuable so I did a little digging. When I found out it was Queen Victoria’s necklace that had been missing for so long I assumed it was going into an exhibit at the Met or something. My father didn’t know I had seen him with it, and when he never brought it up to me or my mother I knew he was up to something. So I asked someone to help me hack his email, just to be sure.”

  I start to ask who would do that, but then answer my own question. “Alexa,” I say.

  “Yeah, Alexa,” he grins.

  “But she’s been helping me all this time, why didn’t she mention that to me?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “Because she never knew what the emails said. I didn’t want to get her mixed up in all of this. I just needed her help getting in. Anyway, right away I discovered a few suspicious emails back and forth between him and V regarding a package.”

  “Yeah I saw one of the messages,” I interject.

  “You did? Good.” He continues. “It became pretty apparent to me what was going on then. So I decided to steal it.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that,” his grin widens and he opens his eyes again.

  I shake my head at him. “You really didn’t think this through, did you?”

  “Of course I did,” he defends, sitting up suddenly. “I knew exactly what should be done with the necklace, the right thing. What my father was too spineless to do.”

  “What would that be?”

  “Return it to its rightful owners,” he says firmly.

  “The British Royal family, then?” I ask, unable to stop the sarcasm that slips into my voice.

  “Exactly.”

  “How were you going to do that?” I ask. I can’t imagine anyone just waltzing into Buckingham Palace waving a priceless necklace that was stolen years ago, claiming they found it.

  “Once I got to London I made an appointment with the curator at Buckingham Palace,” he says. “I told them I had some valuable information on the long-lost necklace. They agreed to meet with me and discuss it further, but I never admitted I actually had the necklace.”

  “And you managed to make that appointment how?”

  “I told them I was my father, of course,” he states matter-of-factly, but then he frowns. “This is where I ran into some trouble. They couldn’t get me in for another three weeks. I knew I couldn’t just sit on the necklace until then. It was only a matter of time before my father found out it was missing and alerted V. After that I knew someone would come for it, and me.”

  “So you put it in the safety deposit box and left a trail so that only you or I could get to the necklace,” I finish.

  “Pretty much,” he says with a nod. “I decided if it became worst-case scenario I could send you a quick text or email, tipping you off about the trail. That way someone would know what was going on, and someone else could keep the necklace safe. I had no idea you would figure out what was going on before I even told you and warn me they were after me. Or that they would go to such great lengths to recover the necklace. It was good idea, in theory.”

  “It was,” I mumble as I watch the doors hiss open, keeping my eyes open for the tall German brothers.

  “Why me?” I ask suddenly. The question has been plaguing me all this week.

  He looks at me in surprise for a moment. “Because I trust you.” Then with a grin, he adds, “And also because I knew you wouldn’t be able to turn down the chance for a little adventure.”

  I’m about to voice my feelings toward this so-called adventure when I feel it, that uncomfortable tingling feeling I get when something is about to go wrong. I don’t stop to think, I just act.

  Grabbing Jason’s hand I pull him to his feet and whisper, “We need to get off this train.”

  We squeeze through the doors and onto the platform. I take a second to look behind me and confirm my suspicions. Thing One is pounding on the door in fury, now trapped inside the very car we had just vacated.

  Jason and I head up the escalator, back to street level. I’ve lost track of what time it is now, but I know it’s late at night. We’ve ended up somewhere in the vicinity of Piccadilly Circus. Like the Underground, the streets are blessedly crowded. Once we’ve put a good distance between us and the Underground station, we pause to catch our breath.

  “Where do we go now?” Jason asks as he scans the streets.

  “We need to get back to your apartment,” I say firmly, finally remembering the second half of the plan I had formed this morning.

  He looks at me sharply. “Are you crazy? That’s the last place we should go.”

  I pull him in the direction I think will lead us back to his neighborhood, though by my estimation we’re now miles away. “No, it’s the last place they’ll look, I’m sure,” I protest, though I hardly think the statement is true.

  He sighs and shakes his head. “No, they’re probably on their way there now, Kit.”

  “It’s important we go back there,” I insist.

  “Fine,” he sighs, finally giving in. Although I’m pretty sure he’s simply too tired to argue with me anymore. “But let’s find somewhere to hide out for now, give them a chance to check for us there first. We’ll go back in the morning.”

  This makes me squirm a little, but I see the logic in his argument too. They might expect for us to head straight there.

  “Where should we go?” My eyes take in the busy streets and flashing signs. None of these places seem very inconspicuous.

  “I’m starving,” he says, with a nod towards a McDonalds across the street.

  I sigh and follow him across the busy street and inside. It’s brightly lit and crowded despite the late hour. We fit in well with the groups of teenagers clustered around in the corners of the restaurant. Jason orders an obscene amount of cheeseburgers and we get a booth in the back. Sinking down low in my seat I nibble on a fry, never taking my eyes off the front entrance. I realize without even trying we’ve sat next to the emergency exit. I’m not sure if I should feel proud of myself for taking such precautions or horrified that I’m learning to think like a fugitive.

  11. FUGITIVES

  We don’t speak for the entire two hours we sit and wait. Mainly because Jason’s too busy inhaling every bit of food in sight and I’m too busy praying Mr. V hasn’t gone back to the apartment.

  Finally I decide we’ve waited long enough. After tossing our trash we make our way back out onto the street. It’s less crowded now as the hour has become early morning instead of late evening. Jason and I huddle together, his arm draped casually over my shoulders, trying to look like a couple
on their way home from partying instead of two teenagers seeking refuge from their kidnappers.

  All I can think about is getting back to the apartment in time.

  We go down to the Underground one more time and ride the several stops back to Jason’s neighborhood. I should be exhausted. Jason is dead on his feet. I can’t remember the last time I slept, but I’m wide awake. In fact I can feel my pulse thrumming with life. I chalk it up to a dangerous combination of fear and adrenaline.

  Thunder rumbles overhead as we stand on the curb outside his building. Jason looks up at his apartment building and sighs, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Carefully I check the street for suspicious figures or cars and see none, so we go inside. Jason takes my hand as we climb the stairs together, though at this point I have more important things to be afraid of. Once inside the apartment we lock the door quickly behind us, not bothering to turn on the lights. I realize Jason has never even asked me why it is so important we returned here, despite the danger. I wonder briefly if he suspects my motives, or if his trust in me is that absolute.

  I know he won’t be disappointed. I cross to the ransacked kitchen, my feet crunching on broken glass. I kneel and look around frantically, uttering a silent prayer. Finally my fingers close on cold metal. With a grin I stand and turn, holding the Star Wars lunch box out to him triumphantly.

  He gives me a knowing smile and takes it. The box gives a loud rattle as he unlatches the lid. Inside, hidden by me before I went to meet Peter at the café, is Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee necklace. I hadn’t been lying when I told Peter I didn’t have it.

  Jason gives a loud whoop of joy, and as he does I feel the back of my neck prickle yet again. I’m on him in a second, clapping a hand over his mouth. I stand there for a moment, utterly still and silent, straining to hear something, anything that would set off my sixth sense and alert me to any danger. Any minute now the Things could come pounding down the hallway, and I’m not about to be caught off guard again.

  Coming back to the apartment had been a huge gamble, but completely necessary at the same time. When I switched the jewels before going to meet Peter I knew there would be a chance we wouldn’t even be able to make it back to collect the real thing at all. Still, I had thought having them hidden, possibly lost again, was still better than letting V get a hold of them.

  Finally, when I feel it’s safe to move and talk, I remove my hand from Jason’s mouth and take a step back. He doesn’t protest as I take the necklace from him and tuck it safely in my jeans’ pocket. The apartment is pitch black so I pick a lamp up off the floor, set it on the counter, and switch it on. The dim light only makes the shadows in the room look longer. Jason hops up on the counter and watches me as I move to close the blinds. We wouldn’t be safe here for long and I know it. But we’ve been running for hours, not counting stopping for dinner. I know I should be exhausted, ready to collapse, but every nerve in my body is tingling. I pace the small apartment anxiously while trying to formulate the next possible step we should take.

  “What do you think we should do next?” Jason asks, voicing my thoughts exactly.

  I turn back to him. He looks terrible, as if he could keel over at any moment.

  “I’m not sure, but we need to get somewhere safe, where they can’t find us.” I check my phone one more time, Alexa still hasn’t called me back.

  “Maybe we should go to a hotel,” he suggests. “I don’t think I want to stay here much longer.”

  “Me either.” I bite my lip, we should already be gone. My mind is fuzzy now as the adrenaline rush finally wears off and fear and exhaustion take over. I lift my backpack, which feels like weighs a hundred pounds, and slip it onto my shoulders.

  The rattle of the doorknob breaks the heavy silence.

  Jason doesn’t hear it, he’s leaning his head back against the cabinets, half asleep. I cross the room swiftly and grasp his arm. He looks at me in confusion but slips of the counter when I tug him along. Wordlessly I pull him into the bedroom. My straining ears can just pick up the sound of someone messing with the lock on the door. I don’t have to guess who it is.

  “What’s wrong?” Jason hisses behind me.

  “Everything,” I answer as I peer out the bedroom window and onto the alley below. My nerves are tingling again and I know now to trust my instincts absolutely. Outside it’s pouring down rain and the alley appears empty.

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” I say, feeling desperate. I’m not sure how long it will take the Things to pick the lock, but last time I’d barely had thirty seconds.

  Jason is still standing there speechless as I throw open the window and slide out onto the ladder. This time, hopefully the last time, I’m not afraid. I’m more scared of running into V again than anything else. Especially after the stunt I just pulled with the jewels. I’m pretty sure he’d make us pay for tricking him in the same way he’d paid Jason for keeping his silence. The thought makes me tremble involuntarily as I scramble down the slippery ladder.

  The ladder creaks slightly as Jason begins to descend after me. When my feet touch the pavement I’ve already made my decision where to go next.

  “Follow me,” I call over my shoulder, pulling up my hood as I head to the street. It looks clear, but I move quickly anyway. Overhead the early morning sun is shining weakly through the dark clouds and the rain continues to fall steadily. Jason is hovering by my shoulder, looking confused but not questioning my lead. Moments later we’re at the side street where I had parked the Mini. I’ve never been happier to see the little red car. Except maybe the first time I had escaped in it.

  “Excellent,” he says and starts to get in the driver’s seat.

  He still doesn’t look so great to me, so I protest, “No way, you look like a walking corpse. You’d better let me.”

  He shakes his head. “You can’t drive a stick.”

  I slide into the driver’s side and say, “Watch me.”

  I start the car as he gets in and we both fasten our seatbelts. Finally I ease out into the empty street, glancing over my shoulder to see if I see a familiar black car on our tail. The street is empty. After several blocks, just when I’ve assumed we’re safe, I see it pull out from a side road. They’re on our tail in an instant, rubbing our bumper.

  Jason swears. “What now?”

  “Not sure,” I say through clenched teeth, shifting gears as I run the next light. That doesn’t even slow them down; they speed right through it too. Again they’re right behind us giving our little car a warning bump. The jolt from the impact throws us both forward.

  I pull out onto a more heavily trafficked road now, weaving the little car in and out between the cars of early morning commuters. The rain is still pounding on our windshield, the wipers barely able to keep it clear. Behind us I can hear honking as the black car tries to mimic my erratic driving. Their car is much larger and it can’t change lanes as effortlessly as the little Mini. The sounds of crashing and honking follow us down the street as the black car tries to keep up. Just when I think we’ve made some headway I spot them in my rearview mirror. Clearly driving fast and trying to lose them in the traffic isn’t going to work. They are on mission to get the necklace back at all costs.

  With a jerk of the steering wheel I pull into a narrow alleyway between two buildings. The aptly-named Mini barely fits in the tight space and I give a little shout of victory. Jason twists in the seat and then shouts another bad word.

  “What?” I crane my neck to look in the rearview mirror. Behind us the black sedan is roaring its way through the alley. It loses both its side mirrors right away and the sound of metal screeching against brick fills my ears. The driver, obviously one of the Things, guns the engine, forcing the car through a space far too narrow for it.

  Shaking my head and biting my lip I finally shift into fourth gear, the fastest this little car will ever go. We’ve now reached the end of the alley and I make another instant decision. I make a sharp right
turn, realizing a moment too late I’ve pulled out going the wrong way down a one way street.

  Jason is grasping the dashboard, his knuckles white. “Watch out!” he shouts.

  I swerve just in time to avoid crashing head first into a delivery van. In the process I’ve managed to pop the curb and drive with two tires on the sidewalk.

  “There, left turn, now!” Jason calls out.

  I follow his directions, hardly able to see because I’m involuntary squinting, blurring everything around me. But my hands grip the steering wheel tight and I jam my foot against the gas pedal. Again my eyes dart to the mirror and again the black sedan flies into sight. Jason slams a fist on the dashboard.

  We fly past an entrance to a tunnel, blocked off with orange road cones. Making yet another split-second decision I hit the brakes and pull a tight u-turn that only a car of this size can pull off. We take out the cones and rocket through the tunnel as the black sedan flies by. It doesn’t take long before they’re back behind us and gaining quick. Our car may be more maneuverable, but theirs is obviously much faster. For the first time I face the reality that we might not get away. I can see Jason out of the corner of my eye; he has his eyes focused on the road ahead, searching for another escape route.

  My eyes flicker to the rear-view mirror, they’re now so close I can practically see one of the Things leering at me from the driver’s seat. This time they don’t even bother tapping our bumper, but pull up beside us. I try pressing the accelerator but it’s already on the floor. I look out the window just in time to see Thing One lean out the passenger side window. He grins evilly and points his gun in my face. I’m about to scream when he lowers his weapon and shoots the tire.