‘Not till much later,’ said Drake. ‘When the cloud clears. And they won’t be stealing medicine from the back of the butcher’s shop.’
‘Yeah, but the police and the army will be out on patrol too. Not to mention the Neighbourhood Watch.’
‘They’ll all be looking for werewolves, not us. That’s why this is the best night to do it.’
‘Maybe,’ said Vijay.
‘Are you just too much of a wimp?’
‘No,’ said Vijay. ‘No, I’m not. Let’s do this.’
They went out under cover of darkness, wearing black clothing from head to toe. Drake had given him a black hoodie to wear. ‘This is what the pros use,’ he told Vijay. ‘It’ll turn us into ninjas.’
Vijay doubted that, but Drake was right when he said that the hoodies would hide their identities if someone saw them. As long as they didn’t actually get caught.
He’d had a tip-off from his contacts in the Neighbourhood Watch that the local butcher, Gary, had taken a delivery of pharmaceutical products the previous day. Gary and that guy Kevin were a shady pair. Vijay wondered how a butcher had managed to get hold of drugs and medicines. He’d asked Kevin about giving some to Oscar, but the man had said he was a businessman and that the supplies would go to the highest bidder. Vijay doubted whether Kevin even knew what kinds of drugs he had got his hands on. He was just hoping they’d be able to find some of what Oscar needed. It was a desperate chance, but the situation was desperate.
‘You got that list of stuff we need?’ asked Drake as they strode along the back streets to the butcher’s shop, trying to look casual.
‘Of course,’ said Vijay, annoyed. ‘How stupid do you think I am?’
‘I’ll get us inside the storeroom at the back, but then it’s up to you,’ said Drake. ‘I can’t even read that list.’
‘All right,’ said Vijay. ‘Look, can you just stop talking? Someone might hear us.’
‘Don’t matter,’ said Drake. ‘We ain’t done nothing wrong yet.’ He pulled his hood tight around his face and took a sudden left turn into a narrow alleyway.
Vijay followed him.
The alley ran parallel to the High Street and they made their way along it to the back of the butcher’s shop. The alleyway was unlit and littered with junk and Vijay tripped over an old bicycle wheel that had been dumped there. He cried out as he fell to the muddy ground.
Drake pulled him back to his feet. ‘Now who’s the one making all the noise?’ he said.
A wooden gate led the way up a darkened path to the back of the building. Drake stood nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets, looking up and down the alley a few times. Then he grabbed the top of the gate and quickly hauled himself over. ‘Come on,’ he whispered to Vijay from the other side.
Vijay tried to copy what Drake had done, but his muddy shoes slipped on the painted wood of the gate and he struggled to gain any traction. He tried again, but it was no use.
‘Hurry up,’ hissed Drake.
‘I can’t do it,’ moaned Vijay. ‘I just can’t climb it.’ The plan was over even before they had started. He kicked angrily at the bottom of the gate. The gate swung open and he gaped open-mouthed at Drake standing on the other side. ‘It wasn’t even locked,’ he said.
Drake grabbed his collar and hauled him into the shadows. ‘Of course it was locked. I just unlocked it from the inside.’ He closed the gate and locked it again. ‘Now, you’d better be more use when we get inside the storeroom, or else I’m gonna run and leave you there. Got it?’
‘Yes,’ said Vijay. He would do better next time. It was just nerves that had made him so useless. He had to do better, for Oscar’s sake, for everyone’s sake. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
‘Don’t be sorry, be useful,’ hissed Drake. ‘Now follow me and don’t make a noise.’ He turned away, slipping silently along the garden path like a black cat.
Vijay followed him, keeping as quiet as he could. When they reached a part of the building that projected out from the main part of the butcher’s shop, Drake drew a flathead screwdriver from his pocket. He raised a finger to his mouth to warn Vijay not to speak.
Vijay watched as Drake crept stealthily around the building, poking at the window frames with the tool. Eventually he returned to the first window he’d tried and set to work.
The window looked old and slightly battered. Paint peeled from the rotting wooden frame and Drake forced the shaft of the screwdriver under one corner. He prised the wooden beading away slowly, working methodically from one corner to the next. The lower lip came away in his hands. Drake placed it carefully on the ground, then set to work on the vertical strips of wood to either side. Soon they were all off and Drake used the screwdriver to lever the pane of glass neatly out of the frame. He propped it against the wall and slipped the screwdriver back into his jeans. ‘Easy work,’ he said. ‘They don’t even have a burglar alarm.’
‘How are we going to climb in?’ asked Vijay. The window was narrow and about five feet above ground. Easy enough for Drake to reach, but Vijay was shorter and had already demonstrated his lack of climbing skill.
‘I’ll lift you up, then pull myself in afterwards,’ said Drake. ‘Do you think you can manage?’ He knelt down and interlaced his fingers to make a step for Vijay to stand on.
‘Yeah,’ said Vijay. There was no question about it. He had to manage. He stepped onto Drake’s hands and reached for the window. Drake powered him upward without warning and he plunged through the gap and into the dark space of the storeroom beyond. He landed head first on the other side but a pile of cardboard boxes broke his fall. Seconds later Drake landed on top of him.
Vijay was furious. ‘What did you do that for?’ he whispered. ‘I might have knocked myself out.’
Drake jumped to his feet and dusted himself down. ‘Some things are best done quick,’ he said in a low voice. He pulled out a flashlight and shone its beam around the room. The storeroom was about ten feet wide and twenty long, stuffed full of boxes, crates and other containers, like a rather shabby version of Aladdin’s cave. ‘What does this medicine look like?’ he asked.
Vijay shrugged. ‘I don’t really know.’
‘We’d better get looking then,’ said Drake.
Chapter Seventy-One
High Street, Brixton Hill, South London, wolf moon
‘Grandpa Kevin, what we buy this time?’ asked Mihai. ‘Is cigarettes? Is whisky?’
‘Never you mind,’ growled Kevin. ‘Just keep your mouth shut when the Serbians arrive, and everything will be just fine.’
‘Me no like Serbians,’ complained Mihai. ‘Is very bad men.’
The boy obviously sensed that a big deal was about to happen, even though Kevin had been careful not to say anything to him. It was probably Gary’s fault. That idiot was puffing through smokes faster than the Orient Express. His hands trembled with nerves every time he lit up, and he kept looking at his watch every thirty seconds.
Kevin gave the butcher a hearty slap on the back. ‘Not long to go now, Gary,’ he said. ‘Zoran said he’d be here anytime soon, and he’s not usually late.’
‘Yeah,’ said Gary miserably. ‘That’s what I’m worried about.’
‘Well stop worrying,’ said Kevin crossly. ‘You’re giving the boy the heebie-jeebies. And when the Serbians arrive, leave the talking to me, right?’ The last thing he needed was Gary rabbiting on and messing things up. When guns were on the table and big money was at stake, everyone needed to stay nice and calm. The deal was all arranged. The Serbians would deliver a dozen handguns and half a dozen shotguns, plus assorted ammo, and Kevin had the agreed payment ready and waiting in his shoe box. Zoran was a cool customer to deal with, and everything would be fine at this end too, provided Kevin did all the talking.
The phone in his pocket rang and everyone in the room jumped. Kevin picked it up. Liz. His daughter always seemed to choose the worst times to phone him, but it would be safer to take her call. If he didn’t, she’d probably c
ome looking for him, and that would spell disaster. ‘Hey, love,’ he said. ‘How’s things?’
As usual, she sounded annoyed with him. ‘Where are you?’ she asked. ‘I was expecting you home this evening.’
‘No problem,’ said Kevin. ‘We’ll be back soon. Just wrapping things up at the butcher’s.’
‘Is Mihai with you?’
‘Course he is,’ said Kevin. ‘I’ll make sure he’s back safe and sound.’
‘Well don’t be late,’ she said. ‘You know it’s the wolf moon tonight? I want you back in an hour, or else there’ll be trouble.’
‘Sure,’ said Kevin, ringing off. One hour ought to be enough to seal the deal. One hour from now, and he’d be in possession of enough ironmongery to equip a medium-sized gang. With that kind of kit, he’d have more than just money. He’d have power, perhaps for the very first time in his life. It was the next big opportunity, and Kevin’s hands were ready and eager to seize it.
‘Hey,’ said Gary. ‘Did you hear a noise just then?’
Kevin shook his head. He’d heard nothing, although his hearing wasn’t as good as it used to be. It was probably just Gary’s nerves. ‘You hear anything, kid?’ he asked Mihai.
Mihai glanced toward the storeroom at the back of the building. ‘Some noise in back,’ he said. ‘Perhaps is mice.’
‘There ain’t no mice in my shop,’ protested Gary. ‘The only animals you’ll find here are dead ones.’
‘Well it’s probably nothing then,’ said Kevin irritably. There was no way into the storeroom except through the shop itself, so no one could be back there. He’d been in there himself not half an hour ago. ‘Mihai, why don’t you go and take a look?’ It might be a good idea to get the kid out of the scene. The less he saw, the better. ‘Take your time and have a good look around. We don’t want no mice causing trouble, do we, eh?’
‘Okay,’ said Mihai sullenly, heading toward the back of the shop. ‘Is already looking.’
Chapter Seventy-Two
Brixton Village, South London, wolf moon
‘I don’t want to hurt anyone,’ said James. ‘I’ve already killed enough people. I can’t do it anymore.’
‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, then,’ said Melanie. ‘But if it does, I need to know I can rely on you.’ The truth was that she’d like nothing more than to hurt someone right now. Whoever had taken Ben was in for a whole lot of hurting if Melanie had anything to do with it. She couldn’t afford for James to go all vegan on her now. ‘You killed a man to rescue me,’ she said. ‘Would you rather I was still tied up at the mercy of that psycho?’
James wouldn’t meet her gaze. ‘I wish there could have been another way.’
‘Well, let me know when you think what that might be,’ she snapped.
He said nothing but she could see from the way he hunched his shoulders that her words had hurt him. It seemed like she’d learned nothing about the power of her words to inflict harm on those she loved.
‘Sorry,’ she said gently. ‘You know how grateful I am to you. You saved my life. But now we need to save Ben’s. And this is no time to be half-hearted. It’s all or nothing.’
‘I know,’ said James. ‘But let’s try to find a peaceful solution if we can.’ They had walked nearly two miles from Richmond, back to the area where they’d met Ben in the shop. ‘This is the street where they arrested him,’ he said.
‘Kidnapped,’ you mean, said Melanie. Having been imprisoned for several weeks herself, she had zero sympathy for whoever had done this. ‘Take me to the house where they locked him up,’ she said.
He led her down several streets. ‘This is it,’ he whispered. ‘The woman in charge lives here. I overheard her giving orders to lock Ben in the cellar.’
‘This is the street where Ben lives,’ said Melanie in surprise. The idea that his own neighbours had imprisoned him struck her as particularly cruel. ‘Let’s see if we can see anything through the windows.’
James led her to the house. It was a fine property, nicely restored, and larger than Ben’s house, which stood opposite. A handsome Victorian house in a suburban London street. The area had been gentrified in recent years and was something of a hotspot with young affluent professionals. It was hard to imagine that a schoolteacher was imprisoned inside, although of course, she had been held captive herself in equally salubrious surroundings.
The houses on this side of the street all had cellars. There were tiny windows below ground level, but it would be impossible to climb through.
‘How are we going to get him out?’ wondered Melanie aloud.
‘There are three people, remember?’ said James. ‘Ben and two others.’
‘Sure,’ said Melanie. But in truth she had forgotten about them, she was so fixated on rescuing Ben. She glanced up and down the street, but there was no one in sight. ‘Let’s take a closer look.’
They crept through the iron gate and up to the front of the house. The building had three floors above ground, and just in front of the house the garden dropped away to reveal another floor below ground level. A light was on in the cellar, but the two basement windows were green and murky, and they could see little through the glass. An iron grille covered the cellar windows and prevented access. James tugged at the iron bars, but they were fixed into the brickwork and wouldn’t budge.
‘We can’t get them out that way,’ said Melanie. ‘We’ll need to go in through the front door instead.’
‘But how on earth are we going to do that?’ asked James.
‘Leave it to me,’ said Melanie, giving him a wink. ‘You stay here out of sight.’ She unbuttoned her long coat and went up to the front door of the house. A brass knocker in the shape of a lion glared back at her. She checked her lipstick quickly in the compact mirror she kept in her handbag and rang the doorbell.
Heavy footsteps approached down the hallway and the door snapped opened a few inches on a chain. A man peered suspiciously through the gap. When he saw Melanie he unchained the door and opened it wide.
‘Hi there,’ said Melanie, smiling sweetly.
‘Well, hello,’ said the man.
Chapter Seventy-Three
King’s College Hospital, Lambeth, South London, wolf moon
Adam ducked low as the helicopter flew overhead, training its searchlight on the railway line that bounded the hospital’s southern perimeter. The Wolf Brothers crouched behind tree cover in the adjacent Ruskin Park, dressed in black, their dark balaclavas making their faces vanish in the night. But the glaring searchlight turned night into day. Their black forms against the white of the snow would betray them if it happened to shine their way.
‘It’s okay,’ said Snakebite reassuringly. ‘They don’t know we’re here. This is just a routine patrol.’
Adam nodded. He knew the plan inside-out, but planning the operation in the safe surroundings of the conference room was different to the deep instinctive reaction he felt to the deafening roar of the Lynx helicopter sweeping overhead. He needed to calm his nerves if he was going to play his part in this mission without messing up. He touched the hunting knife in its sheath at his waist for reassurance.
‘The chopper follows the same pattern every time,’ continued Snakebite. It will circle once then land on the roof.’
Sure enough, the Lynx swept once more around the hospital’s boundary and then slowed to hover directly above the main hospital block. Within a minute it had landed on the pad that in normal times was used for air ambulances.
Now that the searchlight was gone, the sky had turned black again. The moon and stars remained hidden behind the clouds.
Warg Daddy’s deep voice rumbled in the darkness. ‘Ready? Then go.’
Adam took a deep breath. As the most agile of the werewolves, it was natural that he had been picked for this role. Snakebite had recognized his athletic ability, and had encouraged him to volunteer. Even Warg Daddy hadn’t raised any objections. They all knew that Adam was streets ahead of the others when it ca
me to running, climbing and jumping.
He stepped out of the tree cover and darted across the railway tracks. No trains were running tonight. The tracks cut black lines through the virgin snow. He led the Brothers across the railway cutting and paused at the bottom of the embankment that led up to the hospital.
A low fence at the top of the embankment marked the hospital’s southern boundary. Beyond it, two soldiers stood talking. With his keen hearing, Adam could make out their voices even over the high-pitched whine of the helicopter powering down its rotor blades.
He crept up the embankment, cloaked in darkness, and slid soundlessly over the fence, Snakebite at his heels. Slasher and Meathook vanished silently into the shadows to station themselves on the other side. Even if they had made a sound, the noise from the helicopter would have masked it, but they moved without the slightest snapping of twig or rustling of leaves. They edged their way toward the soldiers, waiting for a chance to spring.
Adam crept as close as he dared and waited. After thirty seconds he heard a muted bird call from where Slasher and Meathook had stationed themselves. The soldiers heard it too and turned to investigate.
Adam and Snakebite sprang at them unawares. Two quick flashes of steel and the soldiers’ bodies slid to the ground, making dark stains on the white snow. Slasher and Meathook emerged from the shadows to join them.
Snakebite beckoned to the others waiting beneath the trees, and six dark shapes flitted across the railway tracks like bats. Warg Daddy and Snakebite lifted the combat shotguns from the soldiers’ bodies. Then the group moved forward again as one, slipping through the narrow gap between two tall buildings.
The rear of the main hospital block lay shrouded in darkness. Lights from upstairs windows shone brightly, but here at the base of the eight-floor tower, they were as good as invisible.
Lycanthropic (Book 2): Wolf Moon (The Rise of the Werewolves) Page 28