Night School: Resistance (Night School 4)

Lucinda looked exasperated. ‘Oh please, Nathaniel, he diverted hundreds of thousands of pounds from the corporate account. The evidence was clear.’


‘The money was his,’ Nathaniel began angrily, but then he seemed to change his mind. ‘I don’t intend to quibble over this. At any rate, it’s beside the point. I don’t need you to give Jerry to me. I’ve got him already.’

Lucinda froze.

It was the first time Allie had seen her caught off guard tonight.

Nathaniel waved a hand towards the trees behind them.

With a slow sense of dread, Allie looked where he pointed. She was conscious of Carter stepping in front of her, his body angled as if to block a blow. That was when she saw Jerry step out of the woods. Gabe stood at his side. Each held a gun pointed right at them.





38





Thirty-eight





Jerry looked rumpled, as if he’d been in a fight. His hair stood on end and one sleeve had been ripped off his shirt, baring a muscular arm. Allie could see a bruise and a bloody scrape on his cheek.

However he’d got loose, it had involved a fight.

Gabe, on the other hand, looked fresh as a daisy. His tawny hair was longer now, hiding the scar on his scalp, and artfully tousled. He looked like Allie remembered him from the days before Nathaniel – a handsome young psycho killer.

She couldn’t breathe.

Every person complicit in Jo’s death was right in front of her. Nathaniel arranged it. Jerry opened the gate. And Gabe. Who thrust the knife into her.

For so long she’d wanted her revenge. Now, at last, here they all were. And she was terrified.

She wanted to tell Carter to step back. To stand beside her, not in front of her, but her lips had gone numb.

She forced herself to take a breath. And then another. Somehow her lungs kept working. It wasn’t easy but, luckily, no one was paying any attention to her.

Even Carter’s gaze was fixed on the gunmen.

‘Gerald, I could ask how you unshackled yourself but I suppose it’s quite evident,’ her grandmother said dryly.

Then, to Allie’s horrified astonishment, she turned her back on him, as if he didn’t matter a bit. As if, even holding a gun – with life and death in his hands – he was insignificant to her.

Jerry stiffened. His grip on the gun tightened and he took a step towards them. Gabe pulled him back.

‘Not yet,’ he said.

The sound of Gabe’s voice made Allie’s skin crawl.

She stepped closer to Carter. If this was about to get ugly they needed to be ready.

‘This is your plan?’ Lucinda said reproachfully. ‘I’m so disappointed in you, Nathaniel. You had such promise. More promise than anyone I’ve ever known.’

‘More than Isabelle?’ Nathaniel asked, and Allie could hear hurt beneath the acid in his tone. ‘It would have been nice if you said it once in a while.’

It was clear this was familiar ground. A path they’d trodden many times, never getting anywhere. All the while Jerry and Gabe stood still, their guns pointed at them, unwavering.

But neither Lucinda nor Nathaniel seemed to care about the weaponry. They were too intent on destroying each other.

Nathaniel was twisting one cufflink, Allie noticed, with quick, irritated movements. Once, twice, three times.

In her head she heard Katie’s voice. ‘He does this thing when he’s really cross. He twists his cufflinks three times …’

She wanted to warn Lucinda but she had a feeling she knew already. That she was doing this on purpose.

‘Pettiness is so unattractive.’ Lucinda shook her head. ‘Your jealousy has always been your undoing. If only you could have faith in yourself.’

‘Enough,’ Nathaniel roared in tones of cold fury. ‘I’m done with this. It isn’t fun any more. Lucinda, I’ve been very patient but my patience has run out. Today is the last day. Your allies will not help you because, even as we speak, each of them is receiving a visitor. A very convincing visitor, who is explaining why they cannot support you any longer.’ He glanced from her to Allie, feverish with excitement. ‘By the time this night is over your leadership of Orion will be through. It’s time for a new generation, Lucinda. We’ve tried it your way. Now we’re going to try mine.’

Allie wasn’t sure what he was saying – was he talking about blackmail? But Lucinda did seem to know. And she went pale.

‘Nathaniel,’ she said with quiet sadness, ‘what have you done?’

Triumph blazed in his eyes. ‘I’ve finished this. It’s over. You have no one to turn to now. Nowhere to go. There’s nobody left to run your little political games, to try and stop the inevitable progress of change. You’re done, Lucinda.’ He stepped back. ‘Take a bow.’

Lucinda seemed to sag under the weight of this and, for a moment, Allie thought she might fall. She took a step towards her, but her grandmother instantly held up a hand.