Defy the Stars

  Cody said nothing. He was keeping his gun firmly trained on Flynn, only occasionally glancing over at me.

  ‘The police will find your car, even if you dump it,’ I added. ‘They’ll work out where we are.’

  ‘I’ll get another car,’ Cody said, suddenly breaking his silence. His voice was like a chip of ice. ‘I’ll burn the old one, it’ll take ages for the police to connect it with me.’

  We reached the edge of the trees and emerged on to an open field. The ground was rough and strewn with pebbles across the grass. Cody forced us on. I stumbled over the stones and Flynn reached out his hand to steady me.

  ‘Get back!’ Cody ordered.

  Flynn let his hand fall to his side.

  We walked on. The ground sloped sharply upwards as we rounded the corner of the field. I gasped. We were higher up than I’d realised. A white chasm opened up in front of us. Chains with Keep Out notices ran along the edge.

  ‘Where are we?’ I asked.

  Cody said nothing.

  ‘It’s a chalk quarry,’ Flynn said.

  I stared down at the ravine, its white walls roughly hewn out of the earth.

  ‘Why are we here?’ Fear gripped my throat.

  Cody ordered us under the chain. We shuffled forwards to the very edge of the quarry.

  ‘On your knees, both of you,’ he ordered. ‘Hands behind your head.’

  I sank to the ground. Flynn knelt beside me. Cody levelled his gun at the back of Flynn’s head and I suddenly realised what he was about to do.

  ‘No.’ The word slipped out of me, a desperate gasp.

  ‘I don’t have a choice.’ Cody cocked his revolver.

  The world spun around me. He was going to shoot Flynn. Then me. Our bodies would fall into the quarry. Our lives would end. I couldn’t take it in and yet it was happening.

  Right here.

  Right now.

  I glanced at Flynn. He was already looking at me and the focused fury in his eyes gave me strength. He hadn’t given up. I shouldn’t either.

  I looked over at Cody. His arm was outstretched, the gun pressed against the back of Flynn’s head. His hand was shaking. There was terror in his eyes but he was psyching himself up to shoot.

  Flynn was still looking at me. His body was tensed, poised, ready for a chance to fight.

  I had to do something. Now. Everything depended on it.

  I took a deep breath and stood up.

  16

  I backed away from the edge. Cody swung his gun arm around, so the weapon pointed at me.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he yelled. ‘Get dow—!’

  With a roar, Flynn hurled himself at Cody’s legs. Cody fell to the ground with a thud. Flynn pressed him back, trying to force the gun out of Cody’s hand. For a second it wavered dangerously in Flynn’s face, then, with another yell, Flynn punched at Cody’s arm.

  The gun sailed out of his hand and into the quarry below. Cody was trying to push Flynn away, but Flynn was punching him, all flying fists. He rammed into Cody’s face, pummelling as hard as he could. One. Two. Three blows. Cody lay, dazed and blinking, on the ground. Flynn sat back, fist raised, ready to strike again. For once I felt myself wanting him to land another punch, to knock Cody out properly. He deserved it.

  As soon as I’d thought this, I was filled with a terrible fear that Flynn would seriously hurt Cody and that, despite what Cody had done, this would be wrong.

  ‘That’s enough.’ I crept over to Flynn.

  He nodded, his breath heavy and jagged. ‘Where’s the gun?’ he asked.

  I pointed over the ravine. ‘Down there,’ I said.

  ‘Good.’ Flynn stood up. ‘Let’s go.’

  I stared down at Cody. He was groaning now, his hand feeling his jaw. ‘We can’t just leave him here,’ I said.

  ‘We can’t stay, either.’ Flynn took my arm and started running. ‘Come on. We have to get away.’

  He was right. I let him lead me around the edge of the chalk quarry and across to the other side. As we reached the edge of the trees opposite, we stopped for a second to catch our breath. I looked back. Cody was struggling to his feet. He looked around, but clearly couldn’t see us all the way over here by the trees. He started walking slowly away from the ravine edge. Even from this distance it was obvious he was still dazed.

  ‘He’s heading back to his car,’ Flynn said quietly beside me. ‘He thinks we’ll have tried to steal it, drive off somewhere.’

  ‘Where are we going to go?’ I asked, the enormity of the situation weighing down on top of me. ‘I saw Cody kill someone, I have to tell the police.’

  Flynn said nothing. A deep frown creased his forehead.

  ‘What?’ I said.

  ‘I . . . you’re right about going to the police. It’s just . . . it’s like before . . . I’m worried that if you give a statement about Cody, it will bring Bentham into the whole thing . . .’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘If you tell the police you saw Cody kill that man, you’ll have to explain why you were with him in the first place . . . which means saying what you saw back at the Blue Parrot . . . which implicates Bentham.’

  ‘But Bentham wasn’t anywhere near that motorway car park.’

  ‘I know, but he’s linked to Cody.’ Flynn sighed. ‘Listen, Lance Bentham makes Cody Walsh look like a saint. If he thinks you or Cody might implicate him in any way, he’ll do anything to shut you up. I . . . I know he will . . . It’s happened with other witnesses.’ Flynn looked at me. ‘Bentham has friends in the police anyway. I’m not even sure they’ll follow through on what you tell them.’

  ‘But why would Bentham care?’ I asked. ‘I didn’t even see his face when I was at the Blue Parrot, I couldn’t identify him from a line-up. I only saw Cody properly. That’s not enough proof against Bentham – why should he worry?’

  ‘Because of all that happened in Bentham’s bar, because Cody works for him, because the link between them is too strong.’ Flynn sighed. ‘Even if your evidence can’t hurt Bentham directly, it helps the police get closer to prosecuting him. Either way, you’ll be in terrible danger, Riv.’ He paused. ‘I’ve put you in terrible danger by getting involved with Bentham in the first place.’

  I looked down. Everything Flynn said was true, including that last part. He might not have meant his choices to threaten my life, but they had.

  ‘You’re right, Flynn,’ I said. ‘You have to take some of the responsibility for me meeting Cody and for putting me in this position, but a man is still dead and I saw it happen and I can’t let Cody get away with that. So I have to take responsibility for what I witnessed which means I have to tell the police – it’s just the right thing to do.’

  There was a long pause. ‘Okay,’ Flynn finally conceded.

  I reached into my pocket, but Cody had taken my phone. I made a face. ‘Can I borrow your mobile? I need to call Dad as well as the cops.’

  Flynn handed me his phone, but there was no signal, so we walked on in silence through the wood. I had no idea where we were, or where we were heading. After about twenty minutes, a breeze whipped up, cooling the air. I shivered and Flynn took his jacket and put it over my shoulders. We carried on walking, the snap of twigs and crunch of the dry earth underfoot the only sound all around us. After a while, Flynn cleared his throat.

  ‘Do you still have my wallet?’ he asked.

  ‘No, Cody took it in the car along with my phone and my purse.’ I made a face. ‘The only thing in my pocket is the iPod you gave me.’

  ‘So you’ve got no money at all?’

  ‘What about you?’

  Flynn shook his head. ‘I gave you almost everything I had. I’ve been living off the rest since last week. I’m down to my last few quid.’

  ‘It won’t matter,’ I said. ‘We’ve still got your phone. As soon as we’ve got a signal we can call for help. If the police won’t pick us up I’m sure my dad will.’

  Flynn took a deep breath.

  ‘Riv, I
know you’re right about talking to the police but I’ve been thinking and I want you to let me do it. I’m in bad with Bentham anyway. I can tell the police everything they need to know about Cody killing that guy, make out I was there, not you, then you won’t have to—’

  ‘Weren’t you listening to what I said earlier?’ I interrupted. ‘I was right there. You didn’t even see the shooting. It’s wrong not to—’

  ‘But it’s the only way to keep Bentham away from you and still do the right thing.’

  I stopped walking. We were near the edge of the trees now, the lights of a row of buildings clearly visible beyond the wood.

  ‘No, Flynn,’ I said firmly. ‘I know you want to protect me, but I have to take responsibility for what I saw. Don’t pressure me to do something different. This is who I am. It’s important. You have to let me be me, not try and turn me into a scaredy-cat victim because you’re scared I might get hurt.’

  Flynn opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again. He smiled.

  ‘You’ve changed,’ he said.

  ‘I’ve just been alone a lot,’ I said. ‘I’m used to making my own decisions now.’

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘You’re right. We’ll both go to the police. We’ll both tell the truth.’

  It was dark when we emerged from the trees to find ourselves in a residential street. The houses opposite were large and detached. A sign at the crossroads nearby pointed to the town centre. I checked Flynn’s phone. At last there was a signal.

  ‘I need to make the call,’ I said.

  Flynn nodded. ‘Whatever you want to do, I’m in.’

  I hesitated, staring up at the town centre sign. Once we had talked to the police, Mum and Dad would almost certainly come and take me away. After that, it would be hard to see Flynn, certainly for a while. If he admitted his involvement with Bentham, he might well be arrested and charged, and I could just imagine how Mum and Dad would react to that. In the end, none of the detail of what we had said and done would count for anything. All Mum and Dad would see was that Flynn was back and I was mixed up in a whole lot of danger and trouble.

  I pressed 999 and lifted the phone to my ear. The operator answered straight away, asking which service I needed.

  ‘Police,’ I said. ‘There was . . . an incident at a service station. I don’t know which one but it was off the M1, not far outside London. I saw a man in a yellow uniform get shot. He was killed. Then the man who did it, Cody Walsh, he kidnapped me and my friend. He tried to kill us too.’

  The operator started speaking again, but I wasn’t listening to her. I was staring at Flynn. There was such misery in his eyes. I knew he was thinking the same as I had been, that after this it would be hard to see each other, that everyone we knew would want to keep us apart, that this precious time together would be over.

  ‘I’m not able to say any more right now,’ I said into the phone, cutting over the operator who was still speaking. I looked at Flynn. He raised his eyebrows. ‘I’ve told you what happened. I promise I’ll come into a station and give a statement tomorrow morning.’

  Flynn’s eyes widened as I turned off the call.

  ‘What was that?’ he said.

  I moved closer, putting my hands on his shoulders. ‘I just thought . . .’ I said, ‘. . . that it’s already late and there isn’t anything more I can tell the police that will make a difference right now, so we might as well have tonight together, then go to the police in the morning. I’ll say what I saw at the Blue Parrot and at the service station, and you can explain about Bentham and . . . and hopefully they’ll protect us.’

  A huge grin spread over Flynn’s face. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him. ‘Spend the night together?’ he said. ‘Are you sure?’

  I nodded. ‘We can sleep rough, it’s not that cold.’

  Flynn looked sceptical. ‘It’ll get a lot colder overnight, but yes, definitely, yes.’ He bent his head and kissed me, soft, on the lips.

  A delicious thrill threaded through me. I smiled. ‘So much for getting to know each other slowly again.’

  ‘Well things will certainly get slower once your parents hear I’m back.’ Flynn sighed. ‘They’ll be mad that you’re seeing me.’

  ‘I know.’ I leaned against him, running my hands over the back of his jacket, feeling the strong muscles underneath. ‘Maybe we should just run away together.’

  ‘Mmm.’ Flynn hugged me tighter. ‘Running away might sound romantic but I’ve done it before, without you, and it sucks and it’s not the right thing, either. You shouldn’t be away from your parents and your friends and college and your whole life.’

  ‘Okay, then, we sleep rough tonight and go to the police tomorrow, like I just promised them.’ I kissed him again. Then we took each other’s hand and crossed the road. As we followed the sign to the town centre, anxiety swirled in my stomach. The plan we’d made to tell the police everything was definitely the right course of action. And yet it was going to be so hard. I glanced at Flynn, loving the feel of his strong fingers clasping mine. At least I had him.

  It was ironic how Flynn had brought such chaos into my life and yet, even after everything that had happened, being with him still felt so right. What was it he’d said?

  You’re the only person I’ll ever truly love. That’s what’s in the stars, not what all those other people think.

  We reached the end of one road and turned on to a busier, shopping street. The wind was cooler now. I tugged Flynn’s jacket around me. ‘I should call home, just to say I’m okay, then we can switch the mobile off.’

  Flynn pointed to a pub. ‘I’m going in there. I’ve got a good idea for getting some money so maybe we won’t have to sleep outside after all.’

  ‘Okay.’ I wasn’t really paying attention. I stood on the pavement, his phone in my hand. What was I going to say to Mum and Dad? Then it struck me. I had no idea what their mobile numbers were. The data was stored in my phone which was still with Cody. It was the same with my friends’ mobile numbers. And I didn’t know the landline number for the commune either. In fact, the only telephone number I could remember was the one from Mum’s house which she’d drilled into me many years ago, when I was at primary school, before I had my own mobile phone.

  I hesitated. A car drove past at high speed. I didn’t really have a choice. I had to let my parents know I was okay. I had been gone now for hours. Reluctantly I pressed the digits on the phone pad. Mum answered after just one ring.

  ‘Hello?’ I could hear her desperation in that single word. Guilt pulsed through me.

  ‘Mum?’

  ‘Oh, River.’ Mum sucked in her breath. ‘Where are you? Are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine, Mum. I . . .’ I stopped, unsure how to explain what had happened to me today without scaring her to death.

  ‘I’ve been so worried,’ Mum went on. ‘I called Grace and Leo and they had no idea where you were. I really want you home now. Your dad’s here. He’s been trying you too, he was planning on heading back to the commune hours ago.’

  ‘I know,’ I said. ‘Please tell him I’m sorry.’

  ‘Tell him yourself,’ Mum said. ‘But first tell me when you’ll be back. Where are you? Did you just lose track of time?’

  ‘Er, yeah, that’s right . . .’ I tailed off again.

  ‘River, what’s wrong?’ Mum drew in her breath sharply. ‘Is this something to do with Flynn?’

  His name hung in the air between us.

  I hesitated. ‘I’m fine, Mum. I’m really sorry, but some stuff happened earlier, stuff I . . . I need to sort out. I have to go, but I’ll be home tomorrow.’ I rang off.

  A few seconds later the phone rang. Mum’s home number flashed on the screen. I turned off the call. A minute later and the phone rang a second time, this time showing what I was sure was Mum’s mobile. Or maybe Dad’s. I closed my eyes. I should have blocked the number before making the call.

  I switched off the whole phone and shoved it i
nto Flynn’s jacket pocket.

  I was about to head into the pub when Flynn himself emerged. I opened my mouth to tell him about my conversation with Mum, then realised he wasn’t alone. Three men and a girl were following him out of the pub. They looked like they were in their late teens too, all of them laughing and shouting in the night air.

  Flynn caught my eye. ‘I’ve got a way of getting us some money, Riv,’ he said quietly. ‘It should be enough to pay for a proper hotel . . .’ He took my hand, letting the others pass then following them along the pavement. ‘A proper last night before we have to go back to hardly seeing each other.’

  I frowned. ‘How will those people help us get money?’ I whispered.

  ‘It’s a bet,’ Flynn said. ‘I’ve bet them two hundred pounds I can beat them at bronco.’

  I stared at him. ‘What’s bronco?’ I asked.

  Flynn grinned. ‘It’s a game I used to play when I first met Cody. It’s stupid but there’s a knack to it and I’m good. I know I can win.’

  The group had reached a car. Two of the men got inside the front. One indicated the back seat for me and Flynn.

  Flynn moved to open the door but I held him back. ‘What will you have to do in this game?’ I hissed.

  Ahead of us, the remaining guy and the girl were getting into the Volvo parked just in front. Flynn tugged at my hand. ‘Come on, Riv, it’s just a thing with cars.’

  ‘Cars?’ I said, as he opened the rear door. ‘You mean like a racing game?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ Flynn said. ‘But it is a competition. Anyway, it’s a lot easier than it looks so you mustn’t worry. Ill be fine.’ This was hardly reassuring, but the engine was already running, so I followed Flynn into the car.

  As we drove off, the guy in the passenger seat up front turned and smiled. ‘I’m Josh,’ he said.

  ‘River,’ I said. This was getting surreal though Josh seemed friendly enough. ‘Er, where are we going?’

  ‘Ex-factory car park,’ Josh said. He glanced at Flynn. ‘There should be enough space there, yeah?’