London Belongs to the Alchemist (Class Heroes Book 4) Read online

  “What do you mean?” asked Yvonne, not letting go of James. Lolly felt isolated from the proceedings. Nobody was holding her.

  “I mean that I have given you your lives back. I’ve destroyed MI5’s records of you. Your friend Mrs Stannard is dead, and she was the only person who knew anything about your existence. The armed officers that came to your house are just foot soldiers. Thanks to me, you’re free to live your lives again.”

  “Thanks,” said Roger, coldly. “In return, I won’t smash your face in. So we’re quits. We’re still leaving without you.”

  “Mrs Stannard is dead?” repeated Yvonne.

  “Yes,” said Lolly, feeling the need to say something. “Nicky Cairo killed her. Before she died, she told me how to find this house.”

  “You always planned to rescue your father, didn’t you?” asked Yvonne, sadly. “You used us, while you hatched your plan?”

  “I… he’s my father,” pleaded Lolly. “But I never meant to use you. Well, maybe I did at first. I mean, you taught me so much. You have to believe me.”

  “I don’t know what to believe about you, Lolly,” said Yvonne, eyeing her until Lolly turned away.

  “It’s not Lolly’s fault,” protested James. “She rescued us. It’s his fault,” he pointed accusingly at her father.

  “Enough!” her father ordered, and everybody fell silent. He left the window and marched up to James. Yvonne put herself in the way.

  “We can discuss this elsewhere,” he decided. “We don’t have time now. James, you will do as I say.”

  “No,” squealed Lolly, and her father looked at her in surprise.

  “Father, don’t make him.”

  “Sweetheart, I have to. We have minutes, maybe seconds, before the police find a way to overcome us, and someone gets seriously hurt.”

  “Ask him, don’t make him,” pleaded Lolly.

  “I ain’t doing nothing that he tells me,” insisted James, but Lolly could see he was scared. James knew, first hand, that her father could make anybody do anything.

  “I’ve already asked,” her father replied. “Now I’m telling. James, you will teleport us all back to your house. Yvonne, Roger, do not interfere.”

  His voice had that steely edge of command. It was his power. Nobody could resist, not even James. He took his mother’s hand and extended his other hand for Lolly to take hold of.

  Roger rested his hand on James’s left shoulder; her father placed his on James’s right.

  “Take my hand, Lolly,” said James, without emotion. Ordinarily, Lolly would have grabbed hold without a second thought, but James was simply obeying her father’s orders. That was what her father’s power did to people. It removed any trace of emotion or free will. She didn’t want a boyfriend stripped of the values that made him… well, him.

  “Take James’s hand, Lolly,” said her father, gently.

  Lolly looked at him defiantly. She knew she must do as he said, but she resented what he was doing.

  “Are you going to make me, too?” she asked.

  “Lolly,” he said, placatingly. “I’m your father. I know what is best for you. Be a good girl. Take James’s hand.”

  “I asked you if you’ll make me if I don’t,” she said, standing her ground. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop her bottom lip trembling and her eyes watering.

  “If I have to,” he replied, simply. “I won’t leave you here.”

  Lolly bit her lip. The window to the bedroom shattered, spraying the room with glass. Any second now and more armed men would swing in. James remained where he was, with everybody else holding onto him.

  “Lolly,” her father warned.

  Still Lolly didn’t move. She knew she had to, but she couldn’t just go back to doing everything ‘Daddy’ said.

  James turned to face her. The blank expression on his face turned to one of anguish. There were beads of sweat on his forehead.

  “Please, Lolly,” he said. “I’ll take us all, and not just because your father says so. Please stay with me.”

  And that was all she needed to hear. She raced forward and grabbed his hand so tightly that she feared she might hurt him. Her father’s face looked like thunder, but he said nothing, simply dropping the machine gun on the floor.

  And suddenly, with that weirdly disorientating sensation that made her tummy lurch, Lolly was standing in the Blakes’ kitchen.

  ***

  The place was a mess. Cupboards were open, drawers pulled out, and cooking utensils scattered on the floor.

  Everyone stood looking at everyone else, in shock. Lolly reluctantly let go of James’s hand and checked the hallway.

  “I think the house is empty,” she said, listening intently. “But the police must have searched the place.”

  “Ransacked, more like,” grumbled Roger, checking the dining room and sitting room. “They’ve made a hell of a mess.”

  “Where’s Sam?” Yvonne asked James.

  “I don’t know,” said James. “We were together, then Nicky Cairo shot me. That’s all I remember until Lolly woke me up in the other place.”

  “Oh, my baby,” muttered Yvonne, pulling him close again.

  “It’s ok, Yvonne,” Lolly put her hand on the woman’s arm, desperate to help. “We’ll find her. Just like last time. I promise.”

  Chapter 60

  Monday 23 April

  James sat on the sofa in the lounge, scanning news websites on his tablet. Lolly lay beside him, stretched out with her head on his stomach, fast asleep.

  His sister had been missing for two days, and there was no clue as to where she might be.

  Ever since James’s return home, he, his father, his mother, Sir Michael and Lolly had been looking for Sam. They had started with Nicky Cairo’s club in New Cross. It had been boarded up and there was crime-scene tape across the doors.

  Inside the club, it looked pretty much as it had done on Al’s video. Smashed bottles, broken furniture, and now a very disgusting smell and lots of flies.

  After that they had visited Al’s father’s shop, or what was left of it. It had been looted and torched. So much for Al’s revolution, thought James. Mr Lester had not seen his son since the shooting incident either and he was worried sick. He had reported his disappearance to the police who, it seemed, were very keen to interview Al as they had finally connected him with DJ Alchemy and identified him as the main instigator of the riots.

  Sir Michael had located Nicky Cairo’s house, only to discover it was locked up and empty. No sign of Nicky or anybody else.

  There were no more clues to follow. James was convinced that Sam was with Al, somehow, somewhere.

  The article that James was reading on 24/7 News was all about Al.

  ‘Drugs, Anarchy, and a Contempt for Decency! How a hard-working shopkeeper’s son brought London to its knees with a sick hoax’

  James scanned the story for anything useful, but it was mainly a scurrilous piece on how everything that was wrong with the world was attributable to teenagers. Al turning a small section of The Mall into gold was dismissed as a clever, David-Blaine-style trick, and the result of a ‘deviant and twisted mind’. A picture of Al’s skeleton mask, looking über-threatening in front of Buckingham Palace, was used as a reminder of just how monstrous and degenerate young people could be. The riots had fizzled out by Sunday afternoon, and London had woken up on Monday with a massive hangover.

  Mum had spent the last two days putting the house back together, although she had performed all her cleaning and tidying like a sleepwalker. She was especially clingy with James, not wanting to let him out of her sight.

  Most weird of all was how Sir Michael Rosewood was staying with them in the house. James just could not get his head around that at all. He was paranoid that Sir Michael was going to hypnotize his parents again and had challenged him repeatedly on the subject. Sir Michael had promised he would not use his powers on them, for whatever a promise from that guy was worth.

  “My only int
erest is in finding Samantha and bringing her home safely,” he had assured them.

  James was simply miserable without his twin sister. It felt as though a part of him was missing. It seemed like every five minutes he went to say something to her, only to remember that she wasn’t there. The house seemed cavernously empty without her. He was grateful for the comforting presence of Lolly.

  James wanted Sir Michael to leave, but he was desperate for Lolly to stay. She looked so peaceful as she lay beside him, occasionally twitching in her sleep. She’d only been here a week and now he couldn’t imagine life without her.

  Sir Michael had left the house early that morning, saying he had an important meeting. Lolly had wanted to go with him, but he’d insisted on going alone.

  South Ealing school was closed for the week, as it had been damaged in the riots. James had been getting texts from Steve Roadhouse. Apparently Mark Foster was in hospital, bruised and — bizarrely — covered in hair! Steve was calling him Hagrid. Even several of the girls in Mark Foster’s gang, including his girlfriend, had sported some rather unfortunate hair growth, somehow brought on by overuse of Super D.

  ***

  The doorbell rang and Dad came crashing down the stairs to answer it. James heard Sir Michael’s voice. Instantly, Lolly was awake and she got up off the sofa and trotted into the hallway to find her father. James followed.

  Sir Michael entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. James sat opposite him, while Dad, Mum and Lolly stood facing him expectantly.

  “I have news,” he said, self-importantly. “I’ve just been talking to my contact in the Security Service.”

  “Since when do you have a contact in the Security Service?” demanded Dad.

  “Since Saturday,” replied Sir Michael, smoothly. “And I think you’ll find my contact is a lot more reliable than your Mrs Stannard was.”

  “Just tell us what you’ve discovered,” said Dad, with undisguised loathing. “We’ll try and remember to applaud you later.”

  “We all saw the news story about the jet that was forced to crash land in the English Channel. My source tells me that Alvin Lester was on that plane.”

  “Al? I read that story,” said James. “It was a private jet. They thought it might have been a terrorist thing.”

  “That’s right,” said Sir Michael. “They sent search and rescue helicopters after the plane. Alvin Lester was inside, practically in a coma having suffered a heart attack.”

  “That’s your stupid Super D did that to him,” accused James.

  “Very likely,” agreed Sir Michael. “And the moral of that story is that it is wrong to steal,” he added, smiling. James wanted to hit him.

  “They recovered two bodies. Both Russian men with suspected mafia links. The airfield that the jet took off from had more dead bodies. Another Russian man and your friend Nicky Cairo.”

  “What about Sam?” insisted Mum.

  “No sign of her. But the RAF pilot who forced the plane to land said that, just before the jet went down, a girl came onto the radio and said she was 14 years old, she’d been kidnapped and she didn’t know how to fly a plane. Given that Al was on board, it does seem likely it was Sam. The last thing she shouted out was ‘James’.”

  The bottom fell out of James’s world. He should have been there. Should have heard her. Teleported onto that plane and got her out. His sister had needed him and he’d failed her. He wanted to shout at the top of his voice. Lolly put her arms around his neck and pulled his head close to hers.

  “Well then, if she was on board, why didn’t they find her?” pressed Mum, choking on her tears.

  “They’re still looking. The RAF searched extensively but found nobody else. Alvin Lester was taken to a hospital in Kent. He’s under close guard and they’re keeping the whole thing quiet. They don’t want the newspapers to find out that the instigator of the riots is in hospital. Apparently, he’s still in a coma.”

  “We have to get down there,” said James. “He must know where Sam is.”

  “At the moment, there’s no guarantee he’ll survive,” said Sir Michael, sombrely.

  “Then what are we going to do about Sam?” demanded Mum. “We have to find my baby. She wouldn’t have drowned, I know she wouldn’t. She’s still alive, and we have to find her.”

  “If there’s anything else you know, Rosewood, you’d better tell us.”

  Dad’s on the edge, thought James. Any minute now, he’ll punch Sir Michael.

  “That’s all I know for now, because that’s all anybody knows,” answered Sir Michael. “I’m not holding out on you, I promise.”

  “My father will find Sam if it’s at all possible,” chipped in Lolly.

  “I will,” Sir Michael added.

  “We don’t want you to find her,” said Dad.

  “We do,” cut in Mum. “I want you to find Sam and tell us where she is, but don’t go near her yourself, do you understand?”

  “I understand,” said Sir Michael, seemingly not offended. He looked at Lolly. “It’s time for us to go, sweetheart.”

  “Where to?” asked Lolly, taking hold of James’s hand. “Can’t we stay here?”

  Yes, yes, yes, thought James.

  “I mean, can we stay in London?” added Lolly quickly, blushing. “I know we can’t stay with you,” she said to Mum and Dad, who looked at each other in embarrassment.

  “I know I’ve not been a good guest and I know I didn’t tell you the truth about looking for my father, but you must understand now how it felt. You must be going through the same thing with Sam.”

  “It’s not the same thing,” said Dad, coldly.

  “But it is,” insisted Lolly. “You’d do anything for Sam. My father would do anything for me and me for him. I had to get him away from those people.”

  “And the important thing is, your secrets are all safe,” added Sir Michael.

  “So why can’t we stay?” Lolly asked him.

  “Exactly,” said James. “There’s no need for you to leave.”

  “I’m afraid there is, James,” said Sir Michael, sadly. “I’m sorry. I know you and my daughter have become, shall I say, friendly?”

  James looked at the floor.

  “You’ll see each other again, I promise that, too,” Sir Michael added.

  “Perhaps,” murmured Dad. “So, where are you going?”

  “Probably best you don’t know, for the time being. There’s an old friend who I urgently need to hook up with.”

  “Didn’t think you had any friends,” said James.

  Sir Michael smiled, sardonically.

  “One day I would like to think that I’ll count this family among my friends.”

  “Only you could persuade yourself that will happen,” James observed.

  Sir Michael stopped smiling.

  “We may have to leave the country for a short while. But I’ll contact you as soon as I have news of Sam,” he said.

  “You’d better,” said Dad.

  “I will.”

  “Are we going to report Sam’s disappearance to the police?” asked James.

  “I’d advise against that,” said Sir Michael. “You don’t want the police investigating you again. Tell the school that Sam has gone back to her grandparents in Suffolk because of stress. Tell them she is being home schooled. I’ll make some calls and ensure there is no investigation or comeback.”

  “You’re mr fix-it again, now are you?” scoffed Dad. “Got everybody dancing to your tune?”

  Sir Michael flashed him a charming smile and winked. Dad lunged forward to grab Sir Michael, but Lolly interceded.

  “Please don’t, please,” she said, putting herself in between the two men. James got to his feet and put his arm across Dad’s shoulders.

  “Don’t, Dad. He can find Sam for us, you know he can.”

  Dad was breathing hoarsely and looked ready to crack, but he backed down.

  James kept his arm around Dad while Sir Michael buttoned his suit jacke
t, straightened his tie, and gestured to Lolly to leave.

  “We’re going right away, darling,” he said.

  Lolly’s eyes opened wide.

  “I haven’t packed, though,” she protested.

  “She doesn’t have to go with you. You can’t make her,” said James, before realizing how foolish those words sounded when directing them at Sir Michael.

  “Doesn’t matter,” said Sir Michael to Lolly, ignoring James. “We’ll buy you everything you need.”

  Lolly swallowed hard. She reached inside her handbag and produced the house keys that Mum had given her, the ones with the little red bus on the fob. She put the keys on the kitchen table.

  “Thank you,” said Mum, and hugged Lolly. “And you were a lovely house guest. You’re welcome here any time…” Mum cast a look at Sir Michael, “… any time you need to,” she finished. “All I ask in return is that you find Sam.”

  Lolly hugged Dad next.

  “You look after yourself, dear,” he said. “We understand why you did what you did. I’ve changed my opinion of you this week and I hope you’ll remember the person you became while you were here.”

  “I will,” promised Lolly. “And thank you for everything.” She looked embarrassed as she reached into her bag and brought out a piece of paper with a name written on it. “Also, while I was away, someone helped me. A lorry driver. I owe him and his friends money. I want to repay them. Would you see he gets this?”

  She took two fifty-pound notes out of her purse and pressed them and the piece of paper into Dad’s hand. He looked bemused.

  “’Course I will,” he said.

  “Thank you for looking after my daughter. I’m very grateful,” said Sir Michael, without any embarrassment. “I shan’t forget it. Look after yourselves, I’ll be in touch.”

  James was hopping from foot to foot. Finally, Lolly stood in front of him. She looked shy, and it was a side of her he saw so rarely that it made his heart pound. Losing her was too cruel.

  “I guess I’m going, then,” she said.

  “I guess,” said James. He wanted to demand that she stay. He wanted to tell Sir Michael to shove his orders. Why should Lolly have to go just because that Nazi commanded it? But James was too cool to say that.