Blood Ransom by Sophie McKenzie Read Free Book Online Page A

same fake name for a flight to Edinburgh. At the bottom of the envelope was a
cellphone – fully charged and loaded with Lewis’s phone number – plus two thick wedges of cash, one in ten-dollar bills, the other in ten-pound notes.
    This was it. At the back of my mind I realised I had no idea what Lewis and I were going to do when I got to Scotland, but it didn’t matter. We could work it out when I arrived. I was on
my way to find Rachel.
    That was all that counted.
    Shoving everything back in the envelope, I stood up and walked out of the square in search of a taxi to take me to the airport.
     
    19
Rachel
    I heard another twig snap. Where was the noise coming from? Milo and I were close to the house, inside the wire-mesh fence. Trapped. My heart thudded as I scanned the patch of
dense woodland just outside the fence.
    A figure emerged from behind one of the trees. It was the blond guard who’d brought us to the island. He strode towards us, his hard eyes fixed on me.
    In his hand was a gun.
    For a second I was so frightened I thought I might wet myself, and then Milo spoke.
    ‘I’m sorry, Rachel,’ he said.
    I turned to him, bewildered, then looked back at the guard. The expression in the man’s eyes said it all. He knew I was here. He wasn’t surprised.
    Oh God.
    I took a step back, towards the house.
    The guard raised his gun. ‘Don’t move,’ he ordered.
    ‘Do what Paul says.’ Milo’s voice shook.
    ‘What’s going on?’ But as I turned to look at Milo, I already knew. I didn’t need to see the shame on his face or the way he wouldn’t meet my eyes.
    This had been Milo’s plan from the beginning.
     
    20
Theo
    I found a taxi and set off for the airport. I spent most of the journey agonising over what text to send Mum. In the end I opted for short and sweet:
    GNG AWAY 4 BIT. DNT B MAD. DNT WRRY. I LL B FINE. LOOK AFTR YRSELF. TX
    I added the last sentence as an afterthought. I meant it, though. Mum and I might not be close, but I’ve grown up since last year and I now recognised how hard being a
single mum had been for her.
    I sent the text on my old mobile and, having sent it, decided to get rid of the phone itself. I could be traced on it – Lewis had found it, after all, and the FBI were certainly aware of
my calls.
    I hesitated just a second, then switched it off and chucked it out of the taxi window.
    Weird. Without my phone I felt disconnected from my old life – as if I were doing more than just getting on a plane tonight . . . as if I were leaving everything I knew behind.
    Which was also strangely liberating.
    I checked in easily enough at the airport – the fake passport didn’t raise any eyebrows – then had ages before my flight took off. I looked round the shops,
then bought a burger and headed for the gate. I’d flown before, of course, but never on my own. Though I wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, I was terrified.
    At first I was just scared of what I was doing – running away and using fake ID to get on a plane, possibly to walk right into the hands of the very people who most wanted Rachel and me
dead.
    And then, as I bit into my burger, I suddenly felt scared for Rachel, like something terrible had happened.
    I hoped it was all in my head.
     
    21
Rachel
    I blinked, unable to breath, unable to move. My mind seemed to slow right down. I registered Paul, the guard, walking towards me . . . the frayed edge of his rugby shirt collar
. . . the crunch of the stones under his feet.
    ‘Get inside,’ he snapped.
    I backed towards the house as Milo wheeled past me. Behind me I could hear him opening the front door.
    ‘Inside, Rachel,’ Paul barked.
    I stared at him, my legs threatening to give way.
    ‘What are you doing?’ I said. ‘Milo, where’s Daniel?’
    Milo said nothing, just wheeled himself inside.
    ‘Where’s Daniel?’ I repeated, more forcefully.
    ‘He’s not here,’ Milo muttered.
    Not here? ‘You mean Elijah doesn’t have him . . .? He’s not