Hunted Read Free

killed deliberately and that someone’s covering up . . .’ Geri paused. ‘I think after that girl he met in Spain, Ed has a special interest in children in care.’
    I nodded. Luz, the girl Geri was referring to, had been in care. She’d been kidnapped by the people running the camp we’d been sent to in Spain. Ed had really liked her . . . had helped her escape, only to have to watch her die later.
    I’d been there when it had happened. It wasn’t something I wanted to think about if I could possibly help it.
    ‘So Ed’s on a moral mission to save kids in care, is he?’ I said.
    ‘Mmm . . .’ Geri sighed. ‘Well, I won’t pre-empt the situation any further, dear. There’ll be a proper briefing tomorrow morning.’
    ‘Fine.’ I shrugged.
    ‘You remind me more and more of your father, Dylan,’ Geri said in that clipped accent of hers. ‘He’d get that closed-off look in his eye, too. A man of few words and very untrusting but, my goodness, when it came to his principles, he stood up for what he believed in.’ She paused. ‘He didn’t have many friends . . . I mean there were a few scientists he worked closely with, and Jack Linden, of course . . .’ She paused.
    Jack Linden was my godfather. I’d liked him, but he’d ended up betraying us all earlier in the year. I reckoned Dad was right to be untrusting. Jack Linden had been his best friend, but he’d still risked our lives to sell the formula for the Medusa gene my dad had developed.
    ‘Of course,’ Geri went on, ‘your dad only really had himself to blame about the lack of friends . . . He wasn’t an easy man.’
    ‘He had my mom, too.’ I turned to her, irritated. What was she saying? Some clumsy hint about how I should try to get on better with the others?
    ‘Of course.’ Geri shivered.
    A minute later she made some excuse and went back inside.
    I stayed out for ages thinking about my dad. After he’d realised the Medusa gene was going to kill the mothers of the babies he’d injected – including my mom, his wife – he kind of withdrew from the world. I guess he must have felt real guilty. I often wondered about the traffic accident he died in . . . Was he just careless crossing the road that night . . . or so preoccupied with his work that he didn’t notice the car until it was too late? He was basically a genius and everyone says people like that often find real life harder than ordinary people.
    And what about my mom? Was she cool with his being obsessed with his work? I’d never really talked about her to anyone. My stupid aunt and uncle only ever sneered about her. The most they’d said was that I looked like her . . . except for my hair and my colouring, of course. I have my dad’s pale skin and wild red hair. Well, it would be wild if I didn’t straighten it.
    Eventually, the light went off downstairs and Jez appeared at the back door.
    ‘Everyone’s going to bed, Dylan,’ he called out. ‘You need to come inside so I can lock up.’
    Reluctantly, I left the swing seat, went indoors and followed Jez upstairs. There were four bedrooms in our stone cottage. One for Jez and his girlfriend, Alex, who was our other trainer; one for Geri; one for the boys; and one for me and Ketty.
    Ketty was already in bed when I reached our room, her back turned to the door. I was suddenly reminded of our argument in the woods earlier today.
    Well, I wasn’t going to be the first one to say something.
    It was a while before I fell asleep, though it felt like I woke just seconds later – when the door slammed as Ketty left the next morning.
    I dressed – in my ancient Juicy sweats and a totally gorgeous green jumper I got at Camden Market a few months ago. I already had on my mom’s white-gold wedding ring – I never took that off. Next I put on my silver bangles. I usually wear them, too, though not if we’re on a mission and I have to keep the noise levels down. Like the ring, the bangles were my mom’s . . . very simple, very