Judged Page 4

  ‘Did someone have a grudge against him?’

  Aiden shrugs at Dante’s question. ‘I’m pretty sure that as a club owner and property developer in London you can’t not have people have grudges against you. It comes with the territory.’

  ‘But no other clubs are being burned down,’ Dante points out, and I have to agree with this. This was weird, and from Aiden’s expression he thought so too. We watch the rest of the story unfold. No one apparently got hurt but it was a close call, as the manager and some of the bar staff were cleaning up when the fire started. The fire brigade was called and they battled the fire and saved the surrounding buildings from catching fire but unfortunately Icon was a mess.

  On the TV the reporter points to a huddled group of staff, who look soot stained and dazed as she covers the arson and police investigation.

  Aiden’s phone rings again and he answers, muting the TV.

  ‘Hold on, let me put you on speaker phone.’ He fiddles with the touch screen. ‘It’s Leo. We’re all here, Leo. Tell us what’s going on.’

  ‘Hey, guys. So, my dad’s been talking to the owner and one of the main investors on and off today. Turns out a bunch of guys came into Icon last night … no, this morning, after we left, but the doorman and his crew tossed them out when they caught them dealing. And by dealing I mean these guys were handing out baggies of free stuff to everyone who wanted any. And they weren’t even being circumspect.’

  ‘So because they were tossed out, they burned down the club in retaliation?’ Dante asks.

  Leo sighs a little before he answers. ‘It’s a theory.’

  ‘Did the doorman see what they were dealing?’

  ‘I’ll give you one guess, Kit. Go on. But I bet you won’t get it. Never ever.’

  ‘Glow.’

  ‘Wow. It’s like you knew all along.’

  I roll my eyes at Leo’s sarcasm. ‘Do we know what these guys looked like?’

  ‘Nondescript Caucasian dudes, in their twenties and thirties, wearing leather jackets, jeans, shirts. Hung with gold chains. Basically: your quintessential douche-bag drug dealer. There’s a reason Hollywood portrays these guys this way.’

  I scrub at my face and fight the tiredness. I’ve had some decent sleep brought on by the migraine pills but listening to Leo makes me weary. A part of me wants nothing more than to launch out into the night, question people and talk to them about Glow, but it’s not something I can do. And, honestly, it’s not something I’m interested in doing all that much either, even if the short-term impulse is there. The case was taken away from me. It belongs to the wolves now; my uncle Andrew made a big song and dance about giving it over to them.

  And, yes, it still smarts.

  ‘Cheers, Leo. I’ll ring Connor and Shaun and tell them about this. If you hear anything more, give me a call, okay? Or get your dad to ring Connor directly and they can figure out what to do next.’

  ‘I will do, guys. Stay safe.’

  Dante stands up as Aiden turns the TV off.

  ‘That’s it?’ he says. ‘You guys are just going to sit here and do nothing?’

  ‘Hey, I’m still on the case,’ Aiden mutters. ‘Without knowing what Connor and Shaun are up to, I can’t just go and do my own thing.’

  ‘I’m talking about Kit.’

  I sit up with a jerk at the mention of my name. ‘What?’

  ‘You. You’re sitting here, moping, when this crap is happening out there.’

  ‘I am not moping, Dante.’

  ‘You are. You’ve done nothing in days except sit at home and here, you’ve been training and not really here. You’ve not even spoken to your family since you got here yesterday. Crap is happening out there and you … you’re just shutting down.’

  I blink at him. ‘What do you want me to do?’

  He growls in frustration. ‘I don’t know. Something! Anything. I’m not used to you being this passive and still. It’s freaking me out. Kit, people are taking faerie drugs, a nightclub burned down and you’re just sitting here looking a little bored.’

  ‘I’m …’ Too tired even to think about this. ‘… not ignoring any of this, Dante. I can’t just rush off and investigate and make a mess of things.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘There are rules.’

  He snorts. ‘Yeah, and you’re so good at following rules.’

  I frown up at him. ‘What is your problem, Dante?’

  ‘My problem is the both of you just sitting here. When we should be out there doing things, getting to the bottom of this.’

  Aiden moves closer to Dante. ‘Dante, you don’t know …’

  Dante holds up a hand and Aiden snaps his mouth shut at the peremptory gesture. ‘No. You’re right, Aide, I don’t know. So maybe you should stop hiding things and tell me what the hell is going on here. Why are the both of you dragging your feet on this? There are drugs out there, being given out for free to unsuspecting people. People have died in the past and now they’ve gone and burned down a nightclub. What next? More burnings? People being shot or stabbed for denying dealers access to clubs?’

  Aiden is staring into the middle distance, and I can tell that he’s doing his utmost to calm down, so as not to shift in front of Dante.

  ‘Remember when we were given the Child Thief case by Suola?’ I ask Dante. His gaze moves to me and he nods. ‘You remember the vow we took?’

  Again he nods.

  ‘In this instance, Uncle Andrew took on the Glow case. He delegated it to me first time round. I was partially successful and we sent one of the main dealers back to the Otherwhere to be judged. Then you and I were given the Child Thief case and Andrew took the rest of the Glow thing away from me. Remember the fight I had with Aiden about that?’

  ‘It wasn’t really a fight,’ Aiden offers, sounding stiff. ‘There wasn’t even any blood.’

  ‘The wolves are running the Glow case now,’ I say, ignoring Aiden’s interruption. ‘I can’t just walk in and start doing stuff, unless Andrew gives me the go-ahead or Aiden’s brother Connor invites me onto the case.’

  ‘That’s such bullsh—’ Dante starts, but I shake my head.

  ‘No, those are the rules, Dante. Do you just pick up another Spook’s case and run with it? Is that how police work works in general? Anyone can just start investigating a crime and asking questions?’

  ‘Well, no, but …’

  ‘And it’s the same thing with us. We have a lot of rules; some can be bent and twisted, yes, but there has to be a clear line of command when it comes to running any of the jobs we get given …’

  ‘Okay, so, I understand, but I still don’t necessarily agree with it.’

  Aiden leaves the room and I watch his back for a second before looking at Dante. ‘You don’t have to agree with it,’ I tell him. ‘That’s just the way things are – and until I get called to be part of the case, there is nothing I can do about it.’

  ‘What about me?’ he counters. ‘What if I decide to interfere?’

  ‘Then that is your prerogative. I can’t stop you.’

  He crosses his arms over his chest and frowns at me. ‘I really don’t like this. It feels like we’ve been sidelined.’

  ‘We have,’ I answer. ‘But right now we can’t change that. Let’s order some food instead. I was told no drama tonight and right now there’s loads of drama happening right here. My headache is coming back.’

  ‘I vote Chinese too,’ Aiden says as he we join him in the kitchen, where he rifles through the drawer of take-away menus. ‘Choose what you want.’ He sits down at the counter and flips his phone on, his thumb flying over the touch screen. ‘I’m sending Connor a message about all this. He needs to talk to your uncle Andrew. This is getting to be a joke now. We have to get things sorted out.’

  The call comes just after midnight. Dante sits up with a jerk from where he’s fallen asleep, with his head on my lap. Aiden answers the phone.

  ‘What?’ he says groggily, blinking at the movie we’ve
managed to not stay awake to watch. ‘Yes, she’s right here.’

  The number on the display as he passes the phone to me tells me nothing, apart from the fact that it’s somewhere abroad, possibly America.

  ‘This is Kit Blackhart.’

  ‘Kit, it’s Megan.’

  A million scenarios cavort through my mind, none of them good.

  ‘Are you okay? Is Andrew okay? Is it the boys?’

  ‘I’m fine, everything is fine, I promise.’ There’s genuine amusement in her voice, even if the connection’s not so great. It hisses and crackles and what she says next is completely lost in the static.

  ‘Megan, I can’t hear you. The phone’s breaking up.’

  ‘Uch …’ Static breaks her voice up and a loud whine makes me wince. ‘… Instead,’ she mutters. ‘Hold on.’

  There’s the sound of something thudding, her groaning a curse, the sound of footsteps on metal, and then the noise of traffic intensifies.

  ‘Is this better?’

  ‘Yes, what did you do?’

  ‘I climbed out on the fire escape. I’m now on the roof of the building. The signal in my room is atrocious.’

  ‘As much as I love hearing from you, Megan, why are you calling me at one in the morning, on Aiden’s mobile?’

  ‘Because I can’t get through on yours. Kit, what’s going on? Dad’s been blowing up my phone with texts and calls all day. He’s been trying to get hold of you and you’ve not answered at the house or on your phone, at all.’

  I frown, trying to remember the last time I saw my mobile.

  ‘I’m staying over at the Garretts’ for a few days. My phone is probably somewhere in my backpack. I’ve not checked it since I got here.’

  ‘Kit.’ Her tone is exasperated. ‘Dad’s going nuts because you’ve not called.’

  ‘Why should I call him? I’m fine.’

  She makes a noise that’s not very ladylike and I laugh soundlessly. ‘The spoiled brat act doesn’t suit you, just so you know.’

  ‘It’s not an act,’ I counter.

  ‘I refuse to believe you’re behaving like this on purpose. Kit, I have to tell you something.’ Her voice dips. ‘Glow. It’s hit the US hard, especially the big cities like New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Washington, Chicago, Houston. They’re targeting students and people in their twenties. It’s not just in clubs here, okay? I found some in my friend Katie’s bag. She got it from a friend at a coffee shop on campus.’

  ‘Oh crap, Meg.’

  ‘I know. Connor and Dad’ve been talking and Dad’s been a ball of stress about this for weeks. He’s been in and out of meetings with some law enforcement guys who are in the know about the, uh, other world shenanigans we face.’

  ‘Is this why he’s been trying to get in touch with me?’

  ‘I think so, but also to just check in. We’ve not really heard much from you, sparky.’

  ‘Get him to call me on Aiden’s phone. I’ll go and find my phone in the meantime and put it on charge.’

  ‘Okay. Stay safe, Kit.’

  ‘I miss you, Meg. You be careful too. Don’t …’ I close my eyes. ‘Don’t do any jobs by yourself, okay? Not if they’re spreading drugs around like sweets.’

  ‘Not much of a choice. With only me and my dad here, we’ve got to do what’s necessary. Can’t have crap like this happen on our watch. It’s what we do, right?’

  ‘Do me a favour, Meg. Call your dad and get him to put me back on the Glow case. Let me work with the wolves on this.’

  ‘Kit, no.’ There’s a crackling noise and I grumble in annoyance as it robs me from hearing the rest of her words. ‘… worried about you.’

  ‘No, listen. The phone is breaking up again. I’m fine, seriously – just get him to give me a call. There’s so much trouble happening all over the show, I can’t sit on the sidelines, even if your dad thinks I’m incapable of handling myself.’

  There’s a silence on the line and for a moment I worry we’ve been cut off. But then Megan’s talking again.

  ‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I’m on my way over to the house now so I’ll get him to call you.’

  ‘Okay. Be safe, Megan.’

  I hand the phone back to Aiden and he looks at me curiously.

  ‘That sounded intense.’

  ‘Glow’s hit the USA too. Not just clubs but the universities and the big cities. In a big way.’

  ‘What are they doing about it?’

  ‘I don’t know. Uncle Andrew will probably call soon. I’m just gonna go and find my phone, put it on charge.’

  I’m halfway up the stairs when I hear Aiden behind me.

  ‘Call Andrew right now,’ is all he says before he hands his mobile to me and jogs up the stairs ahead of me. I frown at his retreating form but dial my uncle’s number anyway. I glance back downstairs as I hold the phone to my ear and see Dante watching me from the lounge.

  ‘Andrew Blackhart speaking.’

  ‘Hey, Uncle Andrew. It’s Kit. I’ve just talked to Megan …’

  ‘Now isn’t the best time, Kit. I’m glad to hear from you, though. Are you all right?’

  ‘Uh, yeah, I’m okay. I was …’

  A howl forces me to pull the phone from my ear and I squint as the sound echoes up out of the speaker.

  ‘Should I call back?’ I ask after a few seconds, once the howl has died down.

  ‘No, now is as good a time as any. Just hold on.’ There are what sounds like gunshots and then rapid footsteps. ‘Okay, just give me a minute.’ Another pause, then Andrew’s back on the phone to me. ‘Kit? I’ve only got a few minutes. I’m putting you back on the drugs case. I think Megan must have told you that things have escalated dramatically here. I’ve been putting together teams to try to figure the mess out, but these Glow guys move fast. They hit the cities, hand the drugs out at colleges and clubs, then disappear. This past week alone we’ve had reports from seventeen schools and campuses about the drug. It’s in the news here and things are getting very fraught. The authorities are at a loss because no one can finger any of the dealers. They have some kind of glamour working so no one can describe them accurately, but everyone says the same thing.’

  ‘And what is that?’

  ‘The reports all talk about five guys. Caucasian. Leather jackets, gold chains, jeans.’

  ‘Like movie villains.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘So, I’m okay to be with Aiden on this again?’

  ‘Yes, we need everyone to be … excuse me a moment.’ There’s a grunting noise and then a muffled curse. ‘Sergeant Aaron, would you kindly get that goblin under control? Thank you.’ Back to me. ‘Sorry, about that, Kit. But yes, back to working with the wolves. I’ll put the paperwork through from my side. You’re officially part of their team.’

  ‘I’m not entirely …’

  ‘I’ve got to go, Kit. I’ll see you at Christmas. You get your invitation to the Midwinter Ball? Talk to Megan about clothes, it’s a family affair and we always all attend. Speak later.’

  And as he hangs up there’s another howl in the background. Dante stares at me from where he’s come over to listen.

  ‘That sounded weird. And I thought I was used to weird by now.’

  ‘It was weird.’ I dredge up a grin that I don’t really feel. ‘But Andrew’s reassigned me to the Glow case, with the wolves. So, yay.’

  ‘Yeah, yay. I’m sorry I was a dick earlier. I’m just frustrated by stuff not making sense.’

  I consider him and can’t help but feel a little bad for him. I’d been a mess and taken it out on both him and Aiden by acting the diva. ‘No, you were right, I was moping. Having Andrew giving the case to the wolves and then not putting me back on it when we got back from the Otherwhere – it really hurt. I know he told me I needed rest, but it felt as if I’d failed with the whole Child Thief case. And then when he had me kicking my heels and not doing anything else serious, it felt like punishment, you know? I sort of felt they
didn’t trust me – after I screwed up by not bringing the kids home.’

  ‘Kit.’ Dante looks as if he wants to say more but then the phone in my hand starts ringing. I answer on reflex.

  ‘Kit? It’s Connor. Is Aiden there?’

  ‘Yeah, hold on. He’s in his room.’ I turn and head up the stairs and along the first-floor passage to Aiden’s room. He pulls it open before I can even knock and beckons us in.

  He takes the phone from me after glancing at the name on the screen. ‘Con? What’s up, dude?’

  I crawl onto Aiden’s bed as he speaks to his brother and pick up the topmost book of a small pile he has resting on the nightstand. The books are an eclectic mix of folklore, poetry and medieval ballads – along with a few well-thumbed Punisher comics that I think my cousin Kyle must have let him borrow.

  ‘Yeah, we can get there in about an hour or so. Sure. Do I ask for anyone or … ?’ Aiden watches me snoop around his stuff with an amused look on his face. Dante’s not come further into the room at all and hovers by the door instead, looking a little uncomfortable. ‘Yeah, we’ll call you when we know more. When are you guys thinking of getting back home? No, the place isn’t a pigsty, Con, bloody hell. Mum won’t freak out, I promise. Fine, don’t get killed. See you soon.’

  I flip myself back off the bed with a dramatic little bounce and look at him. ‘I’m back on the team. What are we doing?’

  ‘We’re going to Croydon. Someone hosted an illegal rave. A kid has died and others have been injured. Come on.’

  Chapter Six

  The drive down to Croydon takes a while. I’ve never been there but I know the area is a well-known crime hot spot, as well as boasting a vibrant night life. As one of the largest business districts in outer London, Croydon isn’t the most attractive of places. Its tall buildings and unsightly squat car parks are broken up by even uglier 1970s office blocks. The address Connor had sent us is on the prettily named Cherry Orchard Road, but the place itself is a large disused industrial building and as ugly as sin. We park a few blocks away and although the rave itself had been broken up, there are still hundreds of people standing around outside.