She took it and wrapped it around herself and Rico. ‘Swagger took her.’

Tom stared at Stacy blankly, the flames and smoke suddenly nothing to him.

‘We have to get out!’ she shouted, grabbing Tom’s arm.

Tom gasped at the wrench on his injured shoulder. The pain was enough to snap him out of his despair, sparking and strengthening his resolve. He swiftly led the way back outside, where they all three gulped down icy sharp breaths of the damp night air.

‘Got your inhaler, Rico?’ Tom asked.

The boy coughed thickly. ‘Don’t work,’ he muttered.

‘Take the damn inhaler,’ Stacy barked. ‘You think we want more trouble than we’ve got already?’

A distant wailing carried to them over the gloating roar of the flames as they consumed more and more of the apartment. Sirens.

‘We may not want it, but here it comes,’ said Tom huskily. ‘Let’s get out of here.’ He led the charge back around to the front of the building to where Jasmine waited.

g

The streets in the neighbourhood were crawling by now with fire trucks, cop cars and ambulances, blue lights blinding the night, sirens screaming past.

‘Close,’ Jasmine remarked when they’d stopped at the next lights. She was half-smiling at Tom, her dark eyes suggesting approval.

‘Too close,’ he agreed. ‘But we were too late to help Kate.’ He felt sick inside, and utterly helpless.

‘You shoulda seen it in there, Jas,’ Rico chirped from the back seat.

‘Rico was fantastic,’ Stacy said with feeling. ‘Dragged me off the couch and on to the floor where there was less smoke. Helped bring me round.’

Rico shrugged. ‘Wasn’t nothing.’

‘OK, heroes!’ Jasmine called. ‘Where the hell am I driving?’

‘To the ice arena, I guess,’ Tom said grimly. ‘That’s where Swagger and company will be. And Kate.’

‘I’d better tell you what happened at Woollard’s,’ said Stacy.

There was silence in the wagon as Stacy told her chilling story.

Tom’s heart sank like a rock as he heard how Kate had been dragged away, kicking and screaming. ‘So Takapa’s back in New York, and Marcie’s come to join him. Whatever his plans are, they must be close to coming together.’

‘Midnight, Friday,’ Jasmine recalled. ‘Swagger said he wanted us all to check his dumb skating rink at midnight on Friday to swear allegiance or whatever.’

‘Something must be going down,’ Stacy agreed, checking her watch. ‘And we’re four hours into Friday already.’

‘Screw Takapa.’ Rico pouted. ‘What about Kate?’

‘My thoughts exactly,’ muttered Tom.

‘Reckon Swagger’s …?’ Jasmine sounded kind of awkward for once. ‘Well – d’you think he’ll have killed her?’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Tom, praying he was right. ‘Otherwise, why not kill her at Woollard’s? And both Marcie and Takapa want her pretty bad.’