‘I think he was having a hard time of it before. Not coping well. He ran away, basically, from the kids he was living with. Achilleus is like a dad to him now. Looks after him. They went out and got caught up in the madness down Heathrow and since they got back Paddy’s been having real bad nightmares. No one says anything, but we’ve all seen it. All heard it. Paddy wakes up screaming and Akkie has to calm him down. Akkie tries to pretend he ain’t got no heart. But underneath … He’s just protecting Paddy. Making it look like it’s his decision not to go. He knows Paddy wouldn’t hold up out there, and he wouldn’t leave him behind. Like me and Lettis here, and you and Sam, I guess.’

‘OK.’ Ed rubbed his scar. ‘Listen, Ollie,’ he said. ‘You seem switched on. Can you keep an eye on Sam while I’m gone? I don’t want him doing anything stupid. He ran off once before.’

‘No problem,’ said Ollie. ‘I’m on it. God knows how the little shrimp did it, though. Got across London like that.’

‘And the rest.’ Ed laughed. ‘That boy is something else, I tell you. You know, there’s even a group of kids living over in St Paul’s Cathedral who think he’s some kind of a god.’

Ollie laughed. ‘I wouldn’t go that far.’

‘I’ll tell you about it one day.’ Ed looked round as Kyle leant on the car horn and yelled out of the window.

‘Get a move on!’

As they walked down to the car, Lewis had a word with Ed.

‘He driving, is he?’

‘It’s between him and Macca. They both reckon they know how. Why? You drive?’

‘Some.’

Ed mentioned this to the others and the three of them, Lewis, Kyle and Macca, argued about who was going to be in the driver’s seat. In the end they all three had a go, driving up and down the stretch of the Cromwell Road that ran along the front of the museum. Kyle showed off, tried to go too fast and didn’t look like he was in control at all. Macca went the other way and looked too cautious, nervous even. Macca was quite small, with a screwed-up face and untidy hair. He was a great shot, and had perfect eyesight, but he sometimes reckoned he knew more about the world than he actually did, and had a habit of biting off more than he could chew.

Driving was evidently not one of his skills.

Lewis was the best and Ed gave him the job. Kyle moaned until Ed told him to shut up and that was that. Lewis was the designated driver.

At last they were ready to go.

Chapter 32

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