Before Another War

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Alex walked the whole way home, hoping it would calm her down — it didn't work. When she opened her door, she'd already decided never to speak to Raf again. Who would do that to a friend? Not even to a friend, she thought, to anyone. He'd been giving out her private information like it was some sort of commodity. Unsurprisingly, Raf had already called her a few times, and she'd promptly blocked his number. She wouldn't give him a chance to explain. The damage had been done.

She dropped her bag to the floor, instantly feeling better to be home. But as Alex took her coat off she glanced up to see Cornelius sat on the kitchen counter. Shit.

'Can we do it tomorrow?' she asked, feeling unable to deal with the task that lay before her.

'Tomorrow!' He scoffed. His voice was louder in her head now, he was getting more control over it. 'No chance, we had a deal.'

Alex could see she wasn't going to get her way, so she began to drag her coat back on.

'Come on then, you'd best show me the spot.'

'Not just yet. We have to wait till it's dark.'

That suited Alex just fine. 

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Alex trudged behind Cornelius, holding a small trough in her hand. She couldn't get her mind off Raf. What did he tell them? How much did they know? If she hadn't been scared that the gang would find her before, she definitely was now. However, she reasoned, if they wanted to hurt her, surely they would've done it already?

As they walked, she heard the animals come to life, owls hooted,and small mammals scuttled home. The small patch of woodland was creepier at night, as if something was always just round the corner.

Alex wondered if Raf had tried finding her. Maybe he'd gone to her flat by now. The thought of him turning up to it empty made her smile. As her mind drifted, Cornelius suddenly picked up the pace. He sped into a clearing and began to dance around a spot of earth.

'This is it!' He exclaimed.

Alex sighed, not mirroring his enthusiasm and began to dig. Neither of them spoke, both anticipating what they would find. It didn't take her long, but her muscles were screaming by the time the trough struck metal. The clanging sound rang out through the trees and she worried someone had heard.

'Got it.' Alex smiled, and began digging around it. Alex excavated the object and discovered it was a rectangular metal box about the size of a bread tin. Was this really it? Or was Cornelius tricking her? Once the soil was loose enough, she strained to pull it out. The tin came out of the earth with a sharp jerk, sending her back onto the forest floor.

'Open it.' Cornelius watched with nervous eyes, terrified that someone had been here before them.

'Okay, okay.'

She squinted at the box, unable to see clearly in the dim light. It was much more ornate than she'd previously thought, with intricate patterns engraved into the metal. There was a small latch on the front. Struggling, she pulled at it as Cornelius watched on, his ears back. Eventually, the latch creaked open.

Alex placed the box on the ground and forced the lid upwards. It was a shock to find a brown leather bag sat inside. She lifted it from the box and began untying the ribbon. Cornelius relaxed, he could see no one else had been here. The money was safe. Now, all he needed to do was get it to his brother.

The top of the bag fell away, revealing its contents. Alex struggled to contain a gasp, there was more money in there than she'd ever seen. Stacks upon stacks of fifty pound notes bound together with cheap elastic bands.