Running with Rogues

CHAPTER 28 - BON VOYAGE

It was after midnight. I was woken by a loud crashing noise and a muffled thump like a body hitting the ground. Liam was already sat up in bed, one hand on his knife hilt, and I wasn't slow to follow him.

We'd gone a week without an escape attempt. Surely, they couldn't be this stupid—

They weren't, as it turned out. I saw Hannah's face appear between the bannisters at the top of the staircase, and I saw Hayden standing behind her with his hair sticking up wildly and his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.

The raiders who came to babysit them through the night were making faces at us. Clearly, they'd thought we were responsible for the noises. I motioned for the lot of them to stay put. I didn't like this.

I picked up one of the decorative fire-pokers and got onto my feet, padding towards the hallway. As I got closer, I could see shadows moving beneath the door. We hadn't imagined it, then. I went as still as I could and pressed my back against the wall.

The fire-poker was cold against my palm, and I lifted it now, ready to clout whoever was lurking in our hallway. Liam stood a pace behind, his hand resting on my hip to steady me.

The door began to open with a little squeal. And as it swung, so did I. The poker collided with something very solid, and that very solid thing collapsed in an ungainly heap. Backing away cautiously, I flicked my knife out.

"Bloody hell," the heap muttered. "What was that for?"

I knew that voice. My knife-hand fell back to my side, and I let the fire-poker drop. The fear drained away in an instant, embarrassment filling the space it had left.

"Rhodri?" I demanded.

"Yes, you walnut."

Hannah had ignored my instructions, evidently. She was beside us now. She leaned over to flick the light-switch, and suddenly we were all blinking. Rhodri was mud-spattered and rain-soaked. He'd left a trail of dark brown footprints on the nice cream carpet and a horrible smear where he'd fallen.

I pocketed my knife and smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Hi. We thought you were an intruder."

He managed to get up onto his knees, where he clutched at his side and spat out a few choice swearwords. "I am an intruder. Doesn't mean you get to wallop me with a— What? Cricket bat?"

"Pillow," I supplied.

Rhodri swatted at me. "Don't lie to me. I think you cracked some of my ribs."

"Oops?" I offered. "I'm not sorry, mind. You could've been anyone."

"Yeah. I could've been some little old lady, and you'd have killed me, Eva."

I didn't think little old ladies tended to break into people's houses in the early hours of the morning, but he was welcome to use that argument, assume he'd won and shut the hell up. Nine times out of ten, it was the best way to deal with him.

It was unfortunate that Hannah didn't understand that piece of strategic brilliance. Her scowl had only deepened. "Goddess, quit whining, would you? They'll heal in five minutes flat, and it's no less than you deserve."

And those words marked the end of Rhodri's playful mood. He stood up properly and used his extra eight inches of height to stare down at her. They were close. So close, in fact, that I couldn't tell if they were about to kiss or start a fistfight.

"I think I preferred it when you were sulking," he told her.

Hannah's lip curled. "I think I preferred it when you were at the other end of Snowdonia."