into the earthenware vase, waiting for her. She spun round, aimed a roundhouse kick at his knee – but he caught hold of her foot, threw her back against the alley wall.
The man raised his arm to deliver some kind of karate blow, but she jabbed her knuckles into his sternum as hard as she could. He staggered back, cursing in Arabic. Tye punched him in the face, once, twice – but on the third swing he ducked and landed a crashing blow to her bad shoulder. The pain almost blotted out her senses and she fell to her knees. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that, clinging onto consciousness, but when she opened her eyes again the man was gone.
‘Tye?’ In a haze of stars she saw Con, running down the alleyway towards her from the main road. ‘That bastard nearly knocked me flying. Did he hurt you badly?’
‘There were two others with him,’ she muttered. ‘Man and a woman, already inside the lock-up.’
‘We saw them. First the woman, then the man.’
‘They were after the same thing we were.’
‘Did they get it?’
‘Kind of. Where’s Jonah?’
Con pursed her lips. ‘He went after them.’
She stared, appalled. ‘You let him?’
‘He just took off. He wants to prove himself, yes? You know boys …’ Con shrugged. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll never catch them.’
‘But that guy who did this to me might catch Jonah!’
Con shrugged. ‘I was more worried about you guys.’
‘Check Motti and Patch are OK,’ Tye told her. ‘They’re hurt, I dunno how bad.’
‘And how bad are
you
? You look terrible.’
‘Thanks.’ Tye shut her eyes, fighting a wave of nausea. It felt like a load of termites were trying to eat their way out of her head, and the buzz of the distant traffic seemed sickeningly loud.
She staggered off towards the main road to see if Jonah was OK. She only hoped she didn’t black out before she got there.
* * *
Jonah came staggering back up to the lamppost outside the museum, his lungs burning, saliva thick in his mouth. He spat on the pavement, gasping for breath.
Tye stumbled out of the shadowy mouth of the alleyway. She was obviously in a lot of pain.
‘You OK?’
She nodded, wincing as she did so.
‘What happened back there? Those people in black –?’
‘They got away?’
‘I’m crap, I’m sorry.’ He coughed noisily. ‘This other guy came after me, and I had to duck out of the way. They were all so fast!’
‘Tell me about it,’ she said. ‘They sure sped that vase away.’
‘They did?’ He chewed his lip. ‘Well, it may not be a total disaster. They had a car. I got the number plate.’
She just nodded. Jonah felt slightly hurt that she wasn’t more impressed. ‘Whoever they were,’ she said, ‘they had the jump on us. Totally.’
Now Con came out of the alley, Patch leaning on her for support and Motti lagging behind. He and Patch looked like they’d been chasing after parked lorries and hadn’t stopped in time.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ Con said. ‘There must be cops on the way after all that.’
Motti was glaring round wildly. He was holding his broken glasses in his left hand, and his eyes seemed small and watery without them. ‘Washout,’ he snarled, wiping his bleeding nose on his jacket sleeve. ‘We screwed up big time.’
‘They were better informed than us,’ said Tye, as they started as quickly as they could down the street.
‘Local knowledge?’ Con suggested.
Tye shook her head. ‘I reckon they must have had inside help. One of the museum staff, maybe.’
Motti frowned. ‘How’d you figure?’
‘They’d already taken care of the alarm on the fire exit. They knew the layout of that floor of the museum so they could move fast even in the dark.’
‘And they must have known the combination to the lock-up,’ Patch added. He had a livid bruise rising over his good eye. ‘They didn’t knacker the keypad, did they?’
‘So then why bother to screw with the magnetic switch?’ said Motti. ‘They
The man raised his arm to deliver some kind of karate blow, but she jabbed her knuckles into his sternum as hard as she could. He staggered back, cursing in Arabic. Tye punched him in the face, once, twice – but on the third swing he ducked and landed a crashing blow to her bad shoulder. The pain almost blotted out her senses and she fell to her knees. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that, clinging onto consciousness, but when she opened her eyes again the man was gone.
‘Tye?’ In a haze of stars she saw Con, running down the alleyway towards her from the main road. ‘That bastard nearly knocked me flying. Did he hurt you badly?’
‘There were two others with him,’ she muttered. ‘Man and a woman, already inside the lock-up.’
‘We saw them. First the woman, then the man.’
‘They were after the same thing we were.’
‘Did they get it?’
‘Kind of. Where’s Jonah?’
Con pursed her lips. ‘He went after them.’
She stared, appalled. ‘You let him?’
‘He just took off. He wants to prove himself, yes? You know boys …’ Con shrugged. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll never catch them.’
‘But that guy who did this to me might catch Jonah!’
Con shrugged. ‘I was more worried about you guys.’
‘Check Motti and Patch are OK,’ Tye told her. ‘They’re hurt, I dunno how bad.’
‘And how bad are
you
? You look terrible.’
‘Thanks.’ Tye shut her eyes, fighting a wave of nausea. It felt like a load of termites were trying to eat their way out of her head, and the buzz of the distant traffic seemed sickeningly loud.
She staggered off towards the main road to see if Jonah was OK. She only hoped she didn’t black out before she got there.
* * *
Jonah came staggering back up to the lamppost outside the museum, his lungs burning, saliva thick in his mouth. He spat on the pavement, gasping for breath.
Tye stumbled out of the shadowy mouth of the alleyway. She was obviously in a lot of pain.
‘You OK?’
She nodded, wincing as she did so.
‘What happened back there? Those people in black –?’
‘They got away?’
‘I’m crap, I’m sorry.’ He coughed noisily. ‘This other guy came after me, and I had to duck out of the way. They were all so fast!’
‘Tell me about it,’ she said. ‘They sure sped that vase away.’
‘They did?’ He chewed his lip. ‘Well, it may not be a total disaster. They had a car. I got the number plate.’
She just nodded. Jonah felt slightly hurt that she wasn’t more impressed. ‘Whoever they were,’ she said, ‘they had the jump on us. Totally.’
Now Con came out of the alley, Patch leaning on her for support and Motti lagging behind. He and Patch looked like they’d been chasing after parked lorries and hadn’t stopped in time.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ Con said. ‘There must be cops on the way after all that.’
Motti was glaring round wildly. He was holding his broken glasses in his left hand, and his eyes seemed small and watery without them. ‘Washout,’ he snarled, wiping his bleeding nose on his jacket sleeve. ‘We screwed up big time.’
‘They were better informed than us,’ said Tye, as they started as quickly as they could down the street.
‘Local knowledge?’ Con suggested.
Tye shook her head. ‘I reckon they must have had inside help. One of the museum staff, maybe.’
Motti frowned. ‘How’d you figure?’
‘They’d already taken care of the alarm on the fire exit. They knew the layout of that floor of the museum so they could move fast even in the dark.’
‘And they must have known the combination to the lock-up,’ Patch added. He had a livid bruise rising over his good eye. ‘They didn’t knacker the keypad, did they?’
‘So then why bother to screw with the magnetic switch?’ said Motti. ‘They
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