‘You almost pulled my hand off,’ he said, rolling on to his knees. ‘You must be strong.’
Milly stepped next to him and took his hand. ‘What happened to your hand?’ she said, handing him his glove. ‘Does it hurt?’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘I got into a light-sabre battle with a bad guy called Darth Vader and he chopped it off.’
She gave his hand a tug. ‘You’re fibbing.’
He laughed. ‘OK. You got me.’ He pulled the glove on. ‘I had an accident and I hurt it really badly, so they gave me a new one, cool eh?’
Somewhere in the distance someone called her name.
‘That’s my mum,’ she said, pressing her hand to her mouth. ‘I’ve got to go and do my jobs.’ She tossed the stick for the dog. ‘See you later, Heeliss.’
‘Alright. See you later, Milly,’ he said. ‘Oh, which way is it to SJ’s?’
She pointed to a path leading from the clearing. ‘Through there.’
‘Great. Thanks,’ he said, waving her off.
He trudged through the woods, brushing snow from his trousers and jacket and shaking it out of his hair. Stepping through a gap between a pile of brush wood and logs, he spotted Bo ducking out from his and SJ’s cabin. Bo strutted like a peacock, his hands on his hips. What was it with this guy? If ever the diggers needed a poster-boy, Bo with his dreads and beard beads would get the job.
‘Hey, Bo,’ Helix said, deploying his best bonhomie.
‘Now what?’
‘What do you mean, now what?’ he replied, his hands held out.
‘Ever since you and your plastic friend turned up, we’ve had nothing but grief.’
Helix folded his arms. ‘You sound like Walt. You might want to be careful.’
‘Meaning?’
Unfolding his arms, Helix took a small step towards Bo. ‘Meaning I need to know if I can trust you, Bo.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘Walt’s back up there in the pit along with his mate Issy. I gave Issy the benefit of the doubt and he disappointed me. Walt showed that he couldn’t be trusted by stealing my jacket and weapons before running off and squealing to Wheeler.’ He narrowed his eyes and stared into Bo’s. ‘And now they’re dead.’
‘Don’t fucking—’
Helix’s left hand flashed towards Bo, grasping a thick handful of his wire wool beard. ‘Don’t fucking what?’ he hissed, extending the blade between the knuckles of his right fist. ‘Is there anyone else in this rat’s nest who can’t be trusted?’ He gave Bo’s beard a tug. ‘Speak up or you’ll be getting a haircut. Maybe you can use it to knit yourself a hat.’
‘No. No. We’re all good.’ Bo nodded. ‘Nobody to worry about. All cool.’
Helix let go of his beard with a shove. ‘Good.’
‘What have you done with Wheeler and the other two?’ Bo said, catching his balance.
‘Wheeler’s up to his waist in shit and corpses. The other two are with Sofi waiting for my instructions.’ He nodded back up the path. ‘I haven’t decided if Wheeler is going to be any use to me yet. If not, you’ll have three corpses to bury in that pit. If he can help me, you’ll never have to worry about him again. Either way it’s a win-win for you.’
‘A win-win sounds good,’ Bo said, preening his beard.
Helix pulled a fake smile. ‘We try to please.’
‘Are you guys coming over the cookhouse for breakfast?’ Bo said, pointing to the octagonal thatched building at the centre of the compound. ‘We cure our own bacon, make our own black pudding and there should be some sausages too.’
‘Maybe later,’ Helix said, pinching his bottom lip. ‘Bring SJ up to the schoolhouse in a bit? There’s something we need to discuss.’
‘Sure,’ Bo said. ‘I’ll get her up. She’s not exactly an early riser these days what with the baby…’
‘See you in about half an hour.’
The compacted snow and frozen puddles were brittle underfoot as Helix crunched his way back to the schoolhouse. Kids darted back and forth, feeding animals, fetching wood and water. The smaller ones approached their tasks with enthusiasm, their morning-fresh faces glowing in the chilly air. The teenagers were as sullen as adolescent city dwellers but instead of a phone in one hand they lugged a bucket or basket. One particular reprobate was getting a bollocking from whom Helix supposed was her mum and told to shake herself and not to answer back. He paused for a moment, catching sight of Lauren and Milly with armfuls of kindling wood, picking their way along a path, Trio the dog bounding along behind them.
He leapt up the steps to the schoolhouse and pushed through the door. Gabrielle was sitting at the table, a framed photograph of her and Eve in her hand. Her hair carried the scent of wood smoke and beeswax candles as he kissed her on the head.
She took a deep breath. ‘Is he dead?’
‘No, he’s not dead. Not unless the cold has got to him in the last—’
‘Don’t you tire of death?’ She exhaled, standing the photo on the table. ‘How many people have died in the short time we’ve known each other?’
Sitting opposite her, he took her hand. ‘I don’t exactly—’
‘Two more this morning. Were they really necessary?’
‘It wasn’t exactly me, I didn’t pull—’
She pulled her hand away. ‘Please don’t treat me like an idiot. I know how it works, I was there at Helix towers when Ethan installed your new CPU or PCM or whatever the hell it is.’
He swivelled in the chair, leaned his elbows on his knees, his forefingers massaging his temples. ‘I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. You know that.’
‘They weren’t a threat. Simple village folk scratching a living, that’s all.’
‘They were a threat!’ He slammed his hand on the table, firmer than he’d intended. ‘Anyone getting between me and you and Ethan… There will be no loose ends, Gabrielle. I’m not prepared
