Free To Snatch a Thief by Hazel Cotton Page B

of its consequences, or were they forced?’
    ‘Why would anyone want to hurt Shiralee and the boys?’ Moisture threatened again. As his eyebrows pulled together in warning, she willed them back.
    ‘I don’t know. We’ll need you to do a formal statement, but in the meantime try to remember anyone she might have talked about, anything she mentioned that seemed odd at the time.’
    ‘I-I will…I don’t know who she … With me being away, I…’ Her voice hitched. Two tears spilled down her cheeks and plopped into her lap. ‘S-sorry.’
    Sitting directly opposite, Skye saw the exact moment his eyes changed. Startled, when he leant forward, took both her hands in his, she tried to pull away. He only gripped harder, hurting her fingers. ‘Listen to me, Skye. A gut feeling tells me this is only the tip of the iceberg. Trust me, you and your brother are in danger if you stay around here.’
    ‘Y-you’re scaring me.’
    ‘I mean to.’
    Her breath caught, but she couldn’t look away. When she eventually nodded, he released the pressure, ran a thumb over the back of her hand. ‘I may be able to help. I know somewhere you could possibly go, and someone who would help with your brother – nothing official, she’s a friend,’ he added as he saw her brindle. ‘If you agree, I’ll make some calls. For the present, I’ll organise an advance on your salary – I should have realised you’d be short of cash.’ He ran a weary hand over his hair. ‘Before my grandfather’s day, people were looked after by the government. Now we’ve licensed beggars on the street and kids like you are forced into crime. Progress? I don’t think so.’ Frowning, he turned the full power of his eyes on her again and she felt the hairs on her neck prickle. ‘Now the snatcher in me’s curious,’ he said, tilting his head. ‘I’m wondering how, if you’ve no money, you’ve been managing to feed yourselves?’
    It was amazing how he had her grateful to see him one minute, the next spitting mad. ‘If you must know, I’ve been bringing stuff home from staff amenities,’ she hissed. ‘They restock the infrawaves between shifts, so if there are stale pizzas or burgers, they let me have them. That isn’t illegal is it…sir?’
    Hunter’s laugh rolled out, causing Lexie to glance up. ‘I’m really not sure.’
    In a move that had her wanting to bite his hand, he reached out and mussed her hair like she was ten years old. When she ground her teeth, his grin only widened. ‘But I’ve a feeling taking you on is going to prove one hell of a challenge.

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    CHAPTER NINE
    If you believed the nightly news, Skye mused, the entire population north of Leicestershire was pouring into the south, like water over sand. It was a wonder England didn’t upend. Those with winter homes shook off the dust sheets and cosied down to run their businesses from home. Others, who’d pre-booked, moved into rented flats and apartments, paying through the nose for the privilege of being warm. The country groaned under the pressure. Amenities struggled to cope. Hotels closed their books. Tempers frayed. Arguments in shops over short supplies, escalated into brawls.
    So, she puzzled, how in the world did Hunter swing it?
    ‘The lock’s programmed to recognise your micro-chip,’ he was saying, as she stood in her new home, grinning from ear to ear like Alice’s Cheshire cat. ‘There’s also a security camera in the street outside which relays a visual of any callers to the screens located in each room, including that one.’ He pointed to a glass panel on the inside of the door. ‘Lights are voice activated, as is the heating, window shields and screen; rent’s payable to the department in global dollars, deducted straight out of your salary.’
    She could hardly contain her excitement. Arms outstretched, she spun a full circle. ‘There are rugs on the floor,’ she sighed. ‘And a stacked food dispenser in the kitchen; I mean it’s totally loaded