Free November by Gabrielle Lord

information about my dad and maybe even the Ormond Singularity.
    I was a few hours early—we’d arranged to meet at six—but I wanted to scope the place out thoroughly before approaching the office, making sure I wasn’t walking into a trap. At the slightest hint of danger, I wanted to be able to bolt.
    Just as I was thinking this, I spotted Griff Kirby across the road, staring hard at me.
    A jolt of fear tore through me. What was he up to this time?
    Then I saw he wasn’t staring at me, but beyond me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I swung round.
    Too late! Two burly men, one a huge Polynesian guy with long, shiny black hair, and the other an equally bulky guy who’s face was vaguely familiar , were about to pounce on me.
    ‘That’s Ormond! That’s him!’ yelled Griff, pointing me out.
    I glared at him. The rat!
    I swore out loud, twisting away and trying to run, but I’d missed my chance! My shock at Griff’s betrayal robbed me of vital seconds. I should have known better! The two men quickly overpowered me. One of them had me in a headlock, while the other lifted my legs and dragged me towards a car—a black limousine that looked like a hearse.
    ‘Let go of me!’ I shouted, kicking and struggling as hard as I could. Then I thought of Eric Blair—had he tricked me and set this up?
    But our meeting wasn’t for another few hours. It was early, way too early for it to be a set-up. Wasn’t it? Either way, Griff Kirby would pay for this.
    ‘It’s OK, boy. Stop struggling and you won’t get hurt,’ said a gruff voice in my ear.
    ‘It’s like trying to wrestle a giant electric eel!’ said the other guy. ‘Relax, kid!’
    ‘If you want me to relax, let me go!’ I shouted, trying to brace myself so that they’d have a hard time getting me into the car.
    I stuck my legs out and gripped the roof of the car with my hands. But a sudden kick behind the knees, combined with a hard shove, collapsed me completely and I was bundled into the back of the limo.
    ‘Who are you? What do you want with me?’ I yelled, struggling uselessly as the burly Polynesian practically sat on me. The car took off with great speed.
    ‘If you just behave, calm down and be a good boy, we’ll tell you,’ said the other guy, now behind the wheel.
    ‘Fine, go on.’
    ‘Murray Durham wants a word with you.’
    At the sound of that name, I went limp. Murray ‘Toecutter’ Durham! Murray Durham was the biggest and most powerful criminal in the country. Sligo must have called in a favour, or paid Durham to take me down. Or, worse, what if Durham wanted me dead himself? That’s when I recognised the driver—he was one of Toecutter’s bodyguards! He was the one who was watching a war movie on the couch on the night Winter and I broke into her old house to retrieve her locket. He’d also been at Sligo’s interrupted banquet, alongside his boss.
    I was in real trouble. And Griff Kirby had fingered me. Fear iced over every cell in my bodyand I shivered. I was convinced I was experiencing my last moments alive. I’d never meet with Eric Blair, I’d never see Mum, Rafe and Gabbi again, or Boges and Winter.
    These thoughts turned me ferocious. I went totally feral, punching, lashing out, kicking, trying to get into the front seat. If I could just wrench the wheel around and crash the car, I could make a break for it. But the big Polynesian hauled me back. As I looked at his face, he didn’t look that threatening. He actually looked a bit concerned.
    ‘It’s OK, kid,’ he said. ‘Nobody wants to hurt you. The boss just wants to have a little talk with you.’
    ‘I don’t believe you,’ I said, trying to keep my voice firm. ‘What does he want to talk to me about?’
    ‘It’s a personal matter,’ he muttered. ‘Private and personal. Just wait until you meet with him, OK?’
    The limousine finally slowed, turning onto a driveway as tall, automatic gates opened to let us through. Panicked thoughts raced through