Free Grk Undercover by Joshua Doder

four bodyguards would have walked round the entire terrace.
    The bodyguards would realize they had been tricked. And they would come back to see who had tricked them.
    It was better to lose a blanket than get caught by Colonel Zinfandel.
    They ran toward the lifts, leaving the blanket sprawled on the ground. Max looked from side to side, checking to make sure theyweren’t being followed. He couldn’t see any sign of the bodyguards, which meant that they must still be on the other side of the terrace.
    One of the lifts was ready to leave. Max darted inside and held the door. The others followed him. As soon as they were safely inside, Max released the door and it slid shut. The lift started moving immediately.
    “We’re free,” said Natascha as the lift juddered downward from the third level to the second. “We’re safe!”
    “Not yet,” said Tim. “They might have the tower surrounded.”
    “So what are we going to do?”
    “We’re going to run,” said Max. “This lift stops on the second floor. We have to get a different lift from there to the ground. As soon as the lift stops and the door opens, we start running—and we don’t stop running till we’re in the other lift. Okay?”
    The others nodded.
    “We should each go in a different direction,” said Max. “Then they might catch one of us, or even two, but not all three. As soon as the lift stops, I’ll go to the left. Natascha, you go to the right. And Tim, you go straight ahead. Okay?”
    Tim and Natascha nodded.
    “Grk can come with me,” said Tim. He turned to Natascha. “Unless you want to take him.”
    Natascha shook her head. “No, you take him. That’s safer. You can run faster than me.” She knelt on the ground and tickled Grk’s ears, then leaned forward, put her mouth close to his ear and whispered something to him so quietly that no one else could hear what she said.
    Grk wagged his tail. He seemed to like whatever she’d said.
    “We’ve got to arrange a rendezvous,” said Max.
    “A what?” said Tim.
    “A meeting place,” said Max. “Any ideas?”
    “Notre Dame,” said Natascha immediately.
    “Perfect,” said Max. “We’ll meet inside. At the front. Opposite the altar.”
    Natascha shook her head. “What about Grk? He won’t be allowed inside a church.”
    “Then let’s meet outside,” said Max. “At the front entrance.”
    “See you there,” said Natascha.
    But Tim wasn’t so sure. He said, “What’s Notre Dame?”
    “It’s a big church in the middle of Paris,” explained Natascha.
    “How am I supposed to find it?” said Tim. “I’ve never been here before.”
    “Ask anyone,” said Max. “Everyone in Paris knows Notre Dame. Just stop someone in the street and ask them to point you in the right direction.”
    “But I can’t speak French,” said Tim. “What am I supposed to say?”
    “Repeat after me,” said Natascha.
“Où est Notre Dame?”
    “Où est Notre Dame?”
said Tim.
       Natascha winced at his accent. “Try again,” she said, speaking very slowly and pronouncing every syllable separately.
    “Où est Notre Dame?”
    “Où …,”
said Tim. But before he could say another word, the lift slowed down and stopped. There wasn’t going to be time for him to practice his pronunciation. They had reached the second floor.
    Max said, “Ready?”
    The others nodded.
    “Ready,” said Natascha.
    “Ready,” said Tim.
    Grk wagged his tail. He knew they were playing a game. He wasn’t exactly sure of the rules, but he didn’t really mind. He liked games.
    They tensed their muscles, preparing to run.
    The door slid open. Max was the first to go. He stepped out of the lift, turned to the left and sprinted straight into the arms of a bodyguard.

Chapter 24
    The bodyguard looked at the three children and smiled.
    He was a big man with broad shoulders and strong muscles. He knew his own strength and he was sure that three children didn’t have a hope of escaping from him. They would