Free The Shadow Project by Herbie Brennan Page A

up—”
    Danny gaped. “How did you know that?”
    â€œWe broke into your home,” Roland said.
    For a long moment Danny just stared at him.
    â€œCome on, Danny,” Roland said easily. “You burgled this house, gate-crashed a top secret operation, and told us a pack of lies. What did you expect—a medal? We had to find out who you were. Apart from all other considerations, you might have been an enemy agent—they’re using youngsters your age now. Our security chief let you escape from—”
    â€œ Let me?”
    â€œYes, of course. You didn’t imagine it was that easy to walk out of an MI6 secure operation?” Roland sniffed. “Well, obviously you did, but it wasn’t and it isn’t. When you left the building, there was an electronic tracer in your jacket. We simply followed you home, and when you left again for the hospital, two of our operatives kept an eye on you there while a team broke into your house—”
    â€œMy Nan’s house!” Danny snapped, outraged.
    â€œâ€”and searched it for incriminating evidence. You came up clean, but one of my men found your letter of acceptance from Cambridge. Congratulations, by theway. I’m an Oxford man myself, but I know how difficult it is to get into any half-decent university these days. Now the thing is, Danny, we both know you can’t afford to take up the offer—” He stopped suddenly. “You haven’t declined it yet, have you?”
    â€œNo.” Danny’s gaze had turned into a glare.
    â€œOh, good. Because we can help you. How would it sound if I told you the Project will fund your education at Cambridge—fees, lodging, living expenses, plus some decent money in your pocket—in return for a simple commitment to give the Project the benefit of your talents a few days every month? Once you graduate, there will be an offer of a full-time, permanent position with MI6 in London, with good benefits and all. What do you say?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œNo?” Roland looked taken aback. “Don’t you want to go to Cambridge?”
    â€œOf course I want to go to Cambridge,” Danny said. “Honest answer—I’d kill to go to Cambridge. My ticket out, isn’t it? You wouldn’t know about it, but it’s no fun growing up where I live—hard men, drug dealers, street gangs, and never enough cash. Can’t go out late at night—I’ve been beaten up more times than I can count. But I’m not going to Cambridge and it’s not the money. Well, it is the money, but that’s not the only reason. It’snot even the main reason.”
    â€œWhat is the main reason?”
    Danny looked at him long and hard. He never liked opening up to people, or talking about the things that were really important to him—too much chance they’d use it all against you. But there was something different about Sir Roland, something that made you feel he could be trusted. And besides, what did it matter if Danny told the truth for once? He took a deep breath. “Know what, Sir Roland? I’ve been telling myself I’m fed up with school, fed up with the snobby treatment. But it’s not really that—after what I’ve gone through at home, I can handle the toffee-noses. What it really is, is my Nan. Bad enough when I went to private school—least I could get home in the evenings—but if I swan off all the way to Cambridge, there’s nobody to look after her.”
    â€œI gather your grandmother has had some sort of stroke?”
    â€œYes, she has. But even before the stroke I couldn’t have left her. She’s getting on now, must be over eighty—won’t tell me—my grandfather’s dead, my mum’s gone off somewhere, so she has no other relatives, no money except her pension. She thinks she can take care of herself, but she can’t, besides which she gets lonely on her