Free Stitch-Up by Sophie Hamilton

into the night like bright green fireworks. I blinked. They looked as out of place as I felt. I heard the bike turn into the car park and skid to a halt. Sneaking a look, I saw a leathered hellhound sitting astride the Harley, revving the engine.
    â€œWho’s that?” I mouthed, eyes popping.
    Latif edged closer. “Pest control from the dark side. Officially he shoots vermin, foxes mainly. Unofficially he…”
    I strained to hear, but the rest of his sentence was swallowed up by the clatter of an unmarked helicopter as it flew over Chelsea Bridge and into the park. Seconds later, it was hovering above the car park, spotlighting the Harley in its beam.
    The leathered biker saluted the pilot, cut the engine and dismounted. He was wearing a bush hat with fox brushes hanging from the rim. A rifle was slung over his left shoulder.
    â€œOkay, Fred, let’s hunt vermin.” The pilot’s voice boomedfrom a speaker in the helicopter’s cockpit. “Two suspects. One male. One female. We need them alive. Do you copy? Alive!”
    â€œNo way.” My eyes widened. “I thought you said he hunted foxes.”
    â€œOfficially.”
    And the way he said the word filled me with dread.
    â€œWhat? They’re after us?” My voice rose to a squeak.
    Latif raised his index finger to his lips.
    As I watched the hunter stride into the darkness, fear mushroomed up inside me. This all seemed totally irregular. The helicopter’s lights swept across the park. Birds shot from its beam like arrows. Trees swayed back and forth, as if caught up in a tropical storm, their emerald-green leaves jitterbugging in its bluster. After a while, the pilot’s robotic voice filled the park.
    â€œI’ve got Nike trainers and an Adidas logo. Two suspects at coordinates A3-D12. I repeat, suspects are at coordinates A3-D12.”
    â€œThat copter has X-ray vision,” Latif whispered. “The temple’s roof better block us – or else. Boom! We’re ghosts!” Then seeing my look of terror, he added, “Don’t vex. We’re in deep cover. The infrared won’t pick up our body heat in here. Chill.”
    With my forehead pressed against the cool, golden lotus leaf, I concentrated on bringing my temperature down. I was a penguin diving into freezing water. I was an Eskimo huddled in an igloo…
    Latif jogged my elbow. An unmarked van had entered the park. It came to a halt next to the Harley. Two toughs jumped out, sauntered round to the back and unlocked the doors. A chill rose up from my guts. They had the look of the ex-SAS goons that Dad hired to protect us. Muscle. No rules. Mean. I’d spent my whole life being shadowed by them so I could spot them a mile off. As if to prove my point they shaped guns with their hands and pretended to shoot at the two teenagers Fred was marching across the grass. Arms pinned back, faces scrunched into screams, the two kids looked as if they thought their world was about to end.
    Fred bundled the kids inside the van and slammed the doors shut. Then he waited while one of the goons spoke to someone on the van’s radio. When he’d finished, they exchanged a few words. There appeared to be some kind of problem.
    Moments later, the hunter turned on his heels and headed back into the park.
    Only this time, he was walking our way.
    As he approached the temple he signalled to the pilot. I shrank back into deep cover. I heard the helicopter fly over and take up position above the temple. A whirlwind rushed around the pagoda, making the bells clank madly, as if all four Buddhas were trying to ward off an evil force with ethereal music.
    I glanced over at Latif. His face was expressionless, unreadable. I shut my eyes. CHOP. CHOP. CHOP. The blades churned my stomach and shredded my nerves.Icy sweat beaded my back. My heart thumped against my ribcage.
    After what felt like an eternity, the helicopter swept away. But the ensuing silence