Runaway (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 4)

“Tell me, Oscar, or you can consider yourself on your own when we leave here,” Molly informed her brother coldly.

Oscar wondered what he should tell his sister because he knew that whatever he said she was going to be extremely annoyed with him.

“It’s nothing,” Oscar mumbled. “Let’s go and get something to eat, shall we?”

When he tried to walk past Molly, she grabbed him by his shirt and hauled him onto his tiptoes so she could glare menacingly into his eyes.

“I think Marilyn is meeting Denzel,” he whispered, his voice quivering with fear.

“Here?” Molly gaped.

Oscar shook his head. “I have seen her sneaking off at night. She is very clever. She goes to meet him. He waits for her on the street corner that is visible from my bed chamber window.”

“You have seen her with him?” Molly whispered.

Oscar nodded. “She goes to him practically every night. She waits until one of the men pass one way then waits for a bit until the other guard passes the other way. When they have gone, she climbs out of her widow and onto the large branch of the apple tree that sits just beneath her window. She waits for the guards to pass again and then runs across the garden. It’s easy because there isn’t much distance to cover and the guards never look up.”

“Have you tried to climb out that way, Oscar?” Molly whispered in horror.

Oscar looked at her. “I haven’t tried.”

Her brows shot skyward as she threw him a highly suspicious look. “No?”

“I like it here.” He shrugged awkwardly.

“Here? With the Star Elite?” Molly knew she sounded sceptical but, now that she came to consider how she felt about living in the house, she realised that she liked it as well. “It’s because you feel safe here, isn’t it?”

“There is plenty to eat. We don’t have to worry about keeping the fires warm. Nobody expects us to work from morning to night, and I don’t have to steal for nobody,” Oscar reported.

Molly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder not least because she knew he would shrug off a hug.

“You do know that our stay here is temporary, don’t you?” she murmured quietly.

Oscar nodded, his gaze solemn.

“The men from Rigley Row won’t be able to get to you again, as long as we stay here and don’t try to run off,” Molly warned.

Oscar nodded, but looked solemnly at the ground. “I heard them talking as well. The men downstairs want to send us away. I want to go but then I don’t.”

“But we cannot live under lock and key all of our lives. We have to live, Oscar. That means that wherever we live there will be fires to lay, food to prepare and a home to clean, and we will be able to come and go as please and won’t have to explain ourselves to anybody. It has to be better than here, don’t you think?” It was difficult for Molly to know if she was talking to her brother or Jasper but couldn’t bring herself to meet Jasper’s penetrating stare.

Suddenly, he stepped into the room and closed the door quietly behind him.

“Oscar? Can you show me which route she takes?” Jasper murmured.

Molly stared at the floor while she struggled with her annoyance that he had been listening to their conversation and made no attempt to hide it. She also kept her gaze rooted on the ground because it hurt even to look at him. But, horribly, temptation got the better of her. Inevitably, her stomach flipped when he drew close. She edged backward warily and forced herself to ignore the wild flurry of connection she felt. Mentally, she sternly warned herself to remember his comments downstairs. She was just a part of his job that was all.

As long as I remember that, everything should be fine. I would be happier about it, though, if it didn’t hurt so much to be this close to him.

Oscar jerked and glared accusingly at Molly when he realised Jasper had overheard him.

“Show me, Oscar. I need to know if she is meeting with Denzel because she is the traitor in our midst. We need to know what she is doing here,” Jasper demanded.

Together, Oscar and Jasper moved into Oscar’s bed chamber and over to the window. Jasper blew the candle out so they could stand beside the shutter and not be noticed.

“She leaves just after midnight. The window slides up and she climbs out onto that thick branch. She sits there and waits. Because it is dark, you don’t see her. When everyone has gone, she runs over to that old oak tree beside the wall and uses the knot in the tree to climb over it. It is fast, but she doesn’t have much ground to cover so its possible. Denzel, I am sure it is him, waits for her at the end of the street.” Oscar turned to look fearfully at Jasper. “Do you think they want me back?”

“It doesn’t matter if they do. They are not going to get you back, Oscar,” Jasper whispered. “I confess, this isn’t the usual safe house we use. The old one was compromised and sold on. This is a temporary one, but it appears that we haven’t checked the escape routes as carefully as we should. I will have to inform the night watch, Oscar. The next time she leaves, we will be watching.”