Daring Dooz (The Implosion Trilogy (Book 2)) Read Online Free

and left
hooks.
    ‘Fuck
me!’ gasped the bag.
    Vlad
looked closely into Mrs Hathaway’s eyes. She didn't blink.
    ‘Unfortunate really,’ she
said, ‘but I’m going to have to send the thing back to Taiwan - sometimes the
language is a little too ripe for an old lady like me!’
    Fortunately, the
conversation ended there as Vic had clawed his way up the wall and was swaying
dangerously in the corner.
    Vlad strolled over and
caught him just before he fell. He shoved his handkerchief further up Vic’s
nostrils, put his brother’s arm over his shoulder and shuffled him to the open
door. At the threshold, Vlad stopped and turned.
    ‘Well, Mrs…?’
    ‘Hathaway.’
    ‘Well darlin,’ I have to
say it’s been very interesting.’ He looked down at Vic’s battered face, and
tutted.
    ‘After all I’ve taught the useless bleeder.’
    ‘Cheerio,’ she said, as
they lumbered off down the corridor, past the flashing neon light, and round
the corner.
    She
gave them a friendly wave.
    ‘Pleasure
meeting you.’
    Mrs Hathaway closed the
door quietly, leaned back heavily on the candlewick dressing gown hanging from
its hook, and puffed out her cheeks in a huge sigh of relief.
    As she walked, a little
unsteadily across to her gym area, she realised, for the first time, that the
knuckles on her right hand were beginning to bruise.
    She stood in front of the
punch bag, which was awfully quiet, breathed in deeply and prepared to unzip
Aubrey back into the world.

Chapter 4
    The good news was that
Aubrey was alive. The bad news was that he had two heavily bruised eyes, both
of which seemed like pin pricks focussed on something about 300 yards away.
    Mrs Hathaway pulled the zip
down a few more inches to reveal Aubrey’s nose and mouth. His nose had
disappeared somewhere into his face and his mouth was purple and swollen with
quite a lot of blood oozing from multiple cuts to his lips. It also seemed to
have been moved half way up his right cheek - in fact, it didn't much look like
a mouth at all. But most importantly, it spoke.
    ‘I’d
all-ryfft’
    Mrs Hathaway understood
this to mean ‘I’m alright’ and was, consequently, extremely relieved. She
pulled the zip right down in one quick movement. Unfortunately, Aubrey’s
assessment of his physical condition was way off the mark - the equivalent of
Robert Shaw shouting to Roy Scheider, ‘Don't worry mate, it's only a scratch!’
as Jaws dragged him off the back of the Orca.
    As soon as the zip was
fully open, Aubrey’s eyes rolled up into his head, he lost what consciousness
he had, and fell forward out of the punch bag. Only lightning-fast reactions
enabled Mrs Hathaway to flick out her foot and stop Aubrey’s head smacking into
the parquet floor.
    For a brief moment, she
froze. Aubrey’s battered head rested on her ring boot, but his feet were still
stuck in the bag. It was not the time for the Avon lady to call. But she made
decisions quickly. Possibly this was due to the many unarmed combat,
distance-learning projects she’d passed with flying colours. She grabbed Aubrey
round the waist, turned him upright and stared into where his eyes had been.
    ‘Aubrey?
This is Mrs Hathaway - do you recognise me?’
    ‘Plead
to meed you!’ said Aubrey, politely, but to no one in particular.
    More blood flowed from his
mouth and his left nostril popped out from his face and blew a large, green
bubble.
    ‘I
think you need looking after,’ she said, gently.
    ‘Danks,’ said Aubrey, and
the green bubble burst, making his face look even more of a mess.
    ‘Come with me,’ she said,
turning towards the bathroom.
    She manoeuvred Aubrey round
to face in the right direction. Then held his hand and sighed. What was
happening? This moderately disgusting little man, a fugitive from what was
going to be some pretty rough justice, had knocked on her door. And within a
few minutes, she had begun to feel like a young girl again. She had a spring in
her step, and was certainly a little