Rat Runners Read Online Free

weapon. And if more than one mike had picked up the sound, they would be able to quickly triangulate, and nail down the location. Seconds from now, a police jump squad would be skidding out into the streets, headed this way.
    “Bunny … honey … pet,” Punkin said softly, reaching out to her. “You’d … you’d best give me the gun.”
    She looked at him in hurt surprise and shook her head. He nodded, raised his eyebrows and stretched out his hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she reluctantly handed over the gun.
    “The bloody caterpillar, now!” he said through gritted teeth, as he pocketed her gun and aimed his own weapon at Manikin’s head.
    She didn’t react immediately, taking the blonde wig from the seat first, and stuffing it into the pocket of her mac. She wrenched the belt tighter around her waist, and reached into the black plastic bag that also lay on the seat. Then she handed over the large cuddly toy. The stuffed, multi-legged creature was over a meter long, and was heavier than it looked. That was because of the wide rubber tube shoved down its body, filled with hundreds of notes in high denominations. Punkin grabbed the toy, gave a grimacing smile, and waved Bunny into the van. FX snatched his console out of the back just before Bunny slammed the sliding door shut. Punkin rolled around the front of the van and got in behind the wheel. He started the engine, over-revved it, spun the boxy vehicle around and headed for the ramp. FX was impressed. It seemed Punkin was well able to drive while wearing roller-blades. Not bad for a guy who was still just a kid. He probably did a lot of joy-riding.
    Manikin was already striding towards the stairwell that led up into the office building beside the car park. Going out the front, onto the street, would be a really dumb move about now. They’d have to find another way out. The police would be here in minutes—she could hear the sirens in the distance, getting steadily closer.
    “Back to square one,” FX said as he caught up with her. “Should have known they were going to reese us. Bloody trolls.”
    “We had to take the chance,” she replied. “We’ve only got a few days before Move-Easy comes looking for us to make our next payment. I just never thought those clatterheads would be thick enough to bring guns. They probably won’t get a hundred meters down the street.”
    Her phone beeped and she took it out of her pocket, looking at the screen.
    “I dunno,” FX grunted. “They’ve managed to stay free so far. Must be blessed with some of that supernatural good luck reserved for fearless idiots.”
    “Yeah, well, we’re not, obviously,” Manikin said as she pushed open the door to the stairwell. She held up her phone so that he could see the screen. It was a spam email, offering excellent deals on a new drug that treated fungal infections. The email would have been received by hundreds of thousands of people, but only those who worked for the gangster known as Move-Easy would recognize the summons for what it was. She gave her brother a bitter grin.
    “Looks like he’s calling us in.”
    “Jeez, we’re just not getting any breaks, are we?”
    “Well, I did manage to pinch Punkin’s wallet when I bumped into him,” Manikin replied, smiling as she held up a fold of leather.
    “Not bad.” FX smirked. “But wait’ll you see what I’m going to do to his MyFace page. You’d be amazed what you can do with imaging software and a few pictures of farm animals …”

CHAPTER 4
THE PEEPER

    NIMMO HAD NEVER been tracked by a Safe-Guard—he was too young to be listed on the citizens’ register—but he had heard from enough people who had to know what it was like. Right now, right next door, Brundle was expected to go about whatever he had been doing as if the Safe-Guard wasn’t there. Every action he took, every little movement or decision he made would be recorded by the stranger in his home. Any radio station he listened to, any