Liberation (I Am Margaret Book 3) by Corinna Turner Page A

of the less dilapidated houses had been packed full of bunks to house the extra guards – one whole street was now known as the Barracks, less tongue-breaking than the Gozitan street name. The others had been fitted into the main accommodation block.
    Twenty to a team, plus two drivers. Ten teams. Two hundred and twenty people. Even I could work that out. All hand picked, approached and shipped over by Eduardo whilst we were working on the early stages of planning the train hijack. ‘Animal’ team had worked hardest, drilling for two operations simultaneously.
    Most of our guys – giddy as schoolboys in a sweet shop earlier – now stood, looking all grave-faced and battle-hardened in front of their unblooded comrades. I tried not to smile, but Sister Krayj caught my eye and did a slightly too accurate imitation and a laugh spluttered from me.
    “Oh, hi, Brown Bird.” Giraffe stared down at me solemnly, oblivious to the strip light his friends had edged him under. “Looking forward to going into action again?”
    Anyone who looked forward to going into this sort of situation was a nutter, in my opinion, but I just said, “Of course,” managing not to smile too broadly at the looks of silent admiration Giraffe had won with his casual ‘again’.
    “Ready, Sis?” Kyle, dressed in black/grey/green camo like the rest of us, though like Father Mark his dog collar showed under his open jacket – a small symbol of defiance requiring a lot of courage.
    “Oh, hi, Deacon Gecko. Are you ready?”
    We were supposed to use only code names whilst on operation. Though we weren’t hiding our identities like most of the Resistance, Carla had insisted on the grounds it encouraged professional behaviour or something.
    “Of course. Went well last night, didn’t it?”
    “That was the easy bit.”
    “Oh come on, allow yourself just a teensy bit of optimism.”
    “I was being factual.”
    “Pessimist.”
    “ Realist .”
    “Whatever. It’s a sound plan.”
    “It is a sound plan,” said Jon. “But if it goes right at all ten Facilities, we’ll be doing very well.”
    “You haven’t talked them into letting you come, have you?”
    “No, I’m just seeing you off. I’m on the planning committee, I’m allowed to be here.”
    “I never said you weren’t, I was just afraid you’d make rather a good target, limping around walking into walls.”
    “ Kyle ,” I objected.
    “That’s why I’m not going, isn’t it!” snarled Jon.
    “Okay, okay…” Kyle held up his hands in surrender and backed away to join his partner, Grass Snake.
    “Ignore him,” I muttered to Jon. “He didn’t used to be that much of a tactless clot.”
    “He’s right, though, isn’t he? I could be completely free of holes and you still wouldn’t want me along. The eyeless wonder , why would you…”
    Seizing his hands atop his sticks, I squeezed them firmly.
    “ I think eyeless wonder is a good name for you. Who saved us from the bear? Who stopped us stepping on an electric rail? Who heard the dogs in time for us to get into the stream and out of sight? That’s three times you saved our lives, just which leap straight to mind, so don’t you dare listen to what Carla says!”
    Jon looked at the ground.
    “You still don’t want me along.”
    “Jon…” I couldn’t keep the distress from my voice. “Of course we’d like you along. But it’s not that simple…” Surely he understood…
    He turned one hand to capture my fingers, gave them a squeeze.
    “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to start wallowing in self-pity. I know I can’t go. I suppose it was just harder being left behind than I expected.”
    Considering how I’d felt when Bane was away… and I hadn’t been left on my own. I reached out and gave him a quick hug, then said in a mock threatening voice, “ We’ll be back !”
    “Please, Lord. Amen!” He hugged me too.
    Crash-Clatter.
    A chorus of smothered giggles from around Giraffe, though all the guards remained