The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit by David H Sharp Page B

don’t know.’ Angel lit her hands cupped hiding the naked flame mindful of attracting attention.
    ‘I have Welsh cousins and my parents moved just over the bridge to a little village called Caldicot.’
    ‘The bridge?’ Angel was confused.
    Jake laughed quietly. ‘The Severn Bridge. You northerners, please tell me you have heard of the Severn Bridge?’
    ‘Of course I have.’ Angel playfully punched his arm. ‘But call it that, calling it the bridge could mean any bridge in the country.’
    ‘Well that’s what it’s known as down my neck of the woods.’
    Both of them then sat in relative silence waiting for Yanto to return. Jake was reflective thinking of Wisteria Hall and the destruction they had left behind. Angel couldn’t get the image of the feet she had seen in the burning barn, had they belonged to Charles and Henry Rossiter?
    The two of them were united on one thought though, Roger and Lou Pepper. Angel was worried sick on how she was going to get back to  her little girl. She couldn’t believe she was starting to think like that. A few weeks ago she was riddled with trust issues and in the main looked after herself, shunning anyone who needed anything from her, now she felt like a surrogate mother. Jake reached across and held her hand. He had sensed what was wrong.
    ‘She will be okay, Roger is a good man.’
    Angel smiled and squeezed Jake’s hand. They both continued to sit in silence.
    Their thoughts were broken by the sound of thudding hooves. Yanto had returned.
    ‘Come on you two jump aboard.’
    Jake and Angel left the woods and walked to the small clearing, there was Yanto sat on his mighty beast with a long leash and two horses with full tack trailing behind him.
    ‘I'll take the big black one.’ Jake jogged over.
    ‘Are you sure?’ Angel went to stop him. ‘That is a big horse.’
    Jake was a little put out. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Don’t forget I was a foster kid, a kid in the system of care. Some of the families were pretty shite that I stayed with but one thing is for certain, the system liked to put on weekends away for us orphans.’ Angel smiled. ‘I went riding every summer, I can handle a horse pretty well and you need to be experienced to ride this beauty.’ She patted the stallion on the nose.
    ‘That one is called Chive.’ Yanto said. ‘So please ladies hurry up and choose, you don’t want to be out here after dark and my camp is only fifteen minutes away.’
    Camp? Jake was even more intrigued by this giant Welshman. ‘Okay I will take the smaller chestnut one. What’s his name?’
    ‘Her name is Lola.’ Yanto smiled.
    ‘Does she drink champagne that tastes just like cherry cola?’ Jake asked nearly breaking into song. No one replied, so slightly upset that his humour had gone unnoticed he saddled up.
    What’s your horse called?’ Angel asked Yanto
    ‘Thunderchild, now let’s get the hell out of here.’ Yanto untied the leash and the three of them were on their way.
    ***
    ‘We have to move now, and fast.’ Roger dragged Lou Pepper up by the arm and they scuttled across the village hall to the back room where the toilet was situated.
    ‘Are we going to find Angel?’
    ‘Yes, something like that.’ Roger wasn’t really listening but he knew that if he didn’t get them both out of that building they most probably wouldn’t survive the outcome.
    The back door was locked, he tried it twice but it wasn’t going to budge.
    ‘Why don’t we go out the front door?’ Lou innocently asked.
    Roger didn’t answer, again he had heard her but thought it was best to keep moving than explain that some murderous maniacs were just about to enter the building.
    ‘Up here.’ He had found a metal stair case behind what must have been the stage, he didn’t stop to check.
    ‘It’s quite high up there.’ Lou could see a door at the top.
    Roger tugged Lou to the top where they were confronted with a dirty grey fire door. A glass tube lay across the release