A Bump on the Head, Caroline Tailby [good books to read txt] 📗

taking huge breaths and collapsing into his arms. It felt so weird when he put them around me and held me up; as if we’d known each other for eternity, and we were closer than a brother and sister.
“Hey, hey, it’s OK!” he said. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine…just need…water!” I heaved.
“Come on,” he said, closing the door behind me and leading me into the kitchen…where Blousey, Tallulah and Fat Sam were sitting. They all gasped in disbelief when they saw me.
“Liana?!” cried Blousey. “Is that you?”
“We must be dreaming!” added Tallulah.
“Don’t be stupid, we’ve already pinched each other a dozen times,” said Sam.
“You guys ain’t dreaming,” said Bugsy. “Liana, you’re here, aren’t ya?”
“Yeah,” was all I could manage.
Tallulah leapt up. “Look at you!” she said. “What have you been doing?!”
“Running.”
She grabbed a glass from the kitchen worktop and ran some water into it from the tap as Bugsy sat me down on a chair. Blousey started rubbing my back. “Breathe,” she said. “You’ve worn yourself out.”
I breathed. I breathed very fast. Tallulah handed me the glass and I gulped the water down gratefully. “What were you running from?” asked Sam. “And how did you get out? Did Dan let you go or somethin’?!”
“No,” I said. My lungs had relaxed a little. “I escaped. They were stupid enough to leave the lounge door open.” They all laughed. “Dumb bums,” said Bugsy, and he put his arms around me again. “At least you’re safe. I was worried sick.”
“Ha,” Blousey chortled. “Worried sick might be an understatement, wise guy.”
“He was in hysterics,” Tallulah told me. “Couldn’t calm him down!”
Everyone, including me, laughed again. But I had to break this calm atmosphere by telling them the worst.
“Yeah, thing is…I’m not safe,” I said, my smile disappearing. Everyone else’s did too. “The gang are still chasing me. I don’t know where they are but…”
“They’ve probably lost you,” Fat Sam interrupted me, putting a light on the situation. “You’re a fast runner, right?”
“Yeah, pretty fast.”
“Well, I bet they think you turned a corner and,” He indicated inverted commas with his fingers. “‘followed’ you. They’re probably lost somewhere in the streets right now.”
“You sure about that?” asked Blousey. “I remember Dandy Dan has a pretty good sense of direction.”
“He’ll be concentrating on where she went, won’t he?” cut in Bugsy, sitting beside me. “He thinks she doesn’t know her way around.”
“He’s right,” I said. “I don’t know my way around this city the slightest bit. It was just luck I went the right way.”
There was suddenly another hammer on the front door. “Who could that be?” asked Bugsy, and he got up to answer it.
“Open this door, Malone!” shouted a very familiar voice that stopped Bugsy dead in his tracks before he’d even left the kitchen. “We know you and the little broad are in there!”
“Uh-oh,” said Sam.
“Oh no,” said Tallulah.
“Oh, great,” said Blousey.
“Oh my god,” I said.
“He’s here,” whispered Bugsy, his voice strained.
“Right,” said Blousey, standing up and immediately taking charge. “Bugsy, Liana, you both need to hide. Us three’ll take care of Dandy Dan.” Bugsy didn’t move. “Bugsy?” Blousey said, walking towards him and touching his hand. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, I heard you,” he said, looking at her and taking her hand. “I just can’t believe he found me.”
“Just hide,” said Sam, standing up. “I’ll handle this.”
“No, honey, he’ll shoot you on sight,” said Tallulah. “We should all hide. Pretend there’s nobody here.”
“Open the door,” came the voice again. It was threatening now.
“What we gonna do?” asked Bugsy. “My front door window’s completely transparent. If he sees us walkin’ through the hall and up the stairs he’ll break the door down.”
“We don’t have to hide upstairs,” I said, getting up. I’d recovered by now. “Couldn’t we hide in the living-room?”
They all looked at me. “Liana, you genius!” said Fat Sam, putting his hand on my shoulder and his face lighting up. I smiled. “What’s your plan?” asked Tallulah.
“Dandy Dan can only see in front of his face, can’t he?” I said. “The window’s only chest height. We can crawl down the hall, and he won’t see us. Then once we’re in the lounge we can hide.”
“You beauty!” said Blousey, opening the kitchen door. “I’ll go first. Tallulah, don’t start going until I give you a signal.” She got down on her hands and knees and crawled into the hall. Tallulah got down on her own and waited anxiously for Blousey to reach the lounge door. When at last she did, she knelt up, looked behind her and gave Tallulah the thumbs-up. Tallulah took a deep breath and started to crawl down the hall.
“I’ll give you guys two minutes,” Dandy Dan’s sharp voice broke our silence. “Then I’m gonna break open the door.”
“Oh, great,” said Bugsy. “Go a bit quicker, Tallulah!” Tallulah quickened her pace as Sam got down on all fours. When she gave him the thumbs up, he crawled down the hall. He sure went fast for a fat guy.
“How much time have we got?” Bugsy asked me. I’d been timing it. “One minute,” I replied. I gave him a look that meant “Go first, you’ve got plenty of time. Then if we run out he’ll catch me, not you.” I don’t think he understood the second part, but he nodded and got on his hands and knees. I saw Sam give him a thumbs-up and he set off while I got down. As he reached the door, he signalled me. I looked at my watch. I had thirty seconds. I began to crawl down the hall, but something was slowing me up. I couldn’t work out what it was, but the hall seemed as long as a chasm is wide. Maybe I was just smaller than the others and it seemed to take longer for me to move. Or maybe I was still tired, because my legs felt like jelly.
“You’ve got twenty seconds,” came Dandy Dan’s voice. Bugsy’s face was a picture of anxiety as he looked in my direction. “Come on!” he said. I crawled a little faster, but my legs gave up on me.
“Fifteen.”
I slumped onto the hall floorboards. Bugsy was turning pale. “Keep going!” he said.
“Ten.”
I started again, but my legs weren’t up to it after all that running.
“Five…four…”
I started to crawl as fast as I could. No. It was no use.
“…three…two…”
“Hurry up!” said Bugsy.
“One………right, time’s up.” There were a few bangs on the door and it crashed open. Dandy Dan and the gang all surged through it, Dan in front. He was on me like a dart in a second. “Gotcha!” he said with menacing triumph. I screamed and struggled as he yanked me upright by my shoulder and wrist.
“Liana!” cried Bugsy. A big mistake. The gang all spotted him that instant. “There he is!” shouted Bronx Charlie, as Bugsy disappeared into the lounge. They all followed him, and Dan pulled me in after them.
BANG-WHOOSH! BANG-WHOOSH! BANG-WHOOSH! The sound of the splurge guns filled the tranquil air. Each bang-whoosh was so quick it sounded more like a peow. The splurge-gunfires whistled through the air, always missing their targets, well, target. Bugsy. He was hiding under a table with his arms around Blousey. Blousey was shielding her face with her own. Sam and Tallulah were nowhere to be seen.
Bugsy saw me in Dan’s grip. “You let go of her!” he shouted.
“Why should I?” replied Dandy Dan.
“I said, leave her alone!” said Bugsy. He was getting angry.
“Make me then.”
“You heard me!” Bugsy fumed. “LET HER GO!”
“Not a single chance.” Dan tightened his grip on me. He wasn’t going to let me get away a second time. “This broad’s mine until you’re dead, Bugsy Malone!”
Blousey gasped. The splurge guns continued firing, and Dan pulled me closer towards him. “Come on, you snails,” he called to the gang. “I want him dead.”
Laughing Boy stopped firing. He said something that I don’t think he would have, but in the mood he was in he couldn’t stop himself. He glared at Dandy Dan and said “We’re trying as hard as we can, boss!”
“Well,” replied Dan angrily. “Step on it, will ya?!”
Laughing Boy shrugged and continued firing. Then suddenly, from behind the top of an armchair nearby, emerged Fat Sam’s face. He’d obviously been hiding behind it. “Dan, you’re a rat!”
Shoulders fired in his direction, but he ducked, then stood up again.
“Dan, you’re a dirty rat!”
Another splurge pellet went in his direction, and he ducked.
“Sam!” yelled Bugsy, trying hard to make his voice heard over the firing. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’? Knock it off!”
Sam ignored him and stood up again. “You’re a dirty power-crazed kidnapping rat, Dandy Dan!” Perfect description! It made Dan very angry indeed. “Quit callin’ me a rat, will ya?!!” he yelled in Sam’s direction.
“Well, why don’t you quit tryin’ to kill us then?” Blousey returned the yell.
“Not gonna. Not until he’s dead!” On the word “he” Dan took his hand off my shoulder and pointed at Bugsy, then grabbed hold of me again.
The splurge guns suddenly stopped firing, leaving an ear-splitting silence. It was broken by a cross snap from Dandy Dan. “What do you think you’re doing, you dummies?!”
“The guns have jammed, boss,” said Yonkers meekly. Dan sighed with irritation.
“OK,” said Sam, emerging from behind the armchair again, Tallulah at his side. “Stop tryin’ to get us, buster.”
“We can talk this over sensibly,” said Bugsy, trying to be humble. “Just let Liana go.”
Dan might have been convinced if Tallulah hadn’t said “You’re never gonna get my honey’s business anyway.”
“Heh-hey, look who’s talkin’,” Dan glared in Tallulah’s direction. “The beauty with the slob for a boyfriend.”
Sam exploded. “Now, shut up, ya salami! You don’t talk dirty about me! I don’t like your mouth! I have to have some respect, you know!”
“Shut up yourself, ya dumb bum. You’d slit your own throat for two bits plus tax.”
“Keep your wisecracks behind your teeth!”
“Enough of this straight-talk!” Bugsy cut into their argument. “Why don’t you just get outta here, Dan?”
“Not until you let me kill ya, Bugsy,” said Dan. I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded frightening, so I yelled up at him, struggling with all my might.
“Why would he?! Let go of me or I’ll kick you right where it hurts!”
“Button your lip, you little brat!” Dan responded, covering my mouth.
Sam suddenly leaped forward and punched Dandy Dan right in the face. It took him by so much surprise that he let go of me. I collapsed to the floor, scrambled up and darted across to Bugsy and Blousey, then dived under the table.
“You OK?” Blousey asked me.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. Bugsy didn’t say anything – he just kept his eyes on Dandy Dan and grabbed my hand. I could feel his palms were sweating.
Dan and Sam were properly fighting now, and Dan didn’t seem to be enjoying himself at all. Physical contact just wasn’t his game, I guessed, and he was possibly worried about getting his immaculate suit spoiled. Then, to our surprise, the gang managed to unjam their guns. The bang-whoosh sound started again, deafening everyone. Sam didn’t seem to notice…he just kept punching Dandy Dan.
Bugsy clutched my hand. I looked up at his face, which was deathly pale.
“Bugsy?” I said. “What’s wrong?”
He turned his head to Blousey, then to me. A tear drifted down his left cheek as he pulled us both close.
“I’m going to die,” he whispered.
Those words shocked me. Big-time. This guy was Bugsy Malone! He didn’t