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says. ‘About twenty miles back…the two older ones were pushing the rest in a wheelbarrow. Said they’d been attacked all night and had to run for it…bless ‘em, half delirious. Keep talking about that actor, Paco Maguire?’
    ‘Paco,’ a small voice murmurs.
    ‘What was that?’ Maddox asks, striding towards the van.
    ‘Tired children,’ Joan says. ‘We’ll have to…’
    ‘Did you say Paco?’ Maddox asks, cutting across Joan to lean into the van.
    ‘Yeah,’ the woman says, shrugging and lifting her hands. ‘They’re exhausted…’
    ‘About Paco,’ Maddox presses.
    ‘That one,’ the woman says, showing confusion on her face and pointing at a little Indian boy.
    ‘Hey,’ Maddox says softly, touching the boy’s shoulder. The boy mumbles, opening his eyes that close again as he drifts back off to sleep. ‘Wake up,’ Maddox nudges him gently, holding a soft tone.
    ‘I think they need rest,’ the woman in the front of the van says.
    ‘Hey, wake up,’ Maddox nudges a bit harder, the boy blinks and looks with wide eyes at Maddox. ‘Hi, what’s your name?’
    ‘Rajesh,’ the boy says, clearly frightened. He looks round for his big sister, reaching out to grab her arm. ‘Subi…Subi wake up…’
    ‘What?’ Subi says, blinking awake to look in shock at Maddox.
    ‘You said Paco?’ Maddox asks, ‘Paco Maguire? The actor right?’
    Subi nods, her face showing fear. ‘He got us here…and Heather…’
    ‘Get Howie,’ Maddox says, calling out to Sam and Pea.
    ‘Whatever is…’ Joan starts to say.
    ‘Now. Get Howie now,’ Maddox says. ‘Heather?’ He asks, looking back at the Indian girl.
    She nods, wide eyed and moving to shield her little brother.
    ‘You’re safe now,’ Maddox says. ‘You’re at the fort…who is Heather?’
    ‘She found us,’ Subi says. ‘With Paco…’
    ‘Are you sure it was Paco Maguire?’
    ‘I am sure,’ Subi says.
    ‘What on earth?’ Joan snaps, furious with Maddox for interrupting and talking gibberish about an actor.
    ‘They got the dog from Paco,’ Maddox says, running towards the house. ‘She killed him…’ he goes through the door as Blowers steams from the lounge door slamming him back outside.
    ‘Fucking prick,’ Blowers growls, pushing Maddox away, his face twisted with hatred.
    ‘I need Ho…I need Mr Howie,’ Maddox says, still holding his hands away from his body.
    ‘You need a fucking spanking,’ Blowers seethes. ‘You fucked with Lani…you locked her in the hospital…the boss said on you, Maddox. Remember that? He said that. He said on you…’
    ‘Blowers, I need to…’ Maddox words cut off as the punch hits him full in the mouth.
    ‘He fucking said on you…’ Blowers says, pacing after Maddox scrabbling back. ‘Come near us and I’ll kill you…’
    ‘Easy now, son,’ Kyle’s hand comes to rest gently but firmly on Blowers shoulder.
    Maddox stares up at Blowers then past him to Cookey and Nick both hard faced. Two girls he doesn’t know, one blinking furiously and the other with a huge cut down one side of her face. Lilly strides out. Her face a mask of composure.
    ‘That’s enough,’ she says, her voice cold as ice.
    ‘Yes, Ma’am,’ Blowers stands down instantly, showing Maddox that Lilly has authority. He even turns to nod at her, giving respect with that discipline.
    ‘What the fuck?’ Howie asks after rushing down the stairs and now staring between Blowers standing over Maddox and Maddox lying on his back. ‘Maddox? What…fuck me…is that bread I can smell?’
    ‘Kyle made it,’ Cookey says.
    ‘Smells so nice,’ Howie says, ‘morning, Kyle.’
    ‘Morning, Mr Howie.’
    ‘Maddox, what you doing down there?’ Howie asks.
    ‘I tripped…’
    ‘I hit him,’ Blowers says without apology.
    ‘Fair one,’ Howie says, ‘you pulled the punch then?’
    ‘Just a bit,’ Blowers mutters.
    ‘Paco…the kids in that van said Paco got them here,’ Maddox says, rushing the words out.
    ‘Do