Balancing Act Read online

  BALANCING ACT

  Rachel Churcher

  www.TallerBooks.com

  Contents

  From the Author

  Key Locations in Canterbury

  Key Locations in London

  Note

  PART ONE: PENNY

  Gossip

  Cora

  Katrina

  Guard

  Predator

  Beauty

  Orders

  Strategy

  Stories

  Confessions

  Drama

  Scars

  Search

  PART TWO: EMMA

  Jen

  Team

  Insider

  Romance

  Boat

  Headache

  Shelter

  Ending

  Compromise

  Access

  Instructions

  Observation

  Clueless

  Seen

  Heard

  Prey

  Dancing

  Close

  Advice

  Slip

  Fists

  PART THREE: ROSE

  Legend

  Telling

  Coffee

  Revelation

  Playbook

  Jake

  Exhausted

  Prepared

  Early

  Disappeared

  Lee

  Disgrace

  Type

  Blame

  Date

  Comfort

  PART FOUR: KETTY

  Revolution

  Over

  Judgement

  Witnesses

  Walls

  NOTES

  REVIEWS

  The Battle Ground series

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Balancing Act (Battle Ground #6)

  From the Author

  Thank you for your interest in the Battle Ground series! If you’re new here, welcome.

  Here’s the part where I do something crazy, for an author. Here’s the part where I tell you not to read this book.

  Balancing Act is Book Six in the Battle Ground series. It’s a retelling of the story from books Three, Four, and Five from Corporal Conrad’s point of view. If you’ve read the earlier books, ignore me. Keep reading. You know what happens, and you’re waiting to read Conrad’s side of the story. But if you haven’t read the earlier books, go back and do that now, before you start Book Six.

  Jumping into the series with Balancing Act is like opening a book in the middle, and hoping you’ll figure out what’s going on. The Battle Ground series is one long story, from Book One through to Book Five, and if you’re reading Book Six, I’ve assumed you know who everyone is and what they’re up to at this point in the action. You’ll need to be up to speed with the characters and the story before you meet Conrad, just over the page.

  It might sound bossy, me telling you how to read my books, but here’s why it’s important. I rely on reviews to promote my books. I rely on readers leaving honest and thoughtful reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and Library Thing. That’s what encourages other people to pick up my books and read my stories.

  If you read Balancing Act without reading the rest of the series first, the chances are that you’re going to leave me a bad review. This book follows the events of books Three, Four, and Five, and without knowing what those events were, and how the characters felt about them, they won’t mean anything – and neither will the story.

  Bad reviews are bad for me, and bad for my writing. Good reviews help me to reach new readers, and that allows me to write more books.

  The good news is that it’s easy to find Battle Ground (Book One). You can buy a paperback copy, or download a Kindle edition, from Amazon – and it’s free on Kindle Unlimited. Just search ‘Rachel Churcher Battle Ground’ on your local Amazon site, and you’ll be reading the start of the story in no time.

  And when you’ve read Battle Ground, False Flag, Darkest Hour, Fighting Back, and Victory Day, please pick this book up again and dive right in. Thank you for your patience. Conrad will be waiting for you.

  Key Locations in Canterbury

  Key Locations in London

  1. Home Forces Building

  2. Conrad’s Flat

  3. Ketty’s Flat

  4. Whitehall (street)

  5. Dover House

  6. Horse Guards Parade

  7. Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)

  8. 10 Downing Street

  9. London Eye

  10. Jubilee Gardens

  11. County Hall Building

  12. Somerset House

  13. Trafalgar Square

  14. Charing Cross Station

  15. Royal Festival Hall

  Key Locations in London

  Note

  Leominster is a town in Herefordshire, UK. It is pronounced ‘Lem-ster’.

  I can’t afford to make mistakes like this. I can’t afford to let Conrad get to me. He’s Lee’s assistant, and he’s on Lee’s side, not mine.

  I was looking for a friend. I was looking for support, but I’m looking in the wrong place.

  Conrad is the enemy. He’s a distraction, and he’s dangerous.

  I look around at the lights reflected on the water. All the people in this overwhelming city, and the one I need is gone.

  Ketty, Fighting Back

  PART ONE: PENNY

  Corporal David Conrad

  London, November

  Gossip

  Another morning, another girl sleeping off last night’s action. I’d wake her up for another round, but I have an early meeting, and I don’t need complications this morning. I slip out of bed and reclaim my clothes from the bedroom floor, kicking hers into a pile as I go. I risk a glance at the bed, at – what’s her name? Jules? Rosalind? Penny? – Penny, her hair falling over her face, soft skin the colour of milk hidden under the dark grey duvet, and I bite my lip. Ten more minutes …

  But I have to go.

  I pull a fresh uniform from the cupboard in the hall and dress quickly before leaving the usual note in the kitchen. Good morning, help yourself, coffee’s in the cupboard, blah blah. I’m out of the door and on my way to work before she makes a sound.

  All these athletic girls in uniform. I can’t tell them apart any more. But Brigadier Lee wants results, and Penny told me some useful secrets last night. Should be enough to keep me in his good books for a day or two. And if he wants more? I guess I’ll have to take Penny out for another drink, or several, and another night in my bed.

  I wish I could say it’s a tough job, but getting naked with the gym-sculpted girls of the Home Forces is definitely a pleasure. I know exactly how to persuade them to shed their clothes, their inhibitions, and their secrets. It’s what Lee expects, and I’m not about to let him down.

  Lydia catches me smiling as I walk into the basement coffee room. She grins and crosses her arms, leaning back against the worksurface as I reach into the cupboard for a mug.

  “So – who was it this time?”

  I wish I could ignore her, but my smile widens. She knows me too well. This is why I pick up my morning coffee in the basement, and not upstairs near the office. I’d rather bump into Lydia than Lee.

  I pretend to think.

  “Oh, come on, David. You could at least remember her name long enough to tell me what happened.”

  Her mock disgust makes me laugh. I know she’s desperate for the details – and I know she’s figuring out which of the girls to take to bed herself.

  “Penny,” I confess, placing my mug in the coffee machine and selecting something strong and black.

  “Penny.” She taps a finger on her chin. “Oh – Private Penny
? From the mail room?”

  “That’s her,” I say, watching the coffee filling my mug. She nods, approvingly.

  “Skin like …”

  “… milk. Yes.”

  “Good catch. What did it take to convince her of your gentlemanly intentions?”

  I shrug. “A few drinks, plus my natural charm.”

  Lydia rolls her eyes and checks her watch. “So she’ll be waking up around now? Maybe wishing she hadn’t let you buy the drinks?”

  “There are painkillers in the kitchen. I left a note.”

  She laughs. “Of course you did. And your confidence is charming, as always. You’re assuming it’s the headache she’s regretting.”

  I pick up the mug, and give her an innocent look.

  “So,” she says, straightening her uniform. “I suppose you’ll be busy with this one for a while.”

  I grin, and shrug. “That’s up to Lee.”

  “And Penny?” She raises an eyebrow. “What does she think?”

  I take a sip of my coffee, savouring the promise of caffeine.

  “She was … enthusiastic.”

  Lydia laughs, and waves a finger at my face.

  “This,” she says, circling my features, “is cheating. It’s weaponised. Those poor girls don’t stand a chance.”

  I give her a sunny smile. “I’m just doing my job, Sergeant Wheelan. I can’t help it if they like what they see.”

  She shakes her head as she walks to the door. “Well, I’m always here for the gossip, Corporal. And the inevitable disasters.” She stops in the doorway, grinning. “One day this is going to get you into so much trouble. And on that day, remember that I know all your secrets, and I’ll be expecting a sizable bribe to save your sorry skin.”

  I bow my head, laughing. “I’ll bear that in mind.”

  Cora

  “So.” Lee checks his watch. “I’m expecting to be stunned by your newfound knowledge of the mail room and its gossip.” He looks up from his paperwork. “Anything I should know?”

  I fill him in on the secrets I picked up from Penny. Internal memos. Packages of paperwork. Who’s corresponding with whom. Who’s on the Army’s mailing list, and who’s writing to the former Prime Minister. He nods, and makes cryptic notes, while I fight the usual flashbacks from last night. The buttons on Private Penny’s blouse. The shoes kicked off as we stumbled to the bedroom.

  “Corporal.” Lee’s voice brings me back to the office. “Anything else I should know?”

  “I think that’s it, Sir.” He nods. “Do you need more?” I choose my words carefully. Lee has never spelled out how he expects me to research the intelligence he needs, but I don’t think he’s under any illusions about my methods. “Do you need me to … entertain Penny again?”

  He smirks, and watches as my face reddens. “Why not? See what else you can take from her willing hands.”

  He knows exactly how to make my cheeks turn scarlet.

  “One more thing,” he says, as I stand up to leave. “Tomorrow’s interrogation.” I sink back into my chair, frantically thinking through this week’s diary.

  “William Richards?” I really need more coffee. That should have been on the tip of my tongue.

  He nods, and pulls out a memo from the pile on his desk. “We’ll be working with Colonel Bracken. Major General Franks is crediting him with the success of the Makepeace Farm raid, and we’re supposed to bring him in on everything relating to Richards and his followers.” Lee doesn’t bother hiding the disgust in his voice. The raid was supposed to be Bracken’s ruin, not the moment he pulled prisoners and evidence out of Lee’s trap.

  “We’re working with the drunk guy?”

  Lee glares at me, and nods. “We’re working with the drunk guy. So we’ll try to be civil, and we’ll do everything we can to find out what he’s up to.”

  I shrug. Bedding middle-aged Colonels is definitely outside my pay grade.

  “That doesn’t sound too hard. What did you have in mind?”

  Lee lets a dangerous smile cross his face, and I sit up in my chair. I’m not sure I want to know what he’s thinking.

  “I want you to keep an eye on his assistant.”

  My mind races. I should know who Bracken’s assistant is. Male? Female? Corporal? Private?

  I need more coffee.

  “Corporal Katrina Smith,” Lee says, and I make the connection.

  “Coach girl? Knee injury?”

  He smiles. “Coach girl.”

  Female. My rank. Fresh from the RTS. I can see where this is going.

  “So you want me to …?”

  “Be your usual charming self. Talk to her. Find out what she knows. Find out what Bracken is here for – what Franks thinks he can do for the Home Forces, given that he failed spectacularly to contribute anything of note to the RTS.” He taps his pen on the desk. “Figure out his weaknesses. Anything we can use against him. Anything we can use to get rid of him.”

  “Aren’t we better off putting him to good use? Pinning failures on him? Setting him up to take the fall if we need it?”

  Lee gives a humourless laugh. “Because that worked so well at Makepeace? No. He’s a drunk and a liability, and I don’t want him in my department. I certainly don’t want Franks putting him on the committee.” He shrugs. “But Franks seems to like him, so it’s up to us to protect ourselves. See what you can dig up.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  I’m smiling as I head back to my desk in the office outside. A drunk Colonel and a girl who’s used to babysitting teenagers. This shouldn’t be too hard.

  *****

  I have a call to make. I’ve booked the top floor conference room for half an hour, and as soon as I’m through the door I lock myself in and take the phone to the far corner of the room. I can’t risk being disturbed, and first thing in the morning is the best time to avoid noise from the corridor or knocks on the door.

  I dial the number from my notebook, and someone picks up after one ring. She’s been waiting for my call.

  “Hello?”

  “Cora? It’s David.”

  I keep my voice at a stage whisper. This is a Top Secret call, and it doesn’t hurt to add some drama. We exchange passwords (pointless, except to make her feel important), and check that no one can overhear what we have to say.

  “So what have you got?”

  I smile. She thinks I’m bringing her new information, not the next stage of a carefully planned puppet show.

  “Your target.”

  There’s a pause before she says “I’m listening.”

  I like Cora. She’s the contact for a resistance cell in Bournemouth, and we’ve been discussing their big attack for weeks. We’ve given them bomb-making equipment and instructions, and she’s been waiting for the final call. She’s been serious and careful, and I’m confident that she’ll do exactly what I tell her to do.

  She has no idea she’s talking to the Home Forces. She thinks I’m an organiser for the resistance, or from the OIE. I’ve never given her any reason to doubt her assumption, just as I‘ve never actually claimed to be either. When the bomb explodes and the story makes the news on PIN, she’ll suddenly find it very difficult to contact me. I’ll disappear, and she’ll hope she’s done the right thing. If she screws up – if she phones in a warning, or misses the agreed time or target – she’ll find herself in the back of a prison van, wondering who betrayed her.

  “The amusement arcade next to the pier. There’s a service door at the west end, behind the café. Rows of commercial wheelie bins. Close to the beach.”

  “Yes,” she says, sounding breathless.

  “The Home Forces beachfront patrols have a shift change at five am. Between four fifty-five and five fifteen, the area will be clear. Get in, plant the bomb in one of the bins, and get out. Set the timer for twenty minutes. Make sure the bomb is armed, and the group is split up and walking away by ten past five.”

  “I understand.”

  “Three days, Cora. Are yo
u sure you’ll be ready?”

  She hesitates. “We’ll be ready”, she says, and I can hear the fear in her voice. She’s just realising that this is real. That she’s going to walk up to a public building on an exposed seafront, plant a home-made bomb on the orders of someone she’s never met, and walk away. She’ll have no control over who gets hurt, and no control over the damage she’ll do.

  I need to keep her focused.

  “Any questions? Anything else you need to know?”

  There’s another pause. “Will I speak to you again?”

  I shake my head. Her nerves are showing. “You know this is the last call. Anything else you want to discuss, now’s your chance.”

  I can hear her breathing on the other end of the line. “No,” she says eventually. “No. We’re ready.”

  She needs some encouragement. Most of them do, at this stage. The need to protect people, the need to see herself as a good person – they’re making her want to back out and change her mind. But we’ve invested too much time in this plan. I need to convince her to plant the bomb.

  “Cora, this is your chance. You’re making history. You’re making a difference.”

  “Yeah.” She sounds uncertain. “Yeah. You’re right.”

  She needs more. She needs to feel important. “Thank you, Cora. Thank you for being part of our team.” I wait for her to respond, but she doesn’t speak. “We need you”, I say into the silence. “We can’t do this without you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Three days. You’ve got this.”

  She takes a breath, and her voice sounds stronger. “We’ll be ready. Thanks, David.”

  That’s what I needed to hear. Determination. Confidence. A commitment to the cause.

  She’ll do it.

  “Good luck, Cora.”

  I hang up the phone.

  *****

  I spend the day avoiding Private Penny and Lydia, and keeping myself pumped up on coffee. It’s tempting to call Penny again, but I know I need to sleep before the interrogation tomorrow. Lydia’s right – it’s my face they fall for, as much as my charms, and there’s no point meeting Katrina Smith with shadows under my eyes. I need to catch her attention early, and I need to keep it.