Dream London Read Online Free PDF Page A

our cause.”
    “And how would you get me into the boardrooms?”
    “Come with me. I’ll put you up at my place. Give you a veneer of respectability. Set you up with a job in the City, where all this started. You’d be our man on the inside. You know it would work. With your looks and charm, you’d be welcome anywhere.”
    “And in return you’ll give me the freehold of Belltower End. That’s a huge price you’re willing to pay. I’m not sure the Cartel could afford it.”
    Alan smiled.
    “Ah! That’s the interesting thing! You see, if our plans succeed, the Cartel will reacquire large parts of this city. If the Cartel succeed, we’ll all be winners, James.”
    I dipped a piece of meat in the mustard. Cracked brown seeds adhered to the pink flesh.
    “I think I’d want more than Belltower End,” I said. I popped the meat in my mouth and stared at him as I chewed.
    Alan nodded. “That can be negotiated.”
    “Uh-huh. And the second thing you want?”
    “Ah! The second task.” Alan placed his fork on the side of his plate once more. He gazed at me with a serious expression. “You must have realised, James, that people are becoming inured to the changes. Dream London is Dream London, they say, and it’s not going to change back.”
    He was right. I thought of Christine and her little piece of parchment, searching for the perfect man.
    “Okay,” I said.
    “Well, that’s the second part. When the fight begins, we’re going to need a figurehead. A charismatic bad boy willing to become good. We want someone who will stand up and lead the revolution against whoever is doing this to us.”
    “And that person is me?”
    “Who else? Like I said, people follow you, Captain Jim Wedderburn. But you’ve got more about you than that, though. Do you know what I’ve heard it said that you could be?”
    “What?”
    “A hero for Dream London. The hero for Dream London.”
    I laughed at that.
    “It’s true, Jim.”
    “I’m sorry Alan,” I said. “Me? A hero? I don’t think so.”
    “Well, maybe we could talk about that later on, too. Aren’t you a little bit tempted by our offer?”
    I shrugged. “I want to know what’s going on here. Who doesn’t?”
    “So what’s the problem?”
    “The Cartel. They sound like the same people who ran things in the old days.”
    “Some of them are,” said Alan.
    “Supposing we do succeed in overthrowing whoever is doing this to Dream London. What will I have gained? We’ll still have the same old group of people lining their pockets.”
    “But you’ll be part of them, James. You’ll be the Lord of Belltower End.”
    “It’s an interesting offer,” I said. “I’ll think about it.”
    “Don’t take too long.” Alan reached into his pocket and drew forth a silver case. He opened it and pulled out a card.
    “My address,” he said. He replaced the case in his pocket. “If you do want to join us, you must get to that address before daybreak. Especially, you must get there before you learn what time it is.”
    I stared at him, wondering if he was winding me up.
    “No joke,” he said. “You’re currently lost in the moment. That’s our security. No one can pinpoint this conversation. The Cartel have to protect themselves, you know.”
    He looked around the room, looked at all the diners who were suddenly paying us no attention.
    “I think you’ve helped me make up my mind,” I said. “I hate to be pressurised into making decisions. My answer is no.”
    I placed my knife and fork on the plate and stood up.
    “Thank you for the meal, but I must be going.”
    “Don’t be so hasty,” said Alan. “Sit down and finish your dinner.”
    I looked around the room and its seedy grandeur. I imagined the rest of the Cartel sitting in rooms such as this, full of their own sense of entitlement as they strove for past power. It’s not that I didn’t want a part of it, I just wasn’t sure that they could deliver. I reckoned I’d be better off as I