Thieves Like Us 01 - Thieves Like Us (36 page)

With a shout of pain his attacker recoiled, and Jonah tore himself free, gulping down air.
If I’m going to stand a chance I have to end this quickly
, he told himself, and threw himself on top of the masked man. He aimed a punch but Xavier bucked beneath him, and Jonah lost his balance. As he toppled sideways on to the hardwood floor, his fingers snagged on something round the man’s neck, something that came away in his frantic grip.

By the time Jonah had rolled over and got up on his knees, Xavier was back on his feet. He kicked Jonah in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards into the fireplace. The metal grate hammered into the back of Jonah’s skull, sent bright lights and patterns flashing over his vision. Terrified of what Xavier might do next, gritting his teeth, Jonah forced himself to get back up, raised his fists.

But by the time his vision had cleared, so had the room. He was alone.

‘Tye?’ Jonah shouted, stumbling over to the veranda. The cold mountain air stung his cheeks, and soon he was shivering. ‘Tye!’ He put his hand to the back of his head. It came away sticky with a thick slime of blood.

God, that’s mine
, he thought, and finally passed out.

Check out these other high-flying adventures from Bloomsbury!

“Dear Hollywood: What are you waiting for? This book has ‘movie potential’ stamped on it in huge red letters.” —Teenreads.com

Look for the sequel,
WEB OF FIRE

“The high-speed car chases, spectacularly gory deaths and Arthurian echoes seem tailor-made for a Hollywood action flick.” —
Publishers Weekly
, starred review

Don’t miss the sequel,
THE SEAL OF SOLOMON

www.bloomsburyusa.com

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen Cole

All rights reserved.
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First published in Great Britain by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc in 2006
Published in the United States by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books in 2006
Paperback edition published in April 2007
Electronic edition published in August 2012
www.bloomsburykids.com

Published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Cole, Stephen.
Thieves like us / by Stephen Cole. — 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: A mysterious benefactor hand-picks a group of teen geniuses
to follow a set of clues leading to the secrets of everlasting life,
secrets which they must steal and for which they risk being killed.
[1. Adventure and adventurers–Fiction. 2. Interpersonal relations–Fiction.]
I. Title.
PZ7.C67356Thi 2006 [Fic]—dc22 2005030616

ISBN 978-1-6196-3084-0 (e-book)