Read Online Bobby's Girl by Catrin Collier - Free Book Online Page A

before surging towards them at speed. Kate flattened herself against a wall. Penny wasn’t so lucky.
    A punch between her shoulder blades sent her flying sideways out of the path of a police horse. She stretched out her hands to save herself and landed onconcrete, skinning her palms and, by the feel of it, her knees. Before she could catch her breath she was hauled unceremoniously to her feet by the collar of her combat jacket and dragged to the edge of the crowd.
    Furious, she looked up into a pair of deep-blue eyes. ‘You pushed me over.’
    â€˜To save your ass.’ The blue eyes were topped by unfashionably curly black hair and accompanied by the most seductive American accent she’d heard away from a TV screen. In fact, the first American accent she’d heard in reality. But she was in no mood to be seduced.
    â€˜If I hadn’t pushed you, you’d have been squished.’
    â€˜What kind of a word is “squished”?’
    â€˜A New England one.’ The American gave her a broad toothpaste advert smile. She noticed he was tall – very tall. Her two brothers and father were all over six feet and he was a couple of inches above them.
    A police officer moved in behind the American. He grabbed both his arms and twisted them high behind his back. ‘You knocked off my helmet, son. Where is it?’
    â€˜Not me, sir. I haven’t touched anyone’s helmet.’ When the policeman didn’t say anything in response, he added, ‘You must have mixed me up with someone else, sir.’
    The officer twisted the American’s arms higher until he winced. ‘Assaulting a police officer is a serious charge, son.’
    â€˜I didn’t assault anyone.’
    She noticed two officers closing in on her. One pushed his face a scant couple of inches from hers.‘Why did you throw yourself in front of that horse, miss?’
    â€˜I didn’t.’ Even as she declared her innocence she felt colour flooding her cheeks.
    â€˜You all right, Pen?’ Kate ran up to her, saw her hands were bloody and offered her a handkerchief.
    â€˜You know these two, miss?’ the officer who’d spoken to Penny asked Kate.
    â€˜Penny and I travelled up from Swansea together today.’ Kate tried to pass her the handkerchief but the policeman closed his fist over Penny’s upper arm and yanked her back, out of Kate’s reach.
    â€˜You were protesting with them?’ the officer who was holding Penny asked Kate.
    â€˜The girls weren’t protesting. They were just standing outside the embassy,’ the American interrupted.
    â€˜This isn’t the first time I’ve picked you up, is it, son?’ The officer holding the American eyed him suspiciously.
    â€˜The girls aren’t with me.’
    â€˜That’s not what I asked you.’
    â€˜Yes, you’ve picked me up before,’ the American answered irritably. ‘And no, these girls aren’t with me.’
    â€˜If they’re not with you, why are you talking to them?’
    â€˜One of you maniacs almost trampled one of them under his horse. I pushed her out of the way.’
    â€˜Proper Sir Galahad, aren’t you, son?’ the officer questioned caustically. ‘Saving a damsel in distress from a maniac on horseback. You see any maniacs riding horses around here, Sam?’
    â€˜No maniacs,’ his colleague replied. ‘Only officers trying to do their duty while dodging missiles thrown by young idiots who think it’s fun to assault police officers.’
    â€˜I think it’s time we had some of the fun, don’t you, Sam?’
    The two officers hauled the American behind a line of buses marked POLICE. They pushed him face forward against the side of a vehicle. One of the officers pulled his truncheon from his belt and slammed it across the American’s shoulders. He continued to beat him even when the boy had dropped to his knees.
    Appalled,