'Shhh.' Their mother waggled a finger at them.
Nicola was waiting for Enrico to yell at them but he didn't say a word. He pressed his lips together so they made a thin line and carried the treasure chest back over to the wall and put it away in the alcove.
He turned back to them. 'Well then,' he said, and clicked his fingers twice.
Nicola! whispered Shimlara desperately in her head. He's going to -
At that moment there was a sound of heavy thudding boots and suddenly the room was filled with large, muscular men dressed in black. Their long brown hair was slicked down in oily strands against their potato-like heads. They folded their arms across their barrel chests and stood with their legs apart looking straight ahead.
'These are my Security Thugs,' said Enrico. 'They're the finest Thugs in the galaxy.'
The Thugs nodded and puffed out their massive chests even further.
'Now, if you won't cooperate,' said Enrico to the Space Brigade, 'I'm obviously going to need to take one of you as a hostage.'
He pointed his finger at the end of the table. 'That one will do nicely.'
13
Enrico was pointing his finger straight at Katie.
The Security Thugs went directly to her, lifted her by the elbows and dragged her to her feet. Katie's face had turned as white as an envelope.
'What are you doing?' demanded Nicola, both terrified and furious.
'Get your hands off her!' shouted Sean. He went to stand up but one of the Thugs put big meaty hands on his shoulders and easily pressed him back down in his seat.
'Hey! This is against the law! I know the law!' said Greta, obviously forgetting that the laws on Shobble were probably very different from those on Earth.
'Take me,' offered Tyler. 'Take me instead!'
'It seems I need to give you a little encouragement to complete this mission,' said Enrico. 'Obviously, your hairity is the most valuable member of your Brigade, so she will make the perfect hostage. Once you've completed the mission you may have her back. By the way, we'll also keep your little spaceship somewhere safe for you.'
One of the Thugs lifted his hand. He was holding Tyler's silver briefcase.
'Careful with that!' said Tyler in a panic.
'Take her away,' said Enrico to the men.
'No!' cried Nicola. Her mind was working rapidly. The most important thing was that they all stayed together. 'We need Katie! You're right - she is the most valuable member of our Brigade. We can't possibly complete the mission without her. She is our best, um . . . our best killer.'
This was the biggest lie Nicola had ever told. In fact, Katie tended to zigzag her way down footpaths because she was so worried about accidentally stepping on ants.
'Yes,' said Katie. 'I am a highly trained killer.' She tried her best to pull a ferocious-looking face, but she looked about as scary as a cranky kitten.
Enrico appeared to be wavering.
'I think it's a trick, Daddy,' said Josie. She looked at Nicola with narrowed eyes. 'Don't fall for it.'
Enrico's face turned purple. 'I never fall for tricks! Take her away NOW!'
The men lifted Katie by the elbows and carried her from the room.
Shimlara yelled after them, 'Don't you dare hurt her!'
They vanished.
Nicola looked over at the empty spot between Josie and Joseph and made a promise to herself. Once they were all safely back on Earth, the Space Brigade would retire forever. This was not fun! She wanted to bury her head in her hands and sob.