Humiliated, Marie turned to Billy, but he shook his head and retreated into the workshop, quickly followed by the others. Cheeks on fire, she fled up the alleyway and climbed into her car. It felt like a huge conspiracy that everyone was in on except her. Wherever Evan was, he clearly didn’t want her to find him, and that hurt, because she’d done nothing wrong. But he’d made his choice, so she was going to have to accept that it was over for good this time.

Swiping at the tears that were running down her face, she threw the car into gear and headed home.

37

Frank’s head was banging when he woke up, and he grimaced when he looked in the dressing-table mirror and saw a lump the size of a tangerine on the side of his head, and dried blood on his face and neck. Untying his dressing gown belt when he felt a sharp pain in his side, he gingerly touched the bruised flesh, half expecting to find a rib poking through. Relieved to see that wasn’t the case, he carefully moved over to the side of the bed and opened his drawer to look for painkillers.

The strip of heart tablets Irena had brought up to him several days earlier was sitting at the front of the drawer, so he popped one into his mouth and dry-swallowed it. There were only two left, and it occurred to him that his repeat prescription would already have been sent to the village pharmacy. If he didn’t go to collect it, they would ring him; and if he didn’t answer, their delivery woman, Anita Reynolds, would bring it round. And she was one of the biggest gossips in the village, so when she saw Irena, she’d go straight back and tell everyone.

But so what if she did? It wouldn’t change anything. Gossiping or not, they would still be free to go about their lives, and he would still be imprisoned here, at the mercy of these thugs.

The door opened behind him, and he turned his head as Nick entered. In a fighting mood, despite the injuries Karel had inflicted on him, Frank glared at the man.

Unfazed, Nick grinned, and said, ‘Up and at ’em, Granddad. It’s time you started earning your keep.’

‘No,’ Frank replied, stubbornly staying put. ‘If you want me to get up, you’ll have to make me.’

He’d fully expected the man to go for him, but he hadn’t expected the speed of the attack – or the strength with which the much shorter man managed to pin him down on the bed.

‘Still don’t get it, do you?’ Nick snarled, his eyes glittering as he pressed the blade of the knife he’d pulled out of his pocket against Frank’s throat. ‘You ain’t in control here, and you’ll do as you’re fuckin’ told – or else.’