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Back Brutal Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. BRUTAL
  3. Dedication page
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Prologue
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. PART TWO
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART THREE
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. Epilogue
  55. BRUTAL
  56. By Mandasue Heller

Frank tried again to reason with him, but he jumped behind the wheel, fired the engine, and reversed angrily out onto the lane before taking off with a screech of rubber.

Irena was still huddled on the sofa when Frank went back into the living room.

‘Are you OK?’ he asked, perching on the cushion beside her.

‘I don’t know what happen,’ she said, gazing tearfully up at him. ‘Film was finish, so I tell him I am go to bed. Then . . . then he start kiss and touch me. I tell him stop, but he say I am ask for it. And when I shout for you, he cover my mouth and I feel like I am suffocate.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Frank apologized, placing his hand over hers. ‘He had no right to do that to you, and I’m sure he’ll be disgusted with himself when he wakes up tomorrow and remembers what he’s done. But he’s gone now, so try to put it out of your mind.’

‘I will try,’ Irena agreed, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

Disturbed when his body instantly reacted to the nearness of her, Frank jumped to his feet.

‘I, um, think we both need some sleep,’ he said, shoving his hands into his dressing gown pockets. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’

‘Goodnight, Frankie,’ Irena said quietly.

Nodding his reply, Frank left her and went back to his room.

14

Evan careered around the twists and bends of the lane at breakneck speed, his teeth so tightly clenched his jaw started to throb. Conscious of the alcohol in his bloodstream, he forced himself to slow down before he reached the village and released the tension on a long exhale. He couldn’t believe what Irena had done, and he was furious with his dad for automatically siding with her. Yes, he’d flirted with her, but she’d been giving him secretive little looks and smiles all week, so he’d genuinely thought the attraction was mutual. But was it possible that he’d misread it, as his dad had suggested? Had the booze deceived him into thinking she was giving him the come-on, when, in fact, she was only being friendly? If so, it was no wonder she’d reacted the way she had. She’d already suffered abuse at the hands of her husband, and it must have been terrifying to have one of the only two people she trusted do something like that to her.

Except he hadn’t actually done anything. It was her who had kissed him.