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Back Cut to the Bone Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Cut to the Bone
  3. About the Author
  4. Also by Roz Watkins
  5. Note to Readers
  6. Dedication
  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. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. Extract
  67. Prologue
  68. Chapter 1
  69. Author’s note
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the Publisher

‘Dad, she’s a detective. Someone will come for her. You can’t hurt her. You’re not that person. Let us go and we won’t tell anyone about the others. I promise. If you let us go now, you can still keep them. Otherwise it’s all going to be over, and what will happen to your family then? They won’t cope.’

He shook his head. ‘You know I can’t do that, Bex. And I’m afraid I don’t believe you.’

A crash from behind me. I spun round. It had come from the room I hadn’t seen inside. The other bedroom, I assumed. The door banged open and a teenager shot out. With a shaved head, but dressed like the others in a long, white garment.

53

The teenager saw me and ran to me. Grabbed my arm. Screamed, ‘Help! Help me! You’ve got to get me out of here!’

‘Oh my God,’ I said.

Tony watched with cold eyes. ‘Don’t be silly, child. You’re safe here.’

‘Violet,’ I said gently, as she clutched my arm and sobbed. I felt a glimmer of joy that Violet was alive. The bloody Scottish sheep wasn’t black after all. But I realised I was crying too, because how could we get her out? Tony was going to kill me and keep her and the rest of her family in this luxury prison under the pig barn.

‘How could I let you go, Violet?’ Tony said. ‘Once you told me you were famous on the internet. Parading around in a bikini. As soon as you told me that, I knew I’d have to protect you. It was a rash decision, but how could I not?’

Violet turned to him and screamed, ‘I don’t want your fucking protection, you fucking psychopathic bastard!’

‘You have to stay here with the others, Violet,’ Tony said. ‘But the detective can’t be with you.’

Violet sobbed and grasped my arm. ‘He shaved my hair off. He took blood from me. I came round and he had my blood in a massive syringe. And he stole my clothes. And he was talking on the phone to Kirsty about it. What was he doing to me? Why did he do that?’

He was talking to Kirsty. Could she have masterminded everything? I pictured Daniel living in his caravan, building his rock sculptures, drinking tea with oat milk, desperately trying to do the right thing. Trying to make up for past sins. Had he been Kirsty’s sacrificial lamb?

Tony fished a set of handcuffs from the pocket of his coat and pointed at me. ‘I need to put these on you.’

I hesitated. Violet started backing away from me, crying. The others stared wide-eyed. Tony was banking on the fact that if I killed him now, we couldn’t get out. I held out my arms.

‘Hands behind your back,’ he said.