I reluctantly let him cuff my hands behind me. He pulled me towards the door.

‘No!’ Violet screamed. ‘Don’t leave us!’

‘Let him take her,’ Bex said under her breath. ‘It’s our best chance.’

Tony pulled me towards the door. Pressed his thumb onto a pad. The door swished open. We both went through and it closed behind us, leaving us at the base of a set of stairs. We climbed them, me desperately trying to make a plan. I wasn’t in a strong position. The knife was in my pocket but I couldn’t get it out.

At the top of the stairs was another door. Tony reached up to press a code into a keypad. I tried to see the numbers he pressed, but he shielded them from me. The second door opened, and we were out. In a large gloomy barn that smelled strongly of pig.

I swung my leg back and kicked at Tony’s knees with all my might. He yelled and crumpled forward. I kicked out at him again, but with my hands behind my back, it was hard to put any force behind it. He yanked at my arms and dragged me towards a wall. A creature squealed. The barn contained pigs. Pigs in cages. I lost focus for a moment and Tony shoved me to the floor. Attached to the wall was a chain, on the end of which was a single cuff. There was brick dust on the floor below. That must have been the drilling earlier. He’d been preparing to chain me up.

Tony was fiddling behind my back, trying to get the cuff onto my wrist. He was struggling to get it on with the handcuffs already there. I lifted my foot and kicked at his head, but he managed to duck.

He grabbed my torso and slammed my head into the wall. Everything went dark.

I opened my eyes. I must have blacked out for a few moments. Pain filled my consciousness. I was aware of nothing except how much my head hurt.

I forced myself to focus. The pigs were making frantic grunting noises and gnawing at the bars of their cages.

I could feel metal encircling my wrist. I yanked at it. He’d cuffed me to the wall, but he’d had to remove the handcuffs. I now had one hand free. My head was still spinning and so painful I felt it would explode, but this was my chance.

Tony was checking my wrist. He didn’t notice my other hand moving. I inched it forward and grasped the knife. Happy that I was firmly attached to the wall, he gave the cuff one last pull and then shoved something into his coat pocket.

I whipped the knife forward, rammed it into his stomach, gave it a twist, and pulled it out.