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Back Deadly Revenge Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

‘What do you want?’ she whispered. ‘I know you’re there.’

No one answered, but the tapping resumed. It could quite plausibly have been the plumbing, or creaking masonry, but Ella knew that this was more sinister than noises common to an old building. Someone was moving around her flat, and she knew who it was. Her whole body trembled as she switched on the torch. The feeble beam of light cast shadows up the walls which seemed to move towards her each time she shifted her position.

‘I know you’re there,’ she repeated, more loudly. ‘And you don’t scare me,’ she added untruthfully. ‘You don’t have that power. Not any more.’

She did her best to sound confident, but she was unable to stop her voice wobbling.

‘You don’t scare me,’ she repeated. ‘Really, you don’t. No one scares me, especially not you. You’re pathetic! So you might as well show yourself or, better still, go back to the hole you crawled out of. I don’t want you here. Go away. Leave me alone. Leave me alone!’

Her voice rose to a shriek but still no one answered. Slowly she shone her torch all around the room. The narrow beam of light quivered up and down the walls and on past the closed door. The bolts were in place, top and bottom and she was alone in the bedroom, apart from the baby who was miraculously sleeping.

‘All right,’ she said, struggling to calm her breathing. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

Very slowly, without taking her eyes off the door, she reached under the bed and scrabbled around in the fluff and crumbs and empty cigarette packets until she found the knife which she kept there for just such an emergency. She could feel her heart thudding rapidly in her chest. Righting the beer bottle that she had knocked over, she grasped the handle of the knife, the blade pointing at the door, and straightened up. Her thoughts were whirling out of control as she tried to decide what to do. She was positive she had locked all the doors before going to bed. Knife in hand, she crept over to the door of her bedroom. The bolts were too small to hold the door against someone determined to smash it open, but they were strong enough to delay an intruder, giving Ella time to find her knife if he tried to break in.