At that point, her helplessness, her inability to change this terrible situation, caused the world to slip into slow motion. All Nikki could see was the girl’s long, auburn hair swaying from side to side as she walked, handbag casually over her shoulder and pushing the bright-blue buggy ahead of her. And for the first time, since Emily Drennan had died in her arms, Nikki prayed.

Oh dear Lord, don’t let this happen. Just don’t let this happen.

And it seemed that her prayer was answered, until the woman was almost past them, and she hesitated, and looked uncertainly back at Joseph.

Whether she was suddenly spooked, or had been in a daydream and realized that a handsome man was looking at her strangely, Nikki didn’t know, but the world came crashing back like a hurricane hitting.

Faster than she would have believed, the masked man leapt out and grabbed the young woman. The buggy fell over, and the woman screamed in surprise and horror when she saw the hideous masked face so close hers.

‘Help me!’ was all she could say before a big hand clamped itself roughly over her open mouth. The girl’s eyes flew wide open, and she looked directly at Nikki.

Those eyes! In that single second, Nikki knew they had been tricked.

She swung round to Joseph, but he was no longer there.

In the time it took her to scream out to him, Joseph had leapt on the masked man, wrenched the terrified girl away from him, and grabbed her to safety.

But there was no safety. Not for Joseph.

As he opened his mouth to calm her, no doubt to utter some soothing words of comfort, as he prepared to rush her away from her assailants, his face changed. Shock and disbelief fought for recognition, then distress screwed his handsome face into a knotted mass of pain.

‘Joseph!’ Nikki’s cry echoed high above the deserted market place, and she lunged forward to catch him as he fell.

Above him, with a long-bladed knife still in her hand, stood Frankie Doyle.

Nikki took Joseph’s weight and went to the ground with him, holding him and trying to roll him away from the woman who was standing there laughing at them. All she could think of was protecting him from any further thrusts with that wicked knife.

‘Ah, touching! Don’t you think it’s touching, Stevie?’

Stevie? Not…? Shit. Right now, she didn’t give a damn who it was. She had to get help for Joseph. She held him closer, and saw that her hands were covered in his blood. If she didn’t act quickly.…