She jumped as the door to Ari’s room, beside theirs, slammed shut suddenly, with clearly no consideration for them – or Fin, or Carlotta – whatsoever. It was a ‘fuck you’ in door form. If Johnny hadn’t been scared witless before, he would be now . . .

She sighed, trying again. Breathing deeply, breathing slowly, relaxing her muscles as a quietude began to settle over the chalet once more. Everyone was in their rooms now, at least, their petty point made.

. . . But something, an instinct, fluttered through her; she had that strange sense of being watched, and her eyes opened just in time to see a cone of light on the wall snip out of sight, like the closing of a fan.

She twisted and sat up with a gasp – but the door was already shut. She sat motionless for several seconds, breathlessly replaying the moment in her head. It had all been so fast, so silent, she could almost have believed it was a trick of her imagination. A middle-of-the-night delirium. Almost. But she knew someone had been standing there, watching them. She had felt it.

Anger propelled her as she threw the covers back and flung open the door – the hallway was empty. It was beautifully lit with dim pools of amber light shining up the stone walls but she wasn’t interested in aesthetics at four in the morning. She stepped out in her t-shirt, straining to hear footsteps on the stairs, but everything was silent. Every door was shut.

She frowned, confused and muddled with sleep. Had she imagined it after all?

A tiny ‘ping’ came from the lift.

Useful on big nights when you can’t manage the stairs. She sprinted down the corridor as the doors began to close.

‘Wait!’ she gasped, but the doors were already almost touching as she got there. She had just enough time to see his head lift at the sound of her voice and his famous blue eyes meet hers for the first time.

Then he was gone.

Clover fell back against the wall, her heart pounding. The waiting was over. Not a word had been spoken, but that one look had said it all. It had blazed with contempt. It told her everything she already feared, everything she already knew – that he wasn’t going to go quietly on this. He was a world-class competitor, used to the fight.

He knew how to win. At any cost.

Chapter Six

‘Good morning! You must be Ari.’ Clover stood up from the table and turned to face him. ‘I’m Clover. I’ve been so looking forward to meeting you.’