James guided her into the lift. ‘I’m sure there are plenty of women here who would be happy to have their picture taken with you if you asked nicely.’

She frowned. ‘But I won’t know them.’

He gave her a quick smile. ‘And neither will Matt.’

Sara chewed her lip. He had a point. Unless Matt decided to look on Facebook and found out that none of the faces in the picture matched that of Louise Moss. Sweat prickled her skin, a headache pounding at the base of her skull.

James gave her a sideways glance. ‘It might be an idea if you got rid of your phone, you know. Maybe stash it in your car. People can put all sorts of spyware on phones these days. Listen in to your conversations.’

Sara gulped, horrified at the idea. Matt was certainly capable of doing something like that. She looked at the phone still clasped in her hand, her heart racing as if she had hold of an unexploded bomb. She wondered if it was already too late. If Matt had heard their discussion about faking a photo.

‘I can’t leave it in the car,’ she whispered, holding the phone behind her back, pressed against her clothing in the hope that it might muffle any sound. ‘What if there’s a problem with the girls, or Ezra? I need to be reachable.’

He thought for a moment. ‘Well… just text the phone number here to anyone who needs to know. Then they can contact reception.’ He shrugged. ‘Say it’s a no-phones weekend.’

Sara was impressed and appalled at his ability to construct believable lies without a second thought. A shiver of unease ran through her.

The lift doors opened, and she scurried to her room, wanting a bit of space to think.

‘Have a look in the wardrobe,’ he called to her before she closed the door, promising to be ready in half an hour.

Relieved to be alone, she stripped off and went to take a shower, welcoming the luxurious splash of hot water, the aromatic body wash filling her nostrils with a combination of essential oils designed to calm and relax. Still her heart was pounding, her mind so full of conflicting thoughts it felt like there was a wrestling match going on in her head.

She was desperate to tell someone, get advice on what to do for the best, but she was starting to wonder who she could trust. Fiona had definitely cooled towards her and could cause trouble if she wanted to by telling Matt she’d been out with James. Even Hailey was being a bit awkward with her, although it seemed she would do anything to oblige Matt. Is everyone playing their own little games with me? Suddenly her life was balanced on a knife edge, and she knew that one wrong move could tip her into disaster.

Chapter Twenty-Two