Declan Costello had spoken to all his workmen, and they said the same thing: Jessie Flynn was on the missing list. It was a fucking joke. Declan had honestly thought that Jessie, true to form, would be discovered tucked up in bed with some piece of shit, and everyone could then sigh with well-deserved relief. Now, he was starting to think that Michael might have a point – that there was something much more serious going on. But what the fuck could it be? And what was the reason behind it? He couldn’t think of one person who would even dream of hurting Michael Flynn through his family. There was no logic to it – the fact they had even tried to involve his family would be tantamount to a death warrant. Michael would never swallow anything like that.

He waited patiently for Michael to arrive for the meeting as arranged. This time, though, he would be agreeing with his friend. There was something very off about this whole thing, he could see that now.

Chapter One Hundred and Eight

Chapter One Hundred
and Eight

Josephine was heartbroken that her Michael could have spoken to her like that, lost his temper and insulted her with such viciousness. Especially now, knowing how worried she was, how scared she was for their daughter. He had shouted at her like she was the one in the wrong. He knew exactly the willpower it took for her to live even the limited life that she did, yet he had spoken to her with such anger that she had realised what he really thought about her deep down. It had hurt. Every single day was a challenge to her, every moment was so fucking hard, and he had always acted like he understood her pain. That had been a lie. She could feel the ache in her breast, the pain of betrayal. She would never forget what he had said to her. Even when he tried to grovel and apologise – as he would – she would never forget what he had said to her or how he had said it.

She looked at her reflection in the dressing table; she was perfectly made-up, and that was for her husband’s benefit. She kept herself looking good for him, so he would appreciate her, remember how much they had meant to each other. She had put her husband before everyone, and she had thought that he had felt the same way about her. As Michael’s world got bigger her world got smaller. Now she was trapped, reduced to living in a few rooms, and the outside world was terrifying to her. She had believed that Michael had understood her fears, as irrational as they might be, had accepted them as part of their life as husband and wife. But that wasn’t the case.