He didn’t finish what he was saying because while his attention was on the two men and his back to the other door, Nell crept across to him and cracked a spanner down on his shoulder. She dragged Stacy’s chair to one side away from the gleaming knife blade as he crumpled.

To Angus’s relief the attacker had let go of the knife. He and Adam rushed to secure the fellow before he recovered enough to fight. He had a bit of wire in his pocket and used that as a temporary way of tying the man’s hands behind him.

Nell unstuck the duct tape and took the gag from Stacy’s mouth while Angus felt in the guy’s pockets and passed her a small key. ‘I think this’ll unlock the handcuffs, then you can pass them to me.’

‘Who is he?’ Nell asked as she did that.

‘My ex, Darren Cooke. We’ve been separated for nearly two years and divorced for over a year, but I heard from a friend that his new woman had also left him. I suppose that’s why he decided to come after me again. He said he was going to train me to be a more obedient wife. As if I’d go back to him under any circumstances.’ She glared across at him and added more loudly, ‘I’d like to kick him where it hurts most.’

Darren winced visibly.

Nell grinned. ‘Go ahead. I’ll turn my back and guarantee not to hear anything.’

Stacy lowered her voice again. ‘It’s tempting but that’d bring me down to his level. Besides I can’t bear to touch him. I hope they lock him away this time. They only put a restraining order on him before and a fat lot of good that did.’

‘You poor thing.’

‘I thought I’d given him the slip. I don’t know how he found me.’

‘I’ll always find you again, you bitch, and next time you won’t get off so easily,’ Darren threatened just as a police officer appeared in the doorway.

The newcomer stared round and after he’d seen that Darren was securely held, he turned to Stacy, who was rubbing her wrists and on whose throat the trickle of blood bore witness to how she’d been treated. ‘What happened here? I can guess but I want it in your own words.’

‘These two captured me and beat me up!’ Darren shouted.

‘Pull my other leg, it’s got bells on it,’ the officer said contemptuously. ‘I heard what you were threatening her with as I came in.’ He went across to Stacy and lifted her chin gently to examine her throat with its puncture wound. ‘I don’t think this is very deep. Are you all right otherwise?’

‘More or less. I’m still a bit dizzy because he hit me hard before he tied me up.’

He checked the side of her head, frowning. ‘No double vision?’

‘No.’

‘Who is he? Do you know him?’

The other officer came in just as Stacy was explaining who Darren was and about the restraining order.