Quickly, Franny grabbed Mia’s coat, putting it on her and placing her in the baby seat. Her heart raced as she worked out what she was going to do. There was money in the club, and her passport was there as well, and okay, she didn’t have one for Mia, but she knew people who could sort that out, and she knew people who could get her out of the country safely. She just had to hurry. Time certainly wasn’t on her side.

Rushing down the stairs as she carried Mia, and stepping over Bree’s body, Franny raced for the front door. She opened it.

‘What are you doing here?’

Vaughn stared at Franny as she began to push the door closed, but with the baby in one hand and with Vaughn’s strength, she was no match for him as he pushed it easily open.

‘I could ask you the same thing. I followed you because I wanted to know …’ He stopped. Stared. Looked at Bree lying motionless on the floor before his gaze went to Franny, and to her jeans smeared with blood.

‘Vaughn, it ain’t how it looks.’

‘I don’t think even you can come up with a decent explanation. What the fuck have you done?’

‘It was an accident.’

Not answering, Vaughn’s eyes went from Franny to Mia. ‘Whose baby is that?’ He glanced down again at Bree, his mind beginning to race, beginning to piece it all together.

Franny spoke matter-of-factly, her breathing staggered. ‘My friend’s.’

Vaughn shook his head, his tone disbelieving. ‘No. That’s Bree’s baby, ain’t it? Which means … Oh my God, that’s Alfie’s baby. This is why all the cover-up. All the secrets.’

Suddenly, Franny lashed out, kneeing Vaughn hard in the balls. Taken by surprise, he cried out, doubling over in pain and giving Franny the split-second opportunity to run out of the door and into the communal hallway before heading outside.

She jumped into in her car, her eyes focused on the front door as she strapped Mia in but a moment later, she saw Vaughn rushing out. He threw himself against the car, bashing on the window furiously. ‘Stop the fucking car, Franny!’

‘No chance!’

Reversing wildly, Franny saw Vaughn’s car in the rear-view mirror. She put her foot on the accelerator and crashed into it, hoping the damage would slow him down. The next moment, Franny sped off into the night.

Under a pile of jackets in the boot of Vaughn’s Range Rover, Shannon was startled awake. Wanting to know what the bang had been, she cautiously sat up, just high enough to peer through the crack of the boot cover to see a car speed off before catching a glimpse of Vaughn charging towards the 4x4.

She lay back down, curling up again, not wanting Vaughn to find her there.