Catching her by surprise, Flora knocked the woman backward. She landed on the concrete floor badly, and Flora landed on her. Flora heard the crack of the woman’s head hitting the floor, and then she went limp.

The man grabbed her by the hair and pulled her off. “You fucking bitch.”

Flora felt a hard blow to her face, which made her drop to the ground. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt kicks to her stomach and ribs. Her vision went blurry, but she could hear Isla scream.

She couldn’t pass out. Isy needed her.

She was dragged over to a wall and propped up against it. The man got some insulation tape and wrapped it around her wrists.

“Please let Isla go. Please, you can do what you want with me.”

Kevin held her by the throat. “Your girlfriend and Nikki put me in hospital for a month. You think I’m going to let either of the two of you go, without you paying for that? Besides, your fate isn’t mine—it’s Mr. McDade’s.”

McDade. Mack had told her all about them and how dangerous they were.

He pulled out a cutthroat razor, similar to Mack’s. “Stay here and don’t move, or I’ll finish that fucking screaming lassie off.”

Flora kept silent. She was shaking with fear as millions of terrifying thoughts ran around her head. Then one stopped her in her tracks—Mack walking in here and finding their two dead bodies.

She could feel the hurt, the pain, and the violence that would erupt in Glasgow because of it. Flora had to keep Isla alive at least. She looked around the space and saw it was an old warehouse building. The main doors facing her were closed and looked locked, but at the far end, the door the van came through was still open, and Kevin’s helper was still out cold on the floor.

Isla was dragged over to Flora. Kevin placed a length of tape across her mouth.

“Maybe that’ll shut you up, stupid bitch. Be quiet. I need to make a call, but you won’t move because you would pay for it.”

Kevin ran the knife down Isla’s chest.

“Don’t, you’re scaring her.”

Kevin grabbed her by the hair again. “I’m scared every second of every day.”

“Mack will find you,” Flora said.

“She’ll find two dead bodies.” Then Kevin walked away.

Isla was screaming through the tape on her mouth, and Flora’s hands were shaking. She didn’t even like to use a telephone, and now she had to try to save them both. Flora thought about Mack. Mack would believe in her. She could do it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a thick plank of wood lying on the floor, with nails sticking out of it. Could be a great weapon.