Nikki sighed heavily and replied, “I don’t know—maybe introduce yourself, and promise that you won’t talk about that night if she doesn’t want to.”

Mack was strangely filled with hope and excitement. “You’re a genius. I could kiss you.”

“Please don’t. Why does this matter so much to you?”

Mack clasped her hands in front of her tightly. “I don’t know. That night, the look of fear and confusion in her eyes—I remembered it for the whole time I was in prison. I wanted to take it away, and now she’s turned up on my doorstep. I just need her not to be frightened of me. Is the sweet shop a Sharkey rental property? Most of the street is.”

“I’ll try to find out.”

She heard Dexter yelp and saw him jump up and down at her feet. “Oops. I think he needs to go outside.”

“I don’t want any accidents on my floor, Dexter.”

“He won’t. He’s a good boy.”

Mack scooped up Dexter and hurried towards the club’s back fire door.

“He better not.”

Chapter Three

Flora pulled her car into her driveway after another long day at the shop. She couldn’t wait to get behind her front door and shut out the world. Painful and terrifying memories had returned to her today.

She let go of the steering wheel and performed her car OCD ritual, rubbing her nose and tapping. Her condition and stress were much worse today. When she saw her rescuer this morning, her fear had skyrocketed.

Get inside, Flora told herself. She would be safe inside.

Flora got out of the car and moved quickly to her front door. The large sandstone lower flat, in the leafy west end, once belonged to her grandfather. The building used to be one big mansion house, now separated into flats.

She hurried up to her door and got in quickly. As soon as she shut the door, Flora snibbed a chain and clicked two other locks. Once that was done, she let out a big sigh of relief. She had made it to the safety of her cocoon, and no one was getting in.

It was a very desirable area, and Flora could make a tidy profit and buy something much cosier, but she couldn’t bear the thought of going through the whole house selling business. She could not deal with the social anxiety it would bring. So she was stuck here, making the best of things, as she always did.