Her body changes gear, and she starts to hyperventilate. Dean really is involved in this network of evil. Someone has come here and shot him.

It sinks in. Someone has shot Dean. They will probably shoot her. She cries out, but the sound is lost in the storm.

‘Not a good idea.’ The voice is calm. Familiar.

Dean whimpers, and Oli glances at him. Blood is smeared on the white tiles around him. He’s taken off one of his socks and wrapped it around his leg, breathing through clenched teeth as he grips it.

The gunman steps backward, gun still on Oli but his eyes on Dean.

‘What the fuck, mate?’ Dean huffs.

Oli lifts her gaze. It’s Nathan. He looks bizarre wearing a beanie. He looks bizarre holding a gun. ‘Hi, Oli,’ he says.

Fury flashes across Dean’s face. He moans and drops his head.

‘You were teaching back then,’ Oli whispers. ‘You were a professor at the uni.’

‘Yes,’ Nathan says.

‘They sold photos of little kids,’ Oli says. ‘The housemates. You knew.’

Dean’s eyes widen. He doesn’t know, Oli realises. He doesn’t know about any of this.

Nathan looks annoyed. ‘It was just a transaction. No one got hurt. That’s what most people don’t understand about all this—it exists on a scale, and for most individuals it’s very manageable. It’s completely natural, no harm done. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a lot better than individuals acting on their feelings.’

Oli shifts slightly, inching closer to the panic button. Now that the table is lying sideways on the floor, the tiny green light seems so much more obvious on the white wall.

Nathan senses her movement, trains the gun at her head again.

‘What about Louise Carter?’ Oli spits. ‘You’re saying no harm was done to her?’

‘That was different,’ admits Nathan. ‘One member of our group crossed the line.’

She still can’t quite see how it all fits together. ‘And the girls found out?’

He sighs. ‘Evelyn was the problem. Nicole raised the red flag—she knew Evelyn was a risk.’

Oli is trying to follow. ‘So you killed her?’

Nathan blinks. ‘That’s enough.’

‘Nicole helped you that night, helped you set up Alex.’

Nathan stretches his neck. The barrel of the gun shifts between Oli and Dean. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘You killed Evelyn, and you set Alex up. Then you helped Nicole escape.’

‘I didn’t kill anyone,’ he says primly.

Oli’s brain feels like mush. ‘But why would—?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ His voice rises a few notches. ‘We sorted it. And now we need to sort this.’

The front door flies open. A man walks in.

Bowman. Wearing his trench coat and dark gloves. He’s holding a gun, his jaw set.

Oli almost weeps with relief. Her muscles spasm.