“I’m going to have to gag you.” He rips the scarf from the waistband of my shorts and wraps it round my mouth. “If you scream, they’ll come running and we’ll never find Paula. You understand that, don’t you?”

I nod.

“Now stand up.” He puts his hands beneath my armpits, grunting as he gets to his feet. “Walk!”

He prods me in the back and I take a step forwards, towards the hut.

“You know what I thought?” he says from behind me a few minutes later. “When I got here and I saw those huts? I thought they’d make excellent little fuck pads.”

When I don’t react, he prods me again. “They’re all at it. You know that, don’t you? They’re all fucking like rabbits, the dirty hippies. Your friend Daisy has fucked half a dozen of them – I’ve heard the men talking about her. Even that skinny bird you’re friends with has put out a couple of times. Everyone’s getting some. Everyone apart from me and you, Emma. Doesn’t that piss you off?”

We’re within feet of one of the huts. The edge of one of the massage “beds” is just visible through the door standing ajar. I clench my fists as Frank pushes me towards it.

“You’re different, Emma. You won’t put out for just anyone. I sensed that about you the first time I saw you. You’re different, special. You recognised that in me too, didn’t you? That’s why you were so coy. You wanted me to chase you, to pursue you. That’s what I was told. That’s what—”

I hit Frank in the jaw as hard as I can. He reels backwards and I fall towards him, the force of the punch unbalancing me, and I hit him again, in the throat this time, and then land on top of him as he collapses to the floor. I roll away before he can recover, tearing the scarf from my mouth, scrambling to my feet, and then I start to run. I run as fast as I can back through the walnut trees, back over the bridge, heading for the waterfall, towards the other women, towards safety, towar—

My right foot slips out from under me and I hit the ground.