‘Turn of phrase.’ Davina smiles. ‘Anyway, as I say, it’s not all about Barbara. I need to tell you something …’ Davina is crying now, tears tracking down her face in rivulets. This is it. She’s about to tell me something huge; the air in the room is charged with anticipation.

The room goes dark.

For a split second I’m disoriented, unsure what’s even happened.

‘We need to get out of here.’ I hear Davina’s whispered words close to my ear. ‘Now!’

Panic surges through me but I can’t move. I thought the fight-or-flight response would mean I’d either immediately spring into action and feel my way to the front door to escape – or quickly grab the nearest thing I could use as a weapon to fight off the perceived threat.

Neither of those things happen. I just freeze.

Chapter Eighty-Three

Barb

It’s like being underwater, only I can breathe. It hurts, though; I can only take short, shallow breaths. I can hear sounds, but can’t decipher them; they’re muffled, distant. My body sways as though rocked by waves.

Am I on a boat?

My last meal churns and lurches violently, threatening to expel itself. My skin is cold, clammy. I try to shift position, but I’m prevented from moving my arms; they’re stuck behind me. They ache so much I want to cry out in pain.

Instinct stops me from making a sound, though. I’ve been tied up, trapped. I don’t want to alert my abductor to the fact I’ve regained consciousness.

I must stay still and quiet. My life depends on it.

But maybe I should just let go. Slip back into oblivion. Leave my worries behind once and for all.

Let them win.

I’m old. I’m so very tired.

Dying would be easier.

Nick.

Tim.

No.

I can’t leave them with this mess.

Chapter Eighty-Four

She was jammed in the footwell between the front and back seats of the car. Bound. Not gagged, though. No one would hear her cries, so it was safe.

Waiting for death.

Waiting for absolution.

Waiting to be saved.

While I was waiting for the truth.

Chapter Eighty-Five

Amber

‘Aren’t you afraid? Why aren’t you moving? We have to get out of here, Amber,’ Davina yells. Finally, I find my feet. I’m moving. It’s slow going – even the most familiar places seem so different in the dark. I push my hands out in front of me, feeling for obstacles, trying to find the wall. Where’s my mobile phone? I must’ve put it down – or is it in my handbag? My mind goes blank. Just get to the wall. If I find the wall, I’ll be guided towards the hallway and door. Our means of escape.

‘Who’s doing this?’ I shout into the darkness. ‘What the fuck do you want from me?’