She wanted to call Josh back and ask him, but there wasn’t time.

It was the stay away bit that unnerved her and the request for her to call Josh urgently. Was he intimating that she was in danger?

‘Is everything okay?’ Liam was a little breathless, his grip on Tank’s lead tight. His blue eyes were narrowed as he studied Hannah’s face. ‘You’re looking at me weirdly.’

‘Am I?’

For fuck’s sake, act normal, Hannah.

‘I’m fine. Just processing everything.’

There, that was better. And she must have sounded convincing, because Liam just shrugged.

‘So where do you want to look next?’

‘Actually, I think I’ve seen enough. Let’s walk back to the car.’ She glanced at the sky, relieved to see the sun had disappeared behind ominous dark clouds, giving her a decent excuse. ‘It looks like rain is on the way and we don’t want to get caught in it.’

Liam nodded, but he didn’t say anything, letting her lead the way back towards the farmhouse.

She didn’t like that he was behind her, her belly jittery with nerves. Josh’s message had changed everything. She had come here with Liam and had trusted him completely. Now she just wanted to get away from him, at least until she had found out what the hell Josh was talking about.

No one knew they were out here at the farm, and they were all alone, no houses for at least a mile or two in any direction. Even the lane where they had left the car was seldom used, with motorists preferring the new carriageway that circled around the village.

Hannah tried to rationalise with herself. If Liam was dangerous, he’d had ample opportunity to attack her. They had been in the farmhouse and then in the cellar, as well as the barn. If he wanted to hurt her, surely he would have done so in one of those places.

And it had been her idea to come out here to the farm. He hadn’t forced her.

Josh was wrong. He had to be. Either that or he was overreacting.

She knew Liam. She had slept with him.

You didn’t know him before he showed up on your doorstep.

And he was a celebrated author. She had read about him online and seen videos. Of course he was who he said he was. Though she realised he had never told her much at all.

‘Wait up a minute.’

Hannah glanced back at him. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I meant to take some more photos while I was here. You don’t mind if we go back in the farmhouse, do you?’

Yes. Yes, I do.

‘I was hoping we could head back now. I don’t want to get home too late.’

‘Just five minutes.’

‘Why didn’t you take them when we were inside before?’