Jo flicked the switch to boil the water again, then turned to open the fridge. She peered around the edge of the door and asked, ‘Want some toast?’

Allison watched her unwanted visitor, this woman who had saved her, treating the place as if it belonged to her. She’d made herself completely at home in the few days Allison had been held captive. Held captive, drugged and abused.

‘Allison?’

She jumped, startled. Jo was staring at her, a strange expression on her face. On the counter beside her, butter was melting on the two pieces of toast, steam spiralling from her mug of coffee.

Jo pointed at her with a greasy knife. ‘You were out of it. For a minute or two.’

Allison stared at the knife. She wanted to grab it, use it to do some damage, but wasn’t sure who it was she wanted to hurt most. Jo… or herself for all the stupid decisions that had helped get her where she was. ‘It was a bad night.’ A bad week. Bad. What a crazy understatement. Turning away from Jo’s intent gaze, she made another coffee. ‘Let’s sit inside and talk about what we’re going to do with the delightful twosome.’ She went into the dining room.

Following her, Jo stood in the doorway, a mug in one hand, plate in the other. ‘I hate sitting in this room. It has bad vibes.’

Allison ignored her. Daylight had done nothing to alleviate the dull dreariness of the space. She put her mug down and moved to the curtains. When, despite her best attempts, she couldn’t uncover more of the window, she grabbed hold of first one, then the other, and wrenched the curtains from the rail. It didn’t make a huge impact – the room was still incredibly gloomy – but it released some of the tension that had been building in her head.

Jo had taken a seat at the table. ‘It’s an improvement,’ she said as she munched on a slice of toast.

Allison turned. It really was a hideous room and now, with a fine layer of dust coating the table and dresser, it had taken on a rather macabre air. Or maybe it was simply that everything had changed.

She took the chair opposite Jo and picked up her mug. ‘You’re putting crumbs everywhere.’

‘Like a few crumbs are going to ruin the ambiance of the place.’

‘They’re not going to improve it.’

Jo sniffed. ‘Fine, have it your way.’ She brushed the crumbs onto the plate. ‘So what’s the plan?’

Allison drained her mug and put it down. ‘Make them pay for what they did to me.’

‘Money?’ Jo put the last of the toast in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. ‘I’ve a feeling a financial transaction isn’t going to be sufficient revenge for you, am I right?’

What made Jo think she understood Allison? She didn’t have a clue.