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Back The Woman in the Wood Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by M.K. Hill
  3. THE WOMAN IN THE WOOD
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Epigraph
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. Acknowledgements
  61. About the Author
  62. An Invitation from the Publisher

Deano gave a military salute. ‘You can rely on me, sah.’ He sneered, like he was tired of being told what to do. No doubt keen to try his luck with the girl, he clearly wanted Abs to sod off. ‘She ain’t gonna go nowhere, are ya, darlin’?’

And then he put his hand around her shoulder and pulled her to his chest, smiling nastily at Abs.

Abs left them to it. When he went inside, he hesitated in the kitchen to watch Deano and the girl sharing the bottle as they staggered towards the clearing in the wood.

Abs wondered whether he should stay up a bit longer, maybe insist that the girl got into a cab. But even if he any had reception, he didn’t know if they had cabs out here in the middle of nowhere, or how long it would take for one to arrive. The sun could be rising by the time it got here.

Outside, the girl laughed at something Deano said and he took out a packet of cigarettes. It was none of his business what they got up to next, Abs decided.

They were both adults and it wasn’t his place to tell either of them what to do, or how to act. So he stumbled towards the bedroom, slipping in the door as quietly as possible, feeling his way along the wall.

Leaning on the bed, he flicked off his trainers in the dark. Then he stomped out of his jeans, leaving them flattened on the carpet – he was so drunk he didn’t have the strength or the will to fold them carefully like he usually would. And then his knees gave way and he toppled face down onto the bed. His mouth was scrunched up against the musty bedsheet as he listened to the drunken rattle of his own breathing in his throat. The hoot of an owl reminded him briefly where he was. This wasn’t his world, this place of mud and midges and darkness.

In the dark, Abs saw Jez’s body hunched under a blanket on the mattress on the floor. Outside, the girl was giggling and Deano was roaring with laughter.

And within a matter of moments the dark room began to turn in his vision, picking up speed like a carousel, and he groaned.

16

‘What do you think of this one?’ Sasha asked Lolly, nodding at a dress on an online store. If she was having a romantic night away at a posh hotel, then she’d need something sophisticated and sexy to wear, but she didn’t have time to hit the high street.

‘Yeah.’ Lolly tipped her head, considering it. ‘That’s nice.’

Sasha scrolled down the images on her phone, hoping for something dazzling to leap out at her and shout, Buy me! ‘What about this one, with the long sleeves?’