Page 39 of The Girlfriend’s Secret

‘What are you getting at?’ he asks me.

‘Nothing,’ I say, stepping back slightly and bumping into the buffet table behind me.

‘It doesn’t feel like nothing,’ Scott goes on. ‘So why don’t you say what’s on your mind?’

I don’t want to do that, so I choose to say nothing.

‘Fine, I’ll say what’s on my mind instead,’ Scott goes on. ‘I don’t know you, but I’m being nice to you because I care about my brother. But we’re a close family and we look out for each other, so if you’re going to be trouble, you’re better off leaving us alone sooner rather than later.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘You heard me,’ Scott says. ‘Now, if I say I was close to my grandmother, then you better believe it and that’s all there is to it. If you don’t, well, let’s just say my brother will be introducing us all to his next girlfriend sooner rather than later.’

With that, Scott walks away from me, leaving me stunned and silent.

Most of all, he leaves me feeling even more sure that he is capable of violence.

TWENTY-SIX

HAVEN

PRESENT

As I expected, it’s been impossible to sleep. Maybe if I wasn’t intruding in someone else’s home then I’d be able to rest easier. Or maybe if I wasn’t afraid that my boyfriend’s brother is a murderous man who might hurt me next, that might help too.

After an hour of trying to get comfortable on this bed, I give up on sleep momentarily and check my phone. When I do, I see that I have a couple of missed calls and messages from Joel.

Where are you?

I’ve been looking for you.

I just want to know you’re okay.

I love you.

I feel a wave of guilt wash over me, ashamed of myself for allowing Joel to spend so much time worrying about me since I left his parents’ house and disappeared into the night. I feel so bad that he’s been out there looking for me, although I am glad that he hasn’t found me here, at his grandmother’s house.

I need to message him back. At least let him know that I am safe. I don’t even know if we can still be a couple anymore, but I do know that I need to be a decent human being and stop him from worrying all night.

I’m okay. I’m safe.

I think about leaving it there, but I can’t.

I love you too.

I put my phone down and close my eyes again, but I can’t help but wish that Joel was here beside me in the bed. Maybe not this bed specifically, because that would be a bit weird. But in a bed like one we have shared so many times before. Just the two of us, far away from here. Away from all this drama and stress. Back where things used to be easy for us both. Back before his grandmother died and there was suddenly a whole lot of money up for grabs.

I keep my eyes shut as if doing so will force my brain into sleep, but my eyes quickly open when I hear a noise downstairs.

What was that?

I sit upright in bed and listen out for it again. Then I hear it.

It sounds like something truly frightening.

It sounds like a key in a lock.

I get out of bed as quickly as I can and gather up the few belongings I had removed from the bag I’d packed. If somebody is coming in here then this place needs to look like nobody else is inside. But is somebody coming in?