Page 113 of The House Swap

Keira frowned at where she was looking, her body tensing against Poppy’s.

‘What if it’s him?’ she whispered.

‘No,’ Poppy said, more firmly than she felt. ‘We would have seen him come back.’

Unless there’s another way to the villa.

The thought lodged itself uncomfortably in her mind, but she didn’t voice it aloud, instead trying to push it away.

Keira needed to stay positive, and it was important they both kept moving.

Eventually, the terrain became more familiar. The tarmac was smoother and the outline of houses appeared ahead of them. And then finally Poppy heard it. The distant rush of waves. As they reached a bend in the road, the incline became steeper and she saw the glittery dark strip of the sea against the night sky.

Relief skittered through her. ‘We’re close now.’

Still, she had no idea how much further along the seafront they were from Tom’s villa or even which direction they would need to go. Without discussing it with Keira, she decided that if they saw a car she’d flag it down. The most important thing right now was reporting Martin to the police.

When they did finally reach the coast road, she was relieved to recognise her surroundings, as they passed the little Cretan gift shop on the corner. Tom’s place was just another five-minute walk along the road.

Finally, they were back and she had never been so grateful to see the place.

Her bag and groceries were where she had left them and she snatched them up, following Keira to the gate. Some of the things she had bought would probably have spoilt, but she honestly didn’t care. It was the least of her worries.

‘I am so pleased to be back,’ Keira announced. ‘First thing I’m doing is having the longest shower of my life.’

‘And while you do that, I can call the police,’ Poppy told her, reaching into her bag for her keys. Her fingers brushed against her phone as she pulled it free, relief spiking through her.

They were back and everything was going to be okay.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open.

The nightmare was over. They were safe now.

38

Poppy stepped into the villa first, reaching instinctively for the switch on the wall. Light flooded the room and she was relieved to see everything looked as it should.

On the walk back, she had been worried Martin might have returned, especially as he knew she had discovered the cameras. Although he had no idea that she had found Keira, it still bothered her knowing he had a history of loitering around.

‘Is everything okay?’ Keira asked, sounding a little worried, and Poppy realised she was blocking the entrance.

Quickly, she stepped aside. ‘Yeah, yeah. It’s fine. I was just being careful.’

She set the box down on the dining table, then moved quickly to lock the door, leaving the key in the lock. Hopefully, that way, if Martin did try to open it, his own key would jam.

‘I’m going to get straight in the shower,’ Keira announced, not waiting for an answer as she disappeared down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

‘Do you want me to make you a drink?’ Poppy shouted after her. ‘Maybe coffee or tea?’

‘I’m going to need something stronger than that,’ came the reply.

She heard the bedroom close, then silence settled again.

Poppy smiled to herself, trying to roll the knots of tension out of her shoulders.

It annoyed her that she couldn’t quite shake the creeping sensation brushing against her spine. She wasn’t sure why, but the villa felt wrong.

Her gaze swept the room again, but there was nothing out of place, and she tried to shake the feeling off. It was just nerves. Totally understandable, and after everything that had happened, it would have been strange not to feel on edge.