Page 94 of The House Swap

‘It has to be your decision, Poppy. I won’t pressure you. If you really want to go, I’ll stay on the phone with you all night until we find somewhere.’

That all sounded way too much hassle and helped make her mind up.

‘No, I’ll stay. As you say, I can lock the door and you’ll be here tomorrow.’

She ended the call with a sense of relief. Tom was going to fly back and they would tackle this together. Knowing she was no longer being paranoid, that she now had support and someone who believed her, meant more than she realised.

For a moment, she considered calling Jem and telling him what she had found, but the idea of trying to explain everything again made her stomach twist. She couldn’t face that.

Not tonight.

Satisfied she had done everything she could, she put all of the cameras into a plastic bag, tying the top into a knot. If they were still working, they were no longer pointed at her. That would have to be enough.

She didn’t want them in the villa but taking them outside would mean opening the door. The surrounding countryside was now shrouded in darkness, the night having fully settled. Anyone could be out there. Watching and waiting.

Leaving the bag on the kitchen floor, she rechecked the locks on all of the doors and windows.

Finding the cameras had made her lose her appetite. Switching off the TV, she took her Kindle into the bedroom. She would barricade herself inside for the night.

She located the key exactly where Tom had told her she would find it. Locking her door, she reminded herself this was only temporary.

Just one more night. She could manage that.

30

MARTIN

She has found the cameras.

I had been watching her online, as she moved around the kitchen, putting a pan on the hob and chopping vegetables, then as she went over to the sofa, I switched screen to get a better view.

At first, I had wondered what was making her smile. She hasn’t done much of that since she’s been here. Mostly, she has been nervous, jumpy, and at times fearful, and while I appreciate being able to provoke those reactions, the way the smile lit up her face reminded me of what I had first noticed about her.

I heard canned laughter, but the way the cameras were positioned, I couldn’t see the television screen. But then I heard the familiar theme tune and realised.

She was a Friends fan.

Another thing to add to my list of Things To Know About Poppy.

I was indulging myself, enjoying the way she pushed her damp hair back when it fell forward in her eyes, how she rested her bare feet on the coffee table, wriggling and stretching her toes, and then I remembered how she had pleaded with me earlier to help her. That delicious moment when she had been in the water and I had watched her from the boat, knowing that her fate had been completely in my hands.

I could have started the engine and left her there, claimed it was a terrible accident. They would all believe me. Good old Martin Roe, always there to help everyone out. I look after all of their villas and have keys to come and go as I please.

But of course I didn’t leave her. I am far too much of a gentleman for that.

Besides, she is my current favourite obsession.

I was so wrapped up in my Poppy daydream, it took me a second to react when I realised she was on her feet and rushing back into the kitchen. I quickly switched back to the kitchen camera and watched her dump the pan in the sink, heard the rush of water as she tried to cool it, but it wasn’t until she stared straight into the lens, waving a tea towel that I realised what she was actually doing.

When she grabbed a chair, her face close and brows drawn in a tight line, I understood it was game over. Seconds later, I had a distorted view and lots of muffled sound, then both screens went blank, the sound cutting abruptly.

Fuck!

Quickly I went back to the camera in the living area, needing to know what was happening, and relieved when I saw she hadn’t spotted that one.

I heard her swear, the TV going silent, then she picked up her phone looking mad as hell. The two conversations that followed revealed I had been rumbled.

Now, all of the cameras are down, and I feel as though I have lost a limb. Not being able to watch her is maddening. It’s already starting to get to me.