Page 170 of Brighter Together

His team meeting should be almost finished.

I’ve spent the last hour wandering around Fellside and somehow managed to come back with a pair of walking boots that cost considerably more than I intended to spend.

The large carrier bag bumps against my leg.

Tommy wants to take me up Fellside Horseshoe next weekend.

Apparently telling him I might die halfway round was a mistake. He now seems determined to prove me wrong.

He assures me he’ll go slowly.

I have my doubts.

My fitness levels are hardly impressive, so the least I can do is make sure my feet aren’t suffering too.

I put the bag beside his car.

“You bitch.”

Everything inside me freezes.

I recognise Lee’s voice before I turn.

His hand closes around my hair.

Pain tears across my scalp as he yanks me backwards.

“Lee!”

He drags me towards the side of the building, away from the road.

My feet stumble over the uneven ground as I try to keep up rather than have half my hair ripped out.

“Let me go.”

“No.”

He pulls me against the wall.

My shoulder hits the stone.

“I’ve been following you all morning. Finally got you on your own.”

Cold spreads through my stomach.

All morning.

I think about the shops I went into.

The café where I stopped for coffee.

Walking through the village without once realising he was behind me.

My eyes dart towards the road but I can no longer see it.

The FMR building is only metres away from the street, but this corner is hidden from anyone passing.

Then I see an open window above us.