Clara glanced at her. ‘Something happen today?’

  ‘I only got suspended,’ Rain said, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.

  ‘For what?!’

  ‘Apparently, I’m a drug dealer. I have no doubt Alex is behind trying to smear my name.’

  Clara’s eyes widened. ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘I wish I wasn’t.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  Rain ran her hand through her hair. ‘I honestly don’t know. I can’t exactly talk to Lauren about it. Her grandmother died yesterday,’ she said, her tone softening.

  ‘Ah, that’s so sad.’

  ‘Yeah, from what Lauren said about her, they were really close.’

  ‘It’s probably a good idea to give her some space in that case.’

  Rain bit her lip. ‘I hate to think what she’ll think of me when she finds out I’m suspended.’

  ‘If she knows the real you, she’ll know straight away it’s a lie.’

  ‘But how am I going to get around not telling her the truth in the first place? About Alex, I mean.’

  ‘By being honest with her.’

  Rain let out a humourless laugh. ‘Like I should have been in the first place, you mean.’

  ‘You did what you thought was best at the time, Rain. Stop being so hard on yourself. If my sister was missing, I would’ve done exactly the same thing.’

  Eyes glued to the hostel entrance, Rain drummed her fingers against her thigh, restless energy running through her veins.

  ‘What if he doesn’t leave?’ Rain said.

  ‘Give it time. He can’t stay in there all day.’

  Rain opened the door and started to climb out.

  ‘Hey, where’re you going?’

  ‘I can’t just sit here waiting for something to happen. I’m going to have another word with him. This time, I’m not leaving unless I have some answers.’

  Not waiting for Clara’s response, Rain closed the car door and jogged across the road to the hostel. Billy didn’t look surprised to see her again.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but Rain held up her hand to silence him.

  ‘Save it, Billy. Enough with the bullshit. I want to know where my sister is.’

  ‘I told you—’

  ‘You really wanna play it like this? Fine. Do you know what a smear campaign is, Billy? No? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s when someone spreads rumours about you. They might not be true, but once the word’s out, they can make a person’s life a living hell. Is that what you want, Billy? If you have to move out of here, where’re you gonna keep your precious pigeons? They’ll be homeless like you.’

  There. She saw the response she was waiting for. Fear. She had got him right where she wanted him.

  ‘I’m giving you an hour, Billy. One hour to decide how this all ends. Do you understand?’

  She didn’t wait for an answer. She turned and left, running straight back to Clara’s car.

  ‘Quick, duck,’ she said as she scrambled inside and pulled the door shut behind her.

  Clara slid lower into her seat.

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘Something I saw in a film once.’ Rain peeped up just in time to see Billy leaving the building, glancing around nervously before hurrying off down the street. ‘Quick, follow him. Make sure he doesn’t see us.’

  Clara put the car in gear and pulled out, keeping a safe distance.

  ‘Whatever you said seems to have shaken him up.’

  ‘Good.’

  Billy finally came to a stop outside a nondescript house a few streets down. Once he had entered, she grabbed the car door handle, ready to open it, but Clara’s hand shot out, gripping her arm tightly.

  ‘Rain, don’t. This feels wrong. It could be dangerous.’

  ‘I have to, Clara. Fay could be in there. I can’t just leave her.’

  ‘Then I’m coming with you.’

  ‘No,’ Rain said firmly. ‘I need you to stay here, keep the car running. If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, call the police.’

  Clara looked like she wanted to argue, but something in Rain’s expression must have convinced her. She nodded reluctantly, her grip on Rain’s arm loosening.

  ‘Be careful.’

  Rain gave her a tight smile before slipping out of the car, adrenaline surging through her veins as she crept towards the house. She circled around to the side, her eyes scanning for a way in. A small, grimy window caught her attention. It was slightly ajar just enough for her to pry it open and hoist herself through.

  She landed in a dingy room, the air thick with the smell of mould and neglect. Heart in her throat, she tiptoed to the door, easing it open and peering into the dark hallway. Silence pressed in on her from all sides, broken only by the creaking of old floorboards beneath her feet as she made her way towards the stairs.

  Halfway up, she froze. Voices, muffled but unmistakable, drifted down from above. A man and a woman, arguing. Rain’s pulse quickened. She’d know that voice anywhere. Fay.

  Taking the stairs two at a time now, Rain raced towards the sound, fear and anticipation warring in her chest. She reached the top landing just as a door at the end of the hall flew open. Billy stumbled out, his face twisted with anger. And there, just behind him . . .

  ‘Fay?’ Rain breathed, her voice cracking with emotion.

  Fay’s eyes widened with shock. ‘Rain? What the hell are you doing here?’

  But Rain barely heard her. Her gaze was fixed on Billy, rage boiling up inside her as the pieces fell into place. ‘You bastard,’ she shouted, advancing on him. ‘You’ve been keeping her here, haven’t you? All this time, while we’ve been going out of our minds with worry . . .’

  Billy backed away, hands raised in a placating gesture.

  ‘It’s not what you think,’ he stammered. ‘I was just trying to help . . .’

  ‘Help?’ Rain laughed harshly. ‘Is that what you call it? Kidnapping my sister, holding her against her will?’

  ‘Rain, stop!’ Fay’s voice cut through the red haze of anger. ‘It’s not like that. Billy’s been protecting me.’

  Rain faltered, confusion tempering her rage. ‘Protecting you? From what?’

  Fay glanced at Billy, a silent communication passing between them. Rain’s unease deepened. There was something going on here, something she didn’t understand.

  ‘Okay, you don’t want to talk here? Fine, we’ll do this at my place,’ Rain snapped, her patience wearing thin. She grabbed Fay’s arm, ignoring her protests, and frogmarched her out of the house and down to Clara’s waiting car.

  After Rain introduced Fay to Clara, the rest of the journey was made in silence. Rain was furious at what Fay had done. Clara dropped them off, and they entered her flat. Before the front door had even closed, Rain rounded on Fay.

  ‘Right, now tell me what the hell is going on?’ Rain demanded, her voice rising with each word. ‘You can’t just disappear for weeks, let everyone think you’re dead, and then expect to waltz back in like nothing’s happened!’

  Fay picked at a loose thread on her jeans. She didn’t meet Rain’s eyes. ‘I got into some trouble. I had to lay low for a while.’

  ‘Trouble?’ Rain scoffed. ‘Yeah, I read all about it in your diary—’

  Fay’s head jerked up, her eyes flashing with indignation. ‘You read my diary?’

  ‘Of course I did. What did you expect, Fay? That you could just vanish and we’d carry on like normal? Jesus, you’re so clueless!’

  Fay’s eyes narrowed. ‘You don’t understand.’

  ‘Then make me understand!’ Rain threw her hands up in frustration. ‘Because right now, all I see is a selfish, inconsiderate sister who couldn’t even be bothered to let her family know she was alive!’

  Fay flinched. ‘I couldn’t let anyone know where I was.’

  ‘Why?’

  Fay shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. ‘I can’t . . . I can’t tell you.’

  Rain stared at her sister, a cold sense of dread settling in her stomach. She’d never seen Fay like this before – scared, secretive, withdrawn. It was like looking at a stranger wearing her sister’s face.

  ‘I give up. I really do,’ Rain said, her anger draining away. ‘Do what you want. You normally do anyway.’

  Fay looked at her, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. For a moment, she said nothing, the silence stretching between them. Then, with a shaky breath, she started to talk.

  ‘It started a few months ago,’ Fay said. ‘I got involved with this guy—’

  ‘The married man at the hotel?’

  Fay nodded. ‘He was charming, attentive, everything I thought I wanted. But then . . . I got caught up in part of something I couldn’t get out of.’

  Rain listened, her heart sinking with every word. There was always a man involved. Every. Single. Time.

  ‘I tried to leave him,’ Fay whispered, her hands trembling. ‘But he . . . he threatened me. Said he’d hurt the people I loved if I didn’t do what he wanted. And . . . And that’s why I disappeared. I was trying to keep a low profile until I figured out a way forward.’

  Fay shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. ‘I didn’t want anyone to know. I thought . . . I thought I could handle it on my own.’

  ‘When the fuck are you going to grow up and realise your actions have consequences? Mum has been going out of her mind with worry. She thought you were dead, and you really couldn’t give a fuck, could you? Look, I’m sorry you’ve got mixed up in stuff that’s too hot to handle. I really am. But I’m exhausted with your drama, Fay. You know the story of the boy who cried wolf only too well.’

  ‘This isn’t my fault—’

  ‘Then whose is it?’

  After a few moments, Fay, defeated, dropped her gaze to her hands.

  ‘Exactly. This time, you’re going to have to pull yourself out of the hole you’ve dug yourself into. I can’t keep doing it. Not anymore.’

  Rain took out her phone and punched in her mum’s number. Upon answering, she said, ‘Mum, I’ve got someone who wants to talk to you.’

  Rain tossed the phone to Fay and left the room.

  Right. That’s my job done. I’ve found Fay. I can return to my own life now.

  But within seconds, she started questioning herself. Is that what she really wanted, her old life back, or did she want a new one with Lauren?

  Her heart and mind couldn’t agree.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  He was parked across the street from Fay’s hostel, his eyes glued to the entrance. He’d been waiting for hours, but patience was a virtue he’d mastered long ago.

  Suddenly, a woman walked past his car, and headed into the building. He recognised her instantly – she worked at the hotel. She had been hiding under his nose all this time.

  Minutes ticked by, and then the building manager emerged from the hostel, walking briskly down the street. The car with Fay’s sister in pulled out and started tailing him, keeping a discreet distance.

  He turned the key in the ignition. This was it. The manager was leading them straight to Fay.

  He followed at a safe distance, watching as the manager turned down a side street and stopped outside a nondescript building. Fay’s sister parked and leapt out, disappearing inside after him.

  He pulled over, his mind racing. This had to be where Fay had been hiding out. But he couldn’t just barge in – he needed to be smart about this.

  As he weighed his options, the door opened, and Fay’s sister emerged, her arm around a dishevelled figure. He squinted, hardly daring to believe it.

  It was Fay. Right there in front of him.

  A grin spread across his face as he watched them hurry to the car. He’d done it. He’d found her.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Lauren sat huddled on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, as the first pale light of dawn crept through the curtains. The digital clock on her bedside cabinet glowed 5:00 a.m., a stark reminder of the sleepless night she’d endured. The thought of closing her eyes and waking to find that this nightmare was, in fact, her new reality terrified her.

  But once her grandmother’s will was read in a few hours, it would all become painfully, irrevocably real. The finality of it, the tangible proof that her beloved gran was truly gone.

  Lauren climbed off the bed, wincing as her stiff muscles protested the movement. She walked into the bathroom and reached into the shower, turning the lever to cold, watching numbly as the water cascaded down, the sound harsh in the early morning stillness.

  She needed this, needed the shock of the icy water to jolt her out of this haze of grief and exhaustion. Stripping off her pyjamas, she stepped under the frigid spray, gasping as it hit her skin like a thousand tiny needles.

  For a moment, she just stood there, her eyes closed, letting the cold seep into her bones. It was almost a relief, this physical discomfort. It was something to focus on, something to feel besides the aching void in her chest. Feeling the tears come, Lauren didn’t bother wiping them away. What was the point? There would just be more. So many more in the days and weeks to come.

  Lauren didn’t know how long she stood there, but she knew she couldn’t hide in there forever. She turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a fluffy towel.

  She caught a glimpse of herself in the foggy mirror, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy, her skin pale and blotchy. She looked as awful as she felt.

  With a sigh, she started going through the motions of getting ready, each task feeling monumental in her exhausted state. But she forced herself to keep moving, one foot in front of the other. She had to do this, had to be there for the reading of the will. She owed her gran that much.

  The doorbell rang, its soft chime breaking the silence of the suite. Lauren moved to answer it, feeling like she was wading through quicksand, each step an effort. She opened the door to find Sydney standing there, her eyes red and puffy, her face etched with the same grief that Lauren felt.

  ‘Have you slept?’ Sydney said, following her into the kitchen.

  ‘No. You?’

  Sydney shook her head.

  ‘Coffee?’ Lauren offered, desperate for something to do with her hands, something to distract her from thinking.

  ‘With a shot of brandy,’ Sydney said, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

  Lauren nodded, a lump forming in her throat. ‘Good idea. Gran would like the idea of that.’

  She busied herself with the familiar routine of making coffee, the scent filling the kitchen, mingling with the sharp tang of brandy as she poured a generous measure into each cup. She handed one to Sydney, cradling her own between her palms, letting the heat seep into her skin.

  ‘You know what I don’t get? Why life is so cruel. I mean, what kind of evil entity would create a world where we can experience something as amazing as love only to have it snatched away from us in the blink of an eye.’ Tears filled Sydney’s eyes. ‘I don’t think this pain is ever going to go away, Lauren.’

  Lauren shifted her chair closer to Sydney’s. ‘I know, but that’s the point, I suppose. Better to have the lived experience.’ Lauren thought about all the moments she’d shared with her gran in that very kitchen – the laughter, the heart-to-hearts, the comfort of her presence. It seemed impossible that she was gone, that Lauren would never again hear her voice, feel the warmth of her hug, see the twinkle in her eye. ‘We would’ve missed all the great things Gran brought into our lives. As much as it hurts, I wouldn’t miss a day.’

  ‘Maybe I’ll feel like that one day in the far, far future, but for now, I think I’ll stay pissed off at the world.’

  Before long, they were in the hotel’s stretch limo on their way to the solicitor’s office. Lauren stared out the window, watching the world go by in a blur, her mind a million miles away as Jake chatted animatedly with her mother. It was obvious he thought it was his payday for some strange reason. Oliver and Sydney sat quietly, his arm around her, providing the comfort she needed.

  The car soon pulled up to the building, and they all got out, trailing in front of one another as they entered the building and were shown to the solicitor’s room. This was it, the moment she’d been dreading, the final nail in the coffin of her grief. Gran’s will, the last echoes of her voice, the last wishes of a life well-lived.

  The solicitor, a balding man with kind eyes, cleared his throat and began to read. Lauren barely heard him, the legal jargon washing over her like white noise. She stared at her hands, twisting them in her lap, trying to breathe through the tightness in her throat.

  And then, a phrase cut through the haze, sharp and clear. ‘To my granddaughter, Lauren . . .’

  Lauren’s head snapped up.

  The solicitor continued, his voice gentle. ‘. . . I leave my Cotswold property, Rosewood Cottage, in the hopes that she’ll find peace and happiness there, a safe haven of her own.’

  The words hit Lauren like a physical blow. A property? In the countryside? She’d had no idea, no inkling that Gran had kept such a secret.

  Jake, who had been silent until now, spoke up. ‘Are you sure it’s just for Lauren? Why wasn’t it left to us as a family?’

  The solicitor cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. ‘Rosewood Cottage, as mentioned in the will, was purchased only a few weeks ago. It appears she kept it quite separate from her other assets. She specifically stated that the property was for Lauren and Lauren alone.’

  Sydney bristled beside Lauren, her hand tightening on her arm. ‘Gran knew what she was doing, Jake,’ she said, her voice low and controlled. ‘If she left the cottage to Lauren, it’s because she wanted her to have it.’

  ‘She must not have been thinking clearly,’ Jake said.

  The solicitor held up a hand, his expression firm. ‘I assure you, Mrs Deville was of sound mind when she made these decisions. The will is ironclad. Her wishes were very clear.’

  ‘Well, regardless, we are married so it’s half mine anyway.’ Jake sneered.

  An uncomfortable silence fell, broken only by the shuffling of papers, the ticking of the clock on the wall.

  The surprises kept coming. Her shares of the hotel were split between Oliver and Sydney, which meant they’d have a larger say in how things were run, a vote of confidence from beyond the grave. As the solicitor’s words hung in the air, a heavy silence descended upon the room. Lauren could feel the tension radiating from her parents. Her mother’s lips tightened, a flash of something like betrayal in her eyes.

 

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