Songbird

When she struggled to get away, he held her there. ‘I swear to God, if you show your face here again, or try to get in touch with me, I’ll have you done away with. Make no mistake, I will do it!’ Taking her by the arm, he dragged her through the door and down the back stairway; halfway down, with one great heave, he sent her careering down the remaining steps.

Then, coming down the steps two at a time, he went after

her, grabbed her by the neck and threw her out onto the back alley, tossing her handbag after her. Wiping his hands together as though ridding himself of something dirty, he warned her, ‘If you bother me again, I won’t hesitate to have you and the kid set in concrete. Do you hear what I’m saying?’ When she didn’t answer, he raised his foot and kicked her in the groin. ‘DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID!’

With her lip swelling, and her body bruised and battered, she could only nod, which thankfully was enough to appease him.

And then he was gone; only at the top of the stairs did he momentarily turn, to look down on the fallen woman with contempt.

Through tears of shame, Maddy watched him go, and for a moment she felt nothing, no hatred or desire for revenge; all the love she once felt for him was as though it had never been.

After a while, she levered herself up and felt her way along the wall, managing to stumble a short distance. Just when she was beginning to believe she might make it to safety, the wall caved into a doorway; she fell inside, and for a moment she feared as though she might never be able to get up. Faintly, she could hear the sound of a Latin beat coming through the wall, as the club carried on with its usual Saturday-night party mood. But for Madeleine Delaney, the party was well and truly over.

When she made an effort to stand, her legs crumpled beneath her. ‘Alice!’ Twice she sobbed out her friend’s name, before her senses began to fade.

Yet somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind, she drew strength from the knowledge that Alice was never far away.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.