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.’
