The Guilty Couple(69)
I push the thought away. I know Grace. She might be older now but she’s never been cruel or manipulative and I can tell when she’s upset and in pain. Dominic has to have found the replacement phone that I bought her. Those were his words in the text – carefully arranged to cause maximum pain.
‘What are you going to do?’ Ayesha asks.
I don’t know what to tell her because I don’t know myself. I’ve run out of options. The only way to stop him is to go over there anyway and do whatever it takes to help my daughter escape. If I don’t I’ll spend the rest of my life trying, and failing, to get her back to the UK.
‘I’m going over there.’ I jump to my feet and pull a hoodie on over my top. ‘I’ll ring a cab and I’ll—’
‘Liv, wait. Think about it. If Dominic did send that text then he’ll be waiting for you to—’
‘I’m going to call an Uber.’
‘No, don’t.’ She grabs at my sleeve as I swipe through the apps on my phone. ‘This is what he wants. If you turn up, he’ll call the police and you’ll be arrested for breaking the conditions of your licence. You can’t go anywhere near him, or the house. Not now, and not at five a.m. tomorrow.’
‘I’ll find a way to grab Grace without him spotting me. I’ve still got the key. I could—’
‘Liv, listen to me.’ She snatches the phone from my hands. ‘This is exactly what he wants you to do. If that message was from Dominic then he’s read the text you sent to Grace. He knows your plan and he’ll be waiting for you to turn up.’
I slump forward and rest my head in my hands. She’s right, of course she is. Dominic sent that message to make me panic, to make me act without thinking. If I turn up at the house I may as well walk myself straight into a cell.
‘I’m sorry,’ Ayesha says softly, ‘if there was anything I could do, I would.’
There’s nothing she can do, nothing anyone can. My only option now is to go to the airport tomorrow. If I get there in time for check-in the place will be buzzing with people and if Dom tries to stop me from taking Grace – which he will – I’ll make enough noise to alert security. Then I’ll tell them that he’s removing my daughter from the country illegally and I want them to call the police. If Grace says she doesn’t want to go with him and Dominic can’t produce return tickets then it’s abduction and they’ll have to stop him from getting on the plane. He’ll probably be allowed to take her back home but at least she’ll still be in the country – until Dominic makes his next move …
‘What are you doing?’ Ayesha asks as I sit back up and reach for my phone.
‘Finding out what time the check-in desks open for their flight.’
‘You’re not going to buy a ticket, are you?’
It’s an idea, but hopefully it won’t come to that.
‘No,’ I tell her. ‘I’m going to intercept them, tomorrow.’
As plans go it’s risky – there’s every chance Dominic will use my criminal record against me if the police get involved – but, with no other avenues left open to me, it’s all I’ve got.
Chapter 50
DANI
Dani smashes her fists into the punchbag, one after the other. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. The sound reverberates around the empty gym.
‘No, Casey! No! No! No!’ Each anguished cry matches a pounding jab, a twisting cross. Her thoughts are white noise. Her vision is blurred. It is as though grief has set off a bomb within her. It exploded in her chest the moment she saw her sister’s lifeless body and now it’s everywhere – in her stomach, in her guts, in her throat, in her head. Grief has filled her like dark smoke and with each punch she throws she feels it swell within her, filling her lungs and twisting, snake-like, around her heart. Bang, bang, bang, bang. She can’t get rid of it, no matter how many times the bag flinches beneath her fists or how loudly she screams.
‘Why! Why, Casey? Why!’
Grief is under her skin now, crawling like ants. She wants to tear off her gloves and claw at her arms – if she scratches deeply enough the grief can escape – but she can’t stop pounding the bag. If she does the gym will grow silent, the white noise in her head will quieten and she’ll have to listen to thoughts that are circling her brain, grief’s henchmen, waiting for their chance to join the assault. It’s too late. They’ve already fired and now they’re screaming at her: You could have saved her, you should have taken the key after you locked her in her room, you should have searched for her when she escaped. You went after Smithy instead of saving your own sister. You took Dominic’s money and destroyed your reputation. It was all for nothing. Casey’s dead. You lied in court and destroyed another woman’s life. You robbed a child of her mother. Casey’s dead. It’s all your fault, all your fault, all your fault.
Dominic.
The ants stop crawling as rage displaces grief like a fiery backdraught that sweeps through her body.
Dominic.
She’s going to make him pay for what he did and to hell with the consequences.
It’s not her fault Casey’s dead. It’s his.
Chapter 51
OLIVIA