Beyond Fear by Jaye Ford Read Free Book Online Page B

eye contact, checked her watch. God, how much longer? She was trying to relax. She was. But she was pretty sure there wasn’t enough bourbon in her glass to numb the tension in her gut.
    ‘Oh my God, Corrine,’ Lou’s playful voice cut into the story. ‘It sounds dreadful. Are you sure you just twisted an ankle? It sounds like you ripped off a limb.’
    Even anxious, Jodie had to smile. She watched Lou’s grin spread to Hannah, saw Corrine close her mouth and think about it. She must have decided it wasn’t worth taking offence because a second later, she laughed. Started them all laughing. ‘Okay, okay. Don’t think you’re going to be using those electric paddles on me any time soon, Louise.’
    ‘Party pooper.’
    ‘How about being nice for a change and getting me another drink?’
    ‘Already?’
    ‘The first one didn’t count. It was just to warm me up.’
    ‘Oh, sure,’ Lou said and stood up.
    ‘No,’ Jodie said. ‘The car will be here any minute now. We should be ready to go.’
    ‘We don’t have to go straightaway,’ Hannah said. ‘I want to see what all the excitement is over the darts.’
    ‘Yeah, there’s way too much cheering going on for just tossing pointy things at a corkboard,’ said Louise.
    Jodie looked at the crowd. Large, brawny country men, drinking beer, jeering and cheering. No need to spoil the fun just because she was a mess. She drained her glass, stood up. ‘Okay, you check out the darts and I’ll go wait for the car.’
    Louise caught Jodie’s hand as she passed her. ‘You all right?’
    ‘Yep, ’course. Just don’t want to keep Matt What’s-His-Name waiting. Go cheer for blue, or whatever you do with darts,’ she said, backing into the crowd, and into a drinker. Beer slopped over her shoulder. She jumped and turned.
    He was late twenties maybe, blond crew cut, weirdly pale eyes. ‘Hey, they don’t give beer away here, you know,’ he said, giving her a pub-friendly grin.
    ‘Sorry. I . . . sorry.’
    He moved towards her, a kind of swagger. ‘I’ll forgive you if you buy me another one.’
    Jodie looked around for a quick exit. For all she knew, he might be Bald Hill’s Mr Nice Guy but her heart was hammering in her throat and she’d had enough of the pub. ‘Good try but I can live without forgiveness.’
    She shouldered her way past other drinkers, pushed open the glass door then pulled up short in the foyer when a bunch of new arrivals blocked the street entrance. Another crowd of strangers. She looked the other way, saw an arrow to the ladies and followed it.
    The small bathroom was empty so she leaned against the basin, taking long, deep breaths, waiting for her legs to stop shaking. What the hell are you doing, Jodie? One, out-of-the-blue flashback and she was falling to pieces, back to a place she’d left behind a gazillion years ago. She rubbed both hands over her short-cropped hair, dragged them over her face. Okay, Jodie, this is getting you nowhere. Remember – you don’t have to be in any situation that freaks you out. Calm down, get out of the pub and wait for the others outside. Matt What’s-His-Name would be there any minute.
    She sluiced water over her face, used a paper towel to dry off and straightened her hair in the mirror. Okay, go. She walked back into the corridor, was halfway to the front entrance when the man from the bar stepped into her path.

    ‘I’m still waiting for my beer,’ he drawled.
    He was a solid mass in front of her. Half a head taller and in the confines of the narrow corridor, he seemed just about as wide. He wore a red-checked flannel shirt that clung to broad, beefy shoulders and arms. And he was looking at her with a leery smile. Jodie’s heart pounded.
    As he moved towards her, she turned, hoping to dodge past and keep going for the front door, but he blocked her, stepped closer, still smiling like it was a great lark. She backed up, felt the wall against her shoulders, wondered how hard she could jam her