Hold Your Breath by Caroline Green Read Free Book Online

better lock up now,’ said Leo, quietly, ‘or Dobby’ll kick off.’
    Remembering the old man who’d taken her money on the way in, Tara couldn’t help the laugh that rippled up her cheeks. ‘Dobby? Because of . . . ?’ She touched her ears,
grinning.
    Leo frowned. ‘No, his name is Mr Dobby,’ he said, poker-faced.
    Tara’s facial heating system went critical. Then she saw a twinkle in Leo’s eye. A slight grin crinkled the corner of his mouth.
    ‘Had you for a moment, didn’t I?’ he said. ‘Come on, we’d better get out of here before he comes and gives me a gnome bite or something.’
    Tara murmured her response.
    ‘What was that?’ said Leo, as she stepped outside.
    ‘Dobby’s a house-elf, not a gnome.’
Oh God, shut up Tara, you stupid, geeky idiot . . .
    But Leo’s eyes were warm as he regarded her.
    ‘Yeah. Course he is.’
    As she reached the car park, Tara looked back and saw Leo folding his tall frame into a small white car.
    Her heel still hurt and her damp hair felt horrible, but she was hungrier than she could remember being in ages. Even though her limbs were heavy from the swim, she felt buzzy and good too. She
turned the conversation with Leo over in her mind. He was a weird mixture of gruff and kind of gentle. Could it be that despite the way he looked, he was shy? Tara found it hard to imagine that
someone that good-looking could ever be shy. What did he have to be shy about? Although, admittedly, she was a bit shy herself and her parents were always telling her she was pretty. But then, they
were her parents and bigging up their offspring was in their job description.
    Jay had told her she was pretty too. But Jay had been a liar in so many ways, she’d stopped counting.
    She was pretty sure Leo didn’t seem like someone who would have bumped off his sister. She’d made an enquiry like a proper little detective and maybe now she could leave it alone. At
least she’d had a good swim. And even with the dodgy changing rooms and the grubby floor, the complete lack of water heating and the scowling house-elf who took the money, the lido did . . .
have its own attractions. Maybe she’d go back. Just to get a bit fitter.
    As she crossed the main road outside the park, she had the strangest sensation of being watched. But why would anyone? Anyway, when she looked, no one was there.
    She was starving now and started picturing a big slice of crusty bread with thick yellow butter on the top, washed down with a cold glass of juice. Her mouth watered at the vivid image.
    And then from nowhere, footsteps pounded behind her.
    She turned and cried out, all instincts telling her to attack or run. But she was frozen to the spot in shock. There was a man there, looking a little out of breath. He touched her arm
lightly.
    ‘Hey, I didn’t mean to scare you!’ It was the second time today someone had said this to her.
    Tara realised she was looking at the man – boy, really – who had been hovering outside the school talking to Karis. Melodie’s boyfriend. Will. His eyes were big, shocked, like
he was the one who’d had the fright. He backed away, hands upwards.
    ‘I’m sorry, I just wanted to talk to you!’
    Tara tried to calm her breath, which was coming in rapid, panicked bursts.
    ‘What do you want?’ she said, taking a step back on legs so wobbly her knees almost buckled.
    In a rush, Tara remembered why he’d looked familiar when she saw him the last time. He was the boy in the photo booth picture in Melodie’s locker. He was much younger than
she’d previously thought, very early twenties at the most. But he was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot. His breath smelt sour and the blue cotton shirt he was wearing was creased, with
dark patches at the armpits. Despite all this, Tara could see he was good-looking in a loves-himself way. He had on skinny jeans and his shirt was open a little at the neck. A silver cross nestled
in his dark chest hair. His hair was long around