Medea's Curse by Anne Buist Read Free Book Online

know that.’
    He looked less lawyer tonight and more Sinn Féin. Something about the curl over one
eye and the black leather jacket. And the stubble. He smelled good. Not cologne,
just male.
    ‘So can I ask what the fuck you’re doing here?’
    He grinned. A man used to getting what he wanted; she wasn’t overly upset that right
now it was her. ‘I misplaced your phone number and thought I’d deliver the message
in person.’
    Like that was believable. ‘The message?’
    ‘Thursday, five o’clock. Interview with Travis at Welbury police station. If Chloe
is still missing.’
    ‘You don’t seriously expect me to go to Welbury?’ She thought of Kay’s eyes on her,
of Amber, of the photo of Chloe. What were the police doing in the meantime? A week
off had to mean they would be putting pressure on Travis for a confession.
    ‘I’m here to persuade you.’ He sat back and looked her up and down. Tight leather
low-riders, and a small black tank top. She could tell he’d already taken them off
in his imagination.
    ‘I was thinking of staying overnight after the interview and coming back in the morning.
You could drive up with me.’
    Natalie stared at him. She reminded herself he was serious trouble too, that all
he was doing was trying to even up the scores. Did one bruised ego equal one roll
in the sheets? Knowing this did nothing to stop her wanting him. But if he thought
he could call the shots he was mistaken. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vince
shaking his head.
    ‘I’ll think about it.’ She turned towards the door. Liam grabbed her arm. Brave…or
foolish, given their history.
    ‘Honey you’re not leaving already, surely?’ He slipped off the stool and was standing
next to her. He might not have been tall, but even with her platform shoes on he
still had more than ten centimetres on her. She could feel the power in his hand.
Somewhere in his busy legal career he must have found some time for weights. Natalie
could see Vince poised for action; she caught his eye. Reluctantly he eased off.
    She turned back to Liam. ‘I do things on my own timeline.’ She shook her arm out
of his grip, heart pounding, and walked away without looking back.
    It was only hours later, in bed alone, she marvelled that she’d managed it. Not without
help though. She’d picked Tom up on the way out of the bar and he’d only just left.

    Jessie was on time, more or less: session two and still in the honeymoon phase.
    ‘You asked me about boyfriends last week,’ she said. ‘And I said no.’ Shit no , actually.
‘Which is true. But there is Hannah.’
    Natalie waited. The abuse history wasn’t the only thing Jessie had kept from her.
    ‘I mean I’m not with her if she’s locked up, right?’
    ‘Hannah’s in prison?’
    ‘Armed rob. One of her druggie friends must have done a deal with the cops. The robbery
happened before we got together; she needed the money to pay her dealer. She’s been
clean since I moved in.’
    ‘How long has she been there?’
    ‘A year.’ Jessie’s tone made it sound more like a decade. ‘Four more, minimum.’
    A year fitted with the timing of the initial GP letter.
    ‘Was this why you were originally referred?’
    Jessie nodded. ‘We’d been together six months. She wanted me to get help.’
    Natalie noted the genuine warmth and sorrow for her partner, not just her own loss.
    ‘After that, I mean Jay was around…’ She shrugged.
    Jay—Jesse—Cadek, Jessie’s stepbrother. Perhaps he’d provided enough support for Jessie
to ignore the earlier referral.
    ‘So why come to see me now?’
    ‘It’s really hard,’ said Jessie. ‘I don’t want to cut up. Hannah always asks how
I’m doing, but she isn’t there. I don’t feel I can talk to her about it. I mean she’s
the one in prison, I’ve got it easy.’
    ‘Doesn’t mean it feels easy.’
    By the end of the session Natalie felt there was a good base to work with, the connection
a little stronger, though she still