No Way Out by Samantha Hayes Read Free Book Online Page B

listen. Stop.’
    My face is pressed into the stinky cushions. I lift my head to look up at her, snivelling. I try to get close, perhaps give her one last kiss before Tom kills us both, but she backs away, fitting herself within his arms again.
    ‘I love you, Ellie,’ I say to her, hoping she’ll believe me. I’m shaking, waiting for Tom to make a move on one of us.
    ‘I said
stop
, Mum.’ Ellie pouts and looks up at Tom. ‘You and Dad needed to be taught a lesson.’ She’s perfectly calm, shaking her head. ‘I wanted you to feel some of my pain, my fear, even if only for a few hours.’ She hugs herself within the big coat. ‘Imagine living like that for your whole life – in terror, misery, anxiety and despair. There was no way out for me.’ Her eyes narrow and her pale cheeks flush. She looks disgusted with me, yet at peace with herself.
    ‘
What?
’ I say, struggling to sit up. I end up in an awkward foetal position, my arms trapped, my neck bent back. My damaged ear must be distorting what I’m hearing. ‘What are you talking about?’
    ‘This is all my doing, Mum. Tom helped me plan it. To teach you both a lesson. We’re going out, you see. We’ve been together for nearly a year now. Not that you’d have noticed. You never notice anything in my life.’ She closes her eyes for a beat. ‘Those acting lessons finally came in useful, right?’
    Tom gives a single nod, confirming what she said.
    For a second, my world goes blurry and I believe I’m dead, that Tom has finished me off. I want to feel safe again, in control of the evil in our lives. I can manage that, but I can’t manage the truth.
    ‘What are you talking about, Eleanor? Don’t be so stupid.’ My throat begins to close up. ‘If you know this man, then for God’s sake get him to untie me. We can just go home and not say anything more about it.’ I glance at my ear sitting on the table amongst the tins. ‘I need to get to the hospital, love. There’s probably still time.’
    Ellie stares blankly at me. Then she pulls something from the pocket of the navy jacket. ‘Sorry, Mum. We’ve got a flight to catch.’ She waves two passports at me. ‘I’ve had enough.’
    I don’t know what to say. Ellie turns and heads upstairs, while Tom keeps watch over me. He pulls a hold-all from the cupboard.
    ‘We packed a while ago,’ he tells me, almost sheepishly as he drags on a T-shirt and sweater. ‘And don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her. I really love her.’ He gives me a nod, a steady, honest nod that for some reason makes me believe him – more than you ever did.
    I can’t speak. Don’t want to speak, because I don’t know what to say. I hate it that I’m worrying about what I’ll tell you, how I’ll explain to you that our daughter has run away.
    ‘I’m the car cleaner’s son, by the way,’ he says with a coy smile. ‘And my name really is Tom.’ He laughs a little, grinning, and it almost makes me feel better because underneath it all he seems nice. I still can’t speak.
    ‘I help Dad with Marcus’s cars sometimes. Your husband was very exacting and cruel. He often threatened not to pay Dad if he got it wrong. He couldn’t afford to be treated that way. Anyway, that’s how I met Elle. I found her behind some boxes in the garage. She said she was hiding. Over the next few weeks, she made us tea, sat and talked to me as I worked. We hit it off. Had things in common.’
    Tom seems good. Tom
is
good. I wish this had happened before. Years ago, before you had a chance to get your hands on her.
    ‘And then Ellie told me,’ he says. ‘Everything. I promised her I’d help.’
    I give a little nod. It’s all I can manage.
    Ellie appears in the doorway of the old cottage, dressed in an outfit I’ve never seen before – patterned leggings, a baggy sweater, a knitted hat. She looks beautiful. Grown up. A woman of her own. Then I see her left hand. The bandage has gone, and her finger is undamaged. Her wrist is