I see pine forest. Twisty castle turrets behind green branches. I lived here once. It feels like a lifetime ago.
The gates are wide open, just as I expected. Of course they are. Michael knows I’m coming. This is his cat-and-mouse game, after all.
‘Michael?’ I call out. ‘I know you’re there.’
Michael appears through the trees, all charming eyes and rock-star swagger. He carries a rifle under his arm. Casually, like a country gent out on a fox hunt.
My stomach drops.
He has no hold over me. He has no hold over me.
I take in the deep lines on his face, the chubby little hands, the rounded body shape. He’s changed so much. It’s crazy to think I slept with this man. That once upon a time, I was so attracted to him that I waited at the window, desperate for him to come home. But he’s still powerful, even if he’s lost his good looks.
‘Lorna,’ says Michael, like a host at a dinner party. ‘Good to see you. You got my message, then? How does it feel to be back after all these years?’
‘You can turn off the charm,’ I tell him, my voice shaking. ‘You’re not the handsome prince from my adolescent fairy tales anymore. All I see is a short, fat little con man.’
The smile slides from Michael’s puffy face. ‘You know, I was worried you’d got held up. You really took your time.’
‘Sixteen years.’ My legs shake as I move closer. ‘Where’s Liberty?’
Michael doesn’t move an inch. ‘You look different, I gotta tell you. Are you a tough girl now, or do those tattoos come off in the wash? It’s a little warm for that army jacket, isn’t it?’
I hesitate. ‘What?’
‘I mean, the sun is shining.’ Michael gestures to the blue sky. ‘What do you need that big coat for?’
‘I’m … cold.’
Michael laughs. ‘You always were a terrible liar. Come on, Lorna. What do you have stashed in that jacket? A knife or a gun or something?’
‘I don’t have a—’
‘Yeah, you do. Take it off.’ He lifts the rifle.
I swallow and feel my eyes close. Then I pull my jacket off and throw it to the ground. It falls open, showing the long kitchen knife loose in the inside pocket. There is it, lying on the ground. My feeble attempt to end Michael’s horrible, destructive life. I failed to out-think him once again.
Michael holds the gun up and pretends to take aim. ‘If you’re dangerous, maybe I should shoot you now. Trespassing with a weapon.’
‘Where’s my daughter?’
Michael steps forward and jabs the rifle barrel to my forehead, eyes black and furious.
‘She’s in your old bedroom.’ He pushes it hard enough for me to remember all those times he turned into a hunch-shouldered demon and knocked me to the ground. ‘But I don’t like your tone. Who’s in charge here, Lorna? You or me?’
‘You,’ I say, and the word is meek, just like the old days.
I could try and fight him, but I can’t risk it. Fury makes Michael strong and he has a gun.
‘Poor Liberty,’ says Michael. ‘She’s told me all about you. How you kept her as your prize for all these years. Locked up at home.’
‘I was keeping her safe.’
‘It didn’t work.’
‘I know it didn’t. But I’m here to take her place. A sacrifice, right? Will you let her go?’
‘You need to do something first.’
‘What?’
‘Tell Liberty the truth.’
Uneasiness stirs inside me. ‘So that’s what you want. To destroy every bit of me. Every single bit.’
‘You tried to do the same to me, didn’t you? With those press stories. The difference is, I’ll succeed where you failed. You’ll be nothing to Liberty after today.’
‘People will see through you in the end. Even Diane.’
‘Diane will never know about this.’ He moves the rifle barrel against my sternum now, jabbing hard. ‘Let’s go see Liberty now. You’ve got some explaining to do. Time to tell that little girl the truth. You know me. I can’t stand lies.’
‘And if I don’t tell her?’
‘You already know the answer. It’s buried in my woods.’