‘You did what?’ I gasp.

‘Yes, I broke into his house and made those phone calls so you could actually have the necessary proof and get your restraining order.’

My mouth drops open. ‘He never stalked me, did he?’

‘He didn’t have the brains to be a stalker,’ he scoffed. ‘That was me. It was always me. I was always loyal to you.’

‘Where is Michael now? Have you done something to him?’

‘Of course not. I’m not a killer. Well, I wasn’t. You are the only one capable of driving me to murder.’

He squats next to me. His crotch is so close to my face I can smell his odor: an unwashed, stale, cheesy smell. He flicks open a switchblade and brings it close to my face. It catches the light and inspires dread. Averting my gaze from it, I realize that he’s just trying to frighten me, but I can’t help the terror that floods my entire body. He’s a man who has driven himself to the edge of madness. And he’s holding a knife.

‘Look at you. You thought you could say sorry and all would be forgiven.’ Reaching out a hand he puts it on my bare knee.

I flinch. ‘Please. Please don’t,’ I beg.

His eyes are cold. ‘Don’t worry. I don’t have a big cock. I will fit beautifully in your ass.’

I shake my head with terror.

He bends closer, his eyes widening menacingly. ‘Don’t you like it up the ass? Didn’t the slimy gypsy stuff his dick up your bottom?’

‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,’ I cry.

‘No, I’m sure you didn’t mean it. However, you did. And now you can compensate me for my suffering,’ he says, and slowly runs his hand up the inside of my thigh.

I squeeze my legs shut and trap his hand. He laughs, an ugly sound. He wrenches his hand out from between my thighs and continues upwards on the fronts of my thighs. His progress is relentless. His fingers have already reached the edible panties that I wore especially for Dom. I stare at him desperately. His fingers suddenly pinch my pussy lips together and I jump with horror.

At that, lust filters into his eyes. With both hands, he tears my skirt right to my waist. He sees the chocolate arrows and a light comes into his eyes.

‘My, my, what do we have here?’

He bends his head and licks an arrow.

I start screaming, but he suddenly slaps me so hard my jaw feels like it has been dislocated. Stinging tears fill my eyes.

He grabs my panties.

My head and jaw are throbbing so bad I can hardly open my mouth. ‘Wait,’ I cry, a sharp pain shuddering through my face.

His hand stills.

‘Yes, my thoughtless actions brought you terrible pain. But are you better than me if you rape me?’

His eyes flicker. ‘I’ll pay for my sins. But now it’s your turn. Don’t worry I’m kind enough to use butter.’

I draw in a shocked breath.

‘I don’t want to tear you. I want to use you many times before I discard you.’

‘And after you’ve raped me, what will you do? Kill me? And then what?’

He takes his hand off my thigh. ‘Don’t you get it? The only thing left for me is the satisfaction of knowing you will get what you deserve.’

He turns me roughly onto my front.

‘Pleeeeease,’ I beg.

He hooks his fingers into the top of my flimsy, edible panties. At that moment there is a massive bang and the door of the dingy flat flies open and hits the wall hard. Both Rob and I freeze. Dom charges through the door followed by Jake. Even through the fear and shock my brain notes that they look so big and ferocious compared to Rob. Before I know it, I feel the cold, sharp end of Rob’s knife pressing into the skin of my throat.

‘Don’t come any closer, or I’ll slit this bitch’s throat from ear to ear,’ he threatens with a tremor of panic in his voice.

Both Dom and Jake take a step back, Dom with both his hands raised, the palms showing.

Jake is the first to speak. ‘If you hurt her, we will kill you. If you let her go now, you have my word we’ll do nothing to you. We won’t go to the police. We’re gypsies—we settle everything on our own. I’ll even give you money.’

‘Money,’ Rob spits. ‘You think you can buy me? This is my bitch.’

I see Dom start, his face reddens, and his hands clench so hard the muscles of his shoulders bulge.

‘Listen,’ Jake says. ‘If you think you’re going to walk out of here alive after touching one hair on her head you’re mad.’

My breathing is shallow. Rob’s painfully firm grip on my shoulder has not eased at all.

I feel Rob’s body become tense. In the end he is a coward.

‘You’ll gain nothing by taking a life and surrendering your own. Make no mistake. If you harm her, we’ll kill you with our bare hands.’

Rob’s grip eases a fraction.

‘Let her go. We won’t hurt you,’ Jake adds persuasively.

‘You’ll not keep your word. I know how this works.’

Dom is as still as a statue.

‘No. My word is my honor,’ Jake says.

Rob’s face crumples. Suddenly, he erupts with the hysterical laughter of a madman. Nobody reacts. Both Dom and Jake remain stony-faced. As suddenly as he had begun laughing, he stops. ‘All right. Prove it,’ he says, and throws the knife on the ground.

No sooner does the knife hit the ground than Dom rushes forward with an incoherent cry of rage and starts kicking the shit out of Rob. In his uncontrollable frenzy, strings of curses stream out of his snarling mouth. ‘You fucking ugly cunt. You think you’re so big? Let’s see how big you are without your blade. Fucking piece of chicken shit.’

Jake grabs Dom by the front of his shirt and pushes him back.

‘Look at her face. He fucking hit her. I want to kill the fucking cunt,’ Dom roars.

‘No, you fucking don’t,’ Jake growls. ‘Take your woman out of this hellhole and leave me with him.’

Dom’s face is tight and tense, and his hands are clenched into fists. He takes a great shuddering breath as he fights to control his natural instinct.

Jake lets go of his shirt. ‘Go home, Dom.’

Dom turns toward me, his face immediately softening. Taking his jacket off, he covers my half-naked body with it. While Rob cowers on the ground and Jake stands over him, Dom takes the knife from the floor and cuts the ties around my hands and ankles. Then he takes me into his arms and hugs me tightly.

‘Come on,’ he says in my ear.

I pull away from him. He stands and pulls me up. My legs are shaking. He puts his arm around my back, and leads me out of that hellhole.

TWENTY-EIGHT

I wait for the door to close then I walk over to the man curled up and writhing on the floor. I stop in front of him and he looks up at me with bulging eyes.

‘Please, I beg you. Don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you ask,’ he whines like the coward that he is.

I yank him up, struggling, cowering and screaming like a stuck pig, and pin him against the wall, until he suddenly realizes I am not going to hurt him, yet. I let go of him so he falls to the floor. He lands in a heap, but quickly scrambles into a sitting position against the wall. I fix my eyes on his bloodied face. His left eye is beginning to swell, his cheek is grazed and there is a cut on his lip which is bleeding.

The knife is beside us. His bulging eyes stray to it, and I don’t try to kick it out of the way or reach for it. Instead I smile coldly and instantly his mouth begins to tremble uncontrollably.

‘You gave your word,’ he grovels.

Calmly I reach down and pick up the knife.

‘What are you doing?’ he cries in panic. He is so terrified he is trying to crawl sideways up the wall.

I move close enough to hear his heart thumping in its cage and say nothing. Simply watch the terror behind his pupils. Taking my time, I bring the knife to his throat and point it so the tip nicks his throat. He freezes. A drop of blood appears on his skin.