Page 136 of No Safe Place

Callum picked it up and stared at it. It was Paige’s, he was sure of it. Sometimes she would scratch at her throat when she was having a panic attack, and she’d wear the purple scarf to cover up the marks.

Why is she doing this, P?

Callum held an end in each hand and passed the scarf over Lily’s head.

Lily squeezed her eyes closed as he tied the gag at the back of her head. When she opened her eyes again, her lashes were wet with tears.

Ruby gestured. ‘Come here.’

‘Wait, leave Lil here, and we can—’

Ruby took two steps towards Lily and seized the end of the cable tie, pulling it as tight as it would go. Lily let out a yelp, as the plastic cut deep into the skin of her wrists.

‘Don’t move,’ Ruby snapped at him, pressing the knife against Lily’s neck. ‘And don’t fucking speak, either of you.’

Ruby led Lily into the dining room by her hands, pushed her towards the stairs. From the doorway of the kitchen Callum saw Lily fall forward, unable to catch herself with her tied hands. She hit the stairs with a sickening thud, her arms twisted at awkward angles.

‘Oops,’ Ruby said, with a laugh, pulling Lily backwards by the hair so she could right herself. ‘Now get upstairs.’

Lily was whimpering in pain.

‘Don’t follow us,’ Ruby called over her shoulder. ‘And don’t move, or I’ll slit her throat.’

He listened for the steps on the stairs and dashed into the dining room.

Callum didn’t dare run to the living room for his jeans. He wrenched open the door of the tumble dryer, and pulled out a pair of jogging bottoms. When they were on, he felt instantly better, less vulnerable.

He should make a dash for his phone, call the police. He should run out of the front door, screaming for help.

Should

Should

Should

He couldn’t focus long enough on one train of thought to weigh up a rational decision.

And then Ruby was back.

She blew air upwards, but her hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat, and didn’t move.

He hated her, Callum realised. He hated her, and if he got the chance, he’d kill her.

‘Front door,’ she said, simply.

Callum didn’t move.

‘Move that big cabinet in front of the front door,’ she said. ‘Now.’

She made sure she stayed a few metres away from him, knife raised.

As he walked through the dining room, Callum looked up at the ceiling. Imagined Lily lying on her bed upstairs, straining to listen to what was happening.

He didn’t bother taking the crap off the sideboard, letting things fall from it as it moved. It wasn’t as heavy as the fridge, but it was another narrow space to navigate.

Ruby swiped at her fringe with the back of the hand that was holding the knife, and inspected his work.

The cabinet was slightly wider than the hallway, so it wasn’t flush against the door, but it was wedged against each wall. The door wouldn’t open more than an inch from outside.