Page 147 of Stolen Ones

During his confession he had admitted that he was repulsed by what Jenson Butler had done all those years ago, and he had used him only for the purpose of directing suspicion towards the man in the event that any of the bodies were found sometime in the future.

And then there was Melody – unloved, unwanted and abused. She had found a life with Steven Harte. She had become so attached to the ghost that protected her that she couldn’t bear the thought of sharing him with anyone else.

Her experience had turned her into a child killer. Would anything like that have happened if she’d never been taken? They would never know. Harte had been the only father figure she had ever known, and she had wanted to remain an only child.

It wasn’t the only time the subject of father had come up this week. Her arch nemesis had not only informed her that her mother was close to death, she also now held the only missing part of Kim’s childhood. Kim had been offered the piece of the puzzle and had turned it down. The price had been too high. There was no way her conscience would have allowed her to make any kind of trade with Alexandra Thorne.

And yet her refusal had all been for nothing, she thought as the prison doors opened.

Kim’s breath caught as the woman herself stepped out of the facility. The guard handed her a small holdall like a bellboy at a top hotel.

The afternoon sun glinted off her blonde hair as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, savouring the taste of freedom. A slow smile that Kim knew well turned up the corners of her mouth. It was the smile of victory.

Kim had no idea how she’d managed to swing it but it made no difference now. She was out and there was nothing she could do about it.

She waited for the woman’s searching glance to fall upon her, as she knew it would.

She was ready. Their eyes met, and Kim saw the expression soften. After what seemed like an eternity Alex lowered her eyes and laughed at some private joke, as though she had known that Kim would not look away first.

‘Too right, bitch,’ she said as Alex got into a waiting car.

Kim watched it leave and wondered how long she had before Alex re-entered her life. It wouldn’t be for a while yet. Alex’s priority would be to get her life back in order, rebuild her business and re-establish her standing in society. She would come at her from a position of strength. The woman had been dangerous enough before her years in prison, and she could only wonder at the tricks she’d learned since.

She didn’t know how and she didn’t know when, but she did know that at some stage Alexandra Thorne would come for her again.

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