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Authors: Mandasue Heller
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sheep.’
‘What’s she going on about now?’ Elena asked as she walked back in just then with a towel wrapped around her hair.
Raising her chin, challenging her to deny it, Tasha said, ‘I’m saying that you’re all pathetic little sheep who do as you’re told without question. But I’m a wolf , and I’ll bite and claw my way out of here – and I don’t care who I have to hurt in the process.’
‘A wolf ?’ Elena gave a mocking laugh. ‘Have you any idea how ridiculous you sound? You’re a child, you silly girl. A spiteful, vindictive bully of a child.’
‘And you’re a whore,’ Tasha spat. ‘A dirty, disgusting whore.’
‘Just like you,’ Elena reminded her. ‘And if you’re so tough, how come you’re still here?’
Tasha’s lips tightened. They all knew why she was still here – why they were all still here: because Eddie Quinn had them so terrified of what would happen if they tried to run that they could barely put one foot in front of the other when they were outside. But she would get out of this situation one day, and then they would see who was the strong one.
Tired of Tasha’s nonsense, Elena turned her back on her and smiled at Katya. ‘Don’t fancy making me a coffee while I dry my hair, do you?’
‘Sure,’ Katya said, glad of an excuse to get out of the room. She hadn’t planned to tackle Tasha tonight, but she was so sick of these poisonous atmospheres. She had hoped that they could reach some sort of compromise and stop this constant bickering, but she’d known even before she started that it would be a waste of time.
Staring at the wall now as she waited for the kettle to boil, her thoughts floated off Tasha and onto the man in the hallway. She’d seen him from the window several times but had never been able to see his face clearly. That was why she had looked at him when she’d passed him today, so that she would know what he really looked like instead of what her imagination had built him into.
And, almost impossibly, he was even better-looking than she’d thought, with the kindest eyes she had seen in a long time. She never looked into those of the men who slobbered over her in their cars at night because she wanted to stay as far removed from them as possible. And she actively avoided looking into Eddie’s for fear of seeing the devil staring back at her. But the man’s had been such a lovely dark shade of blue, like a river in the moonlight.
Snapped out of her romantic reverie by the kettle clicking off, Katya made the coffees and carried them through to the living room. Handing Elena’s and Tasha’s to them, she took her own and Hanna’s through to the bedroom. Hanna was in bed with the quilt pulled over her head. Leaving her cup on the bedside table, Katya undressed and headed into the bathroom for a shower.
Standing beneath the water, she reached for the soap and rubbed it listlessly over her body. It would barely skim the surface, because God alone could reach the parts of her that really needed cleansing. But since it was becoming increasingly obvious that He had abandoned her, it would have to do.
Next door, Chrissie had locked herself in the bedroom. The dog had leapt up at her when she’d walked back in and she’d kicked out at it to punish it for making a mess. It had immediately bared its teeth, forcing her to run for her life. So now she was pacing the floor, pressing redial on her mobile.
It was almost an hour before Eddie answered.
‘Where the flaming hell are you?’ Chrissie launched into him. ‘You said you were only going to be half an hour, you lying swine! I’ve been up all night waiting for you.’
‘Something came up,’ Eddie said unconcernedly. ‘What’s up?’
‘What’s up ?’ she squawked. ‘Your flaming dog, that’s what! It’s crapped all over the place, and I stood in it – with my bare feet !’ Gasping with indignation when she heard him laugh and relate what she’d just told him to whoever he was
‘What’s she going on about now?’ Elena asked as she walked back in just then with a towel wrapped around her hair.
Raising her chin, challenging her to deny it, Tasha said, ‘I’m saying that you’re all pathetic little sheep who do as you’re told without question. But I’m a wolf , and I’ll bite and claw my way out of here – and I don’t care who I have to hurt in the process.’
‘A wolf ?’ Elena gave a mocking laugh. ‘Have you any idea how ridiculous you sound? You’re a child, you silly girl. A spiteful, vindictive bully of a child.’
‘And you’re a whore,’ Tasha spat. ‘A dirty, disgusting whore.’
‘Just like you,’ Elena reminded her. ‘And if you’re so tough, how come you’re still here?’
Tasha’s lips tightened. They all knew why she was still here – why they were all still here: because Eddie Quinn had them so terrified of what would happen if they tried to run that they could barely put one foot in front of the other when they were outside. But she would get out of this situation one day, and then they would see who was the strong one.
Tired of Tasha’s nonsense, Elena turned her back on her and smiled at Katya. ‘Don’t fancy making me a coffee while I dry my hair, do you?’
‘Sure,’ Katya said, glad of an excuse to get out of the room. She hadn’t planned to tackle Tasha tonight, but she was so sick of these poisonous atmospheres. She had hoped that they could reach some sort of compromise and stop this constant bickering, but she’d known even before she started that it would be a waste of time.
Staring at the wall now as she waited for the kettle to boil, her thoughts floated off Tasha and onto the man in the hallway. She’d seen him from the window several times but had never been able to see his face clearly. That was why she had looked at him when she’d passed him today, so that she would know what he really looked like instead of what her imagination had built him into.
And, almost impossibly, he was even better-looking than she’d thought, with the kindest eyes she had seen in a long time. She never looked into those of the men who slobbered over her in their cars at night because she wanted to stay as far removed from them as possible. And she actively avoided looking into Eddie’s for fear of seeing the devil staring back at her. But the man’s had been such a lovely dark shade of blue, like a river in the moonlight.
Snapped out of her romantic reverie by the kettle clicking off, Katya made the coffees and carried them through to the living room. Handing Elena’s and Tasha’s to them, she took her own and Hanna’s through to the bedroom. Hanna was in bed with the quilt pulled over her head. Leaving her cup on the bedside table, Katya undressed and headed into the bathroom for a shower.
Standing beneath the water, she reached for the soap and rubbed it listlessly over her body. It would barely skim the surface, because God alone could reach the parts of her that really needed cleansing. But since it was becoming increasingly obvious that He had abandoned her, it would have to do.
Next door, Chrissie had locked herself in the bedroom. The dog had leapt up at her when she’d walked back in and she’d kicked out at it to punish it for making a mess. It had immediately bared its teeth, forcing her to run for her life. So now she was pacing the floor, pressing redial on her mobile.
It was almost an hour before Eddie answered.
‘Where the flaming hell are you?’ Chrissie launched into him. ‘You said you were only going to be half an hour, you lying swine! I’ve been up all night waiting for you.’
‘Something came up,’ Eddie said unconcernedly. ‘What’s up?’
‘What’s up ?’ she squawked. ‘Your flaming dog, that’s what! It’s crapped all over the place, and I stood in it – with my bare feet !’ Gasping with indignation when she heard him laugh and relate what she’d just told him to whoever he was
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