Rosa was woken by the sound of the front door shutting, and footsteps on the wooden floor of her sister’s little house. She opened her eyes, blinking at the sunlight pouring into her sister’s living room.

“Hi Carin,” she said sleepily.

There was a crash in the kitchen as her sister dropped what sounded like a plate. Then Carin’s head poked into her living room, her eyes wide with shock. “Rosa! What are you doing here?”

Rosa yawned. “I told you I was coming.” She had a crick on her neck from sleeping on her sister’s couch, and Carin’s cat Rusty had slept on her legs most of the night, making the couch even more uncomfortable.

“You didn’t tell me you’d arrived. Why didn’t you call me? I would have picked you up at the airport. And you’re staying in my house.” Carin frowned, shaking her head. “Why on earth would you stay here when you made me promise not to?”

“My plane landed late last night and I didn’t want to disturb you. By the way, I can’t believe you still keep your spare key under the flowerpot out back.” She motioned to the key she’d brought in with her and left on the coffee table. “What if Otto saw you put it there? He could have walked in anytime he wanted.”

“At least it would have stopped him from breaking my back door.”

“You’re too flippant about all this.”

“What do you mean?” Carin’s voice rose in outrage. “I’ve been staying at Jake’s just like you asked me to. You’re the one breaking your own rules and staying alone, where he can find you. What if something had happened to you last night? You could have gone missing, and I might never have known.”

Rosa threw off her bedclothes and sat up. She was wearing her monkey-printed sleep shorts and matching T-shirt. Not exactly an outfit to enhance her credibility. “Sorry, I should have told you. But I’m fine.” She glanced toward the kitchen. “You in a hurry? Feel like having a coffee?”

Carin snorted. “You mean, you want me to make you a coffee.” She turned to the kitchen. “If you’d told me you were here, I would have come over earlier. I just stopped in to feed Rusty, and I have to be at work in half an hour.”

When she heard the coffee machine start up, Rosa went to the bathroom to pee and wash her face, then went back to the couch and shoved the blankets and pillow aside so she could sit and sip her coffee.

“What’s your plan?” asked Carin, sitting down next to her.

“I wouldn’t call it a plan, exactly. But all that time he was harassing me, I’ve never actually spoken to Otto. I don’t know if he’ll listen, but that’s what I’m going to try.”

“That’s it? You want to try talking to that fruitcake?”

“It couldn’t hurt, could it?”

“Are you kidding? It could hurt a lot if he wants to talk with his fists.” Carin frowned, sipping her steaming coffee. “Anyway, how would you find him?”

“That’s why I’m staying at your place. I’m kind of hoping he’ll find me. If not, then I know the address he was paroled to when they let him out of jail. I’ll go and see if he’s still there.”

Her cup dipped. “You’re crazy. You know that, right?”

“I’ve been told.”

“Won’t it be dangerous? What are you going to say? You think he’ll listen if you tell him to leave you alone?

They were all excellent questions. Shame she had no answers. “All I know is that I have to do something and I’ve only got one day. My new boss insisted I fly back to Fiji tomorrow.” Rosa screwed up her nose. “Truth is, he’s a bit of an ass.”

“Your new boss is an ass?” Carin raised her eyebrows. “What about the old one?”

“Dalton is a lot of things, but not an ass. He’s convinced he’s done the right thing, and maybe he has. I’m not sure anymore. Maybe I’m the one who’s been wrong all this time.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Tiny falling over was my fault.” Rosa put her coffee down, hoping her sister would give her an answer she could live with. “What if it had been something serious? What if my telling her about the buyer arriving had triggered another stroke. How could I ever have lived with myself?”

“You really want to know what I think?” Carin leaned forward. “Every time I’ve spoken to you lately, it’s been Dalton this and Dalton that. I think this guy has gotten under your skin big time. So maybe this is a conversation you should be having with him.”

Rosa sighed. “I don’t want to think about him all the time, but I keep having imaginary conversations with him. If I think of something funny, I don’t want to say it out loud because it seems like a waste if I’m not saying it to Dalton. And lately, I can’t sleep at night unless I put a pillow at my back and pretend he’s lying behind me.” She scrunched her face up. “Is that super weird? Tell me I’m not certifiable.”

“Wish I could, but you are.” Carin drained the last of her coffee. “Are you going to see him while you’re here?”

“I’d like to, if I get time. Do you think I should?”

Her sister shot her an incredulous glance. “Are you kidding?”

“You’re right. I have to see him.” Rosa took a deep breath. What was she going to say to Dalton? Should she apologize? Should she tell him how much she missed him? Should she offer to leave Lantana and move back to Sydney, or would that just spark another, ‘I don’t want things to get complicated’ reaction?

“I’d better get to work.” Carin stood up. “After my shift at the cafe, I’m going to see the kids.”

“The kids at the hospital? I’ll have to come and see one of the shows you put on for them sometime.” She motioned to Carin’s large carry bag, sitting by the door. “Is that your costume?”

Carin picked up the bag and opened it to show Rosa what was inside. It was filled with sparkly cloth, cardboard crowns and wands, and assorted large spectacles, clown noses, and other costume pieces.

“This is just a few new pieces for the kids to wear. They like dressing up and being part of the play. Most of my costumes I leave at the hospital so I don’t have to cart them around.” She grabbed her handbag and threw it over her shoulder. “I’ll see you about eight, okay? Call me if you see Otto, okay? And leave your phone on while you talk to him, so I can listen in and send the police and an ambulance to rescue you if I need to.”

Rosa had closed the door behind her sister and settled back on the couch when she noticed her sister’s phone still sitting on the kitchen bench. She grabbed it, but hesitated a moment because she was still wearing just sleep shorts and a T-shirt with monkeys and bananas printed all over them. But Carin shouldn’t spend the day without her phone. What if something happened?

Making her mind up, Rosa peeked out the door. The street was narrow enough that cars were only allowed to park on one side, which meant that side was tightly packed with parked cars. Trees planted at regular intervals cast dappled sunlight, which confused Rosa’s eyes, making Carin difficult to spot at first. Then Rosa saw her, walking briskly, about to round the corner onto the main road. Dammit, she’d have to run after her.

She slipped the house key into her pocket, pulled on a pair of trainers, then slipped outside. The early morning sun was already bright enough for her to wish she’d grabbed her sunglasses, but compared to Fiji, the wind was chilly. She ran with the phone gripped in one hand, trying to move as smoothly as possible because she wasn’t wearing a bra. Not that her breasts were big enough to bounce much, but with just a thin cotton T-shirt on, every boob-spring was probably eye-catching. Good thing it was early so there weren’t too many people on the street. Only a young guy who did a double-take as she ran past him, and an older woman who didn’t crack a smile at Rosa’s monkey-themed running outfit.

Carin was close now, and she was about to call her sister’s name when a man stepped onto the sidewalk a few yards in front of her, appearing as if by magic out of a passage that ran between two houses. He hadn’t seen Rosa because he was busy looking the other way, towards Carin’s back. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, and had the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head. Suddenly he turned toward Rosa, and she nearly ran into him. He jerked back with surprise, and their eyes met.

It was Otto.

A bolt of ice-cold fear pulsed through her, followed a moment later by a hot wave of rage. Otto’s eyes went wide and he lurched backward. By then she was already moving, her foot coming up between his legs. The kick landed satisfyingly hard. And she remembered to jump back as he jerked forward. Dalton would have been proud.

A loud noise came out of her throat, half a scream, half a triumphant yell. She hadn’t meant to make it, but when she heard the sound and realized it was coming from her, she doubled down and screamed louder, turning it into a battle-cry.

Otto’s groans were all but drowned out by her scream, and he was still on his feet, although bent forward and cupping his balls with both hands. The bag he was carrying crashed to the ground, and something spilled out. Rosa’s blood was pumping too fast to do more than give it a glance.

She kicked the side of his knee, just like she’d practiced. Only her foot flashed out faster and harder than it ever had in training. Otto dropped like a stone. He lay moaning, doubled up on the ground, legs pulled up.

This was the man who’d terrorized her for months. Who’d gone after Carin, when she’d done absolutely nothing to deserve it. He was the reason she’d triple-checked her door locks, had stopped running, and hadn’t liked going out at night. The boogeyman who’d given her nightmares.

Rosa’s rage was white-hot, too strong to be contained. She shoved Carin’s phone into her pocket, then bent and grabbed the front of his hoodie, screaming into his face. She wanted to haul him to his feet, to pummel him senseless. But he was so heavy, she couldn’t do more than lift his torso off the ground.

“Stop,” he groaned, trying to cringe away from her. “Please. Stop.”

His eye was puffy and bruised. Did she do that? No, she couldn’t have. He must have already had a black eye.

He was too heavy to keep holding, but she shook him as hard as she could, feeling the strain in her back. “Leave. My. Sister. Alone.” She was panting, the pulsing adrenaline leaving her breathless.

“Rosa? Oh my God!” Carin’s voice came from behind her. “What are you doing?”

“I wasn’t going to follow her,” Otto said in a high, nervous voice. “In my backpack are all the photos I took of both of you. I was going to leave it all in her letterbox and never bother you again. I swear.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Rosa grabbed his ear and twisted it, ignoring his squeal of pain.

Carin bent to pick up Otto’s backpack. “There are a whole lot of USB sticks in here.”

“They’re for you,” whimpered Otto. “I promised the man I’d bring all the photos, then leave you alone. I meant it. That’s why I waited until your sister left, because I didn’t want her to see me. I was going to leave them and go.”

“What are you talking about? What man?”

Carin touched her arm. “Let him go. He’s spent.”

“What?’ Rosa straightened and turned on her sister, breathing heavily. “You want me to let him get away with everything he’s done to us?”

“Like I told the man with the scar, I’m not going to bother you again. I was keeping my promise.” Otto turned his face up to her. His eyes looked damp and his voice trembled. “Please believe me. I’m sorry. I haven’t kept a single picture, and I’ll stay away from you and your sister.”

Rosa’s anger and fear were draining away. “The man with the scar,” she repeated slowly. No, he couldn’t mean Dalton. Could he? “The scar wasn’t through his eyebrow, was it?”

Otto nodded. He was lying still, curled up and clutching his crotch. “Tell him I didn’t break my promise. I was going to leave the photos and go.”

“Does he mean Dalton?” asked Carin.

“I think he must. But when? And how did he find you?” The thought of Dalton tracking Otto down to warn him off made her heart ache with longing. But that made no sense. This was another example of Dalton trying to control things, rather than letting her deal with Otto her own way. But instead of making her mad with him, it was giving her the warm fuzzies. It proved he’d been thinking of her. Dalton was fiercely protective of the people he cared about, so did that now include her?

“Did Dalton give you that black eye?” asked Carin. “Is that why you agreed to leave us alone?”

Otto looked from Rosa to Carin and back again. “I’m sorry,” he whined. “Please, let me go.”

Rosa shook her head. “Call the police,” she said to her sister. Then she realized Carin’s phone was in her pocket and tugged it out. “Never mind, I’ll do it. You watch him, okay? Make sure he doesn’t get away.”

Carin grimaced. “What will I do if he tries to get up? You’re the one who’s channeling Xena. You watch him and I’ll call the police.” She grabbed her phone from Rosa and dialed.

Rosa stared down at Otto, her fists clenched. She was still angry, though it was getting harder by the minute to feel anything but contempt for the man at her feet. “You liked sneaking around, doing nasty things behind our backs,” she snarled. “I had no idea you were such a coward. Why was I ever afraid of you?” She bent to stab his chest with one finger. “If you come near me or Carin, or anyone I know ever again, I’ll hunt you down. If I catch one more glimpse of you anywhere, I’ll kick you a whole lot harder.”

Carin shot her a sideways glance. Then someone got on the line with her, and she described what was happening and where they were. When she hung up, she turned to Rosa. “You’re so bad ass all of a sudden. Who even are you?”

Rosa frowned. What did her sister mean? Was she talking about the adrenaline burning through Rosa’s veins that was still making her pace around Otto, ready for him to make any move to escape? Or did she mean the way she’d managed to drop him in the first place, wearing nothing but her cheeky monkey sleep set?

“I’m Rosa Roughknuckles,” she said. Surely that explained everything?