Lottie hit the floor with a thud, having missed most of the rungs on the ladder.

‘Drop your weapon, Finn. Step away from Mollie.’

Two sets of wild eyes gaped back at her, Mollie’s with terror and Finn’s with confusion. The air was filled with the scent of claustrophobic fear. It dripped down the walls and rested like a sheen on the skin of the naked girl.

She was on her knees, her head haphazardly shaven. He stood behind her, one arm around her waist, pulling her into his body, the other about her neck. A pair of scissors in his hand was pointing directly at her eye.

‘Stay there,’ he growled. ‘I’ll do her, I swear I will.’

‘That’s not a good move.’ Still on the floor, Lottie tried to see something in her vicinity that she could use as a weapon. She had no bag and no gun, but Mollie was in danger and she had to do something. Where the hell was Boyd?

‘Oh, I think it is a good move. I outsmarted the lot of you.’

A noise above them caused Lottie to look up. But it wasn’t Boyd. It was Cillian O’Donnell. Where the hell had he come from? This was not good.

A wild laugh broke from Finn. ‘Now we can play happy families, dear brother.’

Cillian stepped off the ladder, then reached down and pulled Lottie to her feet. Shit, she thought. The two of them are involved in this together. Where the fuck was Boyd?

‘It’s okay, Finn, I have the guard now,’ he said. ‘Put down the scissors. You don’t want another murder on your head, do you?’

‘Another murder? What are you talking about.’

‘We can do this together. Me and you. Like old times.’

Lottie felt the hairs on her arms sizzle. How was she going to take down the two of them? Mollie looked in no shape to help. Boyd better be quick.

‘Yes, Finn,’ she said. ‘Put down the scissors.’

‘Shut her up,’ Finn shouted.

‘I have her. No need to shout,’ Cillian said, and Lottie felt his arm loop around her neck.

Finn snarled. ‘What do you care? You never thought about me before; you’re not going to change now.’

‘But I do care,’ Cillian said. ‘I want to help you. Like you helped me with Lynn.’

‘What do you mean?’ The hand holding the scissors wavered.

Mollie was as still as a statue, only her eyes giving away that she was alive. Darting from Cillian to Lottie, pleading for help. Lottie scanned the room once again for a weapon. The space was so confined, they were virtually on top of each other, but at the same time Finn seemed to be miles from her reach.

‘You took her away, didn’t you?’ Cillian said. ‘Before she could disgrace our family. You saved us a shitload of heartache, bro.’

Was he inverting the truth, trying to get Finn to believe he was the good guy in all this? Smart move if that was the case. But maybe it was a ploy. With exhaustion and the effects of the last twenty-four hours, Lottie felt her gut instinct had deserted her. She couldn’t read the situation. She needed Boyd.

‘You really think so?’ Finn said, his hand falling lower. It was now at Mollie’s neck. She still hadn’t moved.

‘Sure. And that traveller,’ Cillian said, ‘he got what he deserved.’

‘He sure did. I burned his hovel to the ground. Now he’s got nothing. Living there all that time, laughing at us, and he never knew how close he was to Lynn. I thought that was funny.’

‘Finn?’ Cillian said.

‘Yeah, bro?’

‘You took Lynn, I can understand that. But Carol. Why’d you have to take her from me too?’

‘What’re you talking about?’ Finn said, his brow tightening in two straight lines.

Yeah, what are you talking about? Lottie thought.

‘You raped her. Why?’

With her body pressed to Cillian’s, his arm still around her neck, Lottie sensed the tears streaming down his face. She glanced down at his other hand, to see if he held a weapon, but saw nothing. She had to hear this.

‘Rape? I didn’t …’ Finn’s eyes flared at his brother.

‘You did. I know you did. Why?’

‘So you know everything, as usual.’ He pointed the scissors at Cillian, away from Mollie, though he still had his other arm around her waist. ‘You had Keelan and Saoirse. You had everything and you went and ruined it. Going around sticking it in that Carol slut. And me at home with fucking Sara the cuckoo clock. Tick tock. Time’s up.’

He moved swiftly. Lottie was quicker. She rammed her elbow into Cillian’s stomach, shoving him back against the steps. Lunging forward, she kicked Finn in the groin and wrestled the weapon from his hand as he doubled over. Mollie fell back and rolled under the bed.

Footsteps hammered on the ladder and Boyd vaulted over the prostrate Cillian, landing on top of Finn. Lottie squirmed as she heard the whirr of a motor. Finn brought the razor up to Boyd’s face, shredding his cheek. But he held on to Finn’s wrists until the razor dropped to the ground.

Lottie snapped a set of handcuffs on the abductor and blew out a sigh of relief. Then she coaxed Mollie from beneath the bed and hugged her. Boyd pulled Cillian’s hands together and cuffed him.

Before reading the two men their rights, Lottie glanced around the hovel and noticed the little paintings on the walls. Saw the name on them.

Then she saw the bones.