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Prologue

The pavelas-Brown hurried up the deserted high street Her high heels click-clacked in the quiet, frequently breaking rhythm – a result of all the vodka she’d consu fro a cold aseptic void Shop s slid past, bathed in darkness, broken only by a griht An Indian low of his laptop, but didn’t notice as she stalked past

Andrea was so fuelled by anger, so intent on leaving the pub behind, that she only questioned where she was going when the shop ere replaced by large houses set back from the pavement A skeleton of el into the starless sky She stopped and leant against a wall to catch her breath Blood roared through her body, and the icy air burned as she pulled it into her lungs Turning back, she saw she’d come quite far, and was halfway up the hill The road stretched away behind, a slick of treacle bathed in sodiue with the train station at its base, which was shuttered in darkness The silence and the cold pressed down on her The only move air She tucked her pink clutch bag under her arm, and, satisfied no one was around, lifted the front of her tiny dress and retrieved an iPhone frolittered lazily under the orange street lights The screen showed there was no signal She cursed, tucked it back into her underwear and unzipped the tiny pink clutch Nestling inside was an older iPhone, it too had Swarovski bling, but several of its crystals were nal

Panic climbed in Andrea’s chest as she looked around The houses were set back froates If she could reach the crest of the hill, she’d probably get reception And screw it, she thought, she would call her father’s driver She’d think of an explanation why she was south of the river She buttoned up her tiny leather jacket, wrapped her arms over her chest and set off up the hill, the old iPhone still cradled in her hand like a talisman

The sound of a car engine ru into the headlights, feeling even s Her hopes that it was a taxi were dashed when she saw the roof of the car was low and there was no ‘for hire’ sign She turned away and carried on walking The sound of the car engine grew louder, and then the headlights were on top of her, casting a large circle of light on the pavehts were still on her; she could allare The car slowed, and crawled along a few feet behind

She felt furious when she realised whose car it was With a flick of her long hair, she turned back and carried on walking The car accelerated a little, drawing level The ere tinted black A sound syste her ears itch She stopped abruptly The car came to a halt seconds later, then reversed the few feet back so the driver’s as now level with her The sound systeine hummed

Andrea leaned over and peered at the inky glass of the tinted , but only her face reflected back She leant down and tried the door, but it was locked She banged on the ith the flat of her pink clutch bag and tried the door again

‘I’ames, I meant what I said back there!’ she shouted ‘Either open the door oror’

The car re

Or what? it seemed to say

Andrea tucked her bag under her arer, and stalked away, clie tree straddled the edge of the pave its thick trunk between her and the car’s headlights, she checked the phone again, holding it out above her head for a signal The sky was starless, and the browny-orange cloud seeainst it The car slowly inched forward and came to a halt beside the tree

Fear began to trickle through Andrea’s body Staying in the shadow of the tree, she scanned her surroundings Thick hedges lined the pavements on both sides of the road, which stretched away up ahead into a blur of suburban gloo between two large houses She could just n, which read: dulwich 1¼

‘Catch me if you can,’ she murmured She took a breath, and ht her foot on one of the thick tree roots bulging up under the paveh her ankle as it folded under her She lost balance, her clutch bag and phone skidding away as her hip hit the corner of the kerb and she tu the tarlare of the car headlights