Save Her, Abigail Osborne [ebook reader for surface pro txt] 📗

away, out of the window so that Sophie would not see the tears welling in her eyes. But Sophie would not have noticed. She was beating the steering wheel, her hair unruly. Almost all of it had now escaped the confines of her hair tie. It was such a contrast from her usual chic appearance, she seemed almost deranged. Sophie hit the steering wheel with a strength that belied her thin frame. One more time she twisted the key in the ignition and seemed to sag with relief when it finally caught and the engine whirred into life. But Flora didn’t really care. Sophie had never spoken to her with such venom before. The way she had looked at her… It was as if she hated her. Wiping at the tears, Flora tried to reconcile this maniacal woman with the best friend she loved.

Sophie is just stressed, she reasoned. She had lived with a violent bully for so long and it was obvious she was terrified of him. It was understandable then that she was anxious that their escape did not go wrong. After all, Sophie was making all the decisions, she was the one taking all the steps. It was all on her shoulders. The pressure must be immense. Flora thought back to Sophie’s face when she was telling her about her other failed escape attempts and the things that Greg had done. Now she had involved Flora, that would probably incite even worse repercussions. No wonder she was lashing out. If it was left to Flora, she would have over-analysed everything so much so that she’d still be in her back garden deciding on a name for Plan A, whereas Sophie had Plans A, B and C, probably all the way through to Plan Z.

Thankfully, when Sophie put her foot down on the accelerator, the car was too old to respond as quickly as the BMW, so Flora was not treated to another nauseating rollercoaster ride. When they hit the A-roads, Flora reached for Sophie’s hand which was resting on her lap. She squeezed it gently and felt a rush of happiness when Sophie squeezed it back. Everything was okay again. Flora didn’t ask where they were going or what was next. She knew that Sophie had everything under control. Her job was just to be there to support her. She trusted Sophie with her life after all.

When she would look back on this moment, she would despair at how naïve she had been.

60

Ever since their confrontation in the pub, Alistair had kept a very close eye on Sophie. He had attended all of her meetings, he sent her constant emails asking questions about decisions that she had made, he’d even turned up at their house, telling Greg he fancied a drink with his son, but spent the whole time staring at Sophie. Everywhere she turned he was there. He was trying to intimidate her, but it wouldn’t work.

Fate had given her a weapon against this man. She knew he was not all powerful and infallible and she had to use that to her advantage. Stealing the money was not enough to keep them under control. She could see that now. Luckily, in the rucksack behind her seat she had the tools to overpower Alistair, to ensure that he not only let them go, but that he would ensure the whole family would toe the line. Sophie had tried to explain it to Flora. Alistair’s whole world was built on reputation. You could have all the money in the world but if people didn’t trust you, if they knew who you really were, that money may as well be Monopoly money. No one would want an investment from Cavendish & Sons if there was a whiff of a scandal. The investors would take their money and run, and the building blocks would fall until the entire company collapsed.

Sophie had the power to do that. It had fallen into her hands at Alistair’s birthday party and she could not believe her luck. She just had to work out the best way to use it. If she used what she had to bring down Cavendish & Sons, she would make a dangerous enemy. Although Alistair would lose money, he would not be penniless and there was no doubt he would spend his remaining days trying to track her down and exact some form of heinous revenge. No, it seemed far safer to hand over what she had in return for their freedom.

Pulling up at the estate, it was so dark she could barely see her hand in front of her face. She pulled out her phone and turned on the torch and Flora did the same. Flora was quiet and Sophie was surprised she had not asked any more questions. It seemed Flora had realised that Sophie knew best and that she needed to trust her. All Sophie had done since she had met Flora was make sure she was safe and happy and she wasn’t about to stop now.

Sophie groped blindly in the back seat, wincing as her fingers brushed the contents of a takeout container. She was glad she couldn’t see what it was. She pulled her hand back and wiped whatever it was on her jeans. Reaching back in she managed to find the rucksack and pulled it out gingerly, not wanting to jostle the contents too much.

The estate was the first investment she had made, the impossible challenge that Alistair had set for her on her first day at the company. The client was finally building the first estate of flat-pack, affordable homes. Only one had been built so far, a show home for buyers. She had helped him secure this beautiful plot of land. It had a campsite feeling as it was surrounded by a man-made forest of Douglas fir trees. They passed by the domineering trees, which were dancing and swaying in the bracing wind. Street lights had been erected but were yet