A stick cracked nearby. She half-turned, expecting to see someone approaching. She waited, watching the bushes intently, listening hard against the backdrop of the sea. A cloud passed in front of the moon, causing a shift in the light, offering new shadows to her overactive imagination. Conscious of holding her breath, she absently toyed with the braid tied around her wrist. Satisfied she was alone, she resumed her walk towards the beach.
Footsteps. She started and spun. This time a figure stepped from the brush alongside the path. Putting a hand on her chest, she smiled as she took a deep breath.
“Oh, it’s you.” She could hear the relief in her voice. “You startled me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“That’s… what are you doing out here?”
“I saw you were alone. I thought you might want some company.”
She was on edge. The clandestine approach. The casual words. The easy smile. She felt her own smile fading as she looked back to the pub, a beacon of light amid the houses in darkness dotted around nearby.
“No… no, I don’t,” she said, hesitantly. This offer wasn’t on her terms. For once, she felt out of control. “I wanted to be alone for a bit.”
“Really? Who wants to be alone?”
She backed up, trying to put some space between them, registering a change in demeanour. It didn’t work. Her instincts asserted themselves, screaming at her internally, and she turned, thinking to run only to catch her footing and stumble. Putting out a hand to break her fall, she still hit the ground hard. She may feel like she’d sobered up, but clearly her body disagreed. A figure appeared over her as the clouds cleared and they were bathed in silver light.
“Here, let me help you.”
A hand was extended to her, and reluctantly she reached up and took it. Rising to her feet, she dusted herself down.
“Thanks. I… I don’t know what happened there.”
The smell of cigarette smoke was dominant, overpowering that of beer. They were close to one another, closer than she would like.
“So, do you want some company?”
She shook her head almost imperceptibly. “No, thank you. I’d rather be alone tonight.”
“No one wants to be alone.”
The next book in the series;
Kill Them Cold
Hidden Norfolk - Book 7
The Hidden Norfolk Series
One Lost Soul
Bury Your Past
Kill Our Sins
Tell No Tales
Hear No Evil
Life and Death*
*FREE eBook - A Hidden Norfolk novella
The Dark Yorkshire Series
Divided House
Blacklight
The Dogs in the Street
Blood Money
Fear the Past
The Sixth Precept
The Dark Yorkshire Box Sets
Dark Yorkshire Books 1-3
Dark Yorkshire Books 4-6
Audiobooks
The entire Dark Yorkshire series is available in audio format, read by the award-winning Greg Patmore.
Divided House
Blacklight
The Dogs in the street
Blood Money
Fear the Past
The Sixth Precept
Audiobook Box Sets
Dark Yorkshire Books 1-3
Dark Yorkshire Books 4-6
*Hidden Norfolk audiobooks arriving 2020
