I smile a little.Even royal ones.‘Oh. I suppose I am.’
‘Shall we go in?’
I take a step forward. But something about the way he’s standing there as still as a statue, amber eyes unblinking, makes me hesitate.
‘Come now. The night isn’t getting any younger, and neither are we. I hear you’re a girl who likes to have fun, and I promise it will be an experience to remember.’ He places a gloved hand softly on my cheek, and I smell expensive leather and the sweet trace of roses. He must have some planted in the garden. But why on earth am I dithering out here when I could be inside with him? I smile, feeling a little dazzled, and walk without a worry or a care through the gate.
Chapter 7
Elliott | Edinburgh, 1983
The van is careening all over the road. Whoever Sadie is, she needs to enrol in a driver education programme. I’m tempted to call out some disparaging remarks about women drivers, but I think it will piss her off even further.
But I can’t stop her either as, weirdly, my limbs are pinned to the floor in the back of the van, so I can’t move. On one hand, it’s a good thing. I’m not being flung against the walls every time she makes a sharp turn. But also very bad as I’m worried that she’s injected me with some kind of drug to make my body heavy. I’m not sure what that would be, but I’m starting to realise I’ve made a huge mistake in inviting her to the dressing room at all (though I was surprised to hear the words coming out of my mouth!). One of the clauses in my contract specifically says not to interact with fans as they may be temporarily insane and that I should keep my distance wherever possible.
It’s the logical explanation to what’s going on: Sadie is a deranged Duran Duran fan, and she’s kidnapped me. All I can do is stay alert and grab something to use as a weapon when we stop. Because I’m not sure what she’s going to do when she gets me to her place, and that scares the bejesus out of me.
After a while, the van jerks to a stop, and I assume we’re now in the city centre. A car swooshes past on the wet street, and yellow light spills into the back of the van through the windscreen. Sadie gets out, and her high heels tip-tap to the back door. I test my hands, and they come free off the floor, and my legs can move now too. The drug must have worn off! I have seconds to spare.
Quickly, I crawl on my hands and knees to the box of guitar gear that I was looking through earlier before all this happened. I know for certain that there’s a tuning fork in there. I wish I had a goddamn Uzi to scare the life out of this woman, but me wielding a tuning fork will hopefully make her back off. Yes! I was right. I crouch in readiness, gripping the tuning fork tightly. When the door swings open to reveal Sadie, she stares at me in surprise, as if she wasn’t expecting me to be armed.That’s right you, nutter. I’m not going down without a fight!
A cold waft of winter air rushes over my neck, and I shiver. I wield the tuning fork like a tiny sword in front ofme and say in a low menacing tone, ‘Back away from the van, and I won’t hurt you.’
Sadie’s eyes drop to the tuning fork, and she smirks. ‘What are you going to do with that? Make sure I’m playing at the right pitch?’
She takes a step forward, and I stab viciously at the air. ‘I mean it.’
‘I’m sure you do, Elliott Blythe,’ she says in a smooth unconcerned tone. ‘But resistance is futile. You’re coming with me, whether you like it or not.’
Before I can ask how the hell she knows my name, the tuning fork drops out of my hand and clatters harmlessly to the van floor. My legs hop down from the van, and I start lurching towards one of the doors in the tenement flats we’re parked next to.What are you doing, legs?Going into Sadie’s flat wasn’t the plan. It’s the last thing I want to do! But I can’t seem to stop and make myself run away. It’s like my legs are possessed by some unseen force.
The van door slams behind me. Then a finger pokes me between the shoulder blades.
‘Keep walking. Luckily for you, we live in a basement flat, not the top floor.’
I moan softly in terror. The word ‘basement’ sounds ominous. And who’s ‘we’? Am I about to encounter more wacko Duran Duran fans?
Feeling like I’m in a nightmare, my legs descend the short flight of steps to an overgrown courtyard and then underneath an archway. However, I’m slightly too tall to fit under it easily, and the top of my head scrapes against the edge. I whine in pain.
‘Whoops, sorry about that,’ says Sadie lightly behind me. ‘Forgot to make you duck.’
What the hell does that mean?I wonder.Is Sadie controlling me? But how?Unease skitters down my spine. I’m starting to think that she’s something other than a loopy fan. Something much worse.
‘Knock on the door,’ demands Sadie, and despite trying with all my might not to, my hand lifts and raps the lion’s head door knocker.
It opens, and a pretty young woman with short punkish hair looks back at me. She’s around my height, wearing ripped jeans and a black T-shirt and looks a bit like the lead singer from Siouxsie and the Banshees. Her pale skin and big violet eyes seem to glow, but there are no lights on in the flat behind her. We’re standing in darkness.
‘Hello. Who are you?’ she asks curiously.
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
‘He’s with me’ comes Sadie’s voice from behind my left shoulder.
My body jerks forward, and it’s likeI’m being urged to step into the flat by unseen hands.No,I think.I will not go in there.But the force is too strong; and I stumble forward, past the surprised woman, and go for a small slide along the entryway rug. It smells sweet in here, like someone’s gone to town with the floral air freshener. My pulse elevates.Is it to cover the smell of dead bodies?
Whispering ensues behind me, and I stand stock-still (not that I have any other choice) and listen intently. What they say may be important for figuring out what on earth’s going to happen to me. And also be used as evidence in court if I ever manage to escape. Which I’m determined to do.
But the brief snatch of conversation I hear between the two women only consists of: ‘What the fuck, Sadie?’ and ‘Shh, listen’.
