In a couple of minutes they were back on the main path where Sharon was leaning against the Capri, smoking a fag. ‘Caught up with her then?’ she said casually.

‘Don’t just stand there. Get the bloody door open!’

Sharon pulled a face at Wayne and then turned her attention to Sadie, looking her up and down with nothing but contempt in her eyes. ‘Get in then,’ she said, swinging open the back door.

Sadie didn’t move. She had a plan. It was a sketchy one, risky, but what choice did she have? The second she set foot in that car she was doomed. What she was about to do could be the craziest thing ever – or the smartest. She glanced hopefully along the length of the path, but it was still empty. And then, very carefully, she reached for the zip on her bag.

‘Oi! What are you doing?’ Wayne snarled.

Sadie paused and looked at him, all innocence. ‘Getting some tissues,’ she said. ‘Unless you want me to drip blood all over your upholstery.’

Sharon chucked her fag on the ground and ground it out with her heel. ‘She’s not bleeding all over my fuckin’ car.’

Wayne narrowed his cold nasty eyes, stared suspiciously at Sadie but eventually gave her a nod. ‘Make it snappy then.’

Sadie swallowed hard as she delved into the bag, her heart thumping wildly again. Was she really going to do this? But the outcome of the other option, the option of simply going along with their demands, was too terrifying to contemplate. It didn’t take a genius to work out that her life was in the balance. The Gissings wanted revenge and she’d served herself up on a plate to them.

Her fingers curled around the Beretta, but she had no second thoughts. It was now or never. As she pulled the gun out of the bag and pointed it at him, Wayne’s Gissing’s face was a picture. This was something he hadn’t been expecting. She saw his eyes widen in surprise, his mouth fall open.

‘What the…’

‘Get back!’ she demanded sharply. Her gaze flew quickly between her two would-be abductors. ‘Both of you. Stand together.’ And then, remembering Wayne’s knife, she added, ‘And put your hands up! Put your hands where I can see them!’

The Gissings followed her instructions. But now Sadie wasn’t sure what to do next. If she ran towards the gates, she’d have to turn her back on them and Wayne might still come after her. Perhaps she should use the car. Yes, that was a much better plan. She could take the Capri and dump it near the station. ‘I want the keys to the car.’ She stared at Wayne. ‘Take them out slowly. Use your left hand and throw them on the ground.’

‘And if I don’t?’

‘What do you think?’ Sadie said roughly, trying to sound like the sort of person who wouldn’t think twice about putting a bullet through his chest.

Sharon threw him a filthy look. ‘Just do what she says, okay? What are you playing at? She’s got a bleedin’ gun.’

‘Yeah, but she’s not going to use it.’

‘You reckon?’ Sadie said.

Wayne’s split lip curled with derision. After the initial shock, he was rapidly regaining his composure. ‘Do it then,’ he said mockingly. ‘Fuckin’ shoot me.’

Sadie’s hand was shaking, the gun jumping up and down. ‘I will,’ she said. ‘You think I won’t?’

Wayne slowly lowered his arms. ‘Go on then.’

Sadie glanced from him to the gun and back again. Shit, what now? He was calling her bluff and she didn’t even know if the damn thing was loaded. Come to that, she didn’t have a clue how it worked. It was all very well having her finger on the trigger but there must be some kind of safety device to stop it from firing.

Wayne was grinning now, sure that he was right. ‘You should be careful waving that around. It might go off.’

‘You’re the one who needs to be careful.’

He slowly lowered his arms and began to walk towards her. ‘Oh yeah?’

Sadie went into panic. Another few steps and he’d be on her. Manically, she tried to think of what to do. All those films she’d seen, all those cops-and-robbers dramas on TV. There was a lip on the top of the gun, a small piece of metal jutting up. Did she pull it back? Was that how it was done? He was getting closer now, taking his time, grinning from ear to ear. Well, what did she have to lose? Quickly, she slid back the lip and heard a satisfying click.

Wayne Gissing paused for a moment, his eyes glinting. ‘That thing ain’t loaded,’ he said. ‘We both know that, babe, so why don’t you just pass it over, huh?’

Sadie’s voice was shaking as much as her hand. ‘You… you want to take the chance?’

‘Wayne!’ Sharon said warningly.

Wayne glanced at his stepmother and laughed. ‘She’s taking the piss, hon. Look at her. It’s pathetic. She can hardly hold the bloody thing!’

Sadie was grasping the gun with both hands, desperately trying to keep it steady. ‘Stay back!’

Wayne took another step closer. ‘Or what?’

‘I’ll do it,’ she said with an edge of hysteria to her voice. ‘Come any closer and I’ll shoot.’ Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might burst. Beads of sweat had gathered on her forehead. She felt sick, scared and out of control. She couldn’t let him have the gun. She wouldn’t. The two of them would take her somewhere, a place where no one could find her. And then what? But she knew what. She’d never see daylight again.

Wayne gave a laugh, his mouth opening to reveal a row of brown stained teeth. ‘You’re finished, bitch.’

‘Get back!’

He shook his head and kept on moving forward. ‘Finished!’

And it was at that very moment when she could almost see the whites of his eyes that she aimed the gun down towards his legs and fired. The sound was explosive, a sudden loud bang that seemed to shake the very air. She felt the recoil run the length of her arm. She saw the shock on Wayne Gissing’s face before he dropped to the ground and rolled on his side, his hands madly clasping his right thigh. A weird thin animalistic noise escaped from his throat.

‘What have you done?’ Sharon screeched. ‘You’ve shot him! You’ve fuckin’ shot him!’

Sadie stood there, paralysed, unable to move. She could see the blood on his trouser leg, an ever expanding circle. She seemed surrounded by a sudden cacophony of noise: the echo of the gunfire, the sound of the birds rising from the trees, Wayne groaning, Sharon screaming. The gun slipped from her fingers, fell on the concrete and skittered away.

And still Sadie stood there, incapable of running. Her legs had turned to lead. She stared down at Wayne Gissing writhing in agony. Oh God! Horrified she raised her hand and clamped it over her mouth. Was he dying right in front of her? Oh Jesus! Sharon was kneeling at his side, trying to help, trying to stem the relentless flow of blood. Everything had gone into slow motion. Nothing felt real. She had pulled the trigger and now…

She was only faintly aware of the man running towards them from the gates. She could hear his pounding footsteps on the path and yet they seemed oddly muffled. It was all like a bad dream, a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. It was the police, perhaps. Yes, the police were coming to arrest her.

‘Sadie!’

She stared blankly back at the man, his face gradually coming into focus. Nathan Stone. She didn’t understand. What was he doing here?

‘Come on,’ he said, grabbing hold of her arm and trying to pull her away from the scene.

‘What?’ she said stupidly.

‘Shift it!’ he said. ‘Run! For fuck’s sake, what’s the matter with you?’

Sadie looked down at Wayne again. ‘I’ve shot him.’

‘I can see that.’

‘I can’t just…’

‘Can’t just what? Stay here and wait for the bloody law to arrive?’ Stone started to drag her along the path. A few feet on, he let go of her arm, bent down, scooped up the gun and shoved it in his pocket. ‘Come on,’ he urged again. ‘Sadie!’

The urgency in his voice eventually got through to her. She gave a start, her survival instinct kicking in, and began to run. He grabbed hold of her hand and together they sprinted to the exit. The Daimler was parked in the street, a few yards from the gates. He opened the passenger door, bundled her inside and then dashed round to the other side. Jumping in, he quickly started the engine, put his foot down and roared away from the kerb.