Chloe closed her eyes and stepped forward into the landing, preparing for the worst. She was right to expect a fight.
A man in his late thirties, disheveled and gruff, stormed out from the front room to see who had entered the house.
"What time do you fuckin’ call this?" he yelled, his 6’5” stocky frame towering over Chloe. "Where have you been?"
Chloe scowled and slipped her keys into her pocket. "I’ve been out."
"Not past fuckin’ midnight, you ain’t!" the man belted, clenching his fist.
Chloe looked past him and saw a woman, about the same age as the angry man, emerge from the front room. She looked upset, yet relieved. "Where have you been? We was worried sick!"
"I was out. I told you I was going out with a mate, didn’t I?" Chloe yelled back, utterly put-out by the intrusion into
