34
As I stood, momentarily transfixed at the sight of the woman on the stairs, Steve stepped forward, slammed the front door and stood with his back to it, facing me. If I wanted to leave, it seemed I was going to have to barge him out of the way first. Even though he wasn’t particularly tall or bulky, as a man he was bound to be stronger than me. He watched me closely, ready to react if I moved, while I struggled to conceal my shock.
‘Who’s she?’ the woman demanded, glaring at me from her position halfway down the stairs. ‘What’s she doing here?’
It was a reasonable enough question, given that I was a stranger in the house, but there was something savage in the curl of her lips that made me tremble.
‘My name is Emily,’ I replied, forcing a smile. ‘I was just leaving – my dog needed
