Chapter 20

Darci reached into her bra and pulled out the remaining fifty dollar note, handing it to the taxi driver. Will had left money alongside his note to pay for the hotel room, and luckily, there had been a little left over. She would never have made it in time if she'd been forced to walk all the way here from North Adelaide.

The beautiful twilight sky that had been full of pinks and purples during her visit to Stefan had turned to the deep blue of night. The sky was starless, and the moon was partially hidden behind a cloud, offering her no aid as she started up the road. There were a few houses with lights on that helped to guide her way, but she struggled to see and wasn't sure she would recognise the house even if she passed it since she had only had a brief glimpse of the outside during her escape.

Her legs began to protest, muscles screaming as she forced them onwards. Her throat was dry, each breath a scrape of sandpaper. With every step, the night seemed to grow darker, closing in around her. She was running out of time.

She reached a gravel path and was about to walk past it and continue up the road when something made her turn back and re-examine it. Nothing about it stood out, and yet, some instinct deep inside her yelled at her to take that path.

She wavered, fidgeting from one foot to the other, until she finally set off over the gravel. The rocks hurt, pressing into her feet as they slipped through the holes in the sandals Will had bought her, but she pressed on. She was just starting to wonder if the path led anywhere at all when it suddenly widened out and she found herself looking up at a house. Not just any house either, the house.

It rose, large and imposing. Most of the house was dark, lending it an air of abandonment. A light came on in a first floor room in the centre of the house, glowing eerily through the blinds.

Darci walked slowly forward, her gaze flicking left and right, waiting for the attack that she was sure would come. To her surprise and growing suspicion, nothing happened, and she made it to the front door unhindered.

It was only as she reached out to knock that someone appeared behind her. A hand clamped down on her mouth, and she was dragged backwards, pulled behind a row of bushes at the side of the house. She squirmed around, trying to get free, wriggling up and down.

Her captor laughed. "Feel free to keep moving like that as long as you like; it is rather pleasant."

Recognising Stefan's voice, Darci ceased struggling, and the hold on her slackened then disappeared. She rounded on him. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, naturally. No need to thank me." He reached out and took her hand. "Time to go home, cherie."

Darci snatched her hand back, taking a step away from him. "I'm not going anywhere without Will."

Stefan sighed. "I thought you might say that."

Darci didn't even see him move. The next thing she knew she was being lifted off the ground. She let out a little cry of protest as he swung her over his shoulder. He paid her no heed and simply patted her bottom, which was now up near his head. His arm lay across her legs, securing her in place, her own arms dangling helplessly down his back.

"Put me down!" She punched his back with her fists, but he ignored the assault and started walking.

To Darci's astonishment, instead of heading away from the house, he walked towards the front door, sauntering along as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Stefan, what are you doing?" she asked, jabbing him in the side.

"Trust me." He gave her leg a little pat, letting his hand linger just a little longer than appropriate.

Darci was just thinking he was enjoying this a little too much when she heard the sound of a catch being drawn back and the door opening. No one spoke, but she assumed some sort of silent exchange must have taken place, because a few seconds later, they were entering the house.