Thought it was about time I started putting the rest of this on the site. The prologue is on here somewhere.

VOLKA - CHAPTER ONE

21st December

Lenny’s eyes were smarting from the smoky atmosphere of the crowded bar. It was just before midnight when she decided to go home; she realised she could no longer hear what anyone was saying as they roared to be heard over the throbbing music. Besides, the forced Yuletide joviality fuelled by large amounts of alcohol only served to make her feel even more alienated from the outside world and desperate to retreat to the sanctity of her home. Still, it was business mixed with pleasure. Steve was the director of a local artists’ co-operative and a useful person to know.

Draining her glass, she grabbed Steve by the arm to get his attention. ‘I’m going now,’ she shouted. ‘Thanks for inviting me along.’

‘The pleasure’s all mine, sweetheart!’ he shouted back. ‘You okay to get home?’

Lenny nodded.

‘Alright, well, have a good Christmas, darling. Give my regards to that gorgeous brother of yours!’  He wrapped her in a huge hug and planted a sloppy, drunk kiss on her cheek.

She stood just outside the door for a few seconds, drawing in a couple of deep clean breaths and enjoying the crisp winter air on her flushed cheeks. A bouncer gently touched her elbow and asked if she was alright. Lenny smiled in thanks and wished him a Merry Christmas before stepping down onto the street.

Minicabs slowed and pipped their horns, touting for her fare, but she ignored them. It was only a fifteen minute walk home but it would have taken longer by car, given the one-way system that coiled around the town of Bedford like a Gordian knot.

As she left the High Street, the revelling crowds dispersed. There were fewer cars on the road and Lenny could hear her own footsteps as the sound bounced of the terraced houses. She soon reached a small parade of shops of which only the late night convenience store was still open. She pushed against the heavy door, causing a buzzer to sound. A small gaggle of teenagers lurked by the magazines, while a man bought cigarettes at the counter. They all looked up at the noise, making her feel exposed and uneasy.

Grabbing a couple of chocolate bars, Lenny approached the cash desk and gave the cashier the exact money. She stashed the bars in her shoulder bag and headed back out into the night. The man who had bought the cigarettes was now standing outside the door, tearing away the foil paper. Putting a cigarette in his mouth, he caught her eye briefly as she passed then turned his attention to lighting up. The flare of amber light in his cupped hands made shadows dance briefly about his face.

Beyond the parade the street fell still again. There were no pedestrians; the now very occasional car slicing through puddles and disappearing into a side street. A cat scampered across the road, a small dead creature swinging limply in its jaws. It paused to give Lenny a belligerent stare before creeping low-bellied and unguilty to shelter beneath a parked van.

Unbidden, the back of Lenny’s neck prickled with the portent of being watched. Without breaking her stride, she glanced casually around but could see no one else on the street. Still, she pushed her hand deep into her coat pocket and closed her fist around her keys as she turned the corner.

Crossing the road gave Lenny another chance to scan her surroundings. Many of the houses were unlit and closed up for the night. A few Christmas trees twinkled in front room windows while one house had covered a small tree with a net of tiny bright white lights. She cast her gaze wider but still the street was empty.

Further down, a small garage lot had been squeezed between the houses. Lenny turned into it as it cut directly through to her street and took a couple of minutes off her journey. Instantly, she knew it was a mistake.

‘Hello, Eleanor.’ The greeting was softly spoken, a sudden presence at her side. Lenny gave a small gasp of surprise and, in her hurry to turn around to see who spoke, stumbled over her own feet on the uneven ground. She staggered, landing on her knees and losing her grip on the keys she held so fast as she flung out her arms to break the fall. She heard them clatter across the concrete but didn’t have time to locate them before she was pulled up onto her feet.

‘You okay?’  Heart hammering, palms grazed and stinging, Lenny nodded dumbly. She was relieved to recognise a familiar face but caught herself wishing it was someone else. Christian, from the art shop. He had come up behind her so quietly it really quite spooked her. He was always pleasant and attentive towards her in the shop but since David’s death, she always felt under his scrutiny and it was unsettling.

They never talked about the accident because she didn’t want to encourage any kind of intimacy. Christian wasn’t the only person she held at arm’s length since David died but she knew he was the only one who would, one day, ask to see her outside their carefully defined boundaries of customer and shopkeeper. She didn’t know if she was ready to move on but she was certain it wouldn’t be Christian who would help her eventually turn the corner.

‘Good night out?’  His casual tone did not match the intensity in his eyes.

‘What?  Oh, yes, well, you know – just work really,’ Lenny replied, making to resume her journey home. She stopped abruptly, eyes sweeping the floor.

‘My keys – could you help me find them?  I think they went that way,’ she said, pointing into the shadows. Christian did not move.

‘Who was he?’

‘Pardon?’

He stepped closer. ‘The man you were talking to in the bar tonight, who was he?’

‘Steve?  Like I said, work.’  She scowled, ‘Not that it’s any of your business.’ Immediately, she realised it was the wrong thing to say. His eyes narrowed, his lips pulled thin.

‘It’s not my business?  Eleanor, everything you do is my business. You – make – it – my – business.’

These last words were hissed through clenched teeth. Before she could reply, he propelled her forcefully backwards into the darkest corner of the garage block. The back of Lenny’s head connected heavily with a metal up-and-over door.

‘You – everything is for you, Eleanor. Don’t you understand?  Don’t you see?  I have always been there for you. Before David and ever since. Every day, waiting, hoping you would shine a little of your light on me.’

‘Oh, Christian, no…’ she said, as the implication of his words sunk in. He pressed on, his words rough and rasping with pent up emotion.

‘You as good as stabbed me in the heart when you married David. But I forgave you, Eleanor. I welcomed you back and made the shop a haven for you. Your safe place in the world where I could watch over you and protect you. I did that – I did that for you.’

Lenny tried to kick-start her mind – shout, fight, do something, you stupid woman – but her body didn’t respond. And who would come, anyway?  The few windows she could see were in darkness. His hands were holding her face, stroking her cheeks gently, his body blocking any path of escape.

‘And now,’ he sighed, dropping his hands to knead her shoulders. ‘After all these years, I’m sent to the back of the queue.’

‘No, Christian, this is wrong. This is not how it-’  Christian clamped a hand over her mouth, leaning in closer to whisper in her ear.

‘Betrayal, Eleanor. I wouldn’t have thought it of you but now I see. You shut me out with your secrets and you lie with your silence. After all I have done for you, my thanks is your betrayal when it should be your love.’

At last, adrenaline surged through her; knowing she couldn’t push him away, she tried to drop and squirm her way out of Christian’s grasp but he was too quick. Grabbing her wrist, he flung her back against the garage door, holding her with one hand around her throat. She could feel passion and anger shaking his body. Again, she tried to break away but with a whip-like motion, Christian struck her across the face. Lenny crumpled to a crouching position, blinded by tears of pain, her mouth forming a silent ‘oh’.

Christian pulled her legs out straight and knelt between them, all the time keeping one hand against her throat. He squeezed too tightly and when she tried to speak, she was rewarded with another sharp blow across her cheek. She tasted blood in her mouth.

Sensing her submission, Christian relaxed slightly. Lenny flinched when he brought his free hand up to her cheek again and was astonished to see a look of concern pass over his features. Gently, he ran a finger over the contours of her face and brushed away a lock of loose hair.

‘I’m sorry, Eleanor’ he murmured. ‘I am so sorry. It wasn’t every meant to be like this. I had it all worked out, I was pacing myself. Didn’t want to rush things. It’s my fault; I made you wait too long. I should have acted sooner and maybe you wouldn’t have…’

He faltered, as if his thoughts were too painful to express. Suddenly he took her face in his hands and, before she could react, was kissing her. Lenny involuntarily retched and tried to pull herself away from those awful lips, that sour breath. Christian, angered by her rejection, grabbed Lenny’s coat lapels and slammed her back against the door, causing her to cry out loud. The sound was greeted by the barking of a distant dog but still no lights came on. She was alone in the dark with a maniac.

The impact had started a roaring in her ears and Lenny had to close her eyes to stop the spinning sensation. Christian seemed to take this as a sign of surrender. She felt his hands pulling at her clothes; clumsy, sweaty long-fingered hands touching the skin of her stomach and waist.

Then a gasp and he was gone.

Lenny heard a scuffle, a grunt and then silence apart from her thudding heart, threatening to burst out of her ribs. She didn’t dare open her eyes for fear this was just a brief respite and yet, the silence continued. As the reality of what had just happened crept up on her, fear and relief mingled together, screaming through every pore in her body, unable to find a vent. All she could do was pull her knees up and make herself very small.

She heard a soft footsteps approaching; they paused, a jingle of keys and then the touch of a hand on her shoulder. Lenny jerked with a cry as if she had been electrocuted.

‘Oh!  Sorry!’  An alarmed male voice, not Christian’s. She looked up to see the man from the convenience store, the cigarette smoker. He crouched down, gently clasping her hands between his own. They were large, warm and so very sure. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘You’re safe now – he’s gone.’

She could not help it; the sobs came in huge waves. Without hesitation, the man pulled her forward into his arms. She buried her face into his broad chest and bawled and bawled. All the time, he held her close, rocking her and telling her it was all over.

As the car drove away, a shadow broke away from the shelter of a nearby porch. Moving into a pool of hazy peach light, it took the form of a blond, rangy man. He watched the car as it turned at the end of the street, a triumphant smirk exaggerating the sharpness of his features. Not only had his hunt come to an end but the way forward had just presented itself as an enticing opportunity. Turning on his heel, he swiftly crossed over the road, through the garage block and out the other side. He quickly scanned the street and found what he was looking for.

Christian was making very slow and painful progress along the pavement. As the man approached, he looked up with a hostile expression on his bruised and bloody face.

‘You look like shit,’ the man observed calmly.

‘What’s it got to do with you?’ Christian spat. He broke into a coughing fit, wrapping his arms around his ribs to ease the pain. The man placed a long-fingered hand on his shoulder and waited for him to stop before answering.

‘More than you could possibly imagine.’