The Invitation: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist by Rachel Abbott

Author:Rachel Abbott [Abbott, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838886677
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2020-04-15T20:00:00+00:00

Forty-Seven

As I turn the corner to the wide, empty terrace, I stop in my tracks and look around. I can’t see anyone, but there is a dark archway beneath the outside staircase and I don’t know if anyone is standing there in the shadows. The door to the dining room stands open, a gaping black void now the candles are all out. Is someone hiding, waiting for me to walk past? There are no sounds of Nina and Lucas arguing as there were last year.

The distance from the corner to the staircase is no more than twenty metres, but it feels like a mile, and I slip my shoes off, walking on the warm flagstones in my bare feet so I can hear footsteps if anyone else is near.

I reach the bottom step and glance up. The light over our French windows is on, and I sigh with relief as I run up the stairs, only stopping at the top as I realise that all this time the door has been unlocked. Someone could have been in. They could be in there now.

I push open the door and stand well back, but the room is empty and I can finally breathe again. I check the bathroom, the wardrobe, even under the bed, but there is no one there. I open the drawers. Are they as we left them? Has someone been in here, examining our things? I don’t know; I can’t tell.

The room seems claustrophobic so I creep back out onto the balcony. I am jittery, unsettled, and I can’t help wondering if Lucas is right. Does one of us hold a vital piece of the puzzle?

An icy shiver runs up my spine. I think of Alex’s face, of how the poor child suffered so badly at the hands of those monsters, and how even on the day she died she was scared of someone – one of us.

I’m not sure if I’m safe out here, looking down on the empty terrace below. If anyone comes up the steps, I will hear them, see them. But if they come through the bedroom, I won’t know they’re behind me. I cast an anxious glance over my shoulder. The room is empty, the door closed. I wish there was a lock.

I gaze out over the trees towards the sea. In the failing light, the water seems menacing, hypnotic, as if it’s waiting – perhaps to seize another body tonight. There isn’t a breath of air, no rustle of leaves to offer background accompaniment to the rhythmic whoosh of the waves washing over the pebbles. And no sounds of voices or laughter either. Where is everyone?

Something is niggling at the back of my mind, trying to force the anxiety to one side, but I can’t grasp the thought. It’s to do with the photo of Alex that Lucas took last year, but it won’t come to me.

I feel so restless. I get ready for bed, climb on top of the covers and push

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.