Page 74 of Never Tell Lies

“It looks like you’ve trashed the place. What happened here?”

“That was all her fault.” Keira pointed at me, wobbled, then leaned against the wall for support. “She fell off the ladder.” She pointed at the broken ladder lying a few feet from me and he followed her gaze. I watched his jaw set, clenching and unclenching. I suddenly felt very sober. He turned his gaze on me and I wilted under the fury of it.

“We’re leaving.” He bent and hoisted me over his shoulder, caveman style.

“Hey, dick-wipe! You aren’t taking her anywhere!” From my upside down position I could see Keira’s feet planted firmly in the doorway. She yanked me out of his arms. I swayed, the wine coupled with the headrush of being pulled around wasn’t doing me any good.

Alfie stopped but his body was humming with tension.

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you just called me a dick-wipe and instead, offer to hire a team of decorators for you if you let us leave.”Wait, what?There was no way she would agree to that.

Keira was still scowling at him. “Sure, I’m just going to trade my friend in for a new paint job.”

“I’m not going to hurt her, I promise.”

Keira glanced at me, uncertainty plain on her face. She didn’t know what to make of him anymore than I did.

“It’s fine. I’ll go with him.” I had no interest in putting Keira in the middle of my drama.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll even make sure you get a new ladder out of it.” I had time to kiss her briefly on the cheek before Alfie pulled me towards the door.

In his car, the world swayed a little as he pulled out into traffic.

“Why did you come here tonight?” I slurred and his grip tightened on the steering wheel. He was pissed. Really pissed. “Fine, don’t answer me then.” I turned my gaze out the window, intending to ignore him, but the outside world blurring past had me feeling nauseous so I shut my eyes tight. When I opened them again I realised we were going in the exact opposite direction of my house.

“Hey, why aren’t you taking me home?”

“I’m taking you to my hotel.”

“I want you to take me home. My sister is expecting me. She’ll be wondering where I am.” That was a lie. I’d already texted her to say I was staying at Keira’s, but he didn’t need to know that. He ignored me and kept driving. “Take me home, Alfie,” I repeated but he continued to ignore me.

“Take me home!” I kicked the glove box of his stupid expensive car. “Take me home!” With a snarl, he turned off the main road, taking us up a country lane. I had no idea what his plan was but this wasn’t the way to anywhere. Suddenly, with so much force I was thrown back in my seat, he swung the car off the road and into a field. We came to a halt and only then, when he’d turned the engine off and undone his seat belt, did he turn his eyes on me.

“I was at my friend’s house,” I snapped before he could start lecturing me. “We had a couple of drinks, Alfie, that’s it. You have no right to treat me like this. I’m not a child! I want you to take me home right now.”

“No.”

“Natalie will be worried and I can’t call her because my phone is still at Keira’s since you didn’t give me time to grab it before you dragged me out of there like a caveman!” I yelled, my face flushed, my hands shaking with outrage.

“Your sister is expecting you home any minute?”

“Yes.”

“Really?” He cocked his head and gave me that look, the one that was about to call bullshit. “So you were going to drive home drunk?”

“What? No, I?—”

“So you were going to stay at Keira’s instead?”

“No,” I lied, trying to fight the feeling I was being backed into a corner.

“Well, which is it? You were either going to sleep it off at Keira’s and your sister knew you wouldn’t be home, or you were going to drive home drunk. Which one is it, Lola?” I blazed at him, spitting mad. He knew he had me.

“That’s what I thought,” he spat and, without another word, he started the car, reversed out of the field and had us speeding to The Carlton. I wanted to throw myself out of the car and run away but I couldn’t because the arrogant fucker had slammed the child locks on as soon as we were on the road.

We sat in cold silence for the rest of the journey. I was way too drunk to deal with this. When we finally arrived at The Carlton, I didn’t wait for him to get my door for me. I launched myself out of the Aston Martin, slamming the door so hard he winced.Good.

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