out of here, then call the police. Go, Danny. Go. Please.
‘So, are we OK, Gemma? I’ve told you everything now, and it’s over, OK? And I promise, I promise, that I’ll never do anything like that again, Gem. So we’re OK, aren’t we? You promised not to say anything, and you won’t, will you? You’ll keep your promise?’
He moved even closer, his lips brushing my earlobe, his voice lowering to a whisper.
‘Quinn’s been driving around, waiting for me. I’ll call him in a minute, and he’ll come and get me, get us both to the airport,’ he said. ‘It’s just the two of you now, who know what really happened these past few months. And I can trust Quinn. He’s family. He’s decided to come with me for now, and I know that whatever happens in the future, he’ll never tell what he knows. He hates it, what I’ve done. But he’s part of it now. He’s always had my back and he always will. And you will too, Gem, won’t you? You’re family too, and we still love each other, don’t we? Despite everything? So promise me again. Promise me one more time that you’ll say nothing, that you’ll forget all about what I’ve just told you. Please. Promise me. And then I’ll go.’
For a moment I stood there, frozen, horrified, incredulous. Yes, I’d promised not to tell anyone his little secret, but that was before, that was when I thought the secret was that he’d met some other woman or something … something small, something stupid, something inconsequential. Not this. Not this … this horror story. He expected me to keep quiet about this? How could anyone …?
Suddenly, unexpectedly, a white-hot flood of rage surged through me, and in one swift moment I raised my hands and pushed him hard in the chest, so hard that, taken by surprise, he staggered backwards, almost falling over.
‘NO!’ I screamed.
His eyes widened, shock registering on his face.
‘What?’
‘NO!’ I yelled again. ‘NO, I WILL NOT KEEP QUIET ABOUT THIS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, DANNY?’
He opened his mouth to speak, taking a step towards me, but I held up a hand.
‘Stay away from me, Danny.’
‘But …’
‘Stay away from me.’
My mind was racing. How to play this? He must know, he must, that I couldn’t keep this quiet. That I wouldn’t. But how far would he go to stop me? He’d killed people, he’d just told me that. Would he hurt me? He’d just told me he loved me … I took a deep breath and made a decision. He was still standing a few feet away, silent, waiting.
‘I want you to get out of this house, now,’ I said. I was surprised at how steady my voice sounded, how calm. ‘And then I’m calling the police. I am, Danny, I’m sorry. When I made that promise, I had no idea … but I’m going to give you a chance, Danny. For the sake of us, for everything we had, I’ll wait before I make the call, give you a head start. You can still get away, OK? What do you need, fifteen, twenty minutes, something like that? So call Quinn, now, get him to come and pick you up and go, OK? And I’ll wait for a bit, and then I’ll make the call.’
I was lying, obviously. I’d be on that phone the second he was out of the door.
‘OK, Danny? That’s fair, isn’t it?’
No reply. Danny was still motionless, staring at me, his expression unreadable. Then suddenly, Albert growled again, a low menacing sound. Danny turned and looked at him, and the growling grew louder. My husband looked back at me once more and his eyes narrowed. Then he turned, grabbed Albert by the collar and dragged him to the kitchen door, opening it and pushing the dog into the hallway. Albert’s rumbling growl became loud, angry barking as Danny slammed the door shut. He turned back to me, moving closer, closer, his expression calm as the barking became even louder, Albert repeatedly throwing his body against the other side of the door, claws scraping the wood.
‘That’s better. And now, to answer your question, no Gemma. That’s not OK. You made me a promise, and now you’re breaking it, just like that? That’s not OK, not fair. Not fair at all.’
His voice was gentle, his hand caressing my cheek again.
‘Danny, look …’
Had I played this wrong? I shrank away from him, and he gripped my waist with his other