Page 13 of Caught in the Middle

Chapter Five

The autumn sunlight shone through the dirty glass of the bedroom, rousing Lucy.

For a brief moment, her eyes still closed, the sun warm on her face, she thought she was in her own bed, with a horrific hangover. Her head was throbbing, her mouth dry.

Without opening her eyes, she fumbled to locate her bedside table, where drunk Lucy was always kind enough to leave a large glass of water, for which sober Lucy was always thankful for.

But her arms couldn't move.

Confused, she forced one eye open.

Her wrist was bound with a thick rope, which was in turn attached to the rusting bed frame.

Both her eyes snapped open, a cold chill ran down her spine. With a quick scope of the dirty, box room she was in, all of the memories of yesterday came flooding back to her. She wasn't in her cosy but messy university bedroom, but in fact, tied to a single bed, in a council state, presumably by a man who was going to murder her, in an unknown location.

Reaching up to touch her forehead, she realised the throbbing wasn't from a hangover, but from a massive lump that had developed on her right temple. Going into panic mode, she began tugging at the restraints at her wrists, tugging until the ropes burned her. The noise of the bed frame squeaking caused some sort of stir outside, presumably from Oliver, as she could hear floorboards squeaking on the other side of the door.

When the door creaked open, Lucy let it rip.

'What the fuck! Untie me immediately! I've called the police,' she babbled, not caring that it was obviously a lie, 'and they are on their way.'

Oliver rolled his eyes.

He looked like he hadn't had a very good night’s sleep. He'd removed his suit jacket, his white shirt loosened and crinkled, his eyes were blood shoot. He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, and looked a world away from the suave man Lucy had met yesterday.

'You haven't called the police, I took your phone, remember,'

'Let me go, NOW -'

‘- Jesus, woman, please. It's 7am, stop screaming. I wouldn't have had to tie you up if you hadn't try to escape. What is wrong with you? Do you want to get yourself killed? You're not blind, you can clearly see this isn't the nicest of areas, you wouldn't even have made it to the bottom of the stairs without running back up, begging me to let you in.'

'Oh yes,' Lucy spat sarcastically, 'because waking up tied to a bed is a much better option.'

Oliver threw the newspaper he was holding at her.

Her heart sank. Had she been reported missing already? Had her mum phoned the police when she hadn't called her after her exam? Maybe Elena or one of her other housemates had when she hadn't returned home last night.

Fully expecting to see a photo of herself on the front page, she was surprised and confused to see another familiar face beaming back at her.

Her hair was down, she wasn't wearing glasses or a suit, but Lucy recognised her.

The invigilator from the exam. The one who had told her to run.

A lump formed in her throat as she hurried to read the headline.

'Academic shot dead in her Swansea home.'

Lucy thought she was going to be sick. She must have looked like it too, because Oliver sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a firm grip on her shoulder.

'Lucy,' he said, softly, 'you're being hunted by Joey Leonardo. As in, the Joey Leonardo.' He picked up the newspaper that Lucy had dropped in her moment of shock, and sighed as he studied Bethan's face. 'She warned you. They've found out somehow, and they've punished her for it.'

Lucy gripped the threadbare covers. 'No,' she mustered, 'that's not true.'

Oliver rubbed her back with a kind but firm hand. 'I know it's a shock, but you didn't give me a chance to explain yesterday. Instead, you knocked yourself out trying to climb out of the bloody window.'

A sob escaped her lips. She was so confused, more emotions were running through her than she had ever experienced over her whole lifetime. But she didn't understand. Who was Joey Leonardo, and why her, of all people?

When she asked Oliver this, a look of surprise flashed across his face, which he tried to disguise instantly.

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