Page 2 of The Allotment on Willow Tree Lane

‘Eight, nine hours tops, but I’m going to stop when I get to Düsseldorf. Shit! Who the hell areyou? Where—? Get off. You can’t—’

‘Aiden? Aiden! What’s going on?’

Shuddering, Damon heard Aiden’s voice, screaming ‘Stop! No!’

Music – one of the band’s own records; Aiden yelling; a girl’s voice screaming; the shrieking of tortured metal; roaring, thudding… then silence. Dreadful, heart-stopping silence.

The girl had walked away with nothing more than a broken arm and a bruised face.

Aiden had died at the scene.

Damon didn’t think he would ever get over it.

It took several seconds for the visions and the sounds to fade, and several more until he regained control of his heart rate and his breathing. He would be shaky for a while, but the worst of it was over.

Until the next time.

Ceri Morgan slapped her brother’s hand away from his cravat. Huw had been fiddling with it for the past ten minutes and he was getting on her nerves.

Talking about nerves, her brother was a bag of them. She’d heard him get up in the night several times, and when she’d ventured downstairs at ten-past six this morning, he had been sitting in the living room with a black coffee in his hand. She suspected he might have already consumed the recommended daily amount of caffeine, and she had been tempted to whisk his mug away and force him to drink a cup of camomile tea instead to calm him down.

She couldn’t blame him though. She would probably be just as nervous if she were the one getting married today.

‘Let me do it,’ she instructed, and Huw’s arms dropped to his sides.

Ceri squinted at the material, tugging and folding until she was happy that the cravat was sitting just right.

‘There,’ she said, standing back to admire her handiwork. Damn, Huw looked good in his morning suit. Like her, he had dark hair and was tall, but his hair had less of a kink than hers and tended to behave itself. He also carried his height better than she did. She had a habit of slouching if she wasn’t careful.

‘Do I look OK?’ he asked.

‘You look fab. Rowena is one lucky lady.’

‘I think it’s the other way around,’ Huw said, his fingers creeping towards his neck again.

‘Don’t you dare!’ Ceri warned, narrowing her eyes.

Huw subsided, but Ceri knew he was itching to mess with it and she vowed to keep an eye on him. She just needed to make sure he looked presentable when he got to the church. After that, their mum could take over nagging him – if Rowena, his bride, didn’t beat her to it.

He stretched his neck and winced. ‘It’s too tight,’ he complained.

‘Do you want me to fetch Mum? I could, you know. She would like nothing better than to be here, fussing—’

‘God, no!’ Huw shuddered. ‘Do you realise how much effort it took to persuade hernotto come to the house this morning? It’s bad enoughyoubeing here.’

‘Thanks!’

‘You know what I mean – you can be so bossy.’

‘And you can be so annoying.’ Ceri grinned at her brother and he grinned back. ‘Seriously, Huw, I’m so pleased for you, and I know Mum and Dad are too.’

‘They just want grandchildren,’ Huw replied darkly.

Ceri laughed. ‘It’s not just that – they want to see you happy. And you are, aren’t you?’

‘Ecstatically.’

‘There you go. Grandchildren would be an added bonus, but secretly I think they’re thrilled with Nia. They get a ready-made granddaughter without the nappy stage. Aww, she’s so cute. I can’t wait to see her in her bridesmaid dress.’

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