The Fall Out

THE FALL OUT FRIENDS MAKE THE BEST ENEMIES THE DARK HEARTS SERIES MARIA FRANKLAND First published by Autonomy Press 2023 Copyright © 2023 by Maria Frankland All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Maria Frankland asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. First edition For Jane Browne, my writerly soulmate and wonderful friend JOIN MY ‘KEEP IN TOUCH LIST’ If you’d like to be kept in the loop about new books and special offers, join my ‘keep in touch list’ by visiting www.mariafrankland.co.uk You will receive a free novella as a thank you for joining! ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE DARK HEARTS SERIES Frenemy Nemesis PROLOGUE Her scream rips through the darkness, only silenced as she hits the water. Though hits is too gentle a word. On impact from the eleventh deck, maybe smacks or smashes might cover it. Then the cold. If the moment of landing didn’t kill her, the shock of the March temperature will have done. Me, I’m just frozen with shock. As I close my eyes, I can only hope it was quick, that her terror was fleeting, and she will now find peace and release. My thoughts surprise me. So calm and considered, even in these circumstances. I wait for sirens. Panic. Commotion. Someone must have heard her scream. Or her subsequent crash into the water. The sounds are playing within me on a loop. I’ll probably hear them for the rest of my life. Out to sea, all is inky black. I twist my head left, then right, my eyes aching in the reflection of lights. The laughter and distant music heighten my sense of being suddenly alone. Everything has changed. And yet, nothing has changed. Eventually, I steel myself to peer right over the balcony. Perhaps flailing arms or white foam at the site of her landing will be visible. But there’s nothing. It’s as though she never existed. Still the ship keeps moving, cutting its relentless path through the waves. I should raise the alarm, increase any chance of her being rescued. The odds of surviving a midnight plunge of that magnitude are slim, perhaps? But still possible. After all, she didn’t collide with the ship on the way down like she could have done. But how long could someone stay alive down there? I continue to stare for what feels like an eternity. Not that there’s anything to see. Not a thing. She’s gone. Claimed by the North Sea. And what was left of her conscience. PART I HELEN CHAPTER 1 “Ugh. Coco. Ger’off.” If there’s anything worse than waking up feeling like there’s a drill inside your skull, it’s waking up with not only that drill, but also a dog slobbering all over your face. Pushing her off, I haul myself to my elbows. The doorbell is ringing. Again. And again. I wasn’t dreaming it as I first thought. “Alright.” The room spins as I sit right up and swing my legs to the floor. “Give me a minute.” Not that whoever it is will be able to hear me from up here. Grappling on my bedside table for my phone, I squint at the clock. Shit! It’s nearly nine. As I ram my arms into the sleeves of my dressing gown, I’m already on my way down the stairs. It’s that bloody blackout blind. I keep thinking it’s still the middle of the night when I should be up and moving. Of course my oversleeping this morning is absolutely nothing to do with the four bottles of wine I shared with Liz last night. At least four. I lost count after the fifth glass. “Thank goodness for that. Penny thought she’d been abandoned.” Jenna thrusts the lead at me. “I’m going to have to fly sis, or I’ll be late.” She turns on the heel of her boot, but must have second thoughts. She pauses. Then peers at me. “Are you alright Helen? You’re a very funny colour.” “I will be. Don’t worry. You just get yourself to work.” “You don’t look good at all. Something you ate?” “It’s self-inflicted.” “Ah right. I withdraw my sympathy then.” She laughs. “Good night, was it?” By that, she means who, where, when, how and why? “Just drinks with a friend.” “Excellent.” She nods with what could be approval. “I’m glad to hear you’ve been sociable for a change. Who?” “Just the next door neighbour.” She’s got the when and the who. “That one?” Jenna jerks her head to the right. To the house that’s become notorious, for many reasons. “Really? Are you mad?” I nod. And brace myself. “After how she used to bully you? And all the history between you both? You’re a damn sight more forgiving than I could ever be.” She pulls a face. “She made your life an utter misery - I can’t believe you could give her the time of day. Oh never mind what I can or can’t believe. If I don’t get a move on, I’ll miss the bus. I’ll have to speak to you about this some other time.” “Whatever. You’d better get gone then. Besides, there’s a coffee with my name on it inside.” Her face relaxes into a smile. “Thanks again. I really appreciate you taking the dog like this.” “What are sisters for?” “I promise I’ll start paying you as soon as I get on my feet.” She bangs the gate and looks back over it. “It’s not a problem.