Survive The Night: The Payback Duo, #1

Copyright © 2024 by Clare Bentley

All rights reserved.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the express written permission of the publisher.

This book is fiction, any resemblance to person(s), alive or deceased, is purely coincidental. The characters were created by the author.

Published by Clare Bentley.

Cover Design: © Clare Bentley

Cover Art: © Clare Bentley

License for Cover Image provided by Shutterstock

First Printing: 2024

For all the fierce women

who keep fighting, even

when they’re beaten down

Contents

1.ONE

2.TWO

3.THREE

4.FOUR

5.FIVE

6.SIX

7.SEVEN

8.EIGHT

9.NINE

10.TEN

11.ELEVEN

12.TWELVE

13.THIRTEEN

14.FOURTEEN

15.FIFTEEN

16.SIXTEEN

17.SEVENTEEN

18.EIGHTEEN

19.NINETEEN

20.TWENTY

21.TWENTY-ONE

22.TWENTY-TWO

23.TWENTY-THREE

24.TWENTY-FOUR

25.TWENTY-FIVE

26.TWENTY-SIX

27.TWENTY-SEVEN

28.TWENTY-EIGHT

29.TWENTY-NINE

30.THIRTY

31.THIRTY-ONE

32.THIRTY-TWO

33.THIRTY-THREE

34.THIRTY-FOUR

35.THIRTY-FIVE

36.THIRTY-SIX

Chapter

Also by Clare Bentley

Acknowledgements

About the author

ONE

Driving along a dark stretch of road on her way home, Poppy Blair felt the gradual loss of power from the 2011 Jeep Wrangler. She pressed harder on the accelerator, but it changed nothing, and eventually, she rolled to a stop. She repeatedly pumped her foot on the pedal despite knowing it was hopeless. If pressing the accelerator hadn’t worked the first time, the problem was unlikely to magically fix the more she tried.

Poppy checked the dials on her dash for any indication of the problem. There was nothing obvious. Her headlights were still working and there was no smoke from the engine. She clenched her jaw and hit the steering wheel in frustration.

Breaking down in that spot was far from ideal, especially in the middle of the night. There were very few residences nearby and it was late. The trees along either side of the road were tall and intimidating under the blanket of the dark sky. Poppy had always hated travelling this route, but it was the only way home.

The road wasn’t a high-traffic area during the day, and it was practically deserted once the sun set. The drive home was one of the many reasons she hated doing the late shift at work. She wasn’t particularly fond of driving at night either, but her contract stipulated every member of staff was required to work late at least once a fortnight.

Unsure why when she knew nothing about engines, Poppy popped the hood of the Jeep and climbed out of the warmth inside to check for any signs of what was wrong.

Taking the tie from her wrist where she usually kept it, she tamed her mid-back-length auburn hair into a high ponytail.

Struggling to see anything awry with the engine in the darkness, Poppy shook her head. Even if the area was well-lit, she wouldn’t know what she was looking for—she wasn’t a mechanic. She wished she’d paid more attention when she was out in the yard while her dad worked on his cars. The only thing she’d really learned was that it took considerable force to close a bonnet.

Putting a little extra effort in, Poppy released the hood and allowed it to drop. The sound of it slamming back into place echoed around the wide-open woodland on either side of the road. The loud noise made her acutely aware of where she was, and she searched the shadows for any signs of life. All she heard in response was the hooting of the owls in the forest.

Poppy wrapped her arms around her petite frame and rushed back to the safety of her Jeep, kicking the front tyre as she passed.

‘Stupid fucking contraption,’ she hissed.

Closing the driver’s door, Poppy blew into her cupped hands to warm her fingers. Once there was life in them, she dug into the front pocket of her jeans for her phone. This was precisely why she had breakdown cover. But as she attempted to unlock the device, it didn’t respond. She pressed the lock button to find there was no charge in it.

‘Fuck!’

That would teach her to spend the day scrolling through social media while she manned the front desk of the hotel hardly anyone checked in to.

Leaning across to the passenger’s side, Poppy checked the glovebox. She had to have an in-car charger hidden in there somewhere. But as she pulled out the items she’d dumped inside, the only wire she found was the one attached to the portable charger she’d forgotten to remove after a recent trip to Liverpool with friends. Closing her emerald-green eyes momentarily, she thanked God for her ineptitude. Connecting the two devices, she hoped there was enough charge to boot up her phone and make a call.

Poppy sat for a minute, wondering what to do while she waited. There was a chance she’d be stranded if her phone didn’t charge, and it was already after midnight. She didn’t want to spend the night in her car; it was too cold for that. Having seen a house further down the road on her usual drive, Poppy headed in that direction. If it got much later, she’d feel guilty about waking someone up to ask to use their phone. She could collect her vehicle in the morning if she managed to get hold of her dad to pick her up.

There was a notable drop in temperature since she’d left work, which was likely caused by the unobstructed wind in the open space around her. So, as she climbed from the vehicle, Poppy grabbed her padded black jacket from the back seat and put it on as she shoved her phone—charger attached—into the pocket. Removing her key from the ignition, Poppy locked the door before she started walking in the same direction she would have driven in.

A rustle from the woods was all it took to spur her into a sprint. Not long into what she believed was a dash for her life, her chest tightened. She was struggling to maintain her pace, but the sounds around her were enough to push her to try.

The gentle wind bit at Poppy’s face as she ran headlong into it. The sting was painful, but she wanted to be as far from any perceived threat as she could get, and then she would stop to catch her breath. Not that she’d truly be away from danger until she was tucked up in her bed.

Her feet pounded on the tarmac with the force of her urgency, and the soles of her feet burned as painfully as her lungs. She pushed to outrun the danger she believed was right behind her, but she couldn’t keep up with the speed she’d set at the start. Stopping abruptly, Poppy was almost sent to the ground with the momentum she’d built up. It took all her effort to remain upright and steady herself.

Placing her hands on her hips, she panted and gulped to take in as much air as she could. She wanted to keep moving, but her body betrayed her; it was ready to shut down. She was tempted to sit on the roadside and wait for a car to flag down, but the idea was temporary. She’d been on that stretch for half an hour since her Jeep had broken down and nothing had passed her.

Still fighting to fill her lungs with oxygen, Poppy took her phone and the portable charger it was attached to from her pocket. She tried to turn on her only connection to the world beyond the highway she stood on. It was just her luck to kill her battery between leaving work and breaking down.

The wait for the phone to boot up seemed to take forever as she listened to the animals in the darkness announce how close they were. She had to control her nerves. ‘C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,’ she repeated as if it was going to make any difference.

That was when Poppy saw the headlights in the distance. Shoving her phone and the charger back in her pocket, she waved her arms above her head like an idiot. She didn’t care who was inside. She just wanted off this road and to be headed back to civilisation.

It was only when the car pulled up alongside her that she suddenly remembered all the true crime programmes she’d watched over the years. Women had died because of getting a ride with a stranger. Poppy hesitated before bending to look inside. She was expecting to see a creepy older man but was pleasantly surprised to find a brunette woman about her age sitting behind the wheel.

Poppy breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I broke down a mile or so back. Any chance of a ride to the nearest twenty-four-hour garage?’

With a smile, the driver waved her inside. ‘Sure. Jump in.’

Climbing into the passenger’s seat, Poppy closed the door. ‘Thank God you came along. I thought I was going to be eaten by the wildlife.’

The woman laughed, but it seemed forced. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered with a grimace.

Poppy’s eyebrows knitted as she looked into her brown eyes. ‘Sorry for what?’

As the car pulled away, she heard someone shifting behind her. Before she could react, an arm pinned her around the throat to the headrest of the seat.

TWO

The pressure on her windpipe made it difficult for Poppy to breathe. Her temperature soared as she reached up to try and force the arm from her throat. It was no good; the grip was unwavering.

The strain on her trachea made her light-headed, but her survival instinct kicked in. Balling up her fist, Poppy twisted her head to relieve some of the pressure and reached over her shoulder to hit her attacker. She made contact, but there wasn’t enough force to cause them to release their hold. Poppy’s brain whirled with ways to save herself that didn’t end with her death. Suddenly, she remembered the release under her seat for extra leg room; she just needed to be able to reach it.

Poppy dug into the skin on the arm pinning her and dragged her nails along to make scratches. The pained cry of a man from the back seat bounced around the car as he retracted his arm. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Poppy reacted quickly. Shooting forward, she bent at the waist to press her torso flat across her lap and fumbled for the release she knew was there somewhere. When she found it, she lifted the handle and, using all the strength in her legs, pushed backwards, sending the seat into her assailant’s knees. Another injured cry rang out inside the car.

Poppy grabbed for the steering wheel to put the driver under pressure and ensure there wasn’t an attack from the side. She didn’t care if she sent them crashing into a tree; she wasn’t going with them without a fight. She could feel the car slow down slightly and moved to open the door, but the automatic lock was on. She grabbed the latch to yank it open and at the same time engaged the handbrake. The tyres screeched on the road and the car slowed as the passenger door swung open.

Not thinking about what state she’d be in or if she’d survive the leap, Poppy pushed herself off the seat and tucked her arms into her body as she dived out of the vehicle. She felt the full force of the tarmac as she took the impact of the landing on her left knee and emitted an excruciating scream as pain radiated through her body. Rolling with the momentum of the speed of the car, her right hip bounced off the ground. Another scream bolted out of her as she continued to roll, each time losing impetus.

Reaching the long grass of the verge, Poppy came to a stop, but she didn’t have a minute to recover. She knew they’d be coming after her; she couldn’t afford to waste her head start. She had to get up and keep putting distance between them.

She didn’t know whether she’d been targeted or if they trawled this stretch of road regularly for victims just to get their kicks. Poppy wondered if this was their first time or whether they’d had success with this plan before. She expected it was the latter. Regardless of why they’d attacked her or what they wanted, she didn’t plan to let them catch her to find out.

Getting to her feet, Poppy felt a pain shoot through her knee and hip from the pressure of her weight. She clamped a bloodied hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out into the silence of the night. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She was going to keep fighting until she was free or dead.

Poppy clenched the muscles in her jaw as she fought against the pain to move. The thought of heading back to her vehicle flashed across her mind, but she knew it would do no good. Her twelve-year-old Jeep was the reason she was on the side of the road in the first place. Waiting out the night inside the heap of junk wouldn’t help; her attacker would make light work of breaking in to get to her. She knew her best plan would be to try and get home.

Hobbling as fast as her injuries would allow, Poppy moved further from the road. She could see their headlights in the distance, illuminating in the darkness. They were looking for her, crawling along the edge of the woodland in the car she’d escaped from. She had to make it deep enough into the forest to hide and hope they’d get bored of trying to find her.

Poppy stumbled amongst the trees. The sound of the wildlife was suddenly her last concern. She’d rather be eaten by rats than endure whatever sick plan the couple had in store for her.

Hiding behind a thick trunk, Poppy took a minute to catch her breath. She needed to assess the injuries she’d sustained when she jumped from the car. Opening her jacket, she lifted the red shirt of her uniform and eased the waistband of her jeans to find a bloody graze from her hip up her side. She grimaced as she lowered her top back down. It would be safe to say her knee was in a similar state.

With her hearing on alert, Poppy removed her phone from her pocket to find it hadn’t booted up on her last attempt to turn it on. She wanted to check if there was enough battery life to call the police. Her hands trembled. Whether from the cold, pain, fear, or adrenaline wasn’t clear, although it was likely a combination of them all. She silently willed the start-up process to hurry as she periodically checked over her shoulder for any sign of being found.

She could hear their voices. She wasn’t as far from them as she’d like to be, but she was worried that by going further into the woods, she wouldn’t be able to find her way out again if she managed to call for help.

Staring down at her phone, Poppy prayed it would turn on. For some reason, she’d forgotten it always took longer to charge using the portable battery. The flick of the screen surged hope through her, and then it died again. Raising her head to the sky, she opened her mouth to release a silent scream into the air. She was going to be stuck out there all night.

Shoving the phone back into her pocket, Poppy prepared to move. She couldn’t stay there. They’d seen where she’d entered the woods; it would only be a matter of time before they found her.

Unable to see what stretched ahead of her, Poppy tentatively placed her foot down on the earth. After a few steps, she gained momentum and started to move quicker away from the road. She had no sense of direction in daylight, so finding her way back to the road in darkness would be almost impossible. Heading deeper into the woods was her only option.

The uneven terrain caused her to go over on her ankle, and she clamped her lips together to keep from calling out with the pain that shot up her leg. Wobbling momentarily, she steadied herself on a tree to keep from falling and breathed a sigh of relief.

Poppy kept moving. She could still hear the strong male voice seemingly the same distance away. Venturing further into the forest, deeper into the darkness, she picked up speed. Poppy was severely hampered by her hip, knee, and ankle but she wasn’t going to let the discomfort stop her from fighting to survive.

She kept her pace steady, not knowing what awaited her amongst the vegetation. There could be obstacles on her path, and she didn’t want to take herself out by spotting it too late.

Poppy eased amongst the brush further until she couldn’t hear any voices. She didn’t know if she was getting away or if they’d just stopped communicating. She wasn’t willing to wait to learn which. Each step made her grit her teeth, but she was determined to keep going.

THREE

About to climb into bed, Victoria Blair checked her phone for any messages. She hadn’t heard from Poppy after work, which was unusual. Ordinarily, her daughter would let her know when she was home, and so far, she’d had no contact.

A typical stay-at-home mum, Victoria worried about her children. She had drummed it into them from a young age to always let her know their whereabouts, which had been easier once they had mobile phones. It was a luxury Victoria hadn’t been afforded when she was growing up. But that was a different time—a different world. Bad things still happened, you just had to read about it in the paper back then. Now, if you had a mobile phone, everything was at your fingertips. It still amazed her how things had changed since she was a kid, though the ease of access to her children didn’t stop her worrying.

Momentarily distracted by her husband as he walked into the bedroom in his pyjamas, Victoria glanced up at him. ‘Have you heard from your daughter today?’

Ewan frowned. ‘Should I have?’

‘I’m just worried. I haven’t heard from her tonight.’

With droopy green eyes, he yawned. ‘Maybe she was just tired after work and forgot.’

After twenty-one years of marriage, Victoria and her husband had a comfortable, old-fashioned relationship. She kept the house while he went out to work to provide for the family. It was only now her kids were grown that Victoria occupied her time with the neighbourhood charity committee.

Since they had begun dating, Ewan’s ability to keep his cool while people around him were losing their heads was something that attracted Victoria to him. But sometimes it was tiresome for her to be the only one who wore her heart on her sleeve.

Victoria took a deep breath and scratched her forehead. ‘She’s never forgotten before. She’s been sending me a goodnight text to let me know she’s safe for as long as she’s been living alone. Why would that change now?’

‘Have you tried calling her?’ he asked, pulling back the duvet on the bed and sitting down on the mattress.

‘I’m going to try that now. I just wanted to check if she’d spoken to you first.’

Ewan picked up his phone. ‘I’ll message Rhys and see if he’s heard from her.’ He checked the clock on his bedside table. ‘Although I know he’s on the night shift this week, so he might not check his phone.’

Rhys, Poppy’s older brother, had followed in his father’s footsteps by going into law enforcement. Despite their four-year age gap, the siblings had been close growing up. Since becoming an adult, Rhys had a very stand-offish approach to being protective of his sister. He boasted about always being there for her should she need him, but he let her get on with her life, and the two usually only saw each