He was asleep when Tom returned. He must have been, for when he woke up a second time his gag had been removed and so had his restraints. The room was dark, lit only by the light from the hall, but he was alone. Where his uncle was, he couldn’t tell. The house was quiet and night had fallen.
He slid off the bed and crept across the hall to his own room. He slipped on a shirt, some jeans and pulled on a pair of espadrilles. There was a jacket flung on the end of his bed which he grabbed before creeping across the carpet to the door. He poked his head out. The hallway was clear. The pounding of his heart threatened to give him away. Its beating rang in his ears like a jackhammer. Was it really that loud? He had to convince himself that it wasn’t. He took a deep breath and stepped out of his
