IN THE SHADOWS - (TNN - SIOBHAN/SARA/VARIOUS)

CHAPTER TEN

When the taxi driver asked Siobhan where she wanted to go, she desperately wanted to tell him the name of the bar. Instead, she told him the name of the Italian restaurant that Steve had suggested and as she climbed into the backseat she felt nauseous. Hearing her phone ping again she saw another text from Sara saying "I'm really worried about you. Please let me know that you're ok." Siobhan rolled her eyes before finally blocking and deleting Sara's number, as well as her texts - she didn't need her pity.

When the taxi driver turned to her and said "here we are love, that'll be six pounds please" she gave him ten and thanked him before stepping out into the rain. She ran into the lobby and was immediately met by a waiter, who smiled and asked if she had a reservation. "I'm meeting someone here, I think he booked it under his name..." she was about to continue but the waiter nodded and said "no problem, he's already here."

Siobhan dutifully followed the waiter downstairs and as he led her through the dimly lit room, she wished she could turn and run. "Here you are" he gestured towards a small booth, causing Steve to look up and smile. As the waiter walked away Steve stood up and said "Siobhan. Thank you for coming." As he dragged his gaze downwards he smirked before looking back up and into her eyes. He was tall and handsome, with short dark brown hair and light hazel eyes. Despite his good looks Siobhan had already decided that she'd never wanted anything less than this man's hands on her body - ever. She was stunned when he placed his hand on her waist and pulled her towards him, placing a rough kiss on her cheek. He gestured for her to sit down before doing so himself.

They chatted for a while, mostly Siobhan would ask Steve a question and he'd answer subsequently making no effort to ask her anything back. Eventually, he did ask her if she lived alone and when she told him that she'd actually just rescued a cat, he narrowed his eyes. "God I hate cats" he muttered, before continuing "they're too stuck up for their own good." Siobhan sighed as she thought of Sara's joyful reaction when she'd told her about Elizabeth.

I just want her.
No you don't.
Stop.

Once their food had arrived, Siobhan found a little respite as their conversation temporarily ended. Steve kept encouraging her to drink more wine and she could tell that he was trying to get her drunk. Just as the waiter removed their empty plates, Steve cleared his throat before saying "so, I have a confession to make. I've not been entirely truthful with you Siobhan." The blond looked at him, perplexed. He continued "I already knew who you were when I saw your profile on the app. Roger was a golfing buddy of mine." He stood up and sat on Siobhan's side of the booth, trapping her. "Roger had a big mouth and he told us all about you."

Siobhan's eyes widened in horror as he leered at her. She had no idea how to respond so she continued to stare back at him as he raised his eyebrows. "You know, he didn't just talk. All the boys at the golf club have enjoyed some...special photos of you as well." Siobhan gasped as he said this, causing him to chuckle darkly before adding "don't be embarrassed, you're a beautiful woman. I'm assuming it wasn't Roger's winning personality that attracted you to him?"

When he placed his hand on her thigh, she wanted to scream. As he pushed his hand upwards and under her dress, she grabbed his wrist aggressively and pulled his hand off her. He clearly hadn't expected that and as she moved away from him, he looked shocked. "I have plenty of money, if that's what you're worried about blondie." Siobhan started to reply "that's not what I..." but he interrupted her "alright I get it, no freebies. What did Roger used to pay you?"

Tears were beginning to pool behind Siobhan's eyes but she refused to let him see her cry. "Let me go" she demanded, but when he didn't move she felt her rage building. She repeated herself but this time she raised her voice, causing other diners to turn and look at them. Steve didn't like that so he raised his hands in the air and backed out of the booth, watching as she ran past him and upstairs. Once she was outside she started looking for her phone frantically as she walked down the street. She was so distracted she didn't her his footsteps behind her, but as she felt his hands grip her hips she turned to face him, shocked. He wrapped his arm around her waist and started dragging her towards the restaurants car park, as she tried desperately to free herself.

He stopped for a moment and shook her before saying "do you want to know a secret Siobhan? When Roger used to brag about you and show us those pictures, he got lots of offers for you. Offers he was considering. You don't get to be a gold digger without doing the work." He started dragging her along again before adding "also, you won't find your phone in your bag, because I took it when you went to the bathroom. Didn't anyone ever tell you to keep on eye on your things?"

As Siobhan processed what he'd just said to her, she realised how much trouble she was in. Through a man who was just like him, Roger still had the ability to hurt her, dead or not. As they got closer to his car, she made a promise to herself - she was going to save herself this time.