Read Chapter 5: — PRESSURE POINTS

Gavin did not threaten Emma directly at first.

He preferred consequences.

Aunt Beth’s lender demanded early repayment of a £9,000 business facility after an “updated risk assessment.”

Emma transferred most of her savings.

Then Noah was caught using a phone during supervised study.

Normally it would have meant confiscation and detention.

A deputy head demanded suspension.

A teacher intervened.

Noah stayed.

Two weeks later, anonymous complaints appeared about Emma’s father doing cash-in-hand repair work.

Then her mother’s old phone disappeared after Gavin visited the house with Peter.

The local police treated it as a dispute over ownership.

Emma began keeping screenshots.

Dates.

Names.

Messages.

She created a folder called PRICE.

Daniel told her to rename it.

“Why?”

“If anyone ever sees your phone, make it boring.”

She renamed it RECEIPTS 2019.

“Happy?”

“Deeply.”

He began checking in every few days.

Sometimes they talked about evidence.

Sometimes about nothing.

He sent her photographs of the valley in rain.

She sent him a photograph of Bristol traffic and wrote: ENVY THIS.

He replied: NEVER.