Get Away If You Can

By Mark Edwards

Two best friends, Chloe and Holly, find themselves in a weird position, fighting over the same guy, a total stranger, who isn't all that they make him out to be. He's incredibly handsome but he has had a brutal past and he plays brutal games.

The visit to Aunt Jenna at Oakwater Creek shouldn't have been this terrifying.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Edwards
• Release date: Feb 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393550075

Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people. He has sold 4 million books since his first novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013, and has topped the bestseller lists numerous times. His other novels include Follow You Home, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Because She Loves Me, The Hollows and Here to Stay. He has also co-authored six books with Louise Voss. Originally from Hastings in East Sussex, Mark now lives in Wolverhampton with his wife, their children and two cats. Mark loves hearing from readers and can be contacted through his website, www.markedwardsauthor.com, or you can find him on Facebook (@markedwardsauthor), Twitter (@mredwards) and Instagram (@markedwardsauthor).

Book preview

P R O L O G U E

KYLE

Wake up, boy; this morning is a school morning.  What you think?

What’s wrong with this crazy woman?  She’s the reason why I overslept. Those late nights at the bar and those men, dogs, what does she expect?  I better keep my thoughts to myself because I know what she’s capable of.   I’m coming, Ma.  A bit tired, I groan while turning, pulling the sheet over my body.  I take another turn in the bed. Why doesn’t she leave my room?  I could lash at her for disrupting my dream.  It was about Mandy, the new girl in my class with the short curly hair.  It had been a sweet dream.  I think they call it‘wet dream’ for guys my age.

Ma ties the strings of her dark blue night gown, fastening it to her body.  She leaves the room.  By listening to the quite audible hammering of her feet against the wooden floor I know what she’s going to do; she’s done it before.  If I want to make sure that only my dream remains wet then I better get the heck up from this bed.  I throw the dark green sheets to the floor, and like a jack in the box, I spring from the bed.  I wipe my eyes to see if the blurred vision would go away.  I’m beginning to see things clearer now, not that I like what I’m seeing – Ma stands before me, holding the grey pail with water.  I’m out of the bed, just in time.  Phew!  I always wonder where she gets that kind of heart, to wet her only kid with cold water.  The alarm clock doesn’t work; morning sleep is sweet.

I look through my window and see the truck driving away.  It’s the rascal who took us home from my mother’s job, the bar, last night...this morning, 2:30 a.m, to be exact.  Now, is this a good way to grow children?  The last time I’ve been to church was my christening, about 12 years ago.  I heard I was 3 at the time.  I may not know much about morality, but seeing strangers leaving my home from time to time just doesn’t seem right.  I frown a bit after looking at the monster driving away.

What’s your problem, Kyle? She walks over to me; I look at the bucket of water.  Her hand trembles; I know the bucket is too heavy.

Nothing.  I turn my face away.  My breathing paced a bit. Please don’t make her throw this cold water at me.

Nothing, who?

Nothing, Ma, I correct myself.  She pulls the strands of her greasy black hair from over her dark eyes.  The bags beneath her eyes seem to be the only benefit of working every day at the pub until 2:00 a.m.  Doesn’t she take a vacation?  I wonder.  At least I would stop sleeping in school.  School – another sore point.

Kyle, you better watch yourself.

Look who’s talking, I say, in my mind though.  My mom is still holding a bucket of water.  She is good at throwing things.  I’m good at not retaliating.

You believe that I don’t know about you and that girl at school?

Who you talking about, Ma? I ask while looking at her, still glancing at the bucket of water.

M-a-n-d-y.

Ma, I think I better get a bath; I don’t want to be late for school.

I see you love school now, Kyle.  She laughs.  I wish that she would do it more often.  At least she wouldn’t look like what she really is, a wretch.

Listen boy, education is key. You’re not ready to have girlfriends yet and I don’t want to be a grandmother either; too young for that.

And irresponsible too, I mutter, hoping to heavens that she didn’t hear.  If she really wants to stay young then probably she should ban herself from drinking and men...dogs.

LATER

It’s about 11:00pm and I try to get over the trauma because of the girl who I keep dreaming about, Mandy.  I notice recently that she keeps walking home with Dexter.  I think she likes him a lot.  Well, he is good at arithmetic and has a mother...and a father too.  Some guys just have all the luck, and looks too. Wouldn’t blame her for falling for him though.  Well, she shouldn’t have accepted my offer of giving her my lunch money for a week.  Ma always says that one thing’s sure in life – a heartbreak.  Anyways, I’ve got some homework.  My education is first.  I really can’t see much with this type of lighting in the bar.  If I continue like this then my biggest wish for my 16th birthday would be a pair of spectacles.  When guys turn 16 they want nicer stuff, not glasses.

I then hear the excitement in the pub.  It’s actually my