The Passenger by Daniel Hurst (great book club books TXT) 📕

‘How was your chat?’

‘Give me my phone back!’

‘Not until you give me what I want. So what do you say?’

I can’t bring myself to answer him right now because my head is swimming. It’s one thing to find out that Louise has been keeping a secret boyfriend from me, but it’s another to learn that what she has done has put everything I have ever worked for at risk.

I don’t want to believe any of what this man has told me is true, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to. The photo of Louise and James in bed together. The way she spoke to me when I questioned her. And the sheer number of things this man sitting across the table knows about me.

There is no way any of this could be happening if it wasn’t true.

‘I believe you,’ I say.

‘Good. Now we’ve got that out of the way, how about you give me the code, and we can get this over with before we waste any more time?’

The man holds his mobile phone in his hand, and I can see the screen is open on a new text message. I assume he is going to send the code to the safe to James just as soon as I give it to him. Then they will take everything I have and disappear into the night, leaving me with nothing by the time I get to Brighton except a flat I can no longer afford and a daughter who will hate me even more when we have to move out of it.

Why did I quit my job? Why did I put myself in this position?

Why did this have to happen?

But it’s not my fault. It’s not Louise’s either, even though I am mad at her for telling some guy she met on a dating app all about the money I have stashed away. The only person at fault is the man sitting opposite me.

The man with the smug look on his face.

I feel the brakes engaging on the train and look out the window to see the station platform coming into view. I’m almost halfway home now, but this journey has been unlike any I’ve experienced before. I thought I was done with this commuter route. I thought my life was going to get better after this week. I thought I was finally going to have everything I’ve ever wanted. But now it’s over. I’m going to have to give this man the code to the safe because I can’t risk anything bad happening to Louise. I’ll be broke, but at least she will be okay.

I guess I’ll just have to start again.

I guess this is it.

But then I see the bright green colour of the high-visibility jacket on the platform as the train slowly comes to a stop, and suddenly I have hope. It’s a police officer. He’s standing right there on the other side of the glass. If I could just get to him and tell him what this man is doing, then he could arrest him and stop him from contacting the man with my daughter. Then the police could go round to my flat and make sure Louise is okay. There might be a way out of this that doesn’t involve me having to give up the contents of my safe.

I have to try because I can’t afford not to.

I wait for the train to come to a complete stop before I make my move. Jumping up from my seat without stopping to collect my things, I turn and run down the carriage, ducking around a fellow passenger in the aisle as I go.

‘Hey!’ the man calls after me, but I don’t turn back. I’m determined to get off this train and reach that police officer outside.

I squeeze myself past several other passengers who have left their seats and are gathering up their belongings, and push on towards the doors. A quick glance over my shouldertells me that the man is in pursuit, and he is closing on me.

I reach the end of the aisle and break out into the area by the doors, but they are still closed. They won’t open until the driver pushes the button, and they only do that several seconds after the train has come to a complete stop.

‘Come on!’ I cry as I punch the button on the wall to release the doors. But it’s not yet lit up, and I know that it won’t work until it is.

I look behind me again and see the man is almost upon me. He’s going to grab me. I was an idiot for running.

Why didn’t I just stay in my damn seat?

Then I see the light go on behind the button. I can open it now.

I push my fingers against it, and the doors to the train slide open, allowing me to step out onto the platform.

I look for the police officer as soon as I’m off the train, and I see him several yards further along the platform with his back to me. Dozens of passengers are streaming off the train from the other doors, and I almost lose sight of the policeman until I see another flash of bright green. I’m just about to call out to him when I hear the voice behind me.

‘Get back on this train, or Louise is dead.’

I turn around and see the man standing in the open doorway with his mobile phone to his ear. ‘I’m ringing James right now,’ he tells me. ‘One word from me and she’s gone forever.’

My heart feels like it could explode in my chest as I look back up the platform in the direction of the policeman. He’s close enough for me to call him but not close enough to stop the man making the call that could end my daughter’s life.

‘He might be able to help you, but he won’t be able to save Louise,’ he