Date Night (ARC)

by Samantha Hayes

  Sean listened out again.

  Phil nodded, drawing closer. ‘Thank you,’ he smiled, his voice wavering.

  ‘Go on, open it, you silly bugger.’

  Phil took a small packet out of the bag and pulled off the paper, dropping it on the ground. He opened the box inside, staring at the lighter before taking it out. He turned it round in his big hands, running his thumb over the engraving.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s beautiful.’

  Sean drew closer and wrapped his arms around him, closing his eyes when Phil reciprocated. He felt Phil’s warm breath on his neck. ‘I’m glad you like it,’ he said, listening out again. He swore he heard voices, that they were getting nearer.

  ‘I’m sorry I didn’t do anything back then,’ Phil whispered, ‘after your father found us together. I’ll never forgive myself. I was a coward. I ran away, almost knocking your mum over as I fled.’

  Sean shook his head. ‘It’s history now,’ he said. ‘Secrets buried in the land.’

  He put his finger under Phil’s chin, tilting his face close. And then he kissed him, each man seventeen again, their attraction undeniable as they lost themselves in the moment – reliving everything from the past as well as enjoying what they had now.

  ‘She saw us, you know. Sasha,’ Sean said, pulling away, their faces still close. ‘It was one night several months ago when I dropped you home after we’d been to the pub. She told me she’d seen us kissing in the Land Rover, after Matt had brought her home. We were too careless.’

  ‘Oh, Sash,’ Phil said, resting his forehead against Sean’s.

  ‘She was upset, said she didn’t know what to do, that she was angry as hell you were cheating on her mum. Then she decided to keep it a secret, not tell a soul. That’s why the sweater I gave you went missing. Sasha was trying to hide any evidence from her mum. She just wanted you and Jan back together.’

  Sean stroked his head as Phil let out a sob. ‘Oh my poor beautiful girl.’

  ‘But then she started watching us, getting more and more suspicious. When she saw us together several more times, watching and waiting to catch us out, she realised it wasn’t just a one-off. I know you love each other, she told me.’

  ‘And what did you say?’

  ‘I told her she was right, that we did love each other, that we had done since we were teenagers but that sometimes people couldn’t always be together.’

  ‘Christ, I should never have hidden this from her, or from Jan. We should never have hidden it from anyone.’

  Sean nodded, hanging his head. ‘But Phil, right from the start when my father caught us, we were told it was wrong, that we were wrong. We didn’t know any different back then, and he certainly didn’t… and then… and then Mum tried to make everything OK, introducing Natalie to me, virtually forcing us to get married, to be “normal” for my father’s sake. And that’s just the way it stayed for so long… oh God, it’s all such a mess… If only things had been different…’

  ‘Don’t cry,’ Phil said, hugging Sean close.

  The two men looked at each other, drawing in for another kiss – but Sean suddenly stopped, catching sight of four police officers standing in the barn doorway, silhouetted against the morning light.

  ‘Sean Randell?’ one of them said loudly, approaching.

  Phil swung round, their arms still entwined.

  Sean froze. He didn’t recognise the officer. ‘Yes?’ he said, his mouth suddenly dry.

  ‘I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Sasha Long. You do not have to say anything…’

  The police officer’s voice faded into the background, obliterated by the ringing in Sean’s ears as he realised what was happening, as the other officers came up and surrounded him, snapping cold metal cuffs around his wrists. Everything seemed in slow motion.

  ‘What the hell…?’ he heard Phil say, the horrified expression on his face boring a hole into Sean’s heart.

  Phil backed away, while Sean’s eyes implored him, begged him to see the truth – that by covering everything up, by protecting his mother, he was also protecting them. Keeping their secret safe.

  ‘Phil, no… It’s… it’s not what you think, I swear…’ he heard himself say, hating the look of agony and betrayal on Phil’s face. ‘Honestly, please believe me,’ he said, his voice failing as Phil backed away, his eyes flicking between Sean and the police officers as they drew around him. ‘Phil, no, you have to listen to me, please… Everything will be—’

  And the last thing Sean remembered before he went down, before the world went black, was Phil’s fist against his jaw.

  Looking for another absolutely gripping and emotional rollercoaster ride that will keep you up all night? The Reunion is guaranteed to have you hooked in a heartbeat.

  * * *

  Order it now!

  The Reunion

  An utterly gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist

  ORDER NOW!

  * * *

  They were all there the day your sister went missing… Who is lying? Who is next?

  * * *

  THEN – In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom.

  * * *

  Eleanor never came back.

  * * *

  NOW – The time has finally come to sell the family farm and Claire is organising a reunion of her dearest friends, the same friends who were present the day her sister went missing.

  * * *

  When another girl disappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. One of the group hides the darkest secret of them all…

  * * *

  If you love Sue Fortin, Gillian Flynn and The Girl on the Train, this psychological thriller packed full of twists and turns will be impossible to put down.

  Hear More From Samantha

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  Books by Samantha Hayes

  The Reunion

  Tell Me A Secret

  The Liar’s Wife

  Date Night

  Available in Audio

  The Reunion (Available in the UK and US)

  Tell Me A Secret (Available in the UK and US)

  The Liar’s Wife (Available in the UK and US)

  A Letter from Samantha

  Dear Reader,

  I do hope you enjoyed reading Date Night and that it kept you gripped all the way to the end. I really loved writing this one – and not least because of the beautiful Cotswolds setting. Meantime, I’m already planning my next novel, so if you’d like to read more books by me, then it would be great if you could take a few seconds to sign up here to get all the latest news about my forthcoming titles.

  One of the questions I get asked most is ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ and it’s a really tough one to answer. For me, weaving a finished book is an organic process, with ideas coming from many sources (before and during writing), and not least my imagination. For Date Night, the seed of an idea began when I read a woman’s cry for help after she’d been sent an anonymous note stating that her husband was having an affair. It was sadly one of many similar public posts on a forum about relationship break-ups – with the common denominator being that once the trust between two people is destroyed, there’s a tough journey ahead.

  For some time, I’d wanted to write a book set in this beautiful area of the Cotswolds, becoming utterly convinced of this after I spent a weekend there, staying at an idyllic village pub/B & B early in the writing process. Wandering around the pretty lanes, it seemed that the very fabric of the ancient buildings were steeped in history – and potential mystery – and I wanted to capture the tranquillity and beauty of the area, but with the horro
r of a terrible crime rocking the close-knit community.

  Before I began writing, I already had several of the main characters developing in my mind – Libby and Sean especially, a hard-working couple who have always pulled together as a team. But what if things weren’t as perfect as they seemed? What if one of them had a secret? What if that secret came out and their lives unravelled? Sasha’s disappearance was integral to this evolving picture, adding to Libby’s shock and upset after receiving the note. All I needed was a way to tie the two threads together.

  What I love most about writing psychological thrillers is that nothing is ever quite as it seems. People in ‘real life’ don’t fall into neat categories, and neither should they in fiction. It’s all too easy to make assumptions about people (often based around our own experiences) and I wanted to challenge that notion. What Marion did to Sasha was horrific – and indeed Sean attempting a cover-up – but the terrible crime mother and son committed was ultimately based on fear – a fear that had been socially instilled in Marion and Fred, and similarly in Sean since he was a teenager when all he’d done was be true to himself and his feelings.

  The severe prejudice of his father drove Sean to live most of his life as a lie, though the essence of Sean as a whole person, who he intrinsically was, could never be extinguished. It was taking this theme of ‘all is not what it seems’ that provided me with the inspiration to gradually unpack the truth through Libby’s ordeal after she was arrested – how the story she and Sean had spun to the police, to their family and friends, was so very far from reality. Similar to the way Sean had been forced, through no fault of his own, to live his life as a lie.

  So that’s a glimpse of how ideas develop for me and how Date Night came about. If you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it, I’d be so thrilled if you wrote a quick online review. Feedback from readers is invaluable to authors and I love reading your thoughts on my books – as do other readers!

  Finally, it would be great if you joined me over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and my website has details of all my other books, plus a little bit more about me and how I came to be an author.

  Until next time, happy reading and I can’t wait to share another book with you.

  * * *

  Sam x

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  www.samanthahayes.co.uk

  Tell Me A Secret

  A gripping psychological thriller with heart-stopping mystery and suspense

  ORDER NOW!

  * * *

  Tell her all your secrets and she’ll tell you all her lies…

  * * *

  Everything in Lorna’s life runs like clockwork, from her 6 a.m. morning run to the strict 60-minute counselling sessions she gives. It’s the only way she can deal with the terrible secret she carries.

  * * *

  When a new client arrives for his first appointment, Lorna feels her perfect life unravel in a matter of seconds. It’s Andrew, the man she’s spent the last year desperately trying to forget. It seems he can’t forget her either…

  * * *

  Against her better judgement she anonymously contacts him on a dating site. Messaging him could mean the end of her marriage and her career, but she needs to know if his motives are genuine.

  * * *

  When Andrew is found dead in his home, grief quickly turns to fear when messages from him continue to arrive on Lorna’s phone. Somebody knows her secret and wants to use it to destroy everything she has.

  * * *

  Will she risk her family and her sanity to keep her secret? Will she risk her life…?

  * * *

  If you love twisty psychological thrillers that get under your skin, like The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go or anything by Louise Jensen, you’ll be utterly blown away by the jaw-dropping lies in Tell Me A Secret.

  The Liar’s Wife

  A gripping psychological thriller with edge-of-your-seat suspense

  ORDER NOW!

  * * *

  When Ella wakes up in hospital following a hit and run incident, she is scared and confused. Close to tears, her eyes fall on a get-well-soon card on the window sill and the nurse reassures her that her loving husband will be back soon.

  * * *

  But Ella has never been married…

  * * *

  Absolutely love twisty and unputdownable psychological thrillers like Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and Gone Girl? Then you will be totally hooked by this jaw-dropping novel about the dangerous secrets behind a perfect marriage.

  Acknowledgements

  Behind every book there’s a brilliant team and, as always, my huge thanks go to my amazing editor Jessie Botterill, who makes every book shine. Couldn’t do it without you, Jessie! Of course, my sincere thanks and gratitude go to all the brilliant people at Bookouture – it’s a pleasure to be part of such a supportive team – staff and fellow Bookouture authors alike. Massive thanks, too, to Kim Nash and Noelle Holten for their tireless work – and always with a smile on their faces!

  Big love and thanks to Oli Munson, my agent, for ‘having my back’ and similarly everyone at A.M. Heath. Thanks muchly for all your hard work.

  I’d like to say a very special thank you to all the bloggers and reviewers who read and review not just my books, but thousands of others, helping to spread the word about stories they love. I really do appreciate every review, tweet, follow, share and general shout-out.

  Finally, thanks to you, my amazing readers, for taking the time to read my book and getting to know my characters. I hope they keep you entertained and that you’ll join me in my next one!

  And, as ever, much love to my dear family, Ben, Polly and Lucy, Avril and Paul, Graham and Marina, and Joe, who have been so utterly supportive and kind this last year. It means so much. xxx

  Published by Bookouture

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  An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

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  www.bookouture.com

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  Copyright © Samantha Hayes 2019

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  Samantha Hayes has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

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  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-78681-765-5