That Beth didn't comment on our chartering a private place spoke volumes about her concern. Not once did she question how much money we'd spent on the flight, joked about whether the upholstery was designer, or asked if there'd be a chandelier suspended over our heads.

The wide-eyed shock hadn't left her expression. I could only imagine that Beth was a tangle of nerves and anxiety about it all. I was worried, and I didn't particularly like Lisa all that much. That Gideon should get his claws into any girl was enough to make me panic. But knowing that it was someone close to Beth made me even more determined to undo the damage. To put a stop to whatever Gideon was scheming before he could hurt Lisa and her friends any more than he had already.

I barely registered anyone else but her until we were on the plane. Once we were in the air, I took off my seatbelt and watched the others. It annoyed Chantelle that we had cut her holiday short and that we were off to see Beth's friends. Despite all her claims that she and Jenny were friends, she'd been quick to distance herself from her since the moment we'd landed in Switzerland all those months ago. There was no pretending that they were anything more than classmates now, and I had to wonder if she would attempt to play the role of a friend once we were reunited.

Charlie wasn't as apathetic to Lisa's plight as his sister. He wrung his hands nervously and stared down at his phone. If he and Jenny had exchanged numbers, then he hadn't found the courage yet to call her. He may well have been checking the time. Fretting, perhaps, that we were taking too long to get there. We couldn't do anything about that. Italy wasn't about to move closer just to speed up our journey.

Mum had settled herself beside Beth's father so that they could discuss their plans. They spoke in hushed tones. Either they didn't want to worry us, or they were afraid that we might insist upon helping them with whatever they'd decided to do. It may also have been to avoid upsetting my sister. Mandy had isolated herself and stared resolutely out of the window since we'd taken off. I couldn't fathom my sister's mind. She may have been frightened to see Gideon again, worried about Lisa, or she might have felt the heavy weight of guilt in her stomach for not being open about the kind of man that he was when she'd had the chance.

If it was the last then I understood.

I, too, felt that same heaviness in my gut.

When I saw how stiffly Beth was sitting, the way she tapped her feet impatiently, desperate to get to her friends and somehow save them all from this danger and heartache, I wished that I'd done things differently. That day when I'd seen her with Gideon, I should have taken her aside and told her what he'd done, that he was a danger to her and her friends. But I'd let my pride stop me. I'd thought that my family was above all that. We shouldn't be scrutinised and gossiped about by students because of the actions of one man. In staying silent, I'd condemned Lisa to whatever her fate might be. Had Beth not gotten over her crush on Gideon so swiftly, I might have forced her into his arms, too.

I reached out to loop my arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently to reassure her that she wasn't alone. That I would face whatever might be coming alongside her. Beth leaned in against my side and I whispered, 'It'll be fine, I promise. We're going to find her.'

It was a promise that I hoped I would be able to keep.

The moment we were off the plane, everything happened so fast. We were rushed through security checks and immigration, and Beth's hand remained in mine. My mother had seen to it that there would be cars waiting for us when we left. Some passengers had tried to hail them as cabs and argued with the drivers, but they were soon chased off upon our arrival. We piled in while our luggage was loaded, and the short but agonising final stretch of the journey began. Beth didn't stare out of the window at the country she'd so desperately wanted to visit, and it made my heart ache for her. This ought to have been a happy day, one that she'd always dreamt of, and here she was scared and uncertain. She stared down into her lap, her feet tapping out their nervous rhythm, and she squeezed my fingers like our contact was the only thing keeping her grounded.

I was happy to oblige her.

If she'd asked it of me, I would never have let her go.

Beth was first out of the vehicle when we arrived at the grand hotel. Not wanting to wait for a driver to do the proper thing and assist her, she staggered out of the car and was immediately hit by Jenny who clung to her for dear life. Meg and Chrissy were soon upon her, and Beth permitted herself a moment of vulnerability before she snapped back to her role as the headstrong, determined young woman she preferred to play.

'Okay, okay. Less hugging, more action.'

Had her friends seen the Beth I'd observed since she'd received the phone call, they'd have known that this was all a mask. Deep down, she was as frightened as they were about what might have happened. I, too, was frightened. For Lisa to some extent, but more so for Beth. She'd proven that she took action before she thought things through. She was reckless and had little concern for her own personal safety. If anyone was going to do something stupid in the name of setting things right, it would be her.

'Girls, go to Jenny's room and wait there,' her father said. 'Jenny, is your mother here?'

'Yes, she's waiting for you all in the conference room with the teachers. Lisa's parents are on their way.'

'You four,' my mother encouraged me, Mandy, Chantelle and Charlie towards the group, 'go with them, please. None of you should leave the hotel until we've come up with a strategy for dealing with this.'

'Mum, we can help,' I insisted. 'Let us come with you.'

'No, she's right,' Beth said. 'Come on. We'll just be in their way.'

I was shocked, to say the least. There I was thinking that Beth would throw her luggage at her father and flee into the city screaming Lisa's name, and yet she wanted to go to the room and behave herself. When she cleared her throat gently and gestured that we ought to hurry and follow her, I realised that my initial assumptions had been accurate. She was planning something foolish and we were all going to be in on it. I supposed that she wouldn't be Beth if she had intended to sit tight in the hotel and leave things to the adults as a normal, sane person would.

I didn't dare to say anything while there were adults within earshot. Beth had told Jenny that she ought to report Lisa's escape to the teachers, parents, and to the police, so I had to believe that most of the students were being watched. And, if they weren't, it was only because they'd behaved themselves thus far and proven that they could be trusted.

Of course, that had been before Beth had arrived to stir up trouble.

Jenny's room was neat and orderly. Obviously, she wasn't sharing her space with Chrissy. The vast quantities of books spoke more of Meg than any of the other girls. Beth waited for us all to enter before she followed and closed the door behind herself. The adults had stayed downstairs to strategize. No doubt, they were trying to leave things up to the police who knew the area well and were trained to handle abductions and missing persons. Again, doing the things that rational people would do in such a situation.

Unlike Beth who locked the door and ordered, 'I need a map of the city, Lisa's note, a pen, and something to write on.'

Oh my God.

'I have a map,' Jenny announced.

'I've got my homework books and a few pens,' Meg added.

'I'll go get the note!' Chrissy dodged around Beth to leave the room and retrieve it.

'Your father told us to stay put, Bennett,' Chantelle said. She draped herself across a nearby chair and inspected her manicure. 'We should just watch television until they get back with your silly little friend.'

'What did you just say?' Beth challenged furiously.

Honestly, I'd been about to agree with Chantelle. I wouldn't have said the part about Lisa being silly, but staying put was safer for everyone. I hated that Beth was here and worried for this girl, but if she went out to find Gideon on her own then she would just be putting herself at risk. Beth didn't know anything about Rome, she had no idea what Gideon was capable of, and if she got lost then that would make two people the police were looking for rather than just one.

Did I have the courage to tell Beth all of this?

No. No, I did not.

'You heard!' Chantelle snapped. 'I don't see why any of us had to be dragged into her mess. Lisa is always doing something ridiculous, and now we're all stuck in this hotel waiting for other people to tidy up after her. Even if she has run off with someone, it's her own business. She's always been a little tart, and –'

'Shut up, Chantelle!' Meg bellowed.

Silence lingered in the air, like the aftermath of a bell being struck, a faint ringing which dissipated into stunned nothingness.

And I'd thought that Beth was a force to be reckoned with.