Jenn sat beside him in the back seat, and told the constable not to take the turn-off to Marrayin. ‘You need to sleep, Mark,’ she said quietly when he realised they’d passed the turn. ‘You’re exhausted. We’re both exhausted, with too much scope for nightmares. You can’t be alone at Marrayin.’ For her own need, as much as for his, she drew on her courage. ‘There’s a comfortable double bed at the pub. Are we friends enough to simply hold each other and sleep?’ She saw the tiny pause in his breathing, the slow exhale. ‘Yes. If that’s what you want.’ She entwined her fingers in his and rested her forehead against his shoulder, trusting him with her vulnerability in a way she’d trusted few others. ‘It is. Just tonight. I know I’m asking a lot of you, but I don’t want to face the nightmares alone.’ ‘I’ll be there, Jenn,’ he murmured into her hair. ‘Close your eyes and sleep and I’ll be right there beside you.’ And she could hear Mark’s heart, feel the soft fabric of his T-shirt, the warmth of his arms around her, one hand gently cradling her head against him.
