Venus lowered her left leg and she felt Tatiana clasp her shin. Venus had to finish the rest of the climb with the weight of another human pulling her down, but she focused, gritted her teeth and carried on moving.

‘You’re doing good Tatiana,’ she whispered encouragingly. ‘Just keep at it.’

The climb was about fifteen metres and Venus reached out at the top and pulled herself up and out. She waited for Tatiana to emerge and get a grip on the bricks at the top. Venus reached out her arms and pulled Tatiana out beside her.

From this lofty position they could see that they were on the roof of a large, sprawling industrial park. The place was dark, deserted and eerie. Calling for help would probably prove fruitless and may get them caught again.

‘Over there,’ said Venus, pointing to the top of a fire escape. To get there they’d have to make their way down a steep, slanting roof and along a narrow walkway dangling between two buildings.

‘I don’t think I can do this,’ hissed Tatiana.

‘You HAVE to,’ urged Venus. She remembered Tatiana freezing earlier on the roof before the kidnappers appeared with their guns. ‘Just don’t look down.’

Tatiana nodded and kept her head up.

Venus went first, taking each step incredibly carefully and supporting Tatiana who was grabbing her right arm fearfully. Centimetre by centimetre they descended, Venus continually checking over he shoulder for any sign of the kidnappers.

Their painstaking pace finally led them to the start of the ledge. It was suspended in the air, a narrow walkway, with no safety measures to support a fall. If you lost your footing, you’d be toast.

Tatiana squeezed Venus’s arm in terror. ‘I won’t make it Venus, I just won’t.’

Venus gripped Tatiana by the shoulders. ‘You’ve no choice Tatiana, you will do it – I’ll be there with you every step of the way.

Venus glanced at her watch anxiously and stepped out onto the walkway. Although she’d done lots of work with Dennis on climbing and jumping from great heights, she had always used a harness. If she fell, as she had done several times, she only fell a couple of metres and then the harness took the strain. This was different. One slip and you’d be toast.

Venus took another careful step. ‘OK, step out onto it and hold my arm again,’ she commanded.

Tatiana swallowed hard and gingerly placed her right foot out onto the walkway. Venus made sure her own body was steady before taking another step. She could feel Tatiana’s quivering arms digging into her flesh but she blocked it out. She had to get Tatiana across and onto the fire escape. This could be their only chance.

They were halfway across when Tatiana looked down.

‘Oh my god!’ she cried, her body suddenly swaying like a drunk’s. She flopped leftwards and lost her footing, swaying like a drunk and seconds away from death. But in a flash, Venus stepped towards her and grabbed both of her arms. Tatiana swayed back towards Venus, and somehow managed to get both of her feet back on the walkway. She was shaking and sobbing.

Venus held her steady. ‘Just look at me,’ Venus commanded. ‘You’re ok. We’re going to make it.’

She doubted the validity of this particular statement, because any other slip-ups by Tatiana could be fateful. They still had fifteen metres to go on the walkway and Venus began to walk again, holding Tatiana’s arm tightly and steering both of them forwards. It was with immense relief that they both stepped off the walkway onto the top of the fire escape.