A loud knock tore through the quiet, and I jumped, whipping my eyes open. My body shuddered and my heartbeat accelerated in my chest.

Who would come to my door?

Nobody ever came to my door.

I stayed glued in that spot for a few moments, holding my breath. Maybe the person would go away if I didn’t respond. Maybe –

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shit.

Feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, I slowly stood up and made my way to the door. Panicked, I wondered if it was them again, wondered if they were here to take me away.

Without a peephole, I had no way of knowing who it was. I took a few deep breaths trying to rid the nerves away and unlocked the door. Relief accompanied me at the sight of a tall police officer standing in the hallway. He was a young, brown haired man with concerned eyes. Relief immediately turned to confusion. What is this?

“Emma Warne?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said anxiously.

“Police Department got a call from a resident in this apartment complex saying they were worried for your safety. A man escorted you home last night, is that right?”

I hesitantly nodded again.

“We were told that man is in league with Marcus Borden. Is that also right?”

“I was at one of his clubs,” I responded with instead. “I had no way of coming home.”

“I understand that, but I also know that it’s fairly unusual for Mr Borden to send someone home unless something happened. We’ve had some serious complaints in the past, and we know the last thing they can be is safe. Resident said they were unsure of whether the man followed you in or not, and that the apartment has been silent since.”

Yes, something happened! I could see my inner being now, ripping her hair in frustration at my silence. I felt that side of me pushing for the truth to surface, but I suppressed it.

“Nothing happened,” I told him firmly. “I met him last night and he decided to send me home after learning I had no transportation back. If anything, he was being… gracious.”

Yeah, as gracious as a fucking murderer was.

“Gracious?” the officer repeated, staring at me sceptically for a long moment, studying my face.

Perhaps gracious was a long stretch.

His deep stare just added more to the nerves I was feeling. The last thing I wanted was trouble. If any of his men were out there now and watching a police officer enter the complex after last night, what might they think?

“So you’re completely fine? Nothing happened?” he asked, and it was almost painful listening to the level of concern in his voice.

“I’m completely fine,” I lied. “I had a long night and need some rest.”

Emma, you coward.

“I appreciate the concern, Officer,” I added as a way to end the conversation.

He slowly nodded, looking completely unconvinced. I even caught him looking past me and into the apartment. “Do you mind if I go in and have a look around, Miss Warne?”

I frowned and replied firmly, “I do mind, actually.”

He looked back at me. “Just wanting to make sure is all.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

He sighed in defeat. “Alright, well, you have a good day then. If you remember anything or know anything, don’t hesitate to contact us immediately.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

I closed the door quickly, holding my breath for a few moments. Just as I heard his footsteps fading to the elevator, I collapsed to the floor in relief. Oh, thank God. Then I wondered who on earth saw me last night and decided to call the police to check on my wellbeing. That person could have come seen me themselves if they were so worried. I couldn’t think of one person, though. I knew nobody in the building and they certainly made no effort in knowing me either in the last two years I lived here.

This doesn’t make sense.

Aside from that mystery, the rest of the day was uneventful. Out of my barren fridge, I forced three stuffed olives down my throat and made a nasty cheese sandwich that I could only finish half of. I had the shakes several times and I spent a lot of time glancing out my bedroom window, half-expecting one of Borden’s men to be standing there watching me. There never was, and I convinced myself I was getting overly paranoid.

But when it came to Marcus fucking Borden, was there such a thing as paranoid?

*

In the evening, I received a worried call from Granny who I was meant to visit earlier that day. “So everything is alright then?” she asked. Her voice sounded nasally and she was sniffing repeatedly.

“Yep, everything’s great,” I lied. “You sound awful though.”

“Just a flu. I must have caught it at the doctor’s on Friday – how about that, huh? Haven’t been anywhere else. Next time please call me and let me know if you’re not on your way. I made a lot of food for you to take, you know. I thought you were going to be here.”

“I’m sorry, Granny. I can come by tomorrow if you’d like. I finish work at six.”

“Yes, anytime tomorrow is fine, Emma. I don’t want to waste the food. I made you sausage rolls and a chicken casserole you can divide and freeze up.”

“I can’t wait to have it.”

“Why do you sound so down? You’re usually upbeat, darling.”

“I’ve just… had a rough day, you know.”

“Well, you look after yourself. Don’t let anybody walk all over you. Especially a man. You’re your own person.”

I blinked in surprise. Did she just assume I had an issue with a man? I guess she didn’t believe I’d been seriously single all these months, and it was pretty sad when your granny thinks you’re getting some and you’re really not.

“I won’t,” I promised her. “Don’t worry about me. Tell me what else I’ll be eating.”

She continued letting me know of all the foods she had made or was going to make me. She couldn’t stand the thought of me going hungry. She knew very well that my job wasn’t paying well enough to provide me with an entirely full stomach every day. Despite her having little money herself, she poured whatever she could into me. It was always appreciated, and I didn’t know what I would do without her. I knew tomorrow it was going to be an even longer day swinging by. It took over an hour catching two buses from work, but I missed her and felt guilty for having stood her up.