“Noooo,” I wailed. This was not happening to me. How on earth had I managed to be the person hanging by a thread, literally, from a pole on a construction site?
And then my body fell another centimeter . . . another centimeter . . . and I knew my shirt wasn’t going to hold me much longer. I had no other option but to call out for help, as much as it irked me. I didn’t want to givehimthe satisfaction of having to save me from this situation, but what could I do?
“Hellooo!” I called. When I didn’t get a response, I called again and again and again. No one was coming to my rescue, though. I’d have to handle this on my own. So, I prepared to swing my body like a dangling sack of potatoes and grab hold of the ladder. I took a deep breath and in three, two, one . . .
I swung. The ripping sound was terrible. I closed my eyes, grabbed the ladder and held on as tightly as possible. I kept my eyes tightly shut, until it felt safe to open them again. I was so happy to be alive, but then I looked down . . .my shirt. Torn and tattered, lying at the bottom of the ladder like a dead thing. One of my shoes was lying next to it, rather like a murder scene, with its snapped-off heel. I looked down at my chest and sighed. I was wearing nothing more than a bra now.
CHAPTERFIFTY-ONE
Ryan
Where the hell was she?He’d been talking for what seemed like at least ten minutes before he realized he no longer heard the irritating scribbling sounds. Not to mention the sound of her shuffling across the concrete.
“Miss Granger?” he called out and walked back to the ladder. Surely she wasn’t still trying to climb up it?
“Here!” Her voice was high-pitched and strange-sounding.
He looked around to find the source of it, but couldn’t. “Where?” he called out.
“Here,” she replied.
He swung around and surveyed his surroundings just in time to see a head peer around one of the pillars. He did a double take.
“What on earth are you doing there?” he asked.
Her face scrunched up. “You know, just checking it all out. It’s all very fascinating,” she said. “The way it all comes together like this.” Her hand appeared and she patted the pillar firmly. “It’s very solid,” she said.
“Okay,” he said dismissively. “Just try and keep up with us.” He turned and walked away but quickly turned around again when he heard the sound of fast, scurrying feet.
“Miss Granger?” he asked again when he couldn’t see her anymore.
“Yes?” Her high-pitched voice came from a different direction now.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Over here!” Her head popped out from behind another pillar.
“I can see that. But why?” Was she playing some sort of strange game? He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Just keep up.”
He turned and walked back to the others, who were now discussing the rainwater drainage system on the roof. He stood there listening to the conversation when he heard another scurrying noise, followed by a loud bang. This time they all turned around.
“Miss Granger?” he asked when, once again, she was nowhere to be seen.
“Yes.” He heard her voice again.
“Where have you gotten to this time?”
“Here,” the voice responded, but still no sign of her. And then a metal barrel moved slightly and they all looked at it. “Miss Granger, I know you’re behind the barrel,” he said.
And then slowly a forehead appeared, followed by a pair of eyes, a nose, a mouth and finally a chin. She smiled at them. She looked nervous.
“What is going on?” he asked.
And then she burst out laughing—or was that crying? Or was it a combination of both? God, this looked so unprofessional. “I’m so sorry about this.” He turned to the others and apologized. “I’m not sure what she’s doing.”
“Miss Granger.” He looked at the little face again. “Please can you stop hiding behind pillars and barrels and come out so we can continue with this site visit.”
She shook her head and then bit her lip. “No,” she said. “I can’t come out.”
