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My phone is charging in my room.
Sliding through the opening to the door, I fumble around for my phone, my hands shaking so badly, I almost drop it twice. I manage to dial 999 while my heart tries to punch a hole through my ribcage.
Keep. Calm.
I lay down, somewhat in a daze, and shuffle under my bed as the emergency handler answers, asking which service I need.
Once I’ve whispered a message to the operator, I hang up despite being told to stay on the line. I can’t do that. I need to call Casper.
I’m not thinking properly. Terror replaces the blood in my veins, making every movement sloppy and every decision questionable. It takes me two attempts to get my thumb to hit the call button to him.
Seconds later, a sleepy groan mutters, “Ainsley, what the fu–”
“Someone’s in my house,” I whisper, keeping my eyes glued to the door. I’m surprised they haven’t heard my heartbeat thumping against the floor by now.
“What?What?”
He sounds alotmore awake now.
“I called the police. I’m under my bed.”
There’s a banging on the other end of the phone. So much so that I can’t hear if he’s talking to me, and I can’t raise my voice to ask.
“Do not move, and do not make a sound,” he says eventually. He’s on high alert, barking orders in a way I wouldn’t dare disobey them.
But I wasn’t exactly planning to jump around shouting, “Here I am!” now, was I?
Hold on…
Shit, he’s coming over.
Obviously.
My hands tremble as I hold the phone to my ear. I press my fist against my mouth in an effort to calm myself the hell down.
“Casper,” I whisper into the phone. He’s still on the line but all I hear is the thudding of his footsteps on the stairs. Then his front door slams shut, and that rattles my house, too.
My stomach turns to lead. “Casper, be careful.”
What if the intruder—or intruders—are armed and they hurt him? I can’t let him face them alone while I hide under my bed.
There’s more noise at the back of the house. Something solid falls over, so they’ve probably already run off when they’ve heard Casper coming over.
Please begone. Don’t hurt him.
They must have taken off. You wouldn’t stick around when you heard someone coming for you.
“Ainsley! Ainsley!” My name is a frantic call that makes me sob.
Thank God he’s here.
I roll out from under the bed and sprint without a second thought, bumping into the wall as I turn the corner. Casper meets me at the top of the stairs, and I fling myself at him, my legs giving way.
He catches me before I hit the floor. My head lands against his hard chest, and he holds me as tightly as I need him to.
I feel my body tremble against his, but it somehow knows that I’m safe now. He’s strong, and I knew he would come.
The trembling begins to subside when he whispers against my ear, “It’s okay now. You’re okay. They’ve gone. It’s just you and me, Ainsley. I’ve got you.”
