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His eyes burn into mine. “You won’t be alone ever again.”
There’s a loud knock on the door, and Casper shouts for them to come in. I thought he might actually go to answer the door, but it’s unlocked, and he’s still holding my hand, gripping me like he’s scared I’ll disappear if he were to let go.
Two officers let themselves in and walk over to us. Casper briefly explains what happened while I try to ground myself by almost breaking every bone in Casper’s hand. He’s not complaining, though.
It’s all a blur—a horrible nightmare I can’t seem to wake from. Not enough time has passed for me to wrap my head around it, though I’m wide awake and unsure I’ll ever be able to drift off again.
The male officer goes to make hot drinks while the female calls for a forensic team and takes my statement. They were only here last week, searching my garden.
Casper looks furious, gunmetal eyes ready to kill, giving them a clear display of how pissed off he is that I was in danger. What could they have done?
Prompted by Casper squeezing my hand and bringing me back to the present, I slowly give the officer my account of what happened, then Casper does the same, offering more details than he did when they first arrived.
There isn’t much to tell them. I didn’t see anything. All I can describe are the sounds and that one voice.
It takes only twenty minutes for the forensic guys to arrive. They get straight to work on the kitchen where the intruders entered.
Casper and I haven’t moved. I sit beside him, holding a now-cold coffee. His arm remains pressed firmly against mine, a silent promise that he’ll keep me safe.
The world seems to be moving far too quickly as I watch people walk past to collect the evidence they need and take photos of the damage. It’s a whirlwind of activity, and I just need everything to stop so I can catch up.
A second mug of coffee is swapped with the first and placed in my hands.
“Thanks,” I mutter to the officer right before she retreats.
“Hey,” Casper says, taking the mug from me and putting it down on the coffee table. “You’re too quiet. Talk to me.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve never been a good liar. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in that head. I rarely have a clue.”
“It’s going to sound dramatic.”
He smiles weakly, shaking his head. “It usually does.”
Part of the old Casper I know so well is still in there, I see.
I bite my lip, debating whether or not I want to be that open and raw with him. He wouldn’t make fun of me. Not tonight.
“For fuck’s sake, Ainsley, will you spit it out?”
He had the good sense to speak quietly so he doesn’t sound like a massive wanker in front of the police officers. It does make me smile, though, so I don’t think badly of him. In fact, it’s the most normal he’s been with me since the break-in, and I hold onto it with every ounce of strength I have.
“All right, bossy.” I take a breath and look down at our entwined fingers. My hand is so much smaller than his. “I was petrified, okay. I… thought they might find me and...”
“What?”
“You know.”
“Murder? Rape?”
No sugar-coating it. I’d think he was insensitive, but he looks like he wants to hunt the intruders down and skin them alive.
“All of the above,” I reply, meeting his concerned, dark eyes. “I know that’s stupid since these guys are just after things to steal, but I wasn’t thinking rationally when they broke in. It happened so fast, and I’d just woken up.”
He nods once, his jaw hard. Scratch that, he doesn’t look like he wants to hurt them. He looks like he wants to burn the entire world down.
“You’re not the only one who thought that. I wasn’t lying what I said about avenging your death. It took far too long for me to get over here. I was frantic thinking that he might be… hurting you.” Those last two words rip from his throat like blades on skin.
