Anna desperately tried to steady her breathing as she leant against the locked bathroom door and listened carefully. With a trembling hand, she continued to hold the mobile phone to her other ear as she listened to the soothing tones of the call handler. The lady on the other end of the line had actually done a very admirable job, for although Anna knew her body was still buzzing with adrenaline, she felt much calmer now than when she had first seen the intruder. Long gone was the noisy pulse in her eardrums, the lightheadedness and a general feeling of nausea. Now, Anna felt remarkably calm and ready for the next stage.
'I've just been informed that we are now on site,' explained those soothing tones in her ear. 'Are you still with me, Miss Henderson?'
'Yes...sorry...yes of course,' confirmed Anna.
'So, at any moment, you will hear a knock at the door. Don't be alarmed because that should be one of our police officers.'
'Thank you for your help. Genuinely. Thank you.'
'You're welcome. I'll remain on the line until I know you're in safe hands.'
Seconds later, Anna thought she heard movement at the exterior of the property, followed by a confident knock on the front door. Yet, even though she'd been expecting it, the sound still made her jump.
'This is the police,' called a deep, self-assured voice. 'My name is Detective Sergeant Conway. If you are able to open the door, please can you do so?'
Instantly, relief flooded through her. Anna's only concern now was whether the unexpected intruder she'd encountered some fifteen minutes earlier remained in the property, or had since fled. Once again, she listened carefully, anxious to pick up any signs of movement inside the flat, but there were none. Whoever the intruder had been, she could only hope that he'd done the sensible thing and made a run for it.
Steeling her nerves, Anna tucked the mobile phone under her ear and placed her hands on the door handle and lock.
'Are you still with me?' she asked the operator.
'I'm right here,' the voice confirmed. Anna took a deep breath.
'In that case, I'm going to unlock the bathroom door and attempt to let the police officer in.'
Swallowing hard, Anna took one final breath before very slowly twisting the lock. Then, making as little noise as physically possible, she pulled the door open, hoping the hinges weren't just about to emit a loud squeak and announce her presence to anybody who might be lying in wait. Peeking into the adjacent room, Anna noted nothing out of the ordinary. From her location, she had good visibility of the long hallway, at the end of which was her target; the front door, behind which the police were waiting. In all probability, the intruder had vacated. She just had to be brave now.
'I'm heading towards the front door,' Anna muttered as quietly as possible into her phone, as she took her first tentative steps out of the bathroom. Within seconds, Anna was marching with such indecent haste towards the front door that she was practically jogging. Continuously glancing left and right to survey the environment, she was singularly determined to reach her destination against all odds. En route, she grabbed a heavy, ornate candlestick from a nearby table to act as an impromptu weapon if required. In all honesty, it wasn't much of a weapon but it gave Anna a modicum of comfort.
It was with a significant sense of achievement that she finally reached the front door, aware of her breaths now flowing fast and shallow. The dangling chain vibrated against the door frame as her fingers fumbled with the Yale lock and she yanked open the door. To her immense relief, there on the threshold stood a tall, powerful man, holding out a warrant card. Anna wasn't in the best state of mind to take any of the information being displayed in. At first, the only thing she was aware of was that he had the most intensely blue eyes she had ever seen.
'Detective Sergeant Conway, Ma'am,' he announced calmly.
Anna nodded, her attention flicking between the man and his identification, quite overwhelmed by his sheer physical presence. The guy was gorgeous. Suddenly, the female voice in Anna's ear broke her dangerously wandering thoughts.
'Well done, Miss Henderson. It sounds as though you're in safe hands now, so I'll leave you to it.'
'Thank you once again,' said Anna, meaning every word, before also hanging up. That woman, not that she would probably ever know it, had kept her sane over the past quarter of an hour.
Anna took another glance at her rescuer. He wasn't dressed in a police uniform, but then she'd watched enough television dramas to know that detectives were often in plain clothes. All the same, a sense of self-preservation ensured that she took the time to study his credentials carefully, before accepting him as the genuine article.
'There's only one of you,' Anna observed, daring to look directly into those amazing eyes again.
'There's only one of me,' the man confirmed with a gentle smile. It lit up his features and made Anna's tummy unexpectedly twist with desire. It felt as though she'd just misjudged the final step on a staircase and was falling into the unknown. 'I'd just clocked off from conducting an operation nearby. I heard your call on the radio and because I was so close and there were apparently no other available units, I offered to take it.'
'I'm very grateful you did,' she admitted.
'It's no problem. It's my job,' he explained simply. 'Now, do you suspect the intruder is still here?'
'I honestly don't know.'
'And where have you been located since you phoned us?'
'I've been hiding out in the bathroom,' admitted Anna, pointing straight down the corridor, towards the white door at the end. The detective pulled a baton out, extended it and raised it high.
'In which case, I'd like you to return there and lock yourself in, while I conduct a thorough sweep of the property,' he explained. 'Now, if you'll stay behind me, we'll walk there together now.'
With a nod, Anna did as she'd been requested, hyper-aware of the breadth of his shoulders and general power of the man, as she walked close behind him. There was a faint but delicious aroma too, which made Anna's mind drift towards long, warm, relaxing summer days and even longer, hotter nights. The guy was beyond tempting.
Not expecting to be locked back in the bathroom again, fortunately this time, her incarceration didn't last long. During the time she waited, Anna dared to glance at her appearance in the mirror over the sink, instantly feeling aghast at what she saw. Good God! Relocating the candlestick on the counter, she made some desperate attempts to repair the damage. Calmly, she tried to silently reassure herself that a flushed face and wild hair was acceptable, when one had suffered a frightening ordeal. Within a very short time, there was a gentle knock at the door.
'You're safe to come out now,' said those deep, dreamy tones that she was already becoming addicted to. One thing Anna knew for sure was that she wanted to see this detective again, by fair means or foul. 'Your home is quite safe,' he added with a small nod, when Anna opened the bathroom door again.
'Oh, thank you. But it's not actually my home,' smiled Anna, starting to feel her normal self once more, now she knew she was safe.
'It isn't?' he asked, a set of adorable lines appearing across his wrinkled brow.
'No. I'm just trying to sell it on behalf of the owner...I'm an estate agent.'
'Ah. Got it.'
'You said you were off duty? Might I offer you a drink? A cup of tea, perhaps?' suggested Anna, deciding to make the most of the situation which had presented itself. The worst he could do was say no. But, to her great surprise and delight, that wasn't the officer's response.
