Page 56 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
“Hold on. Let me get a patrol car dispatched.” His voice was in the background but I couldn’t make out his words.
A beeping rang in my ears and I pulled my phone away to see I had another incoming call. Most likely it was my security company. Their protocol was to try and reach me first and then notify the police if I didn’t answer.
Not long after the beeping stopped, the dispatcher came on the line. “Ms. Austin, I’ve got your security company on the other line. Are you in a safe location?” he asked.
“I’m hiding in my closet.”
“Good. Stay there. The patrol car is on its way and should be there soon. I’ll let the officer know where you are hiding. Don’t leave the closet. When the deputy gets there, he’ll come to you. His name is Sam Eklund.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Hold on while I let your security company go,” he said. I was glad he didn’t hang up on me. It made me feel like I wasn’t totally alone during one of the scariest moments of my life.
The adrenaline coursing through my blood was making my body shake. I wrapped my free arm around my knees to keep them from knocking together while my mind started racing, thinking of all the possibilities for my alarm going off.
Was someone trying to break into my house? What if the intruder was making his way to my bedroom?
Huddled in the corner, I closed my eyes and focused on listening. If I could hear my intruder before he reached the closet, maybe I could at least tell the dispatcher before something bad happened to me. The blasting alarm, the dispatcher’s typing and labored breathing were all I heard.
Every passing minute felt like an hour. Any minute now, I imagined that a dark figure would throw open my closet door and find my hiding place. I mentally started preparing myself to fight. Maybe if I put up enough of a struggle, I could delay my attacker long enough that the sheriff’s deputy would arrive in time to save me.
When footsteps sounded in my bedroom, I held my breath and stared through the darkness toward the door, hoping that on the other side was a police officer and not my intruder.
“Ms. Austin? This is Deputy Sam Eklund.” Two short knocks came on the closet door.
Sagging further to the floor, I blew out the breath I’d been holding. “He’s here,” I whispered and hung up on the dispatcher.
“I’m coming out,” I said, picking myself up off the floor. The light from my bedroom was blinding after having been in the pitch-black closet.
“Can you get that alarm off?” Sam asked, yelling over the sirens.
Nodding, I disarmed it using the app on my phone.
“You doing okay?” he asked.
“Not really,” I said. “What’s going on? Did someone try and break in?”
“No one is here but the sensor on your basement door tripped. I’m going to call in an update to the station. How about you get dressed and come downstairs? Give me a chance to look around more closely.”
When I realized just how sparse my attire was, I wrapped my arms around my chest to try and cover up my nightwear.
I had on a thin-strapped maroon silk camisole and matching shorts. With all of the excitement, one of the straps had slipped off my shoulder and I was centimeters away from flashing Sam one of my breasts.
“Okay. I’ll be right there,” I said, turning back to my closet. I pulled on a floor-length robe lined with faux fur. My mother and I had each gotten one from the spa in Lake Como. It had been an extravagant purchase, but as I slid my arms into the plush cream garment, I didn’t regret a single penny.
My feet carried me quickly down the hall, but when a familiar voice called out, I started jogging to the stairs.
“Emmy!” Nick shouted.
“Up here!”
Nick didn’t wait for me in the foyer. The second he saw me hit the top stair, he was racing toward me, taking two steps at a time. He reached me at the top of the staircase and enveloped me with his strong arms. “Are you okay?” he asked the top of my head.
“No,” I whispered.
“I’ve got you.”
I let my body relax and fall into his. The smell from his flannel shirt was a mixture of Nick and laundry soap. I breathed it in deeply, savoring the safety and warmth of Nick’s embrace.
