Borden (Borden #1) by R. J. Lewis Page A

I’d survived bad shit in my short life, this was just another one of those times.
    Yes, now calm the hell down.
    To distract myself, I grabbed the remote control on the coffee table and turned on the television. I sat up and rested both feet down on the carpet and rubbed my hand over my sore stomach. I idly stared at the news and weather forecast, and slowly it lulled me into a light sleep.
    A loud knock tore through the quiet, and I jumped, whipping my eyes open. My body shuddered and my heartbeat accelerated in my chest.
    Who would come to my door?
    Nobody ever came to my door.
    I stayed glued in that spot for a few moments, holding my breath. Maybe the person would go away if I didn’t respond. Maybe –
    BANG! BANG! BANG!
    Shit.
    Feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, I slowly stood up and made my way to the door. Panicked, I wondered if it was them again, wondered if they were here to take me away.
    Without a peephole, I had no way of knowing who it was. I took a few deep breaths trying to rid the nerves away and unlocked the door. Relief accompanied me at the sight of a tall police officer standing in the hallway. He was a young, brown haired man with concerned eyes. Relief immediately turned to confusion. What is this?
    “Emma Warne?” he asked.
    “Yes,” I said anxiously.
    “Police Department got a call from a resident in this apartment complex saying they were worried for your safety. A man escorted you home last night, is that right?”
    I hesitantly nodded again.
    “We were told that man is in league with Marcus Borden. Is that also right?”
    “I was at one of his clubs,” I responded with instead. “I had no way of coming home.”
    “I understand that, but I also know that it’s fairly unusual for Mr Borden to send someone home unless something happened. We’ve had some serious complaints in the past, and we know the last thing they can be is safe. Resident said they were unsure of whether the man followed you in or not, and that the apartment has been silent since.”
    Yes, something happened! I could see my inner being now, ripping her hair in frustration at my silence. I felt that side of me pushing for the truth to surface, but I suppressed it.
    “Nothing happened,” I told him firmly. “I met him last night and he decided to send me home after learning I had no transportation back. If anything, he was being… gracious.”
    Yeah, as gracious as a fucking murderer was.
    “Gracious?” the officer repeated, staring at me sceptically for a long moment, studying my face.
    Perhaps gracious was a long stretch.
    His deep stare just added more to the nerves I was feeling. The last thing I wanted was trouble. If any of his men were out there now and watching a police officer enter the complex after last night, what might they think?
    “So you’re completely fine? Nothing happened?” he asked, and it was almost painful listening to the level of concern in his voice.
    “I’m completely fine,” I lied. “I had a long night and need some rest.”
    Emma, you coward .
    “I appreciate the concern, Officer,” I added as a way to end the conversation.
    He slowly nodded, looking completely unconvinced. I even caught him looking past me and into the apartment. “Do you mind if I go in and have a look around, Miss Warne?”
    I frowned and replied firmly, “I do mind, actually.”
    He looked back at me. “Just wanting to make sure is all.”
    “I’m perfectly fine.”
    He sighed in defeat. “Alright, well, you have a good day then. If you remember anything or know anything, don’t hesitate to contact us immediately.”
    “Okay. Thank you.”
    I closed the door quickly, holding my breath for a few moments. Just as I heard his footsteps fading to the elevator, I collapsed to the floor in relief. Oh, thank God. Then I wondered who on earth saw me last night and decided to call the police to check on my wellbeing. That person could have come seen me themselves if they were so