His heart hammered in his chest, skipping beats with an irregular rhythm, but he ignored it. Thank Christ for the pills. He knew he’d have bottled it again without them. Now he felt as if he was a bystander watching himself play a role in someone else’s movie. Maybe he should give her some pills too, that way she’d enjoy it more. No, he thought. Too awkward. Fuck it. She’d enjoy it anyway. Once she got over the initial resistance, she’d get into it.
“Ain’t that right, Daz?” he whispered. He listened for a reply, but all he heard was Alice moaning in the bedroom. She must be getting impatient. The bulge in his jeans twitched, and for a moment he feared he would lose control of himself. No. That was going into Alice. The thought of DNA and forensics disturbed him, but the confidence instilled by the pills and the certainty Alice would soon be writhing in pleasure, made light of any doubts. In fact, he didn't care. He was filling her kinky fantasy. And his too. What a coincidence. Alice and Lewis. Made for each other.
He put the glove back on, rolled down the balaclava and returned to the bedroom. Cole pulled the bottle of perfume from his back pocket and sprayed a little on the tuft of golden hair between her legs. “Mmm. Nice.”
A snip of that hair would make a wicked trophy, he thought. He stopped rubbing and bent over to get the knife. When he looked up, he saw Alice swing her hand toward him. Something made a hissing sound. Then his eyes burned up.
He scrunched his eyes shut and rubbed them. Tears flooded his vision. Alice screamed. He could make out Alice untying her ankles on the bed, but that wasn’t important anymore. The pain in one eye became unbearable, and flight instinct kicked in. He fumbled on the ground and grabbed the knife and his bag. With great difficulty, he got to his feet. Through one eye, his impaired vision saw Alice coming for him again, aiming the stuff at him.
They stared at each other. He with the knife. She with the pepper spray. Cole thought about plunging the knife into her, but something stopped him. There’d be another time.
He dropped the knife into the bag and turned to flee, but she grabbed a hold of his jacket. He pulled away from her. She lunged at him again. He swung at her with a fist and he heard his jacket pocket rip. The move unbalanced her, and he escaped her grasp.
Cole hurtled down the stairs. Without thought, he yanked open the front door, ripped off the balaclava and ran down the street.
68
Alice grabbed the sheet from the floor to cover herself. Every part of her trembled, and she slumped onto the bed, taking huge, deep breaths. She reached for her phone, but her hand shook so much, it took several attempts to grasp it. A strange vibration pulsed inside her head, but she forced herself to regain a semblance of control.
She hit the off button on the radio to kill the noise. Silence descended. She stood, but her legs gave way and she flopped back to the bed. Once more she got to her feet, and this time she reached the chair and managed to put on her robe. She put the can of mace in the pocket and punched at the trembling phone.
“Hello, emergency service operator, which service do you require? Fire, police, or ambulance?”
“P…Police.”
“I’ll connect you now.”
Another voice answered, a man with a Northern accent. “Hello, where are you calling from?”
“Home. Portobello Close, W11.”
“What is the nature of your emergency?”
Alice hesitated and felt tears ready to fall in debilitating sobs. She took a long breath. “Someone j-just... he… he tried to… to rape me.”
“Where did this happen?”
“Here. At home. Portobello Close.”
“Is the intruder still present?”
“I… I don't know. I don't think so.”
“Was there a weapon involved?”
Alice trembled. Talking about it made it seem so much more real. “He had a knife.”
“What’s your name?”
“Alice.... Alice Madsen.”
“Okay Alice. I’ll send someone straight away. Did someone harm you?”
“Y-y-yes.”
“Do you need an ambulance?”
“No. No.”
“Now Alice. I need you to listen. The intruder is probably gone. But we need to make sure you're not in any immediate danger.”
Alice sniffled. “If my home isn't safe, then nowhere’s safe. Anyway, I…” She stopped herself from mentioning the mace and paused to think for a moment. “I… I managed to fight him off and he ran.” She stepped into the landing as she spoke and looked around. Nothing. She started down the stairs. “I’m going downstairs now. I think the front door is open.”
“I’ll hold.”
Alice held her breath and listened. Nothing. Two steps down. Then another two. Halfway down the stairs, she stopped again. Still no sound. It took several minutes for her to build further resolve. If he was still downstairs, she would face him, despite every fibre in her body telling her to flee.
“Alice?”
“I’m okay.” In the hall, she saw the front door was ajar. “The front door is open.”
“Close it.”
She pushed it shut and set the alarm. Her breathing slowed, but her heart still fluttered as if it were trying to escape her rib cage. “I’m checking the rooms now.” She entered each room downstairs. “He’s gone.”
“Did you check upstairs?”
“No. Will
