“I’d like that,” I said back.
“Okay then, that’s a date” he smiled. Leaning out of his seat, he kissed me softly on the lips.
Without saying another word, I climbed from the 4X4 and headed towards my front door. Michael pulled away from the curb. I glanced back and watched the rear lights disappear into the distance. Alone again, I turned towards my front door and stopped. The door was open and I could hear movement from inside.
Chapter Eighteen
With my torch held against my shoulder as if it were my police baton, I pushed open the door and crept inside. There was a light coming from beneath the living room door. I could hear the sound of voices talking. One was male, the other female. And although I recognised them, I couldn’t place who those voices belonged to. With my knuckles glowing white as I gripped the end of the torch, I inched my way silently towards the living room door. Taking a deep breath, and with my heart thumping, I pushed the door open with the tip of my boot and stepped inside. Vincent looked up from the armchair in front of the T.V. and smiled.
“Hey, Sydney,” he said with a smile.
At first I was too lost for words to reply as I stood and stared at him in disbelief. He sat with his feet propped on the coffee table, legs crossed at the ankles. There was a cup of tea and a half-eaten cheese and pickle sandwich on the table next to his feet. He had taken off his police jacket, which was now hanging over the back of the chair. The voices I had heard from outside was that of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder as Vincent sat watching an episode of the X-Files on the Sci-Fi channel. That’s where I knew those voices from.
Lowering my torch, I strode over to the T.V. and turned it off.
“Oh, Sydney, c’mon,” Vincent groaned. “What did you go and do that for? I haven’t seen that episode before.”
Ignoring him, I wheeled round and hissed, “How did you get in here?”
“The front door was ajar,” he said, dark eyes looking at me innocently. “I came by, found the door was open, wondered if you were okay, and so thought it best if I checked to make sure there wasn’t a problem. You could have been burgled for all I knew.”
“I never left my front door open,” I snapped at him. Had I?
“You musta done,” he said.
“Even if I had, what gives you the right to help yourself to my food, tea, and T.V?” I barked, slapping his feet from off the coffee table.
“I was starving hungry,” Vincent said. “I hadn’t eaten all day so I thought...”
“Food isn’t the only thing you’ve helped yourself to, is it?” I snapped at him, yanking my iPod from my coat pocket.
He looked at the iPod with a guilty expression.
“Did you download The Police to my iPod?” I shouted.
“Oh that,” he grimaced. “Sorry, but it was a long walk from the police station over to here yesterday and I felt like listening to some music, and...”
“So you thought you would just go and download some tunes to listen to?” I gasped at his nerve. “You do know that costs money, don’t you?”
“Oh, sure,” Vincent said, standing up and rummaging through his work trouser pockets. “I’ve got a fiver here somewhere.”
“Stick your fiver where the sun don’t shine,” I snapped at him. “You’ve got a bloody cheek coming in here and helping yourself to my food and...”
“How about I make you a nice cup of tea?” he cut over me with a beaming smile. “You look really stressed.”
“Yes, I am stressed thanks to you!” I snapped at him.
“Because of me?” he said, looking dumbfounded. “What have I done?”
“I thought I’d been freaking burgled!” I roared, half of me just wanting to leap across the room and throttle him.
“But I’m not a burglar,” he frowned.
“You just don’t get it, do you?” I cried.
Vincent looked at me, a blank expression pulled down over his rugged face, then said, “How many sugars?”
“I give up,” I sighed, dropping my iPod into the armchair and heading for the bathroom.
“Where you going?” he called after me.
“To the toilet,” I hissed, when all I wanted to do was scream in frustration.
I slammed the bathroom door shut, pulled down my trousers and panties, and sat on the toilet. What a freaking nerve! I thought. How dare he just come into my flat and make himself at home. I didn’t even know him. If it wasn’t for the fact he was a copper, I would’ve kicked his arse out of here by now. And the iTunes thing! How dare he download...
Suddenly, I heard the sound of music coming from the living room and it was loud – very loud. Boom! Boom! Boom! Came a deep, heavy bass. The very walls of my flat began to vibrate and tremble.