Eric's point of view
There was only one person who could handle this mess, and Anna reached into her purse, withdrew her card, and indicated the mobile phone number written on the back.
She was dimly aware of a brief one-sided conversation, then the tenant led her into her room, sat her down, and applied a dampened towel to her throat.
Anna had little recollection of how long it took me to appear…only that suddenly I was there, looming large in the small room, my features grim as I took her pale features, the darkness appearing in her eyes.
I didn't say a word as I took the few steps necessary to reach her, and her gaze never left me as I hunkered down in front of her.
With care, I removed the damp towel, and a muscle bunched in one cheek as I saw the reddened marks apparent, noted the pain it caused her to swallow, and trailed gentle fingers along the underside of her jaw.
I was close, too close, she registered…and she hated my appearance to swamp her.
She was aware of me thanking her rescuer, then closing and locking the door as the tenant left, and she watched as I returned to her side.
'Give me the contact number.
She didn't pretend to misunderstand, and she retrieved a card from her pocket and gave it to me, watching as I made the call on my phone.
There were terse, hard words as I made arrangements to pay her debt in full at a mutually agreed time and place.
I slid the phone into my jacket pocket and retrieved my wallet. 'What do you owe in this place?
The rent was paid in advance and up to date. It had to be, or personal belongings were held for a week, then both tenant and belongings were out on the street.
She attempted to speak, heard the croaking sound, and resorted to hand signals, watching as I anchored a large bill beneath her room key on the scarred dresser.
The room was spartan, comprising a single bed, a dresser and chair, and a tiny wardrobe.
There were shared bathrooms, a shared kitchen at the end of the hallway, and a communal lounge. A laundry was situated in a separate building outside the house.
'You have a bag?
Anna spared me a startled look.
'For your belongings, I elaborated. 'You're not staying here.
She was tired and jumpy with nerves, and she shook her head in a defenseless gesture. Where could she go at this time of night?
'My hotel, I informed her as if she'd spoken, and her eyes blazed as she opened her mouth, then closed it again, warning that anything she said would emerge as an indistinguishable refusal.
I opened the small freestanding wardrobe, removed the capacious sports, and placed it on the single bed.
Anna rose to her feet as I began opening the drawers, refusing to have me go through her things.
Not that it had the slightest effect, as she battled with me about transferring contents from the wardrobe and dresser drawers.
It didn't take long, and when we were done, I took hold of the bag, indicated the door, and followed her out to the Lexus.
Anna accompanied me as I bypassed Reception and headed towards a bank of lifts, and when the doors of one slid open I indicated she preceded me, and then I hit the button for a high floor.
She prayed that I didn't intend for her to share my suite. Or, if I did, she hoped it contained two beds or at least a sofa.
'Relax, my voice held a drawling quality minutes later as I swiped a keycard into the slot.
Sure, and she could do that?
'I'd prefer a room of my own. The words were hopelessly husky, even to her ears.
'Accept it's not going to happen. Your security is paramount until the loan shark is paid off.
'But…"
'It isn't subject to negotiation, 'I hardly said.
'I don't want to share with you, she attempted to convey.
My gaze lanced her own, his eyes darkly obdurate. 'Deal with it, Anna. At the moment, seduction isn't on the agenda.
That was supposed to be reassurance?
It was a large suite, Anna registered as I flicked on the lights, with two queen-sized beds…a minor concession in the scheme of things.
A fleeting glance revealed there were two comfortable chairs positioned close to a wall of glass, shaded by floor-to-ceiling drapes.
I deposited her bag, then I crossed to the bedside phone, dialed Reception, and requested medical assistance.
Anna shook her head and croaked a definitive, 'No, only to be subjected to a raking appraisal.
'A doctor on call, or the accident-and-emergency ward of a private his. Choose.
The thought of attending the former form-filling, the inevitable questions held little appeal, and she shrugged, too wound up to argue with me.
'Sit down.
She watched as I removed my jacket, collected a hand towel, extracted ice from the mini-fridge, assembled a cold pack, and placed it along her jawline.
'Keep it there.
I crossed to the buffet and set the electric kettle to heat.
She was briefly aware of my impressive breadth of shoulder, and the economical ease of movement as I completed the task.
A few minutes later, I handed her a cup and saucer, then I took a nearby chair and regarded her steadily.
She sipped and cautiously swallowed the hot, sweet tea, and waited several seconds before repeating the action.
'Is there anything else you haven't told me? I queried silkily.
'No, Anna closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again, all too aware how foolish she'd been in not calling the loan shark before leaving the restaurant.
'It wouldn't have made any difference. You were out of time, and loan sharks are notorious for their hardline tactics.
Her eyes widened as they met mine. Did he read minds?
Or was hers transparent?
'Drink your tea. A doctor should be here soon.
'Soon' seemed an age, although it couldn't have been more than ten minutes before an imperious knock on the door heralded the doctor's arrival.
I handed over a sample pack of painkillers and a sedative, accepted my fee, and left.
Anna unpacked a few essentials and headed into the en-suite. A shower helped ease some of the tension, and she enjoyed the luxury of a seemingly endless supply of hot water…so different from the boarding house, where an inadequate hot-water system meant lukewarm ablutions.
Dry, she pulled on a large cotton tee-shirt, added briefs, put her hair together in a single plait, completed her nightly routine, and then emerged to find me waiting for her, pills and a glass of water in hand.
'Take these, then go to bed. You're beat.
Oh, great. As if she needed to be reminded of her mirrored image, the dark, dilated eyes in a waxen, pale face.
Without a word she took the pills and swallowed each one cautiously with water, then she slid beneath the covers on the bed closest to the external glass wall.
'Thanks. A huskily voiced word meant to encompass much. I tilted my head as I switched off the lights except for a lamp on the desk, then I opened my laptop and soon became engrossed with data on-screen.
Anna closed her eyes and willed the medication to take effect as she relieved, walking into the house, and making the phone call in the hallway…her assailant appeared out of nowhere, and the resultant fracas.
It was all too easy to feel a hand gripping the top of her throat, the resultant pain and pressure as I lifted and slammed her hard against the wall…and the fear.
A shiver shook her skin frame, and she unconsciously curled her body into a protective ball.
She was here with me, and safe.
But for how long?
Soon she'd become my wife, and face another hurdle…that of sharing my life without allowing herself the benefit of emotional attachment.
Difficult when she had a vivid recall of the frankly sensual touch of his mouth of her own, and the electrifying passion he'd effortlessly aroused.
It had blown her away and had become an unconscious benchmark that, sadly, no other man had matched.
So where did that leave her?
It suddenly became too difficult to think, and her breathing slowed as she was claimed by sedative-induced sleep…unaware of the man who worked a little longer, showered, and then slid In between the covers of the other bed.