The Chronicles of City Lights and Modern Love

An hour later, I had not moved from the bed. Carmine had left with Freddie to tend to some “work stuff”. I was beginning to realise I didn’t want to know the details of what “work stuff” entailed.

Instead, my thoughts were focussed on Neil. Why would he bring me here just to up and leave for Sicily the next day? I wanted answers and it didn’t seem like I was going to get them in a hurry. It looked as though it was going to turn into a waiting game.

My thoughts strayed to Carmine and what had almost happened. I was thankful that Freddie had burst in when he did. I had been caught up in some twisted, vulnerable moment – nothing more. Carmine was bad news and I needed to keep that in mind before I did something I’d regret.

Before the workings of my own mind drove me completely insane, I decided it was time to get up and have a walk around, so I jumped off the bed and strode to the door. I turned the handle and was met with a blatant refusal of exit. The door was locked.

“Dammit!”

I looked around the room for my clothes from the night before. My eyes fell upon the dress, draped gracefully over the back of a winged armchair, my shoes placed neatly between the two front legs. My eyes then fell upon the accompanying side table, upon which sat my jewellery and a pile of hair pins. Bingo.

I reached out and clasped them in my hand. Once again, I had been underestimated. To whoever had removed the pins from my hair the previous night, they would have seemed to hold only the value of keeping my hair out of my face. It would never have occurred to them the hair pins might be of any other use to me.

Why would I know how to pick a lock?

I strode to the door for a second time and knelt down before the lock. It was an old lock; shouldn’t be too hard. As I bent the pins into right angles and inserted the first into the lock, the question of who had undressed me and removed the pins from my hair played on my mind. I disregarded the thought, figuring it wasn't the strangest thing to happen to me over the previous 24hrs. I jiggled the pin around a bit, inserted the second and turned the lock, at which point I heard the sharp click of success.

I stood up straight and turned the knob, pulling open the door with a satisfied smile on my face.

There stood Freddie with a look on his swollen face that was one part amusement, three parts annoyance.

I couldn’t help but laugh.