I stand up, sit down, stand up again, grab my bag with a shaky hand, look out of the window and around the room. He’s downstairs and I don’t want to encounter him again. Can I get out on the fire escape?
Headless-chicken-style, I run around the third floor, somehow unable to remember its layout even though I’ve been working here six months.
The shrieking in my ears doesn’t help. I put my hands over them and head for the emergency exit. Somewhere before the barred door, a pair of hands grabs hold of me and I scream and flail, aiming a sharp kick for my assailant’s shins.
‘Rosie! It’s me.’
I quit struggling and stare into the face of Dimitri.
‘Was that you?’ I yell over the wail of the sirens. ‘The alarm?’
‘Yes, I set it off.’
‘What’s happening?’
The alarm ceases abruptly and my ears ring with gratitude.
‘Come on, I have to talk to your guard.’
‘No, leave it!’
‘No, come on.’
The guard is behind the reception desk, frowning and fiddling with his CCTV screens. He jumps up when he sees us. ‘Oi! What’s going on? I’ve got the police coming.’
‘Better not,’ says Dimitri, holding up a reel of tape. ‘I’ve got film of you with my friend here. Bad evidence, right?’
The guard swipes for it, but Dimitri holds it up high.
‘She want to tell the police you try to touch her.’
‘I didn’t!’
‘I saw it. I have the film.’
‘Look, I don’t know what your game is but –’
‘But when the police come, you send them away, and then you go home, right? We look after the place until it open.’
‘I’ll lose my job.’
‘You’ll lose more than your job if you don’t do as he says,’ I snap, taking my cue from Dimitri. Something about him makes me feel brave and invincible. ‘Just do it or I’ll take you to court.’
The guard looks at the tape in Dimitri’s hand, looks at the CCTV, then looks back again. ‘You won’t say nothing about this then?’
‘If you go home. And stay away from my girl. Right away.’
‘OK then.’
The guard picks up the phone and makes a short call, explaining that the police are no longer needed, then he takes his rucksack and edges past us.
‘Oh, one other thing,’ says Dimitri politely.
The guard stops.
Dimitri slaps him hard so that the guard’s chops wobble and his eyes bulge in astonishment.
‘Bye bye.’ He pushes the guard onwards by the shoulder. ‘Don’t see you later.’