‘I’ll walk you to your cabin,’ Raffaele said as soon as their porter retreated back into the darkness of the forest.
Erin hovered, looking around her anxiously.
Her cabin was close to his, separated by a bank of thick bushes which were dark, rustling silhouettes under the semi-moonlit, star-studded sky. The hotel they had left behind a mere handful of minutes ago felt like a million miles away.
‘Do you think we’re safe here?’
‘Come again?’
‘Safe.’ Erin cleared her throat nervously.
‘We both live in London. I’m going to be bold and say that it’s probably going to be a lot safer out here on a peaceful island in the middle of a rainforest. Rampant knife crime tends to stick to big cities.’ He made a show of looking around him for people carrying knives and Erin could see the glint of his teeth as he tried to control a mix of indulgence and amusement. ‘Erin, there’s no need to worry. Honestly. I don’t hear any suspicious noises. Have you decided what you’re going to do about eating? I’m not sure if you heard me ask when I was checking in, but there’s room service out here although the hot food stops at nine thirty and after that it’s snacks and sandwiches. The place is also well stocked with snacks and drinks.’
They were at the door of her cabin. It was small but perfect, with a small wooden patio at the front. To the side, a hammock was strung between two posts. There was also a similar set-up next to Raffaele’s cabin and the clearing was washed under the mellow light of the lanterns strung between the trees.
‘I’m not hungry. And I’m not talking about knife crime. I’m talking about creatures,’ Erin told him flatly.
‘Creatures? What about them?’
‘I… There are noises… Can you hear noises? Pretty loud, actually.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Insects, maybe? Harmless little insects?’
‘Ah. I’m getting it.’
‘I’ve never been anywhere like this in my life…’
‘You’re really scared, aren’t you?’
‘No!’
He wasn’t smiling anymore. The genuine concern in his voice stiffened her spine because, weird noises or no weird noises, her boss wasn’t there to hold her hand and calm her nerves.
She fumbled with the old-fashioned key and pushed the door open into a cosy space, easily big enough for two people. She stepped into a sweet sitting room, with a low sofa and a television and small kitchenette. Beyond that, she could see the door that led to the bedroom. Through the open shutters, the breeze gently billowed the thin curtains.
She looked around to see that Raffaele had followed her into the cabin to deposit her bag on the ground and when she switched on the overhead light, his face was gentle.
He walked towards the phone on the rattan console in the small sitting area outside the bedroom and pointed to it.
‘Call me if you’re spooked by anything, Erin. I mean that. There will also be a phone next to the bed. Believe it or not, there’s Wi-Fi here. The password is in the bedroom on the dressing table, according to the guy behind the desk. You can call me anytime on my mobile. I understand that if you’ve never been to the tropics before, it might seem a little overwhelming. Are you going to be all right?’
‘Yes.’ Erin folded her arms, mortified at the stupid fuss she’d made. ‘Storm in a teacup.’
‘Shall I get you assigned a room in the hotel? You might feel more comfortable there.’
‘I’ll be fine.’
He hesitated, looked at her in silence for a few seconds, then walked towards the door.
Hand on the doorknob, he said with utter seriousness, ‘Just as long as you’re not too proud to knock on my door whatever the time of day or night if you need me. Understood?’
‘I appreciate the offer, Raffaele, butI’ll be fine. I just need a couple of hours to adjust. The long flight…the heat… It’s all been a bit overwhelming…’
That said, within seconds of him shutting the door behind him, Erin set about checking the entire cabin just to make sure there weren’t any creepy-crawlies bedding down for the night next to her.
It was a lovely space. Rattan furniture and cute local paintings on the walls and a sofa covered in bright floral patterns. Still, even with her nerves ratcheted up, Erin could detect the signs of wear and tear. The circular rug on the ground was clean but threadbare, the phone Raffaele had indicated earlier was a hundred years old and the small kitchenette looked tired. She was sure that were she to dig a little deeper, she would find far more fundamental issues which would point to failings through the entire hotel. She made sure to firmly shut the connecting door between the sitting area and the bedroom, which was beautifully air-conditioned.
She fell asleep quickly. The flight, the darkness and the array of emotions that had been churning inside her ever since she’d opened her front door to find Raffaele standing on her doorstep had resulted in sheer exhaustion.
She awoke just as quickly and surfaced at speed, momentarily confused and disoriented by unfamiliar sounds. The room was cool but beyond the low hum of the air conditioning Erin was all too aware of the forest pressing against the cabin. The sounds that had been insistent background noise when she’d entered four hours previously had now become a cacophony.
