A loud thump brought Colin fully awake; something was wrong. Glancing at the bedside clock, he noticed it was just after half past two in the morning. Looking over at Martin’s side of the bed, he saw an empty space. Colin’s protective instincts went onto full alert. He leapt out of bed and rushed onto the landing.
“Martin!” he called out. Hearing a muted noise coming from around the corner, Colin went to investigate. He saw Martin trying to stand whilst holding onto the banister rail. “Oh, Martin, love.” Colin advanced on Martin and helped him up.
“I missed the f*****g step. Whoever designed this bloody house wants shooting.” It was necessary to take a step down before turning the corner, and then take a step up again to get to the other side of the house.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Col
