Protecting What's Mine: A Security Romance Collection

by Apryl Baker

  “What happened?” I ask before I shut my car door.

  “Aedan, I don’t know. Blood. So much blood everywhere. I haven’t seen that much since I was overseas. It made me lose my head for a minute, so I came down here to get my shit straight,” she says before she takes a drag from her cigarette.

  “Was there a body?”

  “Not that I could see. Mrs. McCoy is missing. I went to the spa before the time she told me she would be finished, and she wasn’t there. I asked the staff and they said she never showed up.”

  “From ten hundred to thirteen hundred, Chantelle was supposed to be at the spa, but she never showed up?”

  “Correct. I watched her go in before I came here to get the SUV and do everything I needed to do before she was finished. I was back here at twelve-thirty and went into the spa at twelve-forty to let her know that I was here. That’s when they told me she wasn’t there. I went up to the condo thinking she changed her mind about a spa day and didn’t call. When I walked in, the metallic smell hit my nose, and I saw the blood droplets in the foyer. When I walked farther into the condo, I saw spatters on the wall and pools of blood on the floor.” Her skin turns ashen from recalling what she saw.

  “Sounds like we are going to need a large-scale cleanup. Let me call Craig and I’ll head up. You can stay here.” I want to yell at her about leaving Chantelle unsupervised, but now isn’t the time.

  “I’m fine.” Her voice is smooth and unshaken.

  I unlock the trunk lid on my car, remove a black bag, and unzip it, removing a couple pairs of black nitrile gloves. I throw a pair at Lyndsay before I zip the bag up and lock it back in the trunk. “All right, but if you need to step out at anytime, make sure you do.”

  She nods, putting out her cigarette and placing the butt in her pocket. Instead of taking the elevator, I take the fire exit to check the stairwell for Chantelle or for clues of what took place. The area is clean and void of any evidence, and I arrive at the private entrance. Outside appears untouched.

  I unholster my gun in case the perpetrator is still inside, and I turn the knob on the door after entering the code on the thumb pad. The sweet smell of blood floats around me. The scent is off, like it’s mixed with something. Cleaner maybe, but I’m not positive. I look down as I walk into the entryway and stop. The entry looks over the open floor condo. The rooms that can’t be seen from this vantage point are three bedrooms and Pearse’s office.

  The blood puddles and splatters mar the pristine white marble floors, and with care, I make my way through the condo, clearing the area for Craig’s guys. I make my way into the living room where the largest puddle of blood is located. The pool consumes two legs of an oak coffee table, and the edge of the table is darker than the rest. It’s possible someone hit their head.

  I get up and clear the bedrooms and the office, and when I open the door, it’s déjà vu. Family pictures are destroyed, and every picture with Jesse is broken, or has the word die written on them in blood. Jesse’s the target. That’s why Pearse and I weren’t killed. Rage fills my body and I wish I could take back not pulling the trigger. All of this would be over if Wade was dead. I walk through the condo, remembering that I need to call Craig.

  “Body?”

  “No, just a lot of blood. Make sure you have someone who knows hematology. It smells off. Maybe whoever did it cleaned up some places that I’m not seeing, but I’m unsure.”

  “On it. I’ll be up in a few, and the team in ten.”

  “Thanks.”

  I go back to the table. Using the flashlight on my phone, I look at the table to see if there are hair or fibers in the dark substance. There’s nothing there. I continue looking at the area when I hear the door open, and I look up to see Craig walk in with two bags on his shoulders.

  “I think the area behind me is clear. I didn’t see anything.”

  “Okay. I’ll get set up and take a video of the scene and take pictures. The team will do their own investigation along with ours.”

  “Perfect. I hope they can get us answers fast.”

  He nods as he makes his way through the entrance and to the living room. Before he places his bags down, he pulls a spray bottle out, sprays the area, and shines a black light over the area.

  “You’re correct. No bodily fluids over here.”

  “Good. We can start here and work our way through the rest of the condo.”

  Craig sets his bags down and prepares his equipment for investigating the condo. I get up and look at the splatters and puddles, and my gut is telling me they aren’t from someone being hurt here. Crime scenes aren’t my specialty, so I’ll let the professionals handle it.

  “Hughes, I have videotaped every inch of the condo,” Craig says as he comes out of the office. I was lost in thought and didn’t see him working. “There’s a lot of evidence to go through in McCoy’s office, so I’m going to start with photos in there once the crew gets up here. They just pulled into the garage.”

  “Sounds solid. I took some pictures in there earlier, because I want to compare them to the break-in at Jesse’s house.”

  “Are you thinking the same person is behind both break-ins?”

  “There are a lot of similarities.”

  “I have pictures from her break-in on a drive in my home office, and I’ll compare as well, especially the writing.”

  “Sounds good.” I look up as the door opens and see a few familiar faces.

  “You might want to work in the entrance first until you collect all the evidence from there.” Craig walks over to the team of three and explains what he’s seen so far. They look around him, glancing at me, and survey what they must do. I can’t hear their conversation, but it’s over quickly and Craig is returning to his equipment.

  “I’m going to McCoy’s office, and that’s where I’ll be for a bit. Holler if you need me.” I nod and go back to running all the different scenarios in my head. I walk over to the window and look out. This isn’t how I planned for this day to go.

  I hear a gasp at door, and I look over as Jesse walks through the threshold. I can’t shelter her from seeing the blood. I can’t protect her from the trauma this will cause her. Fuck this day.

  Chapter Six

  Jesse

  “Aedan?” I holler as my dad holds me back.

  “I’m in here, Jesse. Stay where you are.” He makes his way around the working techs and the blood.

  “What happened?” I ask, panicked.

  “We aren’t sure, but everyone is working hard to figure it out.”

  “Is this Chantelle’s blood?” my father asks.

  “I’m not sure, but she is missing. That’s something else I need to look into, but right now, this scene is taking precedence. We will know whose blood it is for sure once the techs run it through the system.”

  “Did Wade do this?” I blurt out.

  “Jesse, sweetheart, I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I know exactly what’s going on. Give me a few minutes and I’ll have an update for both of you, okay?” he says. He kisses me on the cheek.

  “Yes…” From this point, I can see everything, except which room Aedan went into. I’ll never forget all the blood. I’ll never get the horrid smell out of my nose.

  “Jesse, do you want to go back downstairs and wait?” my father asks as my mind races.

  “No, I don’t want to go anywhere without Aedan.”

  “Sam or Lyndsay can go down with you.”

  “No.”

  “All right, but you’re shaking. You need to sit down.”

  “I’m fine, Dad,” I say as I hug myself.

  “If you need me, I’m going to stand out in the hallway, okay?”

  “Yes.”

  Did this person come for my dad and kill Chantelle instead? I didn’t think my family was on someone’s radar to be hunted down and killed. Or is this Wade coming back to try to finish what he didn’t at the graduation party and attacked Chantelle instead? But if her body isn’t here, ma
ybe it’s not her blood. Why did she have to go missing now? She isn’t my favorite person, but I don’t wish any harm to her.

  Thoughts and questions race through my mind. There are too many questions and not enough answers. I need answers.

  “Aedan? Aedan!” I yell.

  “Jesse, calm down,” he calls out, walking out from my dad’s office.

  “I don’t understand any of this. Were they coming for my dad and they got Chantelle?” I stand frozen, not wanting to move, but I need to. I’m going to pass out.

  “We are trying to figure that out now,” he says, trying to calm me.

  “It needs to be figured out now, Aedan. There are too many lives in jeopardy. For all we know, Chantelle is dead.”

  “Babe, you need to take a deep breath and calm yourself.” He rubs his hands on my back, trying to soothe me.

  “Calm myself? How, Aedan? How in the fuck do you expect me to calm down when my father’s home is covered in blood?” My heart beats like it’s going to explode out of my chest. I can’t catch my breath and my pulse pounds in my head. Why is it getting dark in here? My ears ring with a loud whistle as I stumble to stay standing.

  ***

  Aedan

  “You need to chill, you’re working yourself up for no reason. We are trying to keep this quiet but if you don’t try to calm yourself, you will need to leave,” I demand, trying to get her to realize that she is overreacting and thinking too much into what she’s seeing.

  “You’re being an asshole,” she spits out as her body trembles.

  “I’m not, Ms. McCoy. I’m doing my job, and right now, I don’t need to be babysitting you too.”

  “Babysitting?” Her body stills, and her breaths come in small pants.

  “Jesse, you need to get control of yourself, now,” Pearse interrupts as he walks back through the threshold with Lyndsay following behind.

  “Fine. I’m going to the SUV to wait for someone to take me home.”

  “Lyndsay will go with you.”

  “I don’t need a sitter, Aedan.”

  “She’s doing her job, Jesse.” The expression on her face falls, and she doesn’t say anything else. The shock has worn off, her body is near exhaustion, and if I don’t get her out of here, she’s going to faint.

  “Lyndsay, can you please escort Ms. McCoy downstairs, now?”

  “Yes. After you, ma’am.” Lyndsay nods at Jesse, letting her know she will follow her out the door.

  Jesse comes to me and stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I love you.” And she walks out of the condo without another word.

  “She couldn’t process what she was looking at, and I knew she was going to lose it. I tried to get her to go downstairs a few minutes ago.” Pearse stands beside me, shaking his head.

  “I didn’t want her to see this.” I swing my fist at the wall, stopping myself before I do damage. “Who the fuck is behind this? How are they ten steps ahead of us?”

  “And what do they have to gain by taking or even killing Chantelle?” Pearse asks me.

  “If they didn’t kill her, she could be used for a ransom, but there isn’t any evidence that she’s alive or if this is even her blood.”

  “Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen. The forensic team took samples of the blood from ten locations, and they are working on recreating the crime scene digitally. Something they did confirm, there is non-human blood in here. Some areas tested positive for human blood, but most of the blood was not human.”

  “The scene has been staged?” I ask as my mind goes through all the possibilities of who could have done this.

  “The experts believe the chance is highly likely,” he confirms, looking up from his notes.

  “Chantelle’s disappearance is more than likely linked with this scene…if not the person behind making this scene.” Now, I have no doubt that she’s behind this along with Wade.

  “That is a probable theory too.”

  “So, Wade is still missing. He could have helped her stage this, and they skipped town once they finished.”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you checked the cameras inside and outside of the condo?”

  “All data was corrupted during the time frame that no one was in the condo.” He pulls up the video stream on his phone, hits rewind, and pulls it up for me to look. Damn it. The feed is nothing but black static.

  “Are you going to analyze it in your office?”

  “Yes. The littlest detail missed would be huge for us.”

  “Agreed. Let’s be on the lookout for Wade, Chet, and Chantelle. This makes me believe they are running together, and if they are, they will be easier to spot in a group instead of as individuals.”

  “Sounds like a good place to start,” Craig says as he takes notes.

  “I’ll text everyone and let them know what we’ve found out so far and tell them to be on the lookout for Chantelle in addition to Chet and Wade.”

  He nods and gets back to cleaning up his equipment before returning it to the bags. I type up a brief text to the team to let them know the update on the scene. The cleanup is going a lot faster than I anticipated, but the only room to sustain damage is the office. It’s time for Pearse to see what happened so he can decide what to do with the broken pictures and destroyed memories of his past.

  Chapter Seven

  Jesse

  Lyndsay follows me to the elevator and gets in after me, standing in front of the door to protect me. She presses the down button, the doors close slowly, but the car speeds down to the parking garage. The doors open, she steps out and looks around before she lets me exit the elevator. She clicks the fob to unlock the SUV, opens the door and checks the inside before I get in. Lyndsay gets in the driver’s side, locks the doors, and starts the vehicle to get the air circulating in the front and back.

  I lay my head back against the headrest as I close my eyes, trying to forget what I saw upstairs. The scene forces me back to what I saw in my bathroom at my house, and the images play in my mind, but I know they aren’t real. I haven’t been back in that bathroom since that day, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to anytime soon. I need to just do it.

  Lyndsay’s phone goes off and she gets out of the SUV. A few moments later, I hear voices outside, and she opens the door to let my dad in.

  “Reese and Tierney are making dinner for us,” he says as he places his bag between us.

  “Oh?” My siblings think they can cook, but they can’t boil water.

  “Yes, also known as Thai take out,” he replies as Lyndsay pulls out of the parking space and heads for the exit.

  “I was wondering which one of them was trying to poison us.” I giggle as my father laughs at my comment.

  “I promise that everything will be okay, and I have no doubt that we will find out who is behind terrorizing us.”

  “Do you think so, Dad? It’s been months since the shooting and my house being broken into. And we don’t know who did that. Things keep happening.”

  “Everything is tied together, I’m certain of that.” His eyes darken and his fist clenches.

  “This person needs to be caught now, not tomorrow. Because one of us could end up dead next time.”

  “No. Aedan has us protected. That’s why they haven’t got to us again.” He looks at me and I know that’s exactly what he believes.

  “What about Chantelle? She was protected and where is she now? She’s probably dead,” I say as I bite my nails. This drama is making me nervous. Is anywhere safe?

  “Dear, take a deep breath. There’s more to her disappearance than what it seems, I’m afraid. Craig’s team will get everything analyzed and get the results back to us as soon as they are available.”

  “What if it’s her behind all of this?” I blurt out faster than I can stop myself. That would make sense in a way, I guess. This is so confusing.

  “You’re finally seeing the bigger picture, but before we make any assumptions, let’s wait on the results. They will give us the answers we are
looking for now. Because right now, for all we know that’s animal blood in my condo.”

  “Animal blood? That’s fu—messed up.” I try not to curse in front of my father.

  “It is, but we need to take that into consideration before we think of the worst case scenario. So let’s go eat dinner and relax. But under no circumstances do you go anywhere without Aedan or member of security. Don’t take that risk, especially when we have highly trained individuals who keep us safe.”

  “Okay…I won’t.” I look out the window as the city landscape passes by, and my heart beats at a normal pace. My body is calm, and I get lost in scenery.

  I zone out until Lyndsay pulls into the driveway at my house—well, everyone’s house. Laney, Reese, and Tierney live here, and I still stay at Aedan’s. I don’t think that will change any time soon…or at least I hope not. The backdoor opens, and my father slides out with his bag in hand. I follow behind, and he places his bag back in the SUV.

  “You’re not staying here?” I question, confused.

  “No, Kevin and I are going to Vegas for a few days.” He winks.

  “Oh. Do you think you should?”

  “Kevin is good at his job, and I know he will make sure I’m okay. Remember what I said? Relax.”

  “I’ll try.” He must know something I don’t know.

  Reese opens the door before we get up the steps.

  “Dad, so glad you’re here. You too, Jesse.” She hugs us both before we come in the house.

  “Is Laney home?” I ask as Reese shuts the door.

  “No, but I did call her to let her know everything that has happened. She’s on her way home.”

  “Thank you, sis.” I hug her again. “I’m going to freshen up. I’ll be right back.”

  I run up the stairs to my bedroom, which Reese has taken over. I’ve only been back here a few times since the restoration was completed on the house last month. I decided to have all the rooms repainted and all the appliances updated, but I don’t know why. I’m not staying here, but in my head, I knew the house would be the perfect place for Tierney and Reese to stay instead of at Dad’s condo.