by E. L. Todd
“How long will you be?”
I glanced at the clock. “Eight at the earliest.”
“Okay,” she said. “Let me know when you’re on your way home.”
“I will.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too, baby.” I hung up.
Skye walked inside my office as soon as I hung up. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
“No, have a good night.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Why are you still here?”
“Got lots of stuff to do,” I said with a sigh. “That oaf of an uncle of yours is surely missed.”
“Can I help?”
I gave her a look of affection, loving her enthusiasm. “No, run along.”
“You shouldn’t have to stay late. I should.”
“If only that were the case,” I said. “But it’s a lot of work only I can handle—for the time being.”
“Okay. Have a good night.”
“Good night, pumpkin.”
She gave me an incredulous look. “What happened to Ms. Preston?”
I smirked. “Everyone is gone.”
“Well, good night, Dad.”
I chuckled. “Good night.”
She shut the door behind her and left.
I got back to work.
***
An hour later there was a knock on the door.
Who was it at this hour? I assumed I was the only person on the floor. “Come in.”
Scarlet walked inside with a big bag.
My eyes widened at the sight of her. “What are you doing here, baby?” I stood up and came around the desk.
“I didn’t want my husband to skip dinner.” She pulled the Tupperware out and set it on my desk with a plastic knife and fork. It was chicken and pasta with a side of veggies.
“That was nice of you.” I kissed her then rubbed my nose against hers.
“Get back to work. I don’t want to bother you.”
“You never bother me,” I said immediately.
“Do you mind if I read on the couch while you work?”
“Of course, not.”
“I just don’t like to be home at night when you aren’t around. It’s spooky.”
I smiled. “That’s totally fine.”
She moved to the couch then opened her book and began to read. She ignored me and pretended I wasn’t there.
I got back to work and ate my dinner at the same time. I tried not to think about my wife’s legs. She was wearing a dress and I could see her hard and defined calves. I wanted to devour her. But I kept my mind on my work and tried to focus.
A few hours later I finally finished. I stacked the Tupperware back into the bag then turned off my computer. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
She finished her remaining pages then came back to me.
“You’re enjoying that book?”
“Very much so.” She shouldered the bag but I snatched it away and carried it. She didn’t argue with me, knowing it was pointless.
I took her hand and we walked out of the office. Everyone was gone so it was a little eerie.
“Will you work late tomorrow night?” she asked.
“I hope not.”
“When will Mike be back?”
“Soon,” I said “And you’re going to break my arm so I can stay home for a few weeks.”
She chuckled. “That’s a little extreme.”
“I can’t wait until Skye can run the show. I’m going to walk out of there and never look back.”
“You love your job, Sean.”
I shrugged. “I love you more. If given the choice at any time, I’d rather be home with you even if we’re just lying on the couch reading.”
She gave me a smile then looked away.
We drove our separate cars back to our house. After I disabled the alarm then armed it again, I showered and we got ready for bed.
Scarlet was lying in bed wearing one of my t-shirts when I got out of the shower. I dried my hair with a towel and did the bare minimum when I was just going to bed. I was exhausted from working twelve hours so I wasn’t in the mood to make love but I didn’t think that was fair to Scarlet. She drove all the way down there just to bring me dinner. The least I could do was satisfy her before bed.
I got under the covers then moved toward her. Instead of wrapping her body around mine in the heat of an embrace, she pushed me down then massaged my back.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I know you’re tired, Sean. Get some rest.”
This woman could read my mind, I swear. Being married for so long allowed her to predict my thoughts before I even had them. “But I want to.”
She kept rubbing my back. “There’s always tomorrow. And the day after that.”
I closed my eyes because she made me feel so good. “I love you.” Every time I said those words I meant them. But I really meant them now. My marriage to her only got better with every passing year. It was hard to believe I could love her even more the longer I was with her. It seemed like the opposite happened most of the time, that couples fell out of love through the constant repetition of their lives. But that never happened with Scarlet.
“I love you too, Sean.” She turned off the light and rubbed my back until I fell asleep.
***
The high pitch shriek of the alarm came into my ears, interrupting my dreams and forcing my eyes wide-awake. Any time I heard the sound, my adrenaline pumped and terror gripped me. Defensive and terrified, I jumped out of bed and opened my nightstand. I found the loaded pistols.
Scarlet woke up. “What’s going on?”
My voice came out surprisingly calm. “Get under the bed.”
“But—”
“Get under the bed now!”
She did as I asked.
I bent down and handed her the gun. “I’ll be right back.”
“It’s probably nothing,” she reasoned.
“Then you have nothing to worry about.” I stood up then walked out. The alarm was specifically triggered for intense pressure points. If an earthquake happened, they wouldn’t go off. Only when localized pressure was applied to the windows and doors did it go off.
Which meant someone was trying to get into the house.
I kept the lights off as I ran down stairs. When I reached the entrance, I peered around the corner and looked out the windows. My heart was beating a million miles an hour and I was sweating. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would give out.
I stayed still and kept watching.
Then I saw something move outside. It was like a shadow that passed through the darkness.
The alarm had already notified the police so they were on their way. But I wanted to know who the hell was trying to break into my house. Who the hell was stupid enough to mess with me?
I crouched and walked across the living room, my gun pointed downward. Then I got a better look out the window. Two shadows passed again.
I cracked the window open and tried to listen.
“Let’s go. I told you he would have an alarm,” a guy said.
“Fuck.”
I recognized that voice. But from where? Where did I hear it? I searched my brain but came up with nothing.
“The cops are coming. Run.”
You better run.
I opened the back door then stepped out. I pointed the pistol and fired.
“FUCK.”
Taillights lit up then the car peeled out before it took off. There was no license plate so I couldn’t read it and memorize it. I could barely distinguish the make of the car, but judging the body style it was a Honda. Pissed off, I aimed and fired again, hoping I’d hit one of the assholes in the head.
They kept going then turned right at the road.
I breathed hard, feeling the craziness burn inside me. I wanted to murder them. I wanted to break their necks along with every other bone in their body. I wanted to retrieve my car and chase after them but by the time I got to the
garage they would be gone.
I held my pistol in my hand and tried to remain calm. Two idiots tried to break into my house and they clearly knew I would be home. Whatever this attack was about, it was personal.
And I was terrified.
***
I went back into our bedroom. “Scarlet, you can come out.”
She climbed out. “What’s going on?” She threw herself at me and hugged me, the gun still in her hand.
“Everything is fine. It’s alright.” I took the gun out of her hand, put on the safety, and then placed the gun on the bed along with my own. “It’s okay. You don’t need to be scared.” I rubbed her back and comforted her.
“I heard gunshots. What happened?”
“It was a deer,” I said. “I thought it was a person…” I didn’t want to worry her. I wanted to hide the truth until I figured out what was going on.
“Then why did you shoot twice and so far in between?” She pulled away and looked at me.
“I thought I saw a person the second time.”
“Did you kill the deer?” she asked sadly.
“No, I missed.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and gripped her chest. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Sean, I was terrified.”
I forced a smile. “Everything is alright. Just a false alarm, like usual.” I kissed her forehead and rubbed her back.
She nodded and sighed. “Thankfully.”
I touched her hair gently. “Get back in bed. The police are here and I need to explain it was a false alarm.”
“Okay.” She turned away and got back into bed.
I walked out and reached the entrance. The fear returned in full force. I replayed what I saw and heard. But none of it made sense. I met the chief and filled him in on what happened.
“That’s what you heard?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. And I recognized one of the voices.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I know it from somewhere.”
“Do you have any enemies?”
“None that I know of—or at least aren’t in jail.”
“You have cameras outside. Can we see the footage?”
“Please,” I said.
We watched it together, but it was too dark to see anything. All that was clear was the fact there were two guys and a small car. The rest was unknown.
“We’ll take this for evidence.”
“Okay,” I said.
“There were two gun shots. Was that you?” he asked calmly.
“Yes. I wish I hadn’t missed.”
He didn’t judge me for my words. “We’ll try to figure this out, but honestly, there isn’t much to work with.”
That’s what I feared.
“I suggest you be careful and keep your eyes peeled.”
“Yeah.” I would. After they left the premises, I sat in the living room and down a glass of scotch.
Fuck, what was I going to do?
***
Mike came to the office like I asked. It was the only place I could talk to him without the risk of being overheard. If we talked at his place or mine, one of our wives would overhear. And that would be bad.
“What’s so important that I had to come down here? Did you fuck up on the contracts?” He sat in the chair facing my desk.
“Nothing like that,” I said quietly.
He stared at my face for a long time. “You look like hell, man.”
“I feel like hell.”
“You and Scarlet okay?”
“It has nothing to do with her. Well, it does…”
“Talk to me.” He became serious, knowing this was important.
I told him the whole story, feeling my hands shake as I spoke.
He stared at me with fear etched into his eyes. “Holy shit. Is Scarlet okay?”
“No one was hurt.”
“Fuck. Burglars are coming around. I’ll have to keep an eye out.”
“No…I don’t think they were burglars,” I said.
“Why?”
“I recognized one of their voices. I just can’t think of where I know it from.”
“Are you sure?” he asked gently. “When we’re in defense mode, sometimes we hear and see things that aren’t real.”
“No, there’s no mistake.”
“You’re going to have to think hard about it. If you try hard enough, it’ll come to you. Then we’ll kill him.”
“And the fact they came in the dead of night also means they weren’t there to rob me.”
“How do you figure?” he asked.
“Burglars strike in the middle of the day when no one is home. They scout the place first then move in when they know everyone is at work. If they’ve been watching the house, they know Scarlet is there all day. It wouldn’t make sense to come at night when I’m there.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“At least I know they aren’t after Scarlet…” I’d be freaking out a lot more if they were. “It’s just me. They know I’m at work all day and they can’t get to me here. Only when I’m sleeping can they get to me when my defenses are down.”
“Shit, this is serious, Sean.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snapped. “I don’t know what to do…”
“Well, if they come after you again, they won’t do it for a while. You’re safe tonight. But you can stay with me if you feel more comfortable.”
“I’m more worried about Scarlet than anything else.”
“Why?” he asked. “You just said they weren’t after her.”
“But if they come after me and she’s there…I don’t know if I’ll be able to protect her. And if they do…whatever they want to do…I don’t want her to see it.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Don’t talk like that,” he said seriously. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“I think I need to move Scarlet somewhere.”
“Like she’ll agree to that,” he said immediately.
“She doesn’t know about anything so don’t mention it.”
He nodded. “I understand. She can stay with me and Cassandra.”
“You have one fucking arm,” I barked. “Absolutely not.”
“All I need is a handheld gun,” he said seriously.
“I think I’m going to ask Ryan to watch her. He’ll protect her like he always has.”
“And if she doesn’t know anything, how will you pull this off?”
“I have no fucking idea. But I need to figure something out.”
“And where will you stay?” he asked.
“At the house.”
“What sense does that make?”
“I’d rather them come after me when I’m alone.”
He sighed. “I don’t know about this, man.”
` “I’ll leave the alarm on vibrate on my phone. When they come to the house again, they’ll think I forgot to set the alarm. Then I’ll kill them before they can even blink.”
“Then I should stay with you. Two is better than one.”
“No,” I said immediately. “You have a family, Mike.”
“You are my family.”
“No,” I snapped. “I need you to take care of Scarlet and my kids if something happens to me.”
“And you got Ryan, Cortland, and Flynn for that. Let me help you.”
“Absolutely not,” I said. “I won’t change my mind about this.”
He sighed then rubbed the back of his neck. “Wouldn’t it make more sense if you told Scarlet you were painting the house or something so you had to stay in a hotel for a while?”
“But that would buy me two weeks at the most.”
He nodded. “I guess so. When you tell her, she’s not going to leave your side.”
“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll just have to make her.”
***
When I came home, it was with a heavy heart. I’d been drea
ding this conversation with my wife. I didn’t know how to handle it. She was my whole world but I had to lie to her to keep her safe. Her life was more important than mine was. I’d rather die than live without her. If something happened to me, all my assets and every penny I possessed would be hers. She and my children would be taken care of. I could die knowing that. But I dreaded this conversation anyway.
When I walked into the house, Scarlet came out of the kitchen and greeted me like she did every day. A smile was on her face and she looked so excited to see me. It was like all she did was think about me while I was at work. It was the greatest feeling in the world, to come home to such a loving and beautiful wife.
I’d always treasure it.
As soon as she kissed me, she knew something was wrong. “What is it?” she asked.
I could lie and say nothing but that would only prolong the conversation. “We need to talk.”
Her lips pressed tightly together, and she regarded me seriously, like she would analyze every word I said and gleam every ounce of knowledge I possessed. “Okay.”
I put down my bag and rubbed the back of me neck. “There’s this woman at the office…one thing led to another and I slept with her.” I didn’t look at Scarlet as I said it. “And then it happened again and now it’s an affair. I feel so guilty that I can’t keep it from you anymore.” This was the only way she would leave me and run to Ryan. There was no other option.
She crossed her arms over her chest and regarded me with intelligent eyes. “What?”
“I cheated on you. I’m sorry.” I didn’t look at her. “I guess we’ve been married for so long and I just—”
“Cut the crap, Sean.” She gave me a look that told me she wanted to slap me. “You’re the worst liar on the face of the planet.”
It meant the world to me that she had so much faith in me. She didn’t believe my own words even though I tried to sound convincing. But that was biting me in the ass right now. “It’s true.”
“Sean, I never slap you. It’s not my thing. But I’m this close to doing it.” She held up her hand, and her forefinger and thumb were almost touching. “Now what’s this really about?”
“I’m leaving you.”
She closed her eyes and fought the fury inside her. Her hand trembled as it wanted to collide with my face. But she regained her composure. When she looked at me again, her eyes were burning. “If you aren’t going to tell me, I’m going to go to Mike. I’m sure you told him whatever it is you’re hiding from me. And you know I’ll get it out of him.”