“Whoa, I didn’t mean right away,” Trent laughs. “In the future.”
“Why not this week?” Teagan asks excitedly. “I don’t get to cook for anyone very often. Victoria always wants to go out, so we can scope guys.”
He chuckles. “All right, how about Thursday? I am free.”
“Perfect!” Teagan exclaims. “I don’t have class. It will give me the day to make the sauce.”
“Don’t you just open a jar?”
She scoffs and retorts, “No. I actually cook, which means making the sauce from scratch.”
“W-O-W,” Trent says. “That’s dedication.”
“You will enjoy it. Have to impress you somehow, since you never cease to impress me.”
Trent smiles. “And tell me, how do I impress you?”
“All your knightly gallantry.”
“Knightly gallantry, well then, that is impressive,” Trent puffs out his chest. .
Teagan grins and says, “Yes, it is, but don’t worry, I won’t become an obsessed princess or anything.”
“I would appreciate that,” he states, returning her smile.
Suddenly, Teagan’s phone starts to ring. She jumps over the back of the couch and grabs it. “Hello?”
“Girl, you were supposed to call me,” Victoria snaps.
“Umm, I have been kind of busy,” Teagan murmurs.
“Why are you so quiet?”
Turning her back to Trent, Teagan whispers, “I have company.”
“At your apartment?” Victoria quips. “Who? Oh wait, please tell me it’s Trent!”
“Mmhmmmm,” Teagan hums. “Let me call you later.”
“You better girlfriend! I want every juicy detail!”
“Okay, I have to go,” Teagan emphasizes. “Bye.”
“Have fun Bye!” Victoria exclaims as she hangs up.
Teagan turns around Trent has a huge grin on his face. “Does Victoria want to know if I kicked that guy’s ass?”
“Probably,” Teagan laughs. “She will be disappointed.” She jumps back over the couch and sits cross-legged facing Trent. “She would have been ecstatic if you had.”
“If he comes within talking distance of you, he will fall hard on his face, trust me,” Trent declares, “Really hard on his face.”
“That sounds awesome,” Teagan giggles.
Looking at his watch, Trent says, “I should probably get going.”
“Why?” Teagan pouts. “Did Victoria’s call run you off?”
“No, we both have to get up early in the morning,” Trent states “I did enjoy talking to you, and I’m glad that I could help tonight.”
“You have to at least drink your beer,” Teagan replies. “Otherwise it’s alcohol abuse.”
Trent bursts out laughing, “You are definitely still in college.”
“Oh come on,” Teagan teases. “Stay and finish your beer. I paid money for that, and I don’t have a lot of money.”
“All right, all right, I will finish my beer,” Trent chuckles. He tilts it back and chugs it down.
She rolls her eyes. “I meant slowly.”
Finishing, Trent says, “You said to finish my beer. I did.”
“Whatever,” Teagan groans, catching herself almost rolling her eyes again.
“Listen, I will bring a bottle of wine on Thursday, and we can continue our conversation,” Trent offers.
“All right, as long as it is Pinot Noir,” Teagan counters.
“Specific, but a good choice.” Trent stands and grabs his jacket off of the hook by the door where he had hung it.
“Okay, deal,” She stands up with him. “I really do appreciate what you did tonight. I mean I shouldn’t have slapped him, but I hit like a girl.”
Trent shakes his head, “No, you shouldn’t have, but he definitely shouldn’t have grabbed you. If he does it again, I get to do the grabbing.”
“That you keep promising,” Teagan says. “It’s a good promise.”
They walk to the door, and Teagan opens it. Trent turns to her. “Call me if he contacts you, okay?”
“Is that the only reason I should call you?” Teagan asks with a smile as she leans against the door.
“Do you actually call people?” Trent inquires.
“Sometimes,” Teagan answers. “But yeah, I will probably text you.”
“Well then, you can text me whenever you want,” Trent declares.
“4 a.m.?”
He scowls, “No.”
“Alright, 6 then,” Teagan giggles.
“Oh geez, I am leaving,” Trent moans. He bends over and kisses the top of her head. Teagan stumbles a bit. “See you later.”
“Bye,” Teagan whispers. Trent waves and walks down the stairs. Teagan closes the door. “Wow, okay, I had better call Victoria before she has a coronary.” Teagan goes over and grabs her phone.
Chapter 5
As Teagan turns her car off, her phone rings. She quickly picks it up. “Hello?”
“It’s 9 p.m. on a Wednesday evening. Do you know where your best friend is!?” Victoria shouts, her words slightly slurred.
“Obviously drinking someplace,” Teagan laughs, as she throws everything into her purse.
“We are at the bar on 5th. You need to come down here!”
“It’s late,” Teagan groans.
“You don’t have class tomorrow!” Victoria counters loudly over the combination of bar music and other conversations around her. “COME ON! I need a designated driver! Wait, we will need a designated driver. That’s what Michael is for!”
Teagan snorts, “How many have you had?”
“Two cosmos and two beers,” Victoria replies, sounding very sure of herself. “I feel amazing.”
“You won’t in the morning,” Teagan giggles.
“Come on, come down here!”
Teagan exhales and rolls her eyes. “Fine, but I need to change and get ready.”
“YEAH!” Victoria squeals. “Call me when you leave!”
“All right. It will take me, like, fifteen minutes,” Teagan gives in.
“Hurry up!”
“Well, I have to go if you want me to hurry up.”
“BYE!” Victoria shouts.
“Bye,” Teagan snorts as she ends the call. She grabs her stuff and gets out of the car. Her building is quiet as she walks in. Taking the stairs two at a time Teagan runs up to her floor. When she gets there, she notices the light is off in the hallway.
“Ggggrrreeeeaaaatttt,” Teagan draws out. “Another burnt out light.” She digs blindly into her purse for her keys. When she grabs them, she goes to her door and notices it’s slightly ajar. “What in the hell,” she breathes out. A little scared, Teagan pushes the door open.
There is no light inside the apartment. Teagan listens for a second and then reaches in to flick on the light. When the room brightens up, Teagan screams, “OH MY GOD!” She drops everything in her hands and covers her mouth.
Her eyes fall onto her apartment, which is now in ruins. Her things are smashed on the floor, and the drawers are all turned up and over, their contents splayed across every surface. The word “Bitch” is spray painted across the walls. Her chest tightens as she takes a step inside. Suddenly, there is a noise from inside the apartment. Teagan bends over and grabs her phone. She quickly backs out of the apartment and dials a number.
“Hello?” A deep voice answers. She instantly starts sobbing uncontrollably. There is a pause and then, “Teagan!? What’s wrong?”
“Someone…..broke….into….my…..apartment,” she gasps out, her chest still tight.
“Excuse me?”
She stutters through her tears, “I am standing by my door. My whole apartment is trashed.”
“What!? Did you call the police!?”
“No,” she whimpers.
“Are you standing in the apartment?” Trent inquires forcefully.
“Outside my door,” Teagan mumbles.
“Get out of there!” Trent exclaims. “Go out
to your car, and get inside of it. When I hang up, you call the police. Okay!? I am on my way over.” Teagan stands there crying so hard she can’t even answer him. “Teagan!” Trent yells. “Go outside!”
She nods her head and starts to run down the stairs. “It’s completely trashed!” She can’t get the picture of the mess out of her head. Her voice is full of disbelief.
“Get into your car and call the police. I’m in my truck. I will be there in five minutes, maybe less, depending on traffic.”
When Teagan runs outside, it dawns on her. “I don’t have my keys!”
“Get under a street lamp and call the police. Stay in a lit area. Scream if you need to. I’m on my way. Hang up and call the police.”
“Okay,” Teagan gasps.
“Now Teagan!”
She fumbles with her phone. Ending his call, Teagan dials 911. It rings and then she hears, “911, what is your emergency?”
“My apartment…oh my god…I just got home and my apartment was broken into and completely trashed!” She yells.
“Is there someone still in your apartment?” The woman asks, her voice a steady contrast to Teagan’s urgency.
“I don’t know!” Teagan exclaims. “I heard something, so I left.”
“We will send officers over there immediately. Whatever you do, don’t go inside,” the operator instructs. “Can you go somewhere safe?”
“I am standing under the street light outside. It doesn’t look like anyone else is home in the apartment complex!”
“What is your address?”
“622 Lincoln Boulevard,” Teagan chokes out.
“Stay where you are ma’am. We have someone coming to you.”
“Okay,” Teagan gasps. Suddenly, the phone goes quiet. She pulls it away and notices her battery is dead. “No!” She cries. Looking around, Teagan backs up so that she against the pole.
It seems like an eternity has passed before she hears tires squealing. When Teagan turns around, Trent’s truck stops right by her. He jumps out. Teagan notices he is holding his gun down by his leg. “Are you all right!?” She nods. “Stay here. Did you call the police?”
“Yeah, but my phone died!”
“When they get here, tell them I went upstairs. Tell them I am armed. Don’t forget that!” Trent looks her straight in the eyes. She can see his determination and knows he is serious. Teagan nods vigorously. He disappears into the building.
A minute later, she hears sirens, and a police car stops by Trent’s truck. An officer gets out. “Are you the one who called?”
“Yes! My friend is in my apartment. He is a professional security guard. He has a gun! I am supposed to tell you that!”
“Which apartment is it ma’am?”
“3A!”
The officer sticks his hand out. “Stay here.”
“Where would I go!?” Teagan snaps.
The officer scowls and then goes to the building. Trent suddenly comes out. The officer pulls his gun. “Stop!”
“No! Wait! That is my friend!” Teagan screams.
Trent holds his hands up, gun in hand. “I have a permit. I checked her apartment. It’s clear.”
“Put your gun away, and show me your permit and ID,” the officer instructs.
He holsters his gun and takes his wallet out. Teagan covers her face and sobs. A few seconds later, she feels Trent wrap his arms around her. Teagan buries her face into his shirt and cries. “Everything is ruined!”
“I know,” Trent whispers. “I will take care of it.” Teagan pulls him as close as possible as she begins to shake.
“Ma’am, once I have it cleared, I would like you to come upstairs with me,” the officer says gently. “We need to go through the entire apartment and see if anything is missing.”
Teagan nods and sniffles. The officer disappears into the building. “Hey, are you okay?” Trent murmurs, pulling Teagan’s hair out of her face.
“NO! Did you see my apartment! They spray painted my walls!” Teagan yells. “They ruined everything!”
“I know. We have to look and see what we can do,” Trent replies, rubbing her back.
“Who would do something like this!?” Teagan cries. “Who would do such an awful thing?”
“I have a few suspicions,” Trent sighs. “But we will get into that later. I need to make sure you are okay.”
She shakes her head. “Nothing is going to make me okay!”
“Come on,” Trent exhales, pulling her against him. “I will make things right. I promise.”
“You can’t protect me from this!”
“I sure the hell can try and make it right,” Trent assures her calmly. “Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?”
Teagan nods, as Trent holds her closely. A few minutes later, the officer returns. “If you would come up, ma’am.”
Trent takes Teagan’s hand into his, and they head into the building. When they get to her apartment, she instantly starts crying again. “They destroyed everything!”
“Bitch” is spray painted in red paint on three different walls. The couch is in pieces from so many slash marks. Her kitchen is completely torn apart. Glasses and plates are shattered all over the floor.
As her eyes scan the room, her heart drops. Teagan walks over to a broken vase. “This was my grandma’s,” she whispers in horror. “It’s the only thing I had from her.”
“Ma’am, we need to look around and see if anything of importance is missing,” the officer says.
Turning in a circle, Teagan exhales, “I’m a college student. I don’t have anything of value, only my laptop, and that’s in my room.” The officer gestures down the short hallway. Teagan takes in a deep breath and walks to her room. The scene in front of her sends a knife right through her heart. “OH MY GOD!” She screams. She rushes over and picks up her smashed computer. “No, no, no, no!”
“Ma’am are you all right?” The officer asks.
“My writing, all my writing was on here!” Teagan cries, as she falls to her knees. “Please, no, no, no. It was all on here. ALL OF IT!”
“Teagan, didn’t you have it saved somewhere else?” Trent inquires, kneeling down next to her.
She shakes her head slowly, “Not the new stuff. It was all saved on a jump drive and someone stole that from my backpack. It’s all gone. All my work, it’s gone.” Teagan bends over and sobs.
“We will ask all your neighbors if they saw or heard anything,” the officer states. “We will also need a statement from you. There are some questions we need to ask.”
“Just leave me alone,” Teagan cries. “Just go somewhere else. Leave me alone!”
“I am not going to do that,” Trent whispers, pulling her into his arms. “Come on. I will try and fix it.”
Teagan lifts up the computer and gasps, “There is no fixing this!”
“Just give it to me, and I will see what I can do,” Trent replies softly.
The officer interrupts, “We are going to have to be in here for a while and see if we can get any info on access points and maybe some fingerprints. Is there someplace you can go?”
Unable to fully grasp what’s going on, Teagan whimpers, “It’s all gone. Everything….is ruined. Who would do this?”
“Why don’t you take a statement from her, and I will take her home. She can stay with me for the night,” Trent suggests to the officer. “I can’t leave her in this.”
“That’s fine,” the officer replies. “Miss….”
“Her name is Teagan Murphy,” Trent whispers, stroking Teagan’s hair. She leans against his arm and cries silently.
“Miss Murphy,” the officer starts. “Can we go into the hallway?”
It takes a few seconds, but she finally nods. Teagan lays her laptop on the floor and tries to stand. Her legs feel weak, making her stop halfway up. Trent grabs her and lifts her up on her feet. They stand there, with Teagan wrapped in his arms. “We will make this right, I promise,” Trent whispers into her ear.
“It’s
all gone,” Teagan whispers, trembling. “Everything that I have.”
“I will fix what I can,” Trent promises.
“Come on Miss Murphy,” the officer says, gesturing to the doorway.
They make their way back through the apartment and out into the hallway. “Why is there no light in here?” Trent asks, looking up.
“The light burned out,” Teagan mumbles.
The officer shines his flash light up. “No ma’am. Someone broke the light.”
“What!?” Teagan gasps, looking up. Her heart stops when she sees the smashed light fixture. “They did that on purpose!”
“Probably to scare you,” the officer sighs. “It seems as though this was personal. Is there anyone who would want to cause you harm?”
“No,” Teagan answers. “No one I know would do this!”
“What about Franco?” Trent suggests.
“Who?” The officer retorts.
Trent looks at the officer. “I confronted a guy who injured her. It was completely legal. I told him he needed to stay away from her.”
“What did he do?” The officer asks, pulling out his small, blue steno notebook.
Looking at Teagan, Trent pushes off her jacket and pulls up her sleeve. “He did that.”
“That is grounds for assault charges,” the officer replies.
“No, because you would have to arrest me, too,” Teagan mumbles. “I slapped Franco first.”
“We will still look into this gentleman,” the officer declares as he jots something down on his pad of paper.
“What’s with me and being assaulted?” Teagan whispers. “First those two guys, and then Franco, and now this!”
The officer looks up. “What two guys?”
“That’s how I met Trent,” Teagan explains. “I was assaulted by two guys in Arrowhead Park.”
“You were the young woman,” the officer raises his eyebrows. “You must be Trent Grayson of TPS.”
Trent nods his head, “Yes.”
“We have heard good things about you,” the officer states solidly. “We will look into the two assailants, too. Anyone else you could think of?”
“If my ex didn’t live over a day’s drive away, I would say him. He is nuts, but I know it wasn’t him. I honestly don’t know who would do something this cruel,” Teagan sniffles.
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