Officer Next Door (Lock and Key)

by Ranae Rose

  “You’re okay – that’s the important thing,” was all he said out loud. As he held his phone to his ear, he reached out and took one of her hands in his, squeezing.

  For the second time in 24 hours, Jeremy and a couple other officers reported to Pine Hollow Road. An investigation of her home determined that nothing valuable was missing … a chilling reality which proved that the invader’s intentions hadn’t been theft.

  Liam kept turning that fact over in his mind, trying to decipher what it meant. Had the intruder been looking for Alicia specifically, or perhaps for a woman to assault?

  “Word of advice,” Jeremy said to Liam, his expression grim. “Watch your back. I think there’s a target painted on it.”

  “Any word on Troy Levinson?” Liam asked.

  Jeremy shook his head. “Still at large. I spoke to Alicia. She’s intuitive – knows better than to assume that things are coincidental. Between you and me, I think she might be right about a Levinson hurling that rock through your window. Probably Troy. You already know the dogs picked up a scent trail in the woods last night, but it went cold when we hit some water. Could be that he made his way back up here and into Ms. Dalton’s house.”

  “Yeah?” Liam’s ire rose, filling his mind with visions of Troy Levinson lurking in Alicia’s home. He didn’t like that idea – not one damned bit. He’d been assigned to search the woods behind his own house that day at work – he’d scoured the forest for any sign of the Levinsons. Had Troy been hiding out in Alicia’s place the entire time?

  The thought made him feel physically sick with anger.

  Jeremy nodded. “If that’s the case, at least it means this shit’ll be over when we catch him. Until then, keep watching out for Ms. Dalton. Whoever was inside her home wasn’t there for a sightseeing tour. If she’d been home last night, she’d probably be dead.”

  It wasn’t like Jeremy’s conclusion was one Liam hadn’t already reached himself. Still, hearing it spoken out loud hit him like a blow to the gut, leaving him feeling sick as the resulting sense of anger swept through him, heating his blood. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

  “We’re gonna run extra patrols on this road until the situation’s resolved. If anything – and I mean anything – doesn’t seem right to you, give us a call. We’re also gonna have a search party sweep the woods behind your house. If he’s hiding out back there, we’ll find him.”

  Nothing seemed right to Liam, not now that he knew Alicia’s home had been targeted before his. He cast a glance in her direction and saw her leaning against the porch railing, her face silhouetted by the early evening sunlight, her hair glowing gold at the ends and around the top of her head, like a halo.

  “Sasha called,” she said when he approached. “I told her what happened. She says she’s still up for cooking if we’re up for eating. Her apartment’s small, but she offered to host dinner there.”

  “I texted Grey and Henry,” Liam said. “Henry offered up his place – should be just enough room there for us all.”

  She reached out and touched his hand, her fingers twining with his. He felt the flutter of her pulse in her fingertips, her warmth against his skin. In that moment, the idea that she might not have been alive if last night had gone differently caused the world to blur around him, fading as he succumbed to tunnel vision that focused all his senses on her.

  He fought the sensation. He had to be aware of everything going on around him, regardless of how bad it was, if he was going to do what he’d promised and keep her safe.

  * * * * *

  Sasha and Kerry were both obviously freaked out by what had happened last night at Liam and Alicia’s houses, though they showed it differently. Sasha broke into a string of exclamations flavored by the occasional obscenity, while Kerry frowned, her worry darkening her eyes and shadowing her face.

  Henry and Grey just seemed pissed.

  Nobody was particularly happy, but the get-together seemed to be going well anyway, strangely enough. They were all gathered in Henry’s kitchen, a room characterized by bright lighting and blue tile, belonging to a little house on the outskirts of Cypress.

  Apparently, Henry shared his home with one other resident – a German Shepherd named Wolf.

  The dog was large, silvery-grey – reminiscent of his namesake – and surprisingly tolerant of Holden, who treated the larger animal much like he’d treated Brutus, darting back and forth with his ears flopping, trying to instigate play with the occasional yap.

  When Alicia left the kitchen to walk Holden outside for a bathroom break, Liam went with her.

  “Sorry our date was shoved to the backburner again,” he said as Holden sniffed, searching for a blade of grass worthy of lifting his leg over.

  “It’s okay. Besides, I’m having a good time.”

  He gave her a brief but intense look before returning his assessing gaze to their surroundings – presumably watching for signs of trouble. “All the same, I wouldn’t mind being alone with you.”

  He said it with total intensity, no hint of a smile. When he met her eyes again, heat and desire flared to life inside her. “We can be alone tonight, after we leave, can’t we?” They’d ridden together to Henry’s house, in Liam’s car. After last night, she highly doubted that he planned to drop her off on her doorstep with a kiss on the cheek and a reminder to lock her windows.

  “If you want to.”

  “I do.” Just the thought left her halfway breathless. As crazy – and terrible, for the Levinsons’ victims – as the past couple of days had been, there was one consequence that Alicia didn’t regret: what had happened between her and Liam. She had no doubt it would’ve happened anyway, eventually, but after the previous night, she was convinced that sometimes sooner really was better.

  “We’d better get inside,” he said when Holden had finished. “I bet that low land boil is finally done.”

  Alicia got the feeling he was thinking more of lurking convicts than dinner, but either way, she didn’t disagree.

  Dinner wasn’t quite done when they got back inside, but it seemed like a good time to make the sangria. When Alicia began slicing oranges and limes on Henry’s counter, Kerry offered to help.

  “You know,” Kerry said, cutting a lime into thin wedges, “you’re welcome to stay at my place tonight. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone in your house. Not until the Levinson brothers are caught, anyway.”

  Kerry and Sasha both shared Alicia’s suspicions that Troy Levinson might’ve been responsible for the rock and the break-in. So did Henry and Grey, which heightened Alicia’s confidence in her intuition and made her stomach tie itself in knots at the same time.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I already have plans for tonight. I won’t be at home.”

  A clattering came from nearby as Sasha dropped a large wooden spoon on the stove. “What?” She turned to Alicia and Kerry, whisper-shouting, not half as quietly as she probably thought she was. “Are you staying with Liam again?”

  Everyone already knew Alicia had stayed there the night before – it wasn’t like they could’ve explained what’d happened at both their houses without including that fact. Alicia had felt herself blush when Liam had explained everything to the group, though he’d only said that she’d stayed there for safety’s sake.

  Still, she had no doubt that everyone in the room had drawn conclusions – conclusions that were entirely correct, as it just so happened. One glance at Sasha’s face was all it had taken to see the wheels turning inside her head.

  “Yes.” Alicia kept her tone as neutral as she could. “I am.”

  “Well, well…” Sasha grinned as she picked the spoon back up and used it to prod the potatoes and sausage she’d just added to an enormous soup pot. “I guess last night was exciting enough to warrant an encore.”

  Alicia recognized Sasha’s statement as a thinly-veiled question. All things considered, an unusually tactful move for Sasha. She must’ve really been reining herse
lf in. Alicia cast a glance over her shoulder and saw that the guys appeared to be absorbed in conversation at the dinner table, their brows furrowed in a way that left little doubt as to what they were talking about.

  “As a matter of fact,” Alicia said, keeping her voice low, “it was.” She couldn’t suppress a big grin.

  Sasha returned the expression as she handled a colander full of fresh shrimp. “I knew it.”

  Kerry didn’t say anything at first, just kept slicing away, carving neat little wedges of orange and lime. When she was done, she surrendered them to Alicia, who dumped most of the fruit directly into the sangria pitcher, saving just a few slices to garnish drinking glasses with.

  “Be careful,” Kerry said, locking Alicia in eye-contact. “I know you didn’t take us very seriously about the Lady in White, but I think last night proved that you’re in danger. Whether or not you believe in the legend, you need to be extra vigilant. Liam’s house was victimized last night… It could happen again.”

  A little chill rushed through Alicia as she was pulled out of memories of Liam’s arms and thrust into thoughts of broken glass instead. “I’m not sure what I think about the Lady in White, but you can bet I’m being careful. Last night really creeped me out. Besides…” She forced a little smile as she tipped her head toward the table. “I think those three are plotting defensive tactics as we speak.”

  Kerry and Sasha both paused to stare, and Alicia was stricken by the similarity of their expressions – admiration, maybe a hint of longing. And lust.

  She couldn’t blame them.

  CHAPTER 16

  “I’m sure I’ll be just as safe at Liam’s as I’d be somewhere else, if not safer.” Alicia stirred an extra splash of fruit juice into the sangria, sweetening the mixture.

  Kerry nodded. Sasha did the same, conspicuously speechless.

  “Give me another twenty minutes and dinner will be done,” Sasha announced eventually, “Sorry it’s taking so long – you must all be starving to death.”

  “Still alive,” Grey called from the table. “Barely.”

  With Kerry’s assistance, Alicia busied herself serving the sangria. She took a glass for herself last of all, then settled down next to Liam.

  He shifted his position, leaning a little closer to her. The change was almost imperceptible, but she noticed and couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “What are you guys talking about?”

  A moment of silence slipped by, then Liam and Henry said, almost in unison: “the Levinson brothers”. Grey answered at the same time, only his reply was: “those bastards on the run from Riley”.

  “I figured.” Alicia took a sip of her sangria. It was pretty damn good, if she did say so herself.

  Liam looked like he was about to say something else, but the doorbell rang as he opened his mouth.

  Wolf leapt up from the floor and released a series of deep, resounding barks while his owner tensed visibly, eyes darting toward the short hall that led to the living room and front door.

  “That must be Jeremy,” Liam said, looking in the same direction.

  “I texted him a few minutes ago and invited him to stop by after his shift,” Liam said to Alicia and Kerry. “He’s been working long hours on the Levinson escape, and between you and me, he spends just about half his salary on take-out and restaurants. If all the places around here didn’t give law enforcement discounts, he’d be broke.”

  Henry didn’t relax much, just rose and said “I’ll get it”. He moved quickly despite the slight limp his sprained ankle had left him with. Still, there was a stiffness to the way he moved, and Alicia got the sense that it hurt more than he let on. Wolf hurried after him, still barking, and Holden trailed along.

  “Sit back down,” Grey said, “or you’re going to end up hobbling into the doctor’s office instead of work tomorrow morning. I’ll get the door.”

  Henry shot Grey a sour look. “I’m not taking time off work. Not with the search going on.”

  “Why not? You that eager to limp your way through the woods tomorrow?”

  “If it means finding those bastards, yeah, I am.”

  “I found a tick on my thigh when I got home today,” Grey said. “Big fat one, burst when I pulled it off. I think it was headed for the family jewels. Almost made it there, too. If I was halfway crippled, you can bet I’d be taking a day off.”

  Henry shrugged. “If the Levinsons are out there, I’d rather be looking for them than sitting around doing nothing. It’s like when you know there’s a big spider in the room – you’d rather hunt it down and kill it than let it roam free and risk running across it when you’re not expecting to.”

  “Speaking of spiders,” Grey said, a wide grin spreading across his face, “has anyone told the media how you really hurt your ankle? Because the way the news anchors told it, you were busy being a hero when it happened.”

  Henry frowned. “I stepped in a gopher hole. It could’ve happened to anyone. I was looking for the escapees, not at the ground. And I never said I was a hero.”

  “Right,” Grey replied. “You left out the part where you walked into a spider web and started freaking out, though. You didn’t step in the hole so much as you fell into it.”

  “You panicked over a little tick,” Henry said, “and you’re giving me shit over a spider? Spiders are disgusting. It’s a universal truth.”

  “Yeah…” Grey chuckled. “They’re disgusting all right. ‘Not afraid of anything’ my ass…”

  Henry scowled, but the dogs’ barking had reached a fever-pitch. The sound of Holden’s toenails scratching against wood came as he leapt up on the door, tail wagging furiously while Wolf towered over him, head tipped back, barking loudly.

  “It’s just Jeremy,” Grey said, still laughing. “I got it.”

  “I’m fine.” Henry turned on his heel and marched across the room, limping even less than he had been before.

  Grey tossed up his hands and flopped back down in his chair, reaching for his drink. “Stubborn as a jackass.”

  “I think the saying is ‘stubborn as a mule’,” Kerry said, peering over the rim of her own drink.

  Grey shrugged. “Either way.”

  “Speaking of stubborn,” Kerry continued, “you really shouldn’t try to pull a tick off of yourself. They won’t let go, even if you kill them in the process. Parts of their body can remain in your skin and cause infection. To get rid of a tick, all you have to do is pour a little rubbing alcohol on it. They back out right away, and you can pick them up with a pair of tweezers.”

  “Huh.” Grey raised a hand and ran it through his dark hair. It wasn’t quite as short as Liam’s. He combed his fingers through it, like he thought he might find another tick. “I’ll have to try that next time. Wouldn’t want to get an infection, especially where that little monster bit me.”

  “No, I wouldn’t think so.” The ghost of a smirk crossed Kerry’s face as she set down her drink.

  “Oh, shit.” Grey’s face fell in a deep frown. “I think I feel something.” He rubbed his skull in a circular pattern, a line appearing between his eyes. “Kerry, since you know so much about ticks, will you look?” He leaned forward, fingers still buried in his hair.

  “What the hell, man?” Liam leaned forward too, eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t want to touch your sweaty head. Come here – I’ll do it.”

  Liam laid a hand on Grey’s head before he could say a word, frowning. “Move your damn fingers. Yeah… There’s something. Good. For a minute, I thought maybe you were making all this up just to try to get a woman to touch you.”

  “Hey! Not all of us have to scheme to get female attention,” Grey said, trying to pull away.

  “Hold still. Look…” Liam pinched something between his thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the light. “It’s just a piece of a pine needle with a little dried sap on it – you’re fine.”

  Grey snapped his head up, his frown deeper than ever. “You sure it’s not a tick?”

  “Dea
d sure. Did you even shower before you came over here?”

  “Yeah, I showered. How do you think I found the tick on my thigh?”

  “I’ve got a few ideas,” Liam said. “One in particular.”

  Grey shot him a withering look that was at odds with his usual jovial expression.

  Jeremy strode into the room, saving Liam from whatever Grey had been about to say next. He’d passed right by the dogs, apparently unfazed. Wolf seemed to know him, and Henry stood by his side.

  “It’s nice to see you without any sirens going off or evidence bags lying around,” Alicia said as Jeremy’s canine entourage finally fell silent. “Let me get you a drink.”

  When she reached for the sangria pitcher, Jeremy held up a hand. “Just water for me. I can’t drink while in uniform.”

  Liam introduced Sasha and Kerry to Jeremy, whose forehead shone under the bright kitchen lighting, damp with sweat. No wonder, considering his dark uniform and the early summer heat.

  Kerry was predictably cordial and Sasha had a grin for Jeremy, but her gaze quickly diverted to Henry before she turned back to her cooking. “Almost done. Adding the shrimp now. Hope you’re all hungry.”

  Everyone professed to be starving, and the dogs cast longing looks in the soup pot’s direction. Luckily, Wolf was too well-behaved to leap for the stove, and Holden was too short.

  Not surprisingly, conversation turned to the Levinson brothers before Jeremy was halfway done with his glass of water.

  Jeremy leaned back in his chair. “Guess ya’ll haven’t been watching the news. Can’t blame you there – I wouldn’t be paying the TV any mind if I had a house full of beautiful women to entertain, either.” His smile reached his eyes, though he looked tired.

  “Surveillance at a gas station in Mississippi caught Randy Levinson on tape. License plate too, on a stolen vehicle.” He shrugged. “The same car was found abandoned alongside the highway by a Mississippi state trooper, no one inside. No trace of Randy Levinson.”