Christmas Daddy Next Door

by Tia Siren

  “Ya think so?” the officer asked.

  “I know so,” she said. “Lexi broke up with him last night after three years because he’s a boring, possessive motherfucker.”

  “That true?” the officer asked.

  “His actions had escalated, yes. I felt like he was following me around town, running into me conveniently in places I knew he wouldn’t be. Out-of-town venues and stuff.”

  “What else was he doin’?”

  “He’d call incessantly until I picked up the phone, then berate me because I didn’t pick up sooner. Things like that. He wasn’t always like that, just in the past few months,” I said.

  “How did the two of you know one another?”

  “He’s my boss at work. I met him when I interviewed for my position at the Beacon-Ansley.”

  “That where this photo was taken?” the officer asked.

  “At the Christmas party I planned last night, yes.”

  The other officer was furiously taking notes, trying to write down everything I said before he forgot it. I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the knots and tangles from the restless sleep I’d gotten. The apartment was cold with the front door still open, and I shivered before I pulled my robe tighter around my body.

  I couldn’t believe this was happening.

  “Well, here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna go talk to the front desk, get any video footage they might have, and then I’m sendin’ all this stuff off to the lab. Did it come in anything?” he asked.

  “This box,” Courtney said as she shoved it over to him.

  “We can go have a talk with this ex of yours. What’s his name?”

  “Jeremy Newberry. Manager of events at the Beacon-Ansley,” I said.

  “Right. We can chat with him, but if he’s behind this, it might escalate him. Let us get all this stuff back to the lab. We can contact you in a few days. In the meantime, you keep an eye out. If he approaches you or starts harrassin’ you, you call me, all right?”

  The officer handed me his card, and I slipped it into my pocket. It was better than I was expecting they could do, but I still didn’t have hope that they’d find much.

  “With the note bein’ typed and all, I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy took other precautions, too. But, it don’t hurt to check. We’ll keep in touch, and call if ya need anythin’ or feel unsafe in any way.”

  “Thank you, officers. I will definitely do that.”

  Courtney escorted them out, but I could tell she wasn’t happy. She shut the door behind them before she turned around on her heels, her eyes boring into me as she drew in a deep breath.

  “You know damn good and well it’s Jeremy,” she said.

  “They need proof before they can do anything.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t need proof.”

  “And what are you gonna do? Yell at him until he has a heart attack?” I asked. “Just calm down already.”

  “How the fuck are you so calm?”

  “Because I don’t have any other choice, all right!? Welcome to the last four months of my fucking life!”

  Suddenly, I was panting, gasping for air. I felt the walls closing in around me as Courtney’s hands clamped down on my arms. She maneuvered me to the couch and sat me down as the smell of coffee wafted through our apartment.

  Jeremy was coming after me. I could feel it.

  “Let’s get you some coffee. Just breathe, all right?”

  I sank back into the couch and dug my phone out of my pocket. I had two missed text messages, one from Liam and the other from Logan. The Castle brothers. I smiled as I opened their messages, as both of them told me I had been on their minds last night.

  “There’s that smile. Hear from one of the twins?” Courtney asked.

  “The Castle brothers,” I said.

  “Oh, both twins! Go, girl. What’d they say?” she asked.

  “They’re asking me how I’m doing. Should I tell them? Or lie?”

  “Honey, it’s your funeral. Right now, I think any male attention you feel safe around is gonna help mitigate what’s going on, but we need to figure out what we’re going to do today. They wanna do any freaky-deaky shit, it’s gotta be put on hold until tomorrow.”

  I sent them both back a text message and told them what was going on. In a way, I felt they had a right to know, especially Logan since his hand had been on my back in the picture. I told them about the note and how I thought it was probably my ex, and then I waited for their responses. I took the coffee Courtney was offering and leaned back into the chair, but no sooner had I taken my first sip than my phone lit up again with a message from Logan.

  “What’s it say?” Courtney asked. “Read it out loud.”

  Giggling, I read it to her.

  Have you called the police? You need to. In the meantime, if you feel unsafe, I can make sure you’re protected.

  Then my phone buzzed with Liam’s message.

  “That the other one?” Courtney asked, grinning.

  “Yes. Listen to this.”

  Do you need me to come over? It doesn’t sound like you’re safe. I can make sure you are.

  “Sexy and protective. These the doctors?” she asked.

  “Nope. The firefighters. Dark hair and eyes. Tan skin. Muscles for fucking days,” I said, groaning.

  “Well, message them back!” she said.

  I went to send a message back to Liam, but then a group message popped up. Logan and Liam’s names were at the top alongside mine, and I saw they were both typing.

  Do you need us to come over?

  What’s going on?

  I turned my phone toward Courtney, and she practically lost it. She was covering her face and squealing, and I couldn’t help but allow a smile to grace my cheeks. Not only were the Castle brothers ruggedly handsome, but it seemed as if they were fiercely protective.

  I could get used to something like this.

  I’m all right for now. The police are doing what they can. Gave me their card with a number to call in case I didn’t feel safe. But honestly, I could use a distraction.

  I waited for their response, then saw Liam typing back.

  What are you doing tonight? he asked.

  Hanging out with my roommate. We gotta figure out where to go with everything since the police are taking this seriously, I said.

  What about tomorrow night? Logan asked.

  I’m free tomorrow night. What were you guys thinking?

  “Oh, holy shit. They’re gonna ask you out on a shared date. Girl, if you come back to this apartment before eleven o’clock, I’m gonna be sorely disappointed in you,” Courtney said.

  Let Logan and I take you out tomorrow night. You know, to get your mind off things.

  I second that notion. Come out with Liam and me. You’ll be safe, and you’ll have a good time.

  “I don’t doubt it for a fucking second,” Courtney said.

  “Shut up,” I said, grinning.

  Actually, I think I’d rather spend the weekend with Court right now, if you guys don’t mind. What about Tuesday night? Where would you like to meet?

  Tuesday’s fine with me. And don’t worry, it’ll be fine with Liam, too. And not a chance. We’ll come pick you up. Say around five? Logan asked.

  Five sounds fine to me. I’ll shoot my address over to you guys tomorrow, I said.

  “Holy hell, I’m jealous,” Courtney said.

  “You had your twin action last night. I get to Tuesday night.”

  Yes. Tuesday’s good for me. Can’t wait to see that beautiful smile of yours. This from Liam.

  Not to be outdone, Logan chimed back in. I prefer her eyes. Can’t wait to make them sparkle in the moonlight.

  “Oh, they’re good,” Courtney said. “They’re very good.”

  “So, what are we gonna do?” I asked.

  “Get you a new fucking outfit,” she said.

  “I meant about Jeremy.”

  “We can talk about that shit while we shop. Come on. H
alf the day’s been slept away already,” she said.

  Courtney dragged me from shop to shop, and all afternoon I got messages from the rest of the twins. All of them messaged me and created group messages with their respective twin. And once they found out about the note and photo, all of them started getting worried. I was getting exhausted, flipping back and forth between all the group chats, but it felt wonderful to have men who were worried about me. The Wolf brothers were ready to put a protective detail on me if I didn’t let them come over to see how I was. The Oakley brothers were ready to snap Jeremy at the kneecaps, and the Jameson brothers were two steps away from walking out of their practices to come find me around town. I simply kept assuring them that I was fine, that I was with Courtney and we were coming up with a plan, but all of them wanted me to keep them in the loop.

  So, I did.

  “Holy fuck, you have all of them eating out of your hand. I need to know your secret,” Courtney said.

  “Date a psycho man for a while, then leave him and have him threaten your life. That’ll do it,” I said.

  “This is all gonna be all right. Right now, just keep yourself occupied by focusing on your evening with the Candy brothers.”

  “The Castle brothers.”

  “Whatever,” Courtney said. “Slobber all over them like candy, then just sit back and let them ravish you. Trust me, it’s worth it.”

  “That what happened to you last night?” I asked.

  “Oh, Lexi, I didn’t even tell you the half of it.”

  Chapter 5

  The night came and went with absolutely nothing happening. Courtney stayed up with me and we watched movies until we fell asleep on the couch, but I kept startling myself awake. Every little sound and each little noise made me flinch, and by the time I finally rolled off the couch, it was well past lunchtime. I could smell food coming from the kitchen as I stretched and yawned. Then I heard the glorious sound of a plate of food being unceremoniously dropped onto the coffee table as my eyes slowly peeled open.

  “Eat,” Courtney said.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Time for you to get your ass up,” she said.

  My back hurt and my limbs were sore. I checked to see if I had any messages or missed phone calls, and sure enough all the twins had messaged me. They all had their various versions of good morning wishes and inquiries about my sleep, but the Wolf brothers had taken it to another level entirely.

  Love, you’re worrying me. Let me know you’re all right. This from Tony, followed by a response and plan of action from Terry.

  She’s probably just sleeping, Tony. Let her rest. If we haven’t heard from her by lunchtime, I’ll call.

  They were talking back and forth with one another in the chat, and it made me smile. Courtney sat down next to me on the couch before she turned on the television, but I could feel her lurking close to me, looking over my shoulder.

  “Ah, the animal-named brothers. Those the rich ones?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said, giggling. “Wolf Energy.”

  “They should’ve bought you a new outfit for this date,” she said.

  “They’re not gonna buy me a fucking outfit for a date with some other dudes. That’s just…weird,” I said.

  “Is it really, though? They might be into that kind of shit,” she said, grinning.

  Good morning, Tony. Good morning, Terry. I’m all right, I promise. Just didn’t sleep well last night, so it made for a late wake-up call. It felt strange texting in pairs like this.

  I bet you look radiant sleeping, Tony wrote back.

  You probably didn’t get enough REM sleep. When doctors say people need eight hours of sleep, a certain portion of that needs to be REM sleep. For someone in your current state, that could translate into ten or more hours of sleep, because the body doesn’t automatically slip into REM sleep the moment your eyes close.

  I giggled at Terry’s message. He was definitely the brainy one of the bunch. But, there was something endearing about his ramblings, something that made him ironically innocent given their intense, darkened stares.

  What my brother is attempting to say is that it’s good that you overslept. After what you’ve been through, darling, you need it, Tony wrote.

  Are you sure we can’t convince you to take the protective detail? It might help you slip into REM sleep better, resulting in a more productive work performance this week, Terry said.

  Did you just tell her she was going to suck at work because she didn’t get enough sleep? Tony asked.

  No, no! Fuck, I’m sorry. And sorry for the language. I was just trying to convince her to take the detail. I know how worried you are about her.

  All I could do was smile at their conversation. They kept going back and forth like I wasn’t even a part of the chat, and there was something refreshing about that. They were confident in themselves and obviously had a close relationship, and I enjoyed watching their dynamic unfold on the screen.

  And so did Courtney.

  “That Terry’s a smarty,” she said, “and Tony’s the romancer, isn’t he?”

  “Probably,” I said.

  “You gonna say anything?” she asked.

  “Nope. I think they’ve got it for now.”

  I let them continue chatting in the group chat as I ate the sandwich Courtney had made me. We watched television mindlessly for a bit, and then I picked up my phone and read through their conversation. It was a lot of Tony posturing because he apparently never worried and Terry being clueless as to why his brother was suddenly lying, so I finally interjected to settle their minds.

  I promise I’ll be all right for now. Thank you so much for checking in on me, though.

  Anytime. Keep in touch, all right? And expect some wonderful pictures of the sunset tonight, Tony said.

  I don’t really send pictures, but if something interesting pops into my head, you’ll be the first to know, Terry said.

  I could think of a few pictures you could send, Terry.

  “Naughty girl! And with a date already set up with another set of twins. Looks like the student has become the master,” Courtney said.

  Ah, and there’s that feisty side. You have rendered my brother speechless. Let me go reboot him quickly, Tony said.

  I shook my head and set the phone down before my mind drifted back to Jeremy. I was so glad now that I’d decided not to move in with him when he had asked. My lease was up for renewal, and while Courtney and I hadn’t yet decided whether we were going to stay or not, I had never once considered Jeremy an option. He had tried everything he could to convince me to drop this apartment with Courtney, but something just hadn’t sat right, so I’d declined.

  Holy hell, imagine the prison I’d be in if I hadn’t said no.

  “Whatever scenario you’re running in your head right now, cut the shit. You’re gonna be fine,” Courtney said.

  “I’m just thinking about how glad I am that I didn’t move in with Jeremy when he asked.”

  “No fucking joke. Have you resigned the lease here?” she asked.

  “Not yet, but I’ve still got a month before I make a decision on my room. You?” I asked.

  “Honestly? Not to put any more on your plate, but I’m thinking of getting my own spot. I love you and all, but having my own place is the next logical step in growing up and shit,” she said.

  “I hear you. I’m not sure if I want to stay here, but I wouldn’t know where to go if I did leave,” I said.

  “Well, it’s not like Jeremy can fire you at the hotel. You’ve talked to HR, right?” she asked.

  “Doing it tomorrow,” I said.

  “Well, once you talk to HR, he can’t fire you for this shit. You make more than enough money to afford this place on your own, but I know you’ve always wanted to own your own house. How goes the savings?” she asked.

  “I’m about four paychecks away from a down payment if I save conservatively,” I said.

  “See!? Movin’ on up in life. We
can get our own places and help each other redecorate. You can have all those muscular twins help you move boxes and furniture before they each have their way with you.”

  “Does your libido ever stop?” I asked.

  “Does yours ever work?” she asked.

  “Do you think I should tell someone at work what happened?” I asked.

  “Like you said, the police need proof. Without that, it may just make you look bad. I wanna shout it from the rooftops just as much as you do, but it won’t do any good at this point. Even I know that.”

  “Yeah. Telling someone might get me fired anyway,” I said.

  “Just wait for the police to do their thing. With evidence, you can throw his ass in jail, then rule that fucking resort hotel yourself like you know you can. You’ve been gunning for promotions for the past year. It’s time they understood the asset you are, not to mention the asshole their current events manager is,” she said.

  Just then, my phone rang from an unknown number calling. I felt a shiver shoot up my arm as I tilted my phone toward Courtney, and she told me to put it on speakerphone. I answered it and then pressed the speaker button, allowing the call to flood the room.

  But on the other end was complete silence.

  “Hello?” I asked.

  All of a sudden, the sound of heavy breathing could be heard. Courtney’s eyebrows hiked up, and at that moment, I decided to call him out.

  “Jeremy, is that fucking you?” I asked.

  The call ended and tears sprang to my eyes. Courtney was already shuffling around for her phone, asking me where that card from the police officer was. I pointed to my room, telling her it was in my robe, and just as she left the room, a call came through again.

  From an unknown number.

  I picked it up and held it to my ear, and it was the same heavy breathing. I sat there for a little while, listening to the heavy breathing, and my hands began to shake. It went on for a few seconds before it stopped, and that was when I asked again.

  “Jeremy, what the fuck are you doing?” I asked.

  “Did he fucking call back?” Courtney asked.

  The phone went dead as I looked up at my best friend. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she held the card in her hand, dialing the officers who’d been here yesterday before she held the phone to her ear. She began talking to the voice on the other end of the line, explaining what was going on, and then it happened again.