by Bella Jewel
“Someone is m-m-m-messing with me, Ace.”
I can’t even speak.
“Come here.”
He takes my shoulder and pulls me into his apartment, shutting the door behind him. He guides my body towards a kitchen stool, pushing me slightly so I sit down on it. When my bottom is firmly in place, he lowers his body until we’re eye level. “Look at me.”
I blink a few times, trying to clear my blurred vision.
“Hart, look at me.”
Hart.
Look at him.
I take a shaky breath as my eyes meet his. There is not an ounce of panic in his gaze, just calm authority. I bite my tongue to stop the next sob escaping, and just hold his eyes, not wanting for a second to look away, because he’s grounding me and I’m afraid I’ll lose it all over again.
“Take a few deep breaths. Breathe in as deep as you can, hold a few seconds, and let it out.”
I do as he says, inhaling deeply, holding the breath in my lungs for a few seconds, and then letting it out. I do this a few times, until the sob stuck in my throat disappears and my tears stop flowing pathetically down my cheeks. Only then does Ace straighten up, grab another stool, and sit back down in front of me.
“Now, tell me what happened,” he orders, probably in the kindest voice I’ve ever heard him use, even though it’s still gruff and a little scary.
“Well.” I take another deep breath. “I woke up this morning, and when I walked into the kitchen, there was a cup of already made coffee on my counter. It was still hot, too. And I know it wasn’t just dropped off by Taylor or Jacob, because the cup was a gift from my husband. He used to leave me coffee in it every morning, with this note.”
I hand Ace the note that’s still scrunched in my hand.
He glances down at it. “This your husband’s handwriting?”
“Yes, I had a few of those notes saved. He used to write the same one every morning.”
Ace nods, looking back up at me. “All of the things happening, they’re all in relation to your husband, and nothing else, am I correct?”
I nod, swallowing.
“Right,” he murmurs, humming for a second, before standing. “I’m still waiting on those locks. They’re supposed to arrive later today or at the very latest, tomorrow morning. I’ll put them on, but I am still looking into things. I spoke to security—nothing out of the ordinary, but the security on this place is hardly something to cheer about.”
I chew my cheek, trying to stop the fear from taking over again.
“Anyone who lives in the area that you know, be it a family member, friend, acquaintance, I want their full names. Anyone in the area your husband used to know, including any old girlfriends you may know about, I want their full names. Anyone you have had any interaction with in the last few months, I want as many details as you can provide me. Can you get me that list by this afternoon?”
I nod. “What do you think is happening?”
“There could be a few explanations and I have a few theories, but I think it’s safe to say you’re not doing this on your own, someone is doing it to you. What I want to know is who and why.”
“Do you”—I swallow and take another deep breath—“do you think I’m in danger?”
He hesitates. “I don’t honestly know at this stage. I need more information. So far, whoever is doing this hasn’t hurt you or tried to hurt you at all. That’s a good sign. However, figuring out why someone is choosing to leave reminders of your ex-husband lying around, obviously trying to freak you out, could be hard to figure out. It’s not being done in secret, which means whoever it is wants you to know they’re doing it.”
That thought makes me want to vomit. I simply don’t understand why anyone would want to do that to me, especially not so long after I lost my husband.
“I’ll get a rush on these locks. The system has been down for the last few weeks but I’ve told them to get that fixed immediately or the landlord would be held responsible for anything that happened.”
“W-W-What about my windows?” I ask, thinking of them all of a sudden. I mean, it’s a possibility, right? Any entrance is access into my house.
He nods. “I’ll be adding locks to those, too. If need be, I’ll have the station get a watch put on the place, or we’ll install an alarm system.”
God. This is too much.
I press a hand to my chest and drop my head, staring at the ground and taking a few shaky breaths.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this, Hartley,” Ace says. “I’ll make sure of it. Please trust that I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.”
Whatever he can.
Whatever. He. Can.
What if that’s not enough?
* * *
“Seriously, it’s creepy,” Taylor mumbles, shoving her fork into a piece of curry chicken we just ordered from a local restaurant.
“I feel you.” I sigh, poking my food with my fork, not sure I can actually eat any of it. My stomach has been twisting all day.
“You’ve given Ace your list. Did anyone raise a red flag?”
I shrug. “All of our friends, we’ve known forever. All of Raymond’s friends, even the few ex’s he had, I am familiar with them all. I hardly doubt they’d start tormenting me years after his death. The only ones I think might have even a chance at being that weird are the men I went on blind dates with.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh god. I forgot about them. Oh, what if this is my fault?”
I reach over, patting her shoulder. “It isn’t, honestly. I had the briefest interactions with them. They didn’t even know my full name, let alone how to find me less than a month after dating them. I honestly can’t see that being the case. But Ace is looking into them anyway.”
“Jacob?” she questions.
I shake my head. “No, Ace did a full background check on him first. He’s as clean as a whistle, not even a parking ticket. And honestly, he’s been so kind to me.”
Taylor rolls her eyes. “Of course he checked him out first.”
I laugh softly. “Yeah, that’s what I said.”
“Bloody males. And you’re sure it wasn’t Greg or Richard?”
I nod. “Yeah. I don’t think Richard has it in him, considering he was so broken up over his ex. That wasn’t an act—at least, I don’t think it was. And Greg, I guess out of everyone, he might be most likely, because I offended him. But I still don’t think he’d go to this extreme, right?”
Taylor purses her lips in thought. “You did really upset him, though. I mean, what do we know about him? How do we know he isn’t some stalker? He did lie about his profile, so maybe he felt like getting revenge?”
I contemplate this. Out of everyone, Greg is definitely the most likely to do something like this. I’ve given Ace his details, so I guess now I have to wait and see what he comes up with.
“Yeah, I did tell Ace about him, and he said he’s going to be looking into it.” Whoever has done this, has done research. How else would they know the little things?”
She nods, rubbing her chin. “Yeah, you’re right. Still, people can find out any information about you if they try hard enough. I mean, it happens all the time.”
“Hmmm.” I ponder that, and my heart clenches at the thought. “Well, I can only hope that whoever it is, Ace will find them soon. I really, really hope he does.”
She shoves another piece of chicken into her mouth. “I hope so, too. It makes me so uneasy.”
I nod. “Me too. Believe me. I can’t sleep now. I think I’ll struggle even knowing someone is here. If we’re correct, someone was in my house while I was asleep … walking around … that makes me feel sick just thinking about what they could have done if they wanted to.”
Taylor reaches over, squeezing my knee. “We’re going to get this sorted. Until then, I’ll stay as many nights as I can, you know that. And you can stay at my house, too, if you really need to.”
“You already have a roommate and no extra room. I couldn’t
do that. It’s okay. It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
A knock sounds at the door, and both our heads swivel in the general direction it came from. I shoot a look to Taylor, but she’s already standing, walking over to the door and calling out, “Who is it?”
“Ace.”
Gruff. Masculine. No missing that voice.
She glances over her shoulder at me, and I nod, giving her the go-ahead to let him in. She unlocks the door and pulls it open. Ace stands in the space, holding a bag in his hands. His eyes flick to Taylor, narrow for a second as he takes her in, and then swing over to me sitting on the couch, a bowl of untouched food in my lap.
“Hey,” I say, my voice flat-sounding, even to me.
“I just wanted to check in on you before I went home. I have a couple of things to give you, and some information.”
I nod, stretching a hand and encouraging him in. He gives Taylor another glance and then walks in, sitting on the chair across from me, his eyes scanning my face.
His eyes take in all of me, but mostly they focus on my own. I swear, it feels like he can see everything I’m trying to keep inside. Way past any wall I’ve put up, and right into the most vulnerable parts.
“You good?” he murmurs, that voice low, husky and … almost genuine.
“I’m doing as well as I can,” I tell him, and that’s the truth.
He nods, then puts the bag down in front of me. “It isn’t much, but there are a couple of things in there you can use if you … need to.”
My eyes flash to Taylor’s and even those words seem to make her uncomfortable. She shifts slightly, crossing her arms and frowning.
“Pepper spray, a whistle that’ll make anyone retreat, and a list of direct emergency numbers to some other officers at the station, including my own.”
My hands start shaking, so I shove them beneath my thighs and look over to Ace, holding his stare. “Thank you, that makes me feel better.”
It really doesn’t. I honestly don’t think anything could at this point, but the fact that he’s thought of it does ease something inside me.
He nods briskly. “I’ve looked over everyone on your list, and they are all coming up clear. That’s not to say they’re not capable of pulling this off, but I think I’m going to start looking at outside sources, even strangers, people you work with, people who live in these apartments, things like that.”
“Thank you Ace,” I say genuinely. “I really appreciate it.”
He shrugs. “I’d do it for anyone.”
Right. That has my chest tightening, surprising me. I don’t like how that felt when he said those words. I try not to think too much about why that might be.
He stands. “I’m right next door, yell out if you need me. Make sure you lock these doors, double-check them. I’ll have the new locks tomorrow.”
I nod, swallowing the thick lump in my throat. “Thank you.”
He nods again. “Later.”
He walks out of the apartment without another look back. I glance over at Taylor, who watches him go and then looks at me. “He’s intense.”
Yes.
Yes he is.
But he makes me feel strangely safe, and right now I’ll take that.
THIRTEEN
Lightning cracks outside, lighting up my bedroom as it makes a loud crashing sound, followed by a loud boom of thunder. Heavy rain falls, causing a waterfall to run down my window. I’m on my bed, legs tucked up to my chest, with every light on, staring out at the storm currently wreaking havoc on our city.
I like storms.
Tonight, though, I’m not feeling all that great about it.
It’s just past one in the morning, and I know sleep won’t come to me. Especially not after Taylor got called into work. She was going to stay the night, and now she can’t. I’m alone and there is no way in hell I’ll be able to sleep. So, I left every light on, and decided I’d ride this night out. What’s one night without sleep? Even so, the heaviness in my chest won’t ease.
Not even a little.
Every single tiny sound I hear has my heart nearly launching out of my throat. I’m terrified. I wish Raymond was here, I wish it so heavily the ache in my chest spreads, traveling up my throat until my nose tickles with unshed tears. I wish he was here, and none of this was happening. He’d know how to make me feel safe. He’d know how to make me feel better.
I’m plunged into pitch-black.
For a second, my breathing stops.
No.
God. Not again.
The power is out.
My hands start shaking and my entire body feels too heavy to move. I’m frozen in the spot, trying to force myself to get up, but nothing is happening. I’m stuck here, terrified. A loud crack of lightning lights up my room, and a scream leaves my throat. Where’s my phone? Where is it? It’ll have a light. God, why did I stay here? I should have thought this through. I should have gone to Taylor’s house, anywhere but here.
What was I thinking?
Tears burn under my eyelids and I know I have to stand up and move. I’ll go next door, Ace won’t mind. Hell, I’ll sleep on the floor in his apartment if I have to. I don’t care if he doesn’t like me. I can’t stay here. With shaky fingers, I remember my phone is on the bedside table, so I reach over to get it and flick it on. Just as I go to turn the built-in flashlight on, it rings.
It. Rings.
And Raymond’s name flashes up on the screen.
No.
A terrified gurgle escapes my throat and I launch the phone across the room, stumbling out of the bed. My eyes dart to the left, then to the right, then to the open door in front of me. Did I leave that open? God. I didn’t. I’m sure I closed it when I went to bed. I’m sure of it. A sound travels out from the kitchen. Was that lightning? Is someone in my house? Panic grips my chest and I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.
“Help,” I croak as my phone starts ringing somewhere in the room again.
Who is doing this to me?
Why?
My knees wobble. I can’t see anything. The only time I can see even briefly is when the lightning comes again, hitting the ground outside and sparking up the room for a flash of a second. My hand darts out to my left, trying to find a wall to hang onto. I need to get to my phone. Ace’s number is on there. I’ll call him. Everything will be okay. It’ll all be okay.
That’s it.
That’s all I have to do.
It feels like two hands are squeezing my windpipe, I’m so afraid. A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead and I can’t seem to get it together. Not even enough to think. A crashing sound comes from my general kitchen area, and my blood runs cold. Someone is in my house? Oh God, someone is in my house! With trembling hands, I try to remember where I put the bag Ace gave me. It’s on the desk, right near my bed. It’s there, I need to get to it.
My phone first. Call Ace. Get it together.
Lightning hits, and my eyes are trained on my open bedroom door. The room lights up, and in the doorframe I see a dark, hooded figure. I scream, I scream so loud my voice cuts off midway through and nothing further comes out. My knees give way and I drop to the ground, jerking my head back up when another bolt of lightning hits.
This time there is no one in the doorway.
“Ace!” I screech as loudly as I can. I don’t know if he can hear me. I don’t know anything, but I just keep screaming his name over and over until my voice cracks and I back myself up so I’m pressed against my bedframe. I stay curled there, eyes on the door, terrified.
Someone is in my house.
I saw him with my own eyes.
I can’t move. I need to find my phone, I know that, but the fear is holding me hostage. I can’t move.
“Help,” I sob, bringing my knees up to my chest. “Please.”
There is a crashing sound, then a pounding at my front door. “Hartley?”
Ace.
He heard me.
“Hartley?”
He’s yelling, and
I can hear his voice as clear as day.
“Door is locked. Hartley.”
The door is locked? But … but someone was in my house. I saw him. I … I did. I saw him. Am I going crazy? Am I losing my mind? What the hell is happening? I fall forward so I’m on my hands and knees and I crawl towards the bedroom door, croaking out, “Ace?”
“Open the door for me,” he yells.
He’s right there. No one will hurt me if he’s right there.
Taking a deep, staggering breath, I push to my feet and I run, I run towards the front door with all my might. With shaky fingers, I fumble around with the locks in the dark until they spring open. Then I step back, sinking to my knees, my body too full of fear to function. I know there are tears streaming down my face, even though I can’t really feel them.
A flashlight swings around the room, before settling on me.
“Shit.”
The muttered curse is followed by two big arms circling me, and lifting me into the air as if I weigh nothing. I curl my fingers into Ace’s shirt and I latch on. I don’t care that he’s basically a perfect stranger, and one who doesn’t like me most of the time, all I care about is that the comfort he brings me in that moment is overwhelming.
Ace moves to the sofa, lowering himself until he’s sitting. There is no way I’m letting him go anytime soon—he can hate it as much as he likes. I’m so damned afraid, I need something to cling on to and he’s going to be that person, whether he likes it or not. He is seemingly okay with my grabbing him like I need him to breathe, though I can feel the tightness of his muscles where they press against my body.
He doesn’t do this often, that much is obvious, but he’s doing it for me and I’m grateful.
“Calm down,” he says, his voice tight, like he really has no idea what he’s supposed to be doing. He stares into my eyes, and he holds them, bringing a calm over me that I honestly wouldn’t think possible right now. “You’re barely breathing, Hartley. Practice what I showed you—into your lungs, hold it, let it out.”
I do as he asks, sucking air into my sore lungs, and holding it for a few seconds before I let it back out again. I do this for a solid ten minutes before my body finally starts feeling like my own again. My legs stop being numb, my hands stop trembling, and I manage to pry myself from Ace with a flush on my cheeks. I slide off his lap and into the spot directly beside him.