by Marla Monroe
He glanced at his watch and unlocked his door. Tina should be calling any time now to let him know she was on her way home. He figured she was going to balk at letting him look through her house before she went inside. He hadn’t been home to keep an eye on it. If someone had been watching, it would have been the perfect opportunity to break in and wait for her. Not going to happen.
Thirty minutes later, the phone rang. Caller ID told him it was Tina.
“You about ready to come home?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah. I’m about two blocks away,” Tina answered.
“When you get here, stay in the car. I want to check inside first. I was gone most of the afternoon, so I don’t know if anyone might have gotten inside or not.”
“Do you really think it’s necessary?” she asked.
“Do you want to find out the hard way?”
She sighed over the phone. “No. Fine. I’ll wait in the car.”
About that time he heard her pull into her drive. He walked outside and across the grass to her garage. She shoved her keys at him through the window. He struggled not to smile at the little show of temper. It only made him harder. Much more and he was going to have trouble walking without a limp.
“Need the code.”
Tina gave it to him with a growl.
Logan unlocked the door and turned off the alarm. Then, he searched the entire house, closets, and under the beds. He didn’t find anything other than she hadn’t vacuumed under the guest bed in a while. He smiled. She wasn’t perfect. Satisfied that the house was clear, he waved her in from the kitchen door. He watched her emerge from the car with her purse over one shoulder and a satchel he presumed to be full of work over the other shoulder.
She walked inside and held out her hand for the keys, he presumed. He dropped them into her hand and sighed. Then he walked out the door. He waited to hear the locks click. Once the alarm beeped, he headed back to his house. He had done all he could for now.
She wasn’t thrilled with letting him watch out for her, but she wasn’t stupid either. She would take all the help she could get to stay safe. It was a good thing she wasn’t stubborn about it. He would have hated to force her to let him help her. But, he would have, if it meant keeping her safe.
* * * *
“So, are you excited about going out tomorrow night?” Jenna stuck a potato chip in her mouth.
“I think you know the answer to that one, Jenna.”
“Come on. It’s going to be fun. I still think you should invite, Logan.”
Tina rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to do it, so stop suggesting it.”
“He’s still making you call him when you get off work to see you inside. He likes you.”
“It’s all lust. He wanted me. He got me, and now he probably wants a repeat. I’m not interested,” she said.
“Oh, I think you are. You just aren’t going to admit it to me or yourself,” Jenna said.
They finished eating lunch in silence. Tina wondered how she had ever let Jenna talk her into going out Saturday night. She hated the idea of the crowd, fearing they might get separated while they were there. She chastised herself. She wasn’t a child. She could handle herself. You’re just worried you’ll like it and miss it. Then where will you be?
“So, what are you going to wear?” Jenna asked.
Tina could tell Jenna was excited to have her going with her again. She felt guilty for bailing on her for the last year, but she couldn’t help being a little afraid.
It had happened one night after they had gone out. She’d had such a good time. They had both danced until they were so tired neither one of them could walk off the dance floor without groaning. She hadn’t danced much with any one particular guy. Sometimes it would be her and Jenna cutting up on the dance floor and three or four other guys would join them. Sometimes she’d accept a dance with one of them.
They closed the club down at quarter till two, and Jenna dropped her off at her place. She could remember unlocking her door and walking inside the kitchen without turning on any lights. She didn’t need them. Tina knew her home backwards and forwards. She could navigate it in the dark, no problem. She toed off her shoes in the living room and climbed the stairs to her bedroom.
She had been in a hurry to get dressed. Her boss had kept her a little late discussing a client they were working on. Instead of the thirty-minute bath she had anticipated, she had to settle for a fifteen-minute shower.
She could remember thinking how loud the music had been since she still couldn’t hear anything. Would she have heard anything if not for the music having been so loud? Maybe, maybe not. “Tina? Are you listening to me?” Jenna’s voice cut into her thoughts.
“Sorry. Guess I was daydreaming. What were you saying?”
“I was asking you what you were going to wear, but I’d rather know what you were daydreaming about. Or is it whom?” Jenna teased.
“Nothing really. Just thinking about the new client I got today. They have a really poor coding clerk, it looks like. They need some heavy duty training.”
“Well, get your mind off work during lunch. Plenty of time for that when you are at work,” Jenna said.
Tina smiled and shook her head. “I’m not sure what I’ll wear. I haven’t been anywhere in so long I doubt any of my clothes will fit.
“You should have already tried on some stuff. We may have to go shopping tomorrow. Oh boy. A reason to shop.” Jenna clapped her hands.
“Don’t go counting your new shoes before I check my closet.”
Tina cringed at the thought of a shopping trip with Jenna. The woman never met a store she couldn’t find something to buy inside it. They would be gone all day if Jenna had her way. Nope, she would find something to wear tonight if she had to alter it herself to make it fit. It had only been a few weeks since the last time she had gone shopping with her friend. She needed another few weeks to recuperate from the experience. It made her smile.
“Okay, now you’re thinking about your neighbor. That smile gives you away.”
Tina sighed. Jenna wasn’t going to give it up. She was bound and determined to pair them up. No way, wasn’t gonna happen. They were not compatible. He was sexually out of her league. He would be bored with her inside a month, if they lasted that long. No, he was more the fling type. She’d had her fling with him, and while it had been memorable--okay, spectacular--it wasn’t going to happen again.
“It’s about time to go back. Finish your sandwich like a good girl.” Tina ducked when Jenna threw a napkin at her.
“You’re just changing the subject,” Jenna accused.
“Yep. Take a hint.”
“Fine, but I’ll just bring it up again later.” Jenna finished the last bite of her sandwich.
“Seriously, what time are we going to eat? I’ll pick you up,” Jenna said.
“Seven should be good. Where do you want to eat?” Tina asked.
“How about Italian? Haven’t been to Lillo’s in a while.”
“That sounds good. I love their lasagna.” Tina picked up her purse and waited for Jenna to do the same.
“I’m all about the veal parmesan,” Jenna said.
They paid and walked back to work. It was only three blocks, thank goodness. It was hot enough that she felt like she could melt. Jenna fanned herself as they reached the doors to their office building.
“Remind me next time I want to walk how stupid that idea is.”
Tina laughed. Oh, she would remind her all right. Just as they walked inside, she got a whiff of something that seemed familiar to her. She couldn’t catch it again to figure it out. Shrugging she followed Jenna to the elevators. Work filled her mind as the doors slid shut.
* * * *
When Tina drove up into her garage, Logan was standing outside on his drive watching her. He nodded at her and waited while she unlocked the door and walked inside. She peeked out the window and found him still standing there watching her door. He took it so seriously. It made her
feel more secure to know he watched out for her. It also unnerved her to think there was a reason for him to be so diligent.
Tina dropped her keys and her purse on the table by the door. She carried her satchel into the office and dropped it on the desk. Then she turned to boot up her computer, but it was already on. Had she left it on? She couldn’t remember, but she almost always turned it off at night.
Shrugging, she decided to change clothes before fixing anything to eat. She wasn’t all that hungry anyway. There was some left over tuna fish in the fridge, and she had a bell pepper. Stuffed bell pepper sounded good for dinner to her.
She continued up the stairs and into her bedroom. Toeing off her shoes, Tina unbuttoned her blouse and thought about her neighbor. Why did he insist on watching her go inside every day? She didn’t mean anything to him. Not really. She slipped out of her slacks and hung everything up to go to the laundry. Then she went to her closet to grab something light to put on. The door was ajar. She frowned. She never left her closet door open.
Tina thought back to that morning. She had been in a hurry. She’d overslept for once in her life. Normally, she was awake before the alarm went off, especially lately when she hadn’t slept well. This morning, her alarm didn’t go off, and she woke up with very little time to shower and dress. It was possible she had left it like that.
Eyeing the door, Tina stood to one side and kicked it open. Nothing jumped out. She felt silly. As if she could have done anything if a monster had jumped out at her. She laughed and walked into the closet. Everything looked in its usual place. She grabbed a pair of shorts off the shelf and a tank top off the hanger and dressed. She purposely closed the closet door and turned around to head back downstairs. She stopped dead in the middle of her bedroom. You better look for something to wear tomorrow night or Jenna will have you out shopping all day tomorrow. She sighed and turned back around to brows in her closet once more.
Thirty minutes and ten outfits later, Tina had her outfit picked out for the next night. She hoped Jenna would be sufficiently impressed. The dress fit her well. It was one she had bought in hopes of losing a few pounds over the summer. Well, she had lost some evidently. She had heels picked out, so she would only have to shower and dress the next evening. Satisfied she had averted a shopping spree, Tina continued downstairs to fix dinner.
Later that night, she took a nice relaxing bath with her favorite bath salts and soaked until the water began cooling off. Tempted to add more hot water and soak a bit longer, Tina glanced at the clock and realized it was getting late. She had worked in her office longer than she had planned. She could sleep late, but knowing Jenna, she would call to check on her at the crack of dawn anyway.
Tina pulled the plug and stepped out of the tub to dry off. The air kicked on and sent chill bumps down her spine and over her arms. She hurriedly finished drying and donned her navy blue negligee. She wasn’t sure why she was wearing it other than it felt good against her skin. She applied lotion and slipped into the bed between sheets that felt like silk. Maybe she would sleep tonight without dreaming, unless it was about Logan. She wouldn’t complain then.
* * * *
Something woke Tina up. She wasn’t sure what it was. A sense of dread filled her, and she couldn’t even turn her head to glance at the clock. The sound came again. A creak then a light bang bang reached her ears from downstairs. She panicked and grabbed the phone off the bedside table as she ran for the bathroom. She closed and locked the door with shaking hands and dialed 911. When the operator came on, she begged for help in a whisper.
“What’s your emergency?” the operator asked.
“There’s someone in my house,” Tina whispered.
“Give me your address, ma’am.”
Tina repeated her address and asked them to hurry. She heard another sound dulled by the closed bathroom door.
“Please hurry.”
“Someone is on the way. Stay on the line with me.”
Tina was shaking so badly, she could barely hold on to the phone. Tears slid down her face. Seconds passed with more creaks.
“Ma’am, are you still with me?”
“I’m here, but he’s coming up the stairs. Please,” Tina begged.
“They are on the way. Stay with me.”
The doorknob turned and then rattled. Tina held her breath. Then there was the weight of someone hitting the door. She screamed.
* * * *
Logan sat on the side of the bed and rubbed his face. He couldn’t sleep. Something was bothering him. Like the woman next door. You’re jonesing for her. He might as well sit outside for a while. He pulled on boxers and stopped by the kitchen for a beer. The air had cooled down some, and there wasn’t much humidity at all. He wandered around the deck outside, then sat on the top step. Shadows chased back and forth, as a light breeze played among the tree limbs.
He glanced towards Tina’s house, but it was dark. She hadn’t been out on her balcony once since he had told her he knew she had watched him. He realized he missed knowing she was there watching him. Other than the brief view of her when she came home from work each day, he hadn’t seen her in a week. He finished his beer and stood up to go inside. A scream pierced the night.
He dropped the beer can and ran across the deck and through the backyard. He jumped the fence in one bound. When he reached her back door, he found it ajar. Damn, he needed his gun. There was no time to go back and get it now. Logan crept into the kitchen then on into the hall. He stopped to get his bearings. The living room was too his left and the stairs to his right.
Another scream came from upstairs. He hit the stairs at a dead run. Someone raced down the stairs nearly knocking him back down. He made the split second decision not to pursue the intruder. Tina might be seriously hurt and need help. He raced up the stairs to her bedroom. She wasn’t in the bed or on the floor. He ran towards the bathroom and stopped just inside the doorway. The door was off the hinges and split near the doorknob where someone had hit it hard enough to break it.
Between the toilet and the bathtub, Tina sat curled up with a can of hairspray pointed at the door. When he stepped into the room, she raised it higher and pointed it.
“Easy, Tina. It’s okay now. It’s me, Logan.” He took another step into the room. She lowered the can, but not all the way.
“You’re all right. Calm down.” He managed to take the can from her shaking hands and set it on the counter.
Logan reached down and helped her stand up. As soon as she was up, she launched herself into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck squeezing the breath from him. He ran a soothing hand up and down her back telling her over and over again it was okay.
“Everything is going to be all right. You’re safe now.”
She continued holding onto him with her face against his neck crying.
Sirens from the approaching police cars could be heard in the distance.
“Ma’am, are you there? The police are outside your house now. Can you hear me?” came from the discarded phone on the floor of the bathroom.
Logan tried to peel Tina’s arms from around his neck
“Tina, let go now. Everything is fine.”
He heard feet pounding up the stairs and then out in the hall. He carried her out of the bathroom and reached the bedroom just as four policemen made it into the room with guns raised.
“Police, put your hands up.”
He obeyed raising his hands above his head. Tina remained glued to him.
“Let her go,” one of the policemen said.
“I don’t have her. She has me. I’m her next door neighbor,” he said.
One of the policemen holstered his weapon and pulled Logan’s hands behind his back where he secured them with plastic restraints. Another policeman worked at prying Tina off of him. Once she was off, she nearly collapsed. They helped her to the bed. One of the officers found her robe and put it over her. She pulled it around her. No one bothered to give Logan
anything to cover him.
They dragged Logan outside the bedroom and down the hall to another room where they questioned him. It seemed that with him in his boxers and her in her negligee there was some speculation as to their relationship. They also still thought of him as a suspect since he was in his boxers with an erection.
“Hell, you have a nearly naked woman plastered all over you and not get a hard on.”
They took the restraints off and handed him a towel.
Finally, Tina managed to calm down and explain everything. Once they had the complete story from Tina three times, they called the crime scene technicians to come dust for prints. The policemen spread out and search the house and her yard, but came up with nothing out of the ordinary.
“Ma’am, he came prepared. He has to be damn good at picking locks, and he had to have had the security code,” one of them said.
“That’s not possible. I changed it the other day, and no one knows it.”
“What about the security company?”
“No one. I didn’t even tell them. I was worried after the last break in that one of them was who did it.
“Did you possibly forget to turn the system on?” Another one asked.
“No! I would never go to bed without turning it on, and I double checked everything before I came upstairs.”
Finally, the police left them alone. They promised to let her know anything they found out from the fingerprints, but warned her that the intruder had probably worn gloves.
It was nearly five o’clock in the morning. Logan could tell Tina was exhausted. He noticed her hands still trembled when she brushed the hair from her eyes. There were shadows under her eyes as well. She needed rest. He doubted she would sleep now. He sighed.
“We both need to dress. I know you’re not going to sleep now. Why don’t you come over to my house while I shower? You can shower at my place,” Logan suggested.