by K. C. Crowne
“And where would I stay, Noah?” she asked. “Would I sleep on your couch?”
“We have a guest room.”
“How long do you think it would be before I snuck out of that guest room and into your room? Or before you snuck into mine?”
“We don’t have to do that, Jenna. That’s not what I’m suggesting.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I know it isn’t. You’re always so kind to me, Noah, and I know you’re just trying to help me now. But I need some space.”
“You can’t stay here.” She looked at me, so I amended my statement to, “You can’t stay here alone. Not until they catch this fucker.”
She nodded and wiped her eyes. “I’ll go to Sara’s.”
“She’s got room?”
“She’s got a couch.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“It’ll be easier,” she told me. “Smarter.”
“My offer stands.”
“I appreciate it.” She wrapped her arms around me, and I held her close. I understood her logic—I even agreed with it, to a point—but the idea of letting her out of my sight right now was painful. I didn’t even want to release her from my embrace. What if something happened? What if this Josh came back?
She stepped back. “I should pack a few things,” she announced, sniffling. “Will you wait? I don’t want to be in here by myself.”
“Of course.” I fully intended to escort her all the way to Sara’s house. I wouldn’t leave her until she was safely in the hands of someone else.
“I’m going to call her, too,” she said. “I’ll be in the bedroom.”
“I’ll wait out here.”
Jenna disappeared to pack and call her friend. I looked around her open plan front room. The destruction was so random. It really did look as though the place had been broken into by seventh graders who just wanted to trash something for fun. It didn’t look like anything of significance had been taken. The TV was still there, and I saw a laptop computer resting on the couch. That would have been easy to grab and pawn. Had the break in just been about scaring her?
Probably so. That fucker.
I glanced at the kitchen. Neither Jenna nor I had ventured into that part of the apartment, largely because of all the broken glass. It looked as though someone had pulled the drinking glasses out of the cabinet and had a hell of a time shattering them all over the floor. I looked around for a broom and dustpan, thinking I might be able to help Jenna by sweeping up the mess on the floor before we left.
But as I cast about for a broom, I saw something that made me grow cold: a little card, deep navy blue. A business card, or maybe a calling card. I hadn’t noticed it at first because it was so small and because there was so much else to capture the attention in this wreck of an apartment. I read the shiny letters embossed on the card and couldn’t look away.
LM.
Nothing else. No business name. No contact information. Just those two letters. LM.
Could it be a coincidence?
Was it possible Josh had never been in this apartment at all?
I remembered the pictures LM had shown me. The threats against Tess and my “girlfriend.”
If there was even a chance that this mess was my fault, it would force my hand. I had to go to the police about LM and everything that had been revealed to me. But I couldn’t just run downstairs and tell them. I had to think it through first. I had to make sure I handled it intelligently, that it would be safe and that I wasn’t putting Tess or Jenna at greater risk by going to the cops.
And I couldn’t let her go to her friend’s house. I would need her where I could see her until I could be sure that LM had been handled one way or the other.
Jenna came out of her room, a bag slung over her shoulder. “I think I’ve got everything I need,” she said. She looked a bit steadier on her feet. The job of packing seemed to have helped settle her nerves a bit, given her something to focus on.
“Okay,” I said. “We’re going back to my place.”
She frowned. “No, I said I wanted to go to Sara’s.”
“I know,” I responded. “And I understand why. I really do. But I’m worried about you, Jenna. Do this for me. I promise, you’ll have your room all to yourself. Nothing will happen between us. I can control myself. I just want you where I can see you, that’s all. I’m worried about this.”
She closed her eyes. I wished I could read her mind. Was she irritated with me? Would she tell me to butt out, to mind my own business and let her handle her life? I couldn’t let her go off on her own with LM involved. But how could I stop her?
She sighed and opened her eyes. “That’s really nice of you,” she conceded.
“So...you’ll come?”
“I will,” she agreed.
I exhaled deeply. Maybe everything would still be all right.
Chapter 20
Jenna
In the car on the way to Noah’s, I was secretly happy that he’d insisted on me staying with him. I loved Sara and knew that I would be safe with her, but I felt even more protected in Noah’s condo with an alarm system and a doorman. But more so because of hi large, fit frame keeping watch.
Being under his roof day and night would come with its own set of challenges. For the sake of Tess, I had to exercise some serious self-control and keep my hands off Noah. The last thing I wanted to do was confuse a twelve-year-old with whatever the hell was going on between her father and me.
And a good place to start that restraint would be right now, when he was gently running his hand up and down my arm. I forced myself to pull away, to sit up and put a little space between us. It would have been so easy to just fall into him, to tell myself that because of what I’d just been through, I didn’t have to resist.
The problem was, I was starting to have honest to God feelings for this man.
It wasn’t just his almost excruciating good looks, but just the fact that proximity to him made me feel as though a million tiny fires had been lit under my skin. It was his kindness and the way he was completely in control of almost every situation that came his way, and the way he showed vulnerability when it came to his daughter. The more I got to know him, the more I wanted to.
And if I jumped back into bed with him without thinking twice, I would put that at risk.
Maybe it’s an opportunity, I thought. Maybe this is our chance to prove that we can be around each other without taking our clothes off. Maybe this is our chance to get to know each other—really get to know each other—as people.
I shook myself. How could I be thinking about that right now? My home had just been broken into, for God’s sake. I’d never dreamed that Josh would come after me in such a personal and frightening way after I’d spoken to his father on the phone. But I’d sort of thought of Josh as a child while I was redecorating his apartment. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d throw a tantrum when he didn’t get what he wanted from me.
I wondered whether he had any idea how much he’d frightened me. I hoped not. I didn’t want him to know he had any sort of power over me. I wanted him to think I’d been able to shrug it off. But the truth was that I didn’t know how I would ever go back to my own apartment. I couldn’t stay with Noah indefinitely, of course, but right now the thought of being on my own made me feel shaky and almost hysterical.
“We’re here,” Noah said quietly.
I looked out the window as we pulled into the secured garage for residents only. It was immediately soothing. A building with a doorman had to be safe. And Josh didn’t know Noah. He’d never think to look for me there.
We got out of the car, and Noah opened my door. I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and stood on the sidewalk. The building felt like a port in a storm. But how long would I be allowed to take shelter here? I didn’t want to overstay my welcome.
You should’ve just gone to Sara’s.
But I hadn’t, so now I had to deal with it.
I followed him
into the elevator and rode to his condo. I could hardly believe I’d woken up there just this morning. Last night felt like something from another life, a life where everything was simple and easy. It was only in the light of day that things between Noah and me were thorny and complicated. And now, of course, they were filtered through a heavy dose of fear.
What if Josh had been watching me? What if he had been outside my apartment? What if he’d seen me leave and followed me here?
He wouldn’t dare do anything to Noah’s property, would he? Getting revenge on me for calling his father and reporting him for his behavior was one thing, but he wasn’t about to break into a building that practically screamed alarms. He wasn’t that stupid.
Noah was looking at me with concern. “Why don’t you go in and sit on the couch,” he suggested. “I’ll bring you something to drink. Lemonade? Iced tea?”
“Just water.” I could really go for a glass of wine—my nerves were still jumping—but it wasn’t yet noon, and besides, every time I drank around Noah, my brain and body seemed to take a turn that I really did not want them to take right now. Better to keep a level head.
He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later, glass in hand. “Here,” he said, sitting beside me on the couch and setting it in front of me. “Take your time, okay? I don’t have anywhere to be today.”
“You’re really sweet,” I said. “Letting me stay here, I mean. That was really nice of you.”
“I’m just glad you agreed to come,” he said, his hand resting between my shoulder blades. “I know you wanted to go to your friend’s house, and I don’t blame you. I just...I feel better, knowing where you are. Knowing you’re safe.”
“Josh probably won’t try anything else.” I was trying to convince myself as much as Noah, if I was honest. “He trashed my apartment. He probably thinks we’re even now.”
“He ought to be locked up,” Noah seethed, his body tensing. “He tried to assault you.”
“He might be locked up,” I pointed out. “If the police can connect him with the break-in at my apartment—which could happen, right? They said they had fingerprints.”
“Did they?” Noah asked.
“Uh-huh. When I was talking to them, while you were in the lobby. They told me they’d been able to get prints in several places.”
“So they’ll be able to catch somebody.” He leaned forward, bracing his elbows against his knees.
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug, sipping my water. “They don’t know whose prints they’ve got yet. Some of them are bound to be mine. And the others might belong to people who had legitimate reasons to be there. Friends of mine. They don’t know for sure they’ve got his prints.”
“But there’s a chance.” Noah hesitated. “Did you tell the police about Josh?”
“Of course.” I frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“And do they think it’s likely he’s the one behind this?”
“Noah, why are you asking these questions?” I asked with a frown. “It had to be Josh. Who else could it be? We know the son of one of my clients—”
“We know the son of one of your clients left the note on your door,” Noah interrupted. “Why would somebody leave a note on your door, go away, then come back the next day to trash the place? You weren’t home when the note was left. Why not just do it then, if that’s what he wanted to do?”
“You’re saying you don’t think Josh broke into my place.” I gaped at him curiously.
“I’m not saying that,” Noah quickly replied. “I’m saying I don’t know. I’m saying it doesn’t add up. It doesn’t feel quite right.”
“But who else would want to do that? It’s not like I have a bunch of enemies running around.” Fear stabbed me in the gut. The whole thing had been upsetting enough when I was sure Josh was behind it. But if Josh wasn’t the culprit, it could be anybody. Why would somebody want to break into my apartment? Why would they trash it and leave without stealing anything? There could only be one motive for that kind of behavior—whoever it was had been trying to scare me. I understood why Josh would want to scare me but could honestly think of no one else who had motive to do so.
“Noah,” I whispered, my head suddenly spinning.
His hands landed on my shoulders, warm and steadying. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. You’re safe here, okay? It doesn’t matter who it was right now, because they won’t find you here. And you can stay with me until the cops get their hands on this person and you feel ready to go home. Everything will be all right.”
I wasn’t so sure.
I had to admit that what Noah was saying made sense. The idea of Josh dropping by, leaving a note, and then coming back the next day with a wrecking crew was weird. Josh wasn’t the kind of guy to carefully plan an attack on someone’s home. He was the kind of guy to spot an opportunity and go for it without thinking.
Noah’s hand slid down the length of my arm, fingertips tracing my skin, and his fingers interlaced with mine. He squeezed tightly, and I squeezed back, drawing comfort and allowing myself to luxuriate in his strength. He was right; I was safe. Nothing was going to hurt me, not in this fortress of a home, not with this strong, competent man beside me.
He turned me slowly in his arms, his eyes fixed on mine, and I felt myself weaken. Already? A voice in my head protested. You’re giving in to this already? But the voice seemed very far away. Too far away to care about. Too distant to worry about. Noah’s eyes were much closer, holding mine almost magnetically, making me feel as though I might drown in them.
I leaned in—
A door slammed.
Noah jumped backward as if he’d received an electric shock.
A split second later, Tess burst into the room, her backpack on her back and a sleeping bag in her arms. She looked from me to Noah, dropped the sleeping bag on the floor, and signed something to her father.
Noah signed back.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Sorry,” Noah said, looking rather shaken. He began to speak along with the movement of his hands. “I was just telling Tess that you’re going to be staying with us—in our guest room—for a while because of some damage at your apartment.” He shot me a quick glance, silently asking me to stick to the story.
This was too complicated. There was no potential for a relationship here if we had to keep it a secret from his daughter. I could completely understand why Noah wouldn’t want Tess to know about anything that had happened between us. Who knew whether she was emotionally ready for her father to move on?
Better I keep my distance. Better not to get involved at all.
“Can you show me to the guest room?” I asked. “I’d like to lie down.”
But what I really wanted was to get away.
Chapter 21
Noah
Leaving for work that morning had been difficult. Jenna had all but pushed me out the front door of my house. “I’m absolutely fine,” she’d insisted. “I’ve got my phone if I need anything. I can call you or the police if anything weird happens, or Sara if I get lonely.”
“I’m not sure you should be on your own,” I’d protested. “You were so upset yesterday.”
She was quiet for a moment but literally shook herself. “Go to work,” she’d said finally. “I’ll see you tonight. I won’t be responsible for disrupting your life. If it’s gonna be like that, I’ll have to leave.”
The last thing I wanted was for her to leave, so I’d gone, reluctantly. She did have her phone. I could text and call her as many times as I wanted to.
I still hadn’t contacted the police about the LM card I’d found in Jenna’s apartment. They would come up with something on their own. But that was no real justification. The card would mean nothing to anyone who didn’t already know about LM. The police would probably assume it belonged to Jenna, or that someone she knew had given it to her, or else they would have bagged it as evidence. Why would a vandal leave
a calling card? It was too easy.
Which was exactly why it was so brilliant.
No, I couldn’t count on them figuring it out. I would have to tell them myself. But how could I? LM had made it clear that he had an eye on all my comings and goings. I had no idea how extensive his ability to watch me was. Were my phone lines tapped? What about my email account? What safe means of communication were still open to me? How could I communicate with the police other than going straight to the nearest station while someone was likely tailing me?
“Mr. Clark, are you even listening to this?”
I blinked, focusing. The meeting in which I sat had been going on for over an hour. A group of my most difficult and demanding investors were grouped around the table, each of them looking at me through narrowed eyes as if they knew I wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to what they were saying.
I’d had enough of them for the day.
“I’m sorry, everyone,” I announced, getting to my feet. “We’re going to have to reschedule this meeting.”
“Excuse me?” The man at the head of the table, Mr. Kepler, got to his feet as well. Kepler was short and extremely stout, with thick dark hair that I doubted was real. He took a few steps toward me, a move that struck me as comical. What was he doing? Did he think he could intimidate me?
“Something urgent has come up,” I announced. “I’m so very sorry. I’ll have my secretary get in touch with your people to set something up.”
“We’re not leaving,” Kepler grouched. “We’re some of this firm’s biggest clients, Mr. Clark, and we know perfectly well what we’re worth. So we’re all going to stay right here until you figure out how to help us with our issue. Is that clear?” He stared haughtily at me.
“You’re welcome to stay,” I offered somewhat sarcastically. “But I’ll be leaving.”
I didn’t have it in me to fight with them. I needed to get back to my office. Once there, I could call Jenna to make sure she was okay. Then I could go over the emails I’d received from LM. Maybe there was a clue, something that would help me figure out how they were watching me. And if I could figure that out, I could contact the police without putting Jenna or Tess at further risk.