“Did they take anything?” I held her shoulders, trying to steady her.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice cracking. “I have to go over there and see.”
“Well, you can’t go by yourself.”
“I’m fine, I can handle it—”
“No, I’ll go with you,” I stated firmly. “You shouldn’t be alone. You should have a friend with you right now.” What she really needed, I thought but did not say, was a bodyguard. Someone who could watch her back in case whoever the hell decided to make an appearance again. I’d be damned if I’d let anyone lay hands on Jenna.
She nodded, clearly too badly shaken to argue further. “Okay,” she said quietly.
We dressed quickly, hurried to the garage, and got into my car. During the drive, I took her hand in mine, squeezing gently, doing my best to offer reassurance.
“It’s got to be Josh,” she murmured under her breath, her knees jittering up and down and betraying her anxiety.
“Josh?” I asked. “Who’s Josh?”
“He’s a client...well, technically his father hired me.” She groaned and pressed her free hand to her forehead. “I didn’t think he’d actually do anything like this. I just thought he wanted to scare me with the note.”
“Wait, he left you a note? When?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
“Yeah, it just said found you. I asked the receptionist who’d been upstairs, and she told me it was the son of one of my clients. He’d been looking for me, apparently.”
“And he just left information about who he was? Is he an idiot?”
She exhaled shakily. “Kind of, yeah. And he’s an asshole. He tried to attack me after I finished designing his stupid man cave.”
“What?” I loosened my hold on her hand. That behavior went against everything in me. I wanted to pull her closer. I wanted to wrap myself around her and shield her and never let anybody fucking touch her. And I wanted her to feel safe. If she wanted me close, her body language would let me know. And she leaned in. I tightened my hold on her hand.
“He tried to block me from leaving his apartment and told me he wouldn’t let me go until I gave him what he wanted.”
“How did you get out?”
“Threatened him. Told him I’d kick him in the balls.” She took a long, shuddery breath that resembled a chuckle. “I don’t know if I could have done it.”
“That was brave,” I told her. “Did you call the police? Report him?”
“No,” she said. “I called his father, actually.”
You should have called the cops. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I bit it back. I was threatened recently, I suddenly remembered, and I hadn’t involved the police. And it turned out to be a good thing I didn’t, given the way my father apparently made his money. Jenna probably should have involved the authorities, but I did understand the instinct not to do so.
She let out a soft sob and I pulled her closer. “It’ll be all right.”
“I never should have called his father,” she mumbled against my shoulder. “I should have left it alone.”
“No Jenna, this isn’t your fault. Nothing you did warranted him doing what he did.”
“He was in my apartment,” she said, sounding sick.
“It’s fucked up,” I agreed. “But you did the right thing to tell somebody what happened. He should be held accountable. He shouldn’t feel as though he can threaten women and get away with it.”
She didn’t look reassured. I couldn’t really blame her. It was nice to think that her actions had helped corral a sexual predator, of course, but there was also the very real fact that her apartment had been broken into, and that couldn’t be ignored or brushed aside.
If I could get my hands on that guy, I’d make him wish he’d never even heard of Jenna Robertson.
My sudden rage alarmed me. I wasn’t used to feeling out of control, but I knew that if I came upon this Josh character in the street, I’d kick his teeth down his throat. How dare he think he could scare Jenna like this, just because he hadn’t gotten what he’d wanted from her? He ought to be locked up.
I pulled my car to a halt in front of Jenna’s building and we got out. She leaned into me, and I summoned my strength, knowing she needed me to be a rock for her right now. “Come on,” I said, forcing my voice to remain even. “Let’s go see what’s up.”
A man in a grey suit met us in the lobby. He looked harried and upset. “Ms. Robertson,” he said. “Thank you for coming so quickly.” He looked up at me. “Hi, I’m Charlie Wells. I’m the property manager.”
“Noah Clark,” I said.
He waited for a moment, as if expecting me to clarify my role, to say that I was Jenna’s friend or boyfriend or something else. I remained silent, and Wells seemed to give up. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you up.”
“Have the police been contacted?” I asked.
“Of course,” Wells answered. “They’re already here, in the lobby interviewing the desk receptionist right now, so you’ll have some time alone in the apartment.” He hesitated. “I’ll be in my office if you need anything. All right?”
“Thank you,” Jenna said.
The door stood slightly ajar when we reached her apartment. “This was how we found it this morning,” Wells said, gesturing. “Nobody’s touched or moved anything, but the police have taken pictures and checked for prints, so you’re free to gather your things or do whatever you’d like to do. I’ll give you two a minute.” And he disappeared back down the stairs.
Jenna pushed the door open. “Oh my God.”
The place was trashed. It looked as though whoever had broken in had done so for the sole purpose of turning it upside down. Books had been pulled off shelves, and picture frames had been torn from the walls. Broken pieces of glass were strewn around the floor. Jenna took one look at the ruin of her home and burst into tears.
I stepped forward and gathered her into my arms, turning her to face me, letting her sob into my chest. “It’s all right,” I murmured quietly. “It’ll be okay.”
“He ruined everything!”
“We’ll fix it.”
She cried for a moment, then said, “I know it’s just stuff. I shouldn’t be letting it get to me…”
“You have every right to be upset,” I defended. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s okay.” I kissed the crown of her head. “We should get you out of here, Jenna. Come back to my place tonight.”
She looked up at me, eyes shining and wet. For a moment I thought she was going to say yes. But she shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Tess.”
“What about her?”
“You don’t think it would confuse her? If you and I…”
“We’ll tell her the truth,” I said. “She’s almost a teenager. She’ll understand that.”
“Which truth are you talking about?”
That was a fair question. “About the apartment,” I decided. “We’ll tell her your apartment was broken into and that you don’t feel safe staying here tonight, and I didn’t want to let you, so you’re going to stay with us for a while.”
“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.”<
br />
“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?”
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