Page 60 of Trick
“I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to freak out,” he cautioned.
I sighed, then pointed out, “Telling me not to freak out is almost guaranteed to make me do just that.”
He gave me a ghost of a smile, then put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. “You’re right, sorry.” He took a deep breath, and I braced myself for whatever bad news he was getting ready to deliver.
“When the guys were looking around the yard for Elvis earlier, Lucky noticed that some of the flowers underneath the living room window had been trampled on.”
I shifted a little so I could look up at him in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“That motherfucker was standing right in front of the window, and from that spot, he could see in between the slats in the blinds. Since he fucked with the camera recording, we have no way to know how long he was there watching.”
I jerked back, staring at him in shock.
“Did you hear anything at all before the alarm went off?”
“No,” I whispered, thoroughly rattled by the dawning realization that Beau had been looking in the window, watching me as I watched a movie, completely oblivious that he was there. I felt sick when I realized he may have also seen Trick and me together.
I looked up again at Trick, whose jaw was clenched so hard I was afraid he’d crack a molar. “I didn’t hear a fuckin’ thing either. I should have had one of the prospects on patrol,” he fumed.
“Surely you aren’t blaming yourself for this? This is all on Beau.” I reached out and squeezed his bicep, trying to reassure him.
“He’s gonna wish he’d never been born when I get through with him,” he vowed, and I wasn’t sure if he was even aware that he was clenching and unclenching his fists.
Trick left to meet with King and the others a few minutes later, after I reassured him that I would be fine on my own.
I busied myself unpacking everything, then getting Elvis settled. He finally curled up next to me on the loveseat while I tried – and failed – to lose myself in the e-book I was reading. After rereading the same page three times and having no idea what it said, I set my Kindle down and turned on the TV instead.
I finally settled on reruns of The Big Bang Theory, but that didn’t really hold my attention either. I kept thinking about Beau, trying to figure out how I could have missed the signs that he would cross the line from persistent ex to full-fledged stalker.
A soft knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. It was immediately followed by Trick’s voice.
“Let me in, darlin’.”
He looked tired when I opened the door, kissing my forehead as he brushed past me. He had his duffel bag and backpack in his hands and set them on the bed before slipping off his cut and hanging it on a hook by the door. When he started unpacking his bag, I couldn’t help but ask what he was doing.
“I’m staying here with you,” he tossed over his shoulder as he put some socks and boxer briefs in the dresser drawer.
That didn’t help my confusion.
“Why? I’m safe here, right? I mean, that was the whole point of coming here.”
“Yes, but I’m still not leaving you alone until we catch that motherfucker.” He glanced at the bed. “It’s a king-sized bed…there’s room enough for both of us.”
I dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed as a myriad of questions swirled in my mind. I settled on the one that kept popping to the forefront.
“I thought you didn’t allow women to sleep over?”
He rolled his eyes at me, then shook the wrinkles out of a T-shirt and hung it up in the closet.
“With random women or club bunnies, I don’t. You’re different.”
My heart melted for a split second until the voice of reason kicked in. I was different because I was Uncle Bill’s family, and I needed protection from a stalker. That’s all.
Once he finished putting his things away, he led me over to the loveseat, then settled down next to me as he filled me in on his discussion with King and the others.
“Beau’s being careful. He must be using cash since he’s not used his debit or credit cards since this morning at a coffee shop in Pittsburgh. That makes it almost impossible to find him unless he slips up. He’s due back at work Friday morning, so we’ll see if he shows up. At least we’ll know he’s back in Pittsburgh then.”
“He always carries a lot of cash. It’s a way to show off, more than anything, I think.” I told him with a grimace. The more I thought about how much of an ass he could be, the more I questioned my judgement in staying with him for so long.
