Page 13 of In the Shadows (The Club)
“Bastard,” Zeke growled.
Now he wished it had been a normal night, a night when his Sigs were still comfortable weights against his sides. He hadn't brought them because he'd been working that delivery with Preston and there was no reason to be carrying for it. But if he had...a simple shot in the knee—that's all it would have taken—and Viv would have been free from all of this. “Is this the first time he’s tried to contact you outside the bakery?”
She blew out a breath and relinquished her grip, flexing her fingers before clasping her hands in her lap. “Yes.”
“Do you think he knows where you live?”
She swallowed hard. “I...I don’t know. Maybe? Detective Mancini made sure my apartment building was on one of the patrol routes after I got the fifth or sixth letter, so I assumed that would keep me safe.”
“Let me take you home tonight. Make sure no one’s hanging around before I head out. I can bring you back here tomorrow and help you change out that tire.”
He could tell she wanted to protest. It made sense. He didn’t exactly look like Mr. Friendly. Her neighbors were as likely to call the cops on him as they were on the twisted sicko who was fucking around with her. But he didn’t want her left alone. Not until he was sure she’d be safe.
To his surprise, she put a hand on his and said, “That would be great.”
***
Zeke made her call Detective Mancini on the way to her apartment once she was buckled into his car. When she got to the letter, he plucked the phone from her hand and finished out the conversation, arranging a time for her to go into the station to turn it in. He also ensured that an officer would stop by the public lot and inspect the damage to her car so a report could be made.
She was grateful for Zeke’s interference. He was calm and measured, two things she most definitely was not. The hard truth was that the nerves she’d forced down had returned with a vengeance by the time they pulled into her apartment’s parking lot.
“Which one is yours?” he asked her, peering at the semi-dark stairwell.
“I’m the third one over.” She pointed. The movement forced her to lean in, an action mirrored by him a moment later as he tried to see where she was pointing.
It brought them within inches of each other. His lips were there, tantalizingly close. She was so busy staring at them, wondering if she was brave enough to close the gap that she didn’t realize he was staring right back at her.
“Viv,” he said in a low, husky voice.
“Yes?”
“May I walk you in?”
“Okay.”
He stayed at her side as they walked toward the stairwell. It was sweet how he kept her tucked against him when they turned corners. When they reached her door, he waited for her to unlock her apartment before following her inside.
She turned on the lights, glad she’d cleaned up. It was small but comfortable, a place for her to go when she wasn’t at Divine Twins. Still, it wasn’t exactly homey, except for the kitchen.
“Well, doesn’t look like anyone is hiding in here,” she said, gesturing at the space.
Zeke nodded slowly. “Are you comfortable with me taking a look around?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
He headed toward the back of the apartment first, the bedroom. He reappeared, mouth set in that unreadable line, and checked the bathroom before returning to the living room. He only popped his head into the kitchen, grunting at something he saw, before rejoining her near the door.
“You’ve got a window in the bedroom,” he stated.
“I usually keep it closed and locked, especially this time of year.”
“Another window in the bathroom.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the line of questioning. “Why are you bringing up the windows?”
“Because between the stairwells and the balconies, it’d be easy enough to climb up to your bedroom.”
When she flinched, he frowned and reached a hand out toward her. “Sorry. I’m shitty at this. Look, I just don’t want you walking in to any surprises, okay?”
