“Lacey has the plan all set up, she’ll run through it with you both and I’m sure we’ll have this guy behind bars shortly.” He finishes installing a few cameras and leaves.
Lacey runs through the plan, which is basically us pretending that I’m staying here alone but I’ll be next door and Lacey will stay here. We repeat this plan until Anthony takes the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
I lean over to Clark as Lacey goes to check the windows in the bedrooms. “I feel like we’re in a James Bond movie.”
Kent leans in between us. “Does that make me double oh seven?”
We turn to face him and Clark groans. “Dude. I love you, but I think we are good to go now.”
Kent laughs and claps Clark on the back. “OK. Be safe, you two. This is serious. Also, once we get our little asshat stalker boy dealt with, we need to figure out how to throw Mom and Dad an epic homecoming party.”
Clark nods. “Yeah. One step at a time. Let’s make sure Meg is safe first.”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Kent agrees. He leans down and gives me a giant bear hug. “Be careful, Megladon.”
“I will.”
He pulls back and tweaks my nose just like old times. I smile. I always wanted a big brother like Kent. “OK, you two lovebirds. I need to get back to the apartment and get ready for a playoff game.
“You should come to one of the games,” he says to us both.
“I’d love to, but after we deal with this, we have our giant work presentation on Thursday,” I say.
“Right. Well, I’m off. We’ll be in touch,” he says as he leaves.
Lacey walks back in and looks at us both. “OK, let’s do this.”
I look at Clark and he looks back at me with a shrug. “I think all those times playing cops and robbers as kids are about to pay off.”
I laugh nervously. “Let’s hope so.”
Clark
After some careful orchestrating, Anthony seems to have fallen for the bait. It’s late now and I just want to go to sleep. Tomorrow is the last day at work before our presentation and we have lots to do, yet at the same time, it all seems irrelevant considering what’s happening.
“OK, go on over to Gary’s and wait there until I come to get you,” Lacey says to Megan.
I give her a quick kiss and usher her down the hallway. When she’s safely inside, Megan has me wait. The windows are open, and she’s been alerted that Anthony is lurking outside.
She nods at me to do my practiced part.
“Megs, I gotta go over to the frat house. I’ll be back in a few hours,” I yell as I turn to Lacey. She gives me a thumbs-up and motions for me to leave. When I open the door, I turn back and yell again, “Leave the door unlocked. I’m not taking my key.”
A recording of Meg is played by Lacey. “OK. I’m grabbing a shower, so just text me when you get there.”
“Will do,” I reply, and I leave and go to my car. I pull away and circle the block toward the frat house. I park on the street three houses away and wait.
I text Megan.
Me: You OK?
Megan: Nervous, but OK. Gary’s funny. He’s making me watch some god-awful movie.
Me: Typical.
Megan: Are you OK?
Me: Meh. I don’t like not being there.
Megan: I know but it’s safer this way.
Me: I know but I don’t like it.
Megan: Think of something else.
Me: Now I really want to be there.
Megan: (eye-rolling emoji)
Me: What? I’m a dude. I can’t help it.
Megan: (eye-rolling emoji) Seriously?
Me: Maybe it’s the element of danger but shit, I want you so bad right now.
Megan: OK, yeah, same. But let’s get this asshole first.
Me: I like your attitude. It’s sexy as fuck.
Megan: Stop picturing me as Lara Croft Tomb Raider.
Me: Damn it! How did you guess that?
Megan: LOL! Uh, I’ve known you since birth.
Me: Fair enough.
Megan: How did I live for so many years without you in my life?
Me: You are a glutton for punishment?
Megan: Maybe. I hear something.
Me: Christ. I can’t do this. I’m heading back.
Megan: NO! You stay put.
Me: Fine.
But I don’t listen. I turn the car around and head back, parking down the street. I creep through the trees like a burglar, or at least how I envision one in the movies. I hear some glass breaking and I look up to see Anthony in my apartment. Holy shit!
My adrenaline kicks in and I take off running toward my apartment. I push the door just in time to see Anthony flipped on his back by Lacey. Damn! I wouldn’t want to mess with her.
She presses a heeled boot into his backside as she radios for backup.
She glances up at me and rolls her eyes. “Wait in the motherfucking hallway,” she growls.
I slink away like a dog with his tail between his legs because he just got scolded. I don’t even make it halfway down the hall when Megan pokes her head out of Gary’s apartment. I quicken my pace and have her enveloped in my arms in three strides.
I crush her against me and press my lips to the top of her head as men with guns come up the stairs and into my apartment followed by four cops.
She looks up at me, wide-eyed. “Holy shit!” she manages.
“My thoughts exactly.”
She swallows and reaches up to touch my face. “I love you,” she says.
I grin like a fool. “I love you, too.”
She grins back. “We’re insane, aren’t we?”
“I mean, it’s normal to declare your love for someone as secret agents are taking down your stalker in the next apartment over,” I state.
“I figured it was normal. Just another typical day at college.”
“Exactly,” I reply.
We both bust out laughing, a combination of our emotions pouring out of us. When we finally stop, I lean down and kiss her.
It’s only the clearing of Lacey’s throat that pulls us apart.
“If you two are done, I’d like to debrief you,” she says. But we aren’t watching her, we are watching Anthony in handcuffs getting led down the stairs.
He glances back up at us and snarls but doesn’t say anything.
“He had a knife on him and whipped it out as he tried to come in the shower to get me. We have him on attempted murder, attempted assault, breaking and entering, and vandalism,” she says. “We have it all recorded. And I’m assuming you’ll press charges,” she says to Megan.
Megan nods.
“OK. Well, I think we are done here. Bryce will follow up with a report,” she states as she hands me my apartment key. “You’re all set. Officer Cruise will take your statements and then you are good to go.”
She walks downstairs. An officer asks us a few questions, and that’s it. We are released and head back to my apartment after thanking Gary.
“That was…intense,” Megan says as she sweeps up some broken glass from what was a cool vodka bottle.
“No shit,” I agree as I bring her a trash can.
“Can we promise that the rest of our relationship will be much more boring?” she asks.
I haul her to her feet and wrap my arms around her. “Nothing about us is boring, Megladon. Nothing.”