I blink, his words taking me by surprise. “I’m being targeted?”
“First the store is turned over, now your apartment… this isn’t a coincidence, Nee. Something is going on here. Can you think of any reason someone might have it out for you?”
“The only person I’ve got any bad feeling with is Thomas,” I say quietly.
“You need to tell the police this.”
“I will,” I tell him. “If it was him then he needs to be punished for it. He can’t just do what he wants.”
I watch as Jared rakes his fingers through his hair. “This situation is driving me insane. The thought of you not being safe—”
He breaks off as a uniformed officer walks toward us.
“The apartment is empty. It looks like someone used a tire iron to jimmy the lock open.”
The same as the store.
“This is the second break-in you’ve had, right?” the cop asks me, his brows climbing up his forehead.
“Yes. My store in town was also broken into.”
“Any idea who might have done this?”
I glance at Jared who nods his head slightly.
“Well, there is my ex. I’m currently fighting him for a divorce he’s not too keen on giving me.”
“Has he threatened you before?”
“I walked in on him with his hands around her throat just a few days ago,” Jared interjects before I can say anything.
The cop’s jaw tightens slightly. “Has he been violent before?”
“That’s why I left him,” I say.
“Okay, I need all his details, please, ma’am.”
I reel them off.
“For now, we’ll do some prodding around, but you shouldn’t stay here tonight. We managed to get the door to lock, but you can’t go inside until Forensics have done their job. Do you have somewhere else you can go?”
I’m about to say Simone’s when Jared beats me to it.
“She’s staying with me,” he tells the officer, who nods, seemingly satisfied with that answer.
I’m not sure how I feel about staying with him, but there’s no concern or anxiety there.
“Any more threats or problems, call.”
“I will,” I murmur. “Am I able to collect any things from inside?”
He pulls a face. “Not tonight. You’ll be able to come back in the morning.”
Great. “Okay, thank you.”
We watch in silence as the officer moves back to the patrol car and climbs in before driving off.
I turn to Jared as soon as his tail lights are in the distance. “I can stay with Simone.”
He shakes his head.
“Jared, we’ve only been on one date…”
“I’m not going to jump your bones, if that’s what you’re worried about, but I am worried about the fact you’ve been targeted twice. Sweetheart, I have military experience and can keep you safe. If you go to Simone’s can anyone there protect you?”
Okay, that makes my insides turn a little gooey. He wants to protect me?
“I don’t need protecting,” I tell him. “I can take care of myself.”
“That I don’t doubt, Nee. I know how capable you are, but I’d feel better being around in case anything else happens.”
A chill goes through me. “Do you think that’s likely?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “What I do know is nothing is going to touch you while I’m around.”
“What about Cooper? It could put him at risk.”
“He’s at my mom’s.”
“I still don’t like it. What if your place is targeted next because I’ve been there?”
He stares at me for a beat then says, “I have really good security. It’ll be fine. No one will touch my son.”
The fierce way he says it has me believing his words.
He reaches out and fingers a curl of my hair. “No one will touch you either, Nia.”
I swallow hard and try to keep a tight hold on my fear. I don’t want him to know I’m anything less than strong right now, even if I don’t feel it.
“You can’t promise that, Jared.”
“I can, and I am. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
He leads me back over to the car and opens the door for me. I slip onto the seat and he closes the door behind me before heading around the front of his vehicle to the driver’s side.
I’m a little nervous about going back to his place—considering this is our first official date and we don’t exactly know each other that well.
He must sense my apprehension, because he says, “We’ll get cleaned up and then go to sleep, okay? I’ll take the couch.”
“Jared, I’m not throwing you out of your bed.”
“You’re not. I’m offering it to you.”
I want to argue, but I sense it would be fruitless.
“Thank you.”
“Hopefully, the police will talk to your ex and this whole thing will be over with fast.”
I hope this, too.
He drives the short journey over to his house and pulls up on the driveway. It’s a charming little place with a neatly kept lawn on the front and a stoop with a rail just big enough for a mid-sized potted plant.
He climbs out and I follow suit before trailing after him toward the front door. When he puts the keys in the lock, he turns to me and says, “I apologize for the number of toys everywhere. My kid isn’t always the tidiest, and I don’t always have time to pick up before we’re rushing out the door.”
I wave this off. “Honestly, it’s fine. You’re doing me a huge favor. I’m not going to complain about anything.”
He pushes the door open and steps over the threshold into a small hallway. I follow him into the living area, which is, indeed, a little untidy.
Immediately, he starts picking up the toys and shoving them in a box in the corner.
“Do you want a drink or something?”
“To be honest, I think I’d like to just sleep after all the excitement of today.”
He deposits the last toy and nods. “Yeah, I get that.”
His home is distinctly masculine in its décor. It’s mostly grays and dark blues, but there are a few knick-knacks here and there that speak to a feminine touch—his deceased wife, most likely.
“I feel a little like my drama brought our otherwise perfect evening to a not-so-fun close.”
His head lifts to look at me. “At least it’ll be memorable when we recount it.”
I snort. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to run far and fast.”
“I don’t want to run anywhere.”
“You should. I’m a drama magnet.”
He moves over to me and cups my face with his hands. They’re warm and a little rough. “Then you’re my drama magnet.”
My heart stutters at this. “Give it a few more incidents like this and you’ll be changing your mind, I’m sure.”
“What’s happening here isn’t your fault.” He’s a little stern when he says this. He’s also right. This isn’t my fault, but I don’t want to bring trouble to his door either.
“I just wish I knew what was happening.”