She smiled so big that her eyes almost closed. “You already know me too well.”
“And I consider it an honor.”
When our eyes met, it was as if I couldn't look away. Like someone had my head locked into that position and Luna was holding me hostage. My God, she looked incredible in the sunlight streaming through the windows of my hotel suite. And had she not freaked out so badly on me last week, I would’ve led her right to my bed and had dessert before dinner.
But, I kept my cool. “Fifteen minutes, and I’ll be ready.”
Luna cleared her throat. “Yes. Yes, uh, well, I’ll be here.”
After getting changed and hopping into my truck, Luna and I headed for her apartment. I kept stealing glances at her as she gazed out the window, her body pressed as close to the door as she could get. It killed me inside, knowing she regretted what happened between us. Because I thought what happened was beautiful. And I knew damn good and well we both enjoyed it.
Having her once is better than not having her at all.
The sentiment only served to hurt my soul even more, though.
“Oh, my God,” Luna gasped.
I pulled into her parking lot. “What? What is it?”
She threw her door open. “My front door is open!”
I looked up at her door. “Luna, wait!”
She took off running, and I didn’t even turn my truck off. I jumped out and raced up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. I picked her up and pulled her off the steps as she kicked and tried to wiggle away from my grip.
“Let me go! What if something’s happened?”
I set her down and spun her around. “And what if someone’s broken in? What if they’re still up there?”
Her eyes watered. “That’s just what I need after my car breaking down.”
“Let me go up first. I’ll clear it and then poke my head out. Okay?”
She nodded quickly. “Okay. I’ll call the police.”
“Good idea.”
As she dug out her cell phone, I inched my way up the stairs. I slid my hand into my pocket, pulling out the pocketknife I always carried with me. I mean, it was no shotgun, but it was something. And as I slid my way into Luna’s apartment, the chaos around me stopped me in my tracks.
Luna hadn’t just been robbed. Her entire place had been trashed.
“Come out if you’re here! There’s no other way out!” I exclaimed.
I walked into the middle of her living room and turned myself around.
“Bart?” Luna asked.
I flipped my knife closed and slid it into my pocket. “It’s clear. Just… brace yourself.”
She peeked her head around the corner. “Oh. My. God.”
The second her eyes started watering, I rushed to her side. I took her in my arms as she clung to my shirt, her tears wetting the fabric. It burned my blood that someone would do this to her. That someone would intrude upon a space that was supposed to be sacred for the sake of some selfish want. I pulled her over to the side as sirens wailed in the distance. Police cars and a fire truck came screaming into the parking lot before a familiar face started up the steps.
“Andrew,” I said.
My high school friend nodded. “Bart.”
Luna lifted her head. “You two know each other?”
Andrew held out his arms. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember me, Lunapad.”
She blinked. “Lanky Andy?”
He chuckled. “Well, most people call me ‘Officer Rinkinson’ now, but that’ll work.”
Luna pulled away from me. “I don’t know what happened. We just pulled up after work, and my door was hung wide open.”
I rubbed her back. “I came up here to see if anyone was still here, but it was empty.”
Andrew nodded as another pair of officers slipped into the apartment. “Well, Luna, if you don’t mind walking around with us, we could use your set of eyes. If anything was taken, you’ll know it when you don’t see it.”
I looked down at her. “You up for something like that?”
She wiped her tears away. “Anything to catch who did this to my home.”
Andrew held out his arm. “Right this way. You start wherever you feel comfortable, and we’ll follow behind.”
I stepped out onto the small landing in order to give everyone a bit of space. But, I kept my eyes glued to Luna. As she walked around her studio apartment, I saw her arms cross over her chest and her shoulders slump. She’d gone from the confident, headstrong woman I knew her to be and had turned into a scared, self-conscious little girl.
I wanted to wring the neck of the person who had done this to her.
“Is there anyone that you know who could have done this? Someone you’ve had a bad encounter with or something?” Andrew asked.
I almost hopped in until I heard Luna sigh. “Well, there is this one guy.”
Andrew pulled out his notepad. “What’s his name?”
I slipped back inside and stood behind Luna, wanting to provide a bit of support. But, when she leaned back into me, part of me was shocked. But, part of me was honored that she felt comfortable enough to seek out my touch.
As she rattled on about the guy from Pete’s Chicken and how they had met, her one hang-up was the fact that the man didn’t know where she lived. He’d never come over. He had never driven her anywhere. It was just one failed date before she stopped returning his calls. I knew what the internet was capable of, though, and the information someone could dig up if they checked the right places.
And when the police officers were done logging all of the damage in her apartment, Andrew sighed.
“We’re going to check security footage and see if there’s something to go on, and we’ll follow up with this guy. Since Bart here called the police, he shouldn’t be hard to track. I’ll stop by or give you a call if we come across anything, but in the meantime, do whatever you can to keep yourself safe. Even if it means going and staying somewhere else for a little while.”
I snickered. “Or getting yourself a new boyfriend.”
Luna’s eyes whipped up to mine. “What was that?”
I shook my head. “Just a joke. I didn’t mean any harm.”
“Wait, wait, wait, what was the joke, though?”
I shrugged. “Usually, people like this are more prone to staying away from places when they know there’s a man involved. If you were targeted, you could’ve been targeted because you're a woman who lives alone. I was just making a joke about getting a boyfriend to scare off anyone else who might get any other ideas.”
Andrew chuckled. “You always had the worst timing with jokes.”
I rolled my eyes. “Guess some things never change.”
One of the officers came rushing back inside. “Sir, you need to see this.”
Andrew took the outstretched phone from his co-worker before turning it to face Luna.
“Is this the man you were just talking about?” he asked.
Luna leaned forward before she nodded. “Yeah, that’s him.”
Andrew groaned. “Yeah, we’re very familiar with him. He’s currently living in a camper at a local campground, and this isn’t the first time girls have reported issues with him.”