CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
What she got instead was another kick in the gut.
Approaching the door to her apartment, she noticed it was ajar.
She was immediately on guard but just like a sorority girl in a horror movie, she inched up to the door and pushed it open with her foot.
Oliver bolted out and took a flying leap into her arms. She screamed, turned to run, and ran smack into her neighbor, Mr. Greene.
“Geez, Maggie. What’s the matter?”
“Oh, Mr. Greene. Thank goodness.” She was breathing heavily. “I, um, I think I need the police. Again.”
“I’ll call 911,” Mr. Greene said chivalrously as he pulled out his phone.
It was late, and she knew Adam wasn’t on duty but figured he’d want to know, and quite frankly, she could use a friend. When she called his cell, she could hear Jenny in the background.
“I’ll be right there,” he said. “Have you called Mitch?”
“I don’t want to bother him,” she said. The thought had crossed her mind, but she’d be much more comfortable with Adam. “My neighbor did call 911, though, so some other officers will be showing up.”
“All right. I’ll call him on my way over. See you in a few.” He clicked off, leaving her alone with Mr. Greene. They had moved to the end of the hall, and he was waiting for the police with her, bless him.
Finally, two uniformed police officers arrived and entered Maggie’s apartment, hands on their weapons. They came out a few minutes later, more relaxed and declaring that the place was empty but trashed.
“Someone made a hell of a mess,” stated one of the officers. “You can go in and take a look. We’ll need to know if anything’s missing.”
She hesitated to go in without Adam but felt silly standing in the hall. As she was about to enter, she looked up to see Mitch striding purposefully toward her.
His intense stare paralyzed her. He’d come. And apparently left whatever he’d been doing immediately to get here so quickly. Her heart did a little flutter. Maybe he did care.
Just before reaching her, he broke eye contact, diverted right, and stopped to talk to the officers. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but could tell his tone was serious. He was all business.
Duh. Of course he hadn’t come for her. He’d come to see the latest on his case. See what Manuel and his goons were up to. She was kidding herself if she thought otherwise.
Still holding Oliver, she stood straight and marched boldly into the apartment, only to be stopped dead in her tracks.
They must have taken their time on this job.
Nothing was where it was supposed to be.
The couch was upside down, and someone had taken a knife to it.
Stuffing protruded from long gashes. Vases were broken, water seeping into the carpet, the flowers strewn about.
All the dishes were on the floor, mostly in pieces.
Pictures had been thrown across the room.
The dining room table was tipped on its end, and the legs were broken off.
She stood, unmoving and in shock, taking it all in and not believing any of it.
The store was one thing. Nothing at the store had any personal value.
It was just merchandise and easily replaceable.
But this. This was her home. Her personal property.
She felt Mitch come up behind her. So close she could feel his heat.
Oh, how she wanted to lean back into him, but she didn’t.
Without looking back, she tiptoed through the debris minefield, finally making her way to the bedroom where the destruction continued. Not one room had been spared. The linen closet was empty, most of its contents shoved into the toilet. Extra toilet paper and hand towels hung out of the bowl.
“Oh, Ollie. What have I gotten us into?” she whispered, hugging the cat close. Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Reentering the living room, she was relieved to see Adam had arrived. He and Mitch were in the middle of a hushed, heated conversation.
“No, I can’t do it…not a babysitter…don’t care.”
She could only make out bits and pieces of what they were saying.
When Adam finally noticed her, he quickly put on a smile and came to hug her. She melted into it.
“This sucks,” she said. “It has to be him, right?”
“We were just discussing that. It would be a big coincidence if this weren’t related to what happened at the store.”
Adam turned to Mitch. “Give me a hand with this, eh?”
Together they righted the couch and brushed it clean so she could sit. She didn’t know what else to do, so she sat.
“I’ll go tell the guys they can go. They’ve got everything they need for the report. We’ll take it from here.” Adam left, and the awkwardness became palpable.
“You didn’t have to come, you know?” she said. “Nobody asked you to.” She sounded snotty but didn’t care.
“Yeah, I thought we talked about that. Why do I have to keep finding things out from Adam?” He seemed irritated. Was he jealous? No, that couldn’t be it.
Why hadn’t she called Mitch? Maybe because despite their physical attraction to one another, she didn’t know where she stood with him.
Just because the sexual tension between them was off the charts didn’t necessarily mean they had any sort of relationship.
Were they even friends? It was all so confusing.
She began to wonder if she could go through with a casual affair with him.
She looked away without answering. She didn’t owe him an explanation for anything.
A minute later, Adam came back and shut the door. All three gasped in unison.