6. Bax
CHAPTER 6
Bax
I don’t know what wakes me up, but before my eyes even open, I hear a low growl come from Gemma, then I feel her bound off the end of my bed. She takes off toward the living room barking, right before I hear the distant sound of glass shattering.
Tossing back my covers, I sit up, slide open my nightstand, press my finger to the digital print reader button on my safe, and grab my gun. Sliding the clip into place, I pick up my phone and dial the police while I make my way down the hall, doing a sweep of each room and turning on lights as I go. With dispatch on the line, I clear the house while telling them a burglary might be in progress.
Nothing is out of place, no broken windows or glass. There isn’t even evidence of Ira accidentally knocking something over. I’m about to tell the woman on the phone that she can tell the officer en route it’s a false alarm when I step into the living room, and Gemma runs from the front door, to me, then back to the door again. Seeing her on high alert, something ugly and dark slithers around my insides, and I jog across the room to the door. The moment I swing it open, Gemma rushes out ahead of me in the direction of Kourtney’s house.
“Send the officer next door.” I spit out Kourtney’s address and drop my cell to the ground so I can have full control of my weapon as I run barefoot across the cold, wet grass to Kourtney’s front door. The porch light is off, but Gemma is at the door, waiting for me.
“Oli, open up!” I shout, scanning the front of the house. It’s dark and quiet— too quiet. I pound again, this time harder than before. “Olivia!”
The front door jerks open, and Olivia falls against me, with her entire body shaking uncontrollably.
“Someone threw something through the window,” she whispers as I use my much larger frame to back her into the house.
“It’s okay. The cops are on the way.” I flip on the living room light, then move us to the hall, out of the way of any windows. Gemma moves with us, sticking close to Oli’s other side so she’s sandwiched between us. “Did anyone come into the house?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She shivers, her fingers digging into my back. “I… I couldn’t get to my phone. I left it in the kitchen to charge and was too scared to come out of my bedroom.”
“Shhh, you’re safe.” I wrap my arm tighter around her and slide my fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head. My instincts are pushing me to search the house, but I can’t seem to pull myself away from her.
When there is a knock on the door, her body jolts against mine, and Gemma begins to bark.
“That’s just the cops.” I tip my chin down to meet her gaze. Getting her nod, I look at Gemma, who is facing the hall and growling. “Gemma.” She looks up at me. “Easy, girl.” With a chuff, she faces the hall once more but stops growling.
Letting Olivia go, I walk around the corner into the living room. After placing the safety back on my gun, I set it on the chair next to the door, where the bag I brought over last night still sits. Olivia stays behind me, her fingers never leaving my side they’ve been wrapped around. Opening the door, I see the officer isn’t one I recognize. Then again, I don’t have a lot of contact with the police in town.
“I’m Officer Brooks. I just wanted to make you aware that two officers are outside checking the perimeter of the house. Can you tell me if there was anyone inside?”
“No one came in.” Oli peeks around me, and he focuses on her.
“Olivia?”
“Lincoln!” The smile I hear in her voice catches me by surprise, or maybe it’s how annoyed I get that shocks me.
“Shit, how have you been?”
She moves when he looks like he’s going to step in to give her a hug.
Fuck no.
I lift my arm and curl her into my side, and he lifts his chin, locking his gaze on mine.
“I haven’t had a chance to go through the house. You might want to focus on doing that,” I tell him, keeping my tone even, and his expression shifts.
“Of course. Do you mind if I come inside and have a look around?”
I step back with Olivia to let him in, then watch as he moves through the living room, going to the right and down the hall. With Kourtney’s house set up like mine, I know there is a bedroom and bath in that direction. A few seconds later, he cuts across the living room and moves down the hall on the opposite side of the house, where Olivia’s room is.
Moments later, as he’s walking back into the living room, there is a knock on the door, and I move Olivia with me to open it. Two uniformed officers are on the porch, and I let them inside.
“Outside is clear, but there is a broken window on the back of the house, and I found a phone in the grass on the front lawn,” one of them says, his attention on Lincoln.
“The phone is mine,” I inform him, then add, “I had my gun and wanted to have full control when I came over here to check on Olivia.”
“You don’t live here?” Lincoln asks, his eyes moving over me. I’m only wearing what I wore to bed, which isn’t much.
“I live next door. I heard the sound of glass breaking and thought it was at my house, so I was already on the phone after calling 911 when I realized it wasn’t. I came right over; I didn’t take time to get dressed,” I say, ignoring Olivia’s fingers digging deeper into my side. “Could you tell what was used to break the window?”
“There’s a brick on the floor in what looks like the office,” Lincoln tells us, and my jaw clenches.
“Did you hear anything prior to the glass breaking?” asks one of the other policemen.
I glance at his badge, which says his name is Simpson. “I didn’t.”
I look down at Oli when she starts to speak.
“I didn’t either. I was asleep. The sound of the window breaking woke me up. I forgot I left my phone charging in the kitchen before I went to bed, and when I couldn’t find it, I hid in my closet until Bax came over.”
My gut clenches.
“You must have been terrified,” Lincoln says softly.
She doesn’t respond to him, but her weight settles more heavily against me.
“Well, things look clear,” Officer Simpson inserts, looking between us. “There isn’t much we can do tonight but take a report… and help secure the window if you need it.”
“Who would have done this?” Olivia asks him.
“Could’ve just been some kids,” Lincoln replies.
“At two in the morning?” I shake my head. “Two days ago, we had an issue with the men from the moving company delivering Olivia’s things, and they were both arrested. I haven’t heard that they were released, but I’m sure they have been by now unless they had other charges pending.”
“You think it was them?” Olivia asks, and I give her a squeeze.
“I have no idea, but I wouldn’t be surprised. They were pissed.”
“Did that situation happen at this address?” the officer, who’s been quiet up until this point, asks, and I nod. “All right, let me go out and pull up the report on them to check if they’ve been released from custody.”
“I’ll go with you,” Officer Simpson says, passing me my cell before following the other cop out of the house.
“I’ll stay here with Olivia if you want to go home and get some clothes on,” Lincoln offers, focusing on me, and my jaw clenches.
“If it’s okay, I’ll go with him,” Olivia tells him softly, prying my fingers from her hip where I have ahold of her. Fuck, I didn’t even realize how tightly I was gripping her waist.
“That’s fine,” Lincoln responds, sounding disappointed.
“I’ll wait for you to get dressed,” I tell her, and she rubs her lips together before stepping away from me. Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at the side of Lincoln’s face when his eyes drop to her bare legs before she disappears down the hall, Gemma following on her heels.
With the two of us alone, the living room fills with an undercurrent of tension that sets my teeth on edge.
“So.” His eyes come to me. “You and Olivia live next door to each other.”
“We do.”
He nods, opening his mouth before closing it once more, seeming to turn something over in his head.
I let out an annoyed breath. “I’m going to have a look at the window to see what I need to close it up.” I don’t wait for his response before I head down the hall.
When I get to the room next to Olivia’s, I step inside. Like Lincoln said, there is a brick on the floor, and it was thrown through with enough force to push the sheer curtain covering the window out of the way, but the glass is mostly contained behind it. I walk across the room and push the curtain aside to get a better look at the damage.
“How bad is it?”
I turn to Olivia, who’s standing in the doorway, dressed in a pair of baggy sweats and a hoodie three sizes too big for her.
“The entire window will need to be replaced due to the splintering of wood around the pane of glass that shattered. They must’ve clipped it with the brick.” I pull back the curtain to show her, and she cringes.
“Great.”
“I think I still have the ones I took out of my house after I replaced them with new energy-efficient ones. I just need to track them down tomorrow.”
“You kept them?”
“I try not to toss too much stuff into the trash, especially when it can be refurbished and used for something else.” I let the curtain fall back into place. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” I follow her down the hall to the living room, where Lincoln is still waiting.
“We’ll be back in five minutes.”
“Sure. I’m going to run out and turn off the lights on my cruiser.” He heads to the door, and I stop to pick up my gun before we follow him out.
When we step outside, the cold air slaps against my bare skin. I didn’t notice the temp earlier when I ran over in just my boxers, but I definitely notice it now. As Oli and I cut across my yard, Lincoln goes over to where the other two policemen sit in a patrol car with the doors open. A second patrol car is parked at the curb with the lights still on, shifting from red to blue as it lights up the night.
“The neighbors are going to hate me,” Olivia grumbles under her breath.
“I doubt they are going to hate you, but I’m sure they’re wondering what’s going on,” I assure her. “I’m surprised I haven’t gotten a phone call.”
She raises a brow. “Let me guess. You’re the leader of the neighborhood watch?”
“No.” I laugh. “But living on a cul-de-sac, we all look out for each other.” I open the door to my house and let her inside before maneuvering her down the hall to my bedroom, where I flip on the light. My layout is the same as Kourtney’s, putting my bedroom on the side of the house near Olivia’s room, which is why I heard the window breaking next door and assumed it was here.
“Should I call Kourtney?” she asks when I step away from her and walk across the room to put my gun back in the safe before going to my dresser.
“I’d wait.” I pull out a pair of sweats from one of the drawers and put them on, noticing her look away as her cheeks turn an endearing shade of pink.
It’s cute.
She’s cute.
I thought that same shit last night about a million times while we were hanging out. Though, I thought a lot of other shit last night that I should not have been thinking about when it comes to her.
I grab a long-sleeved tee and drag it over my head as I continue. “You can call her in the morning and tell her what happened. Hopefully, I’ll be able to fix the window tomorrow and see about installing some motion lights on the backside of her house since she doesn’t have any.”
“I can have my dad and Liam do that.” She shifts on her feet as our eyes lock, and I close the distance between us.
“We’ll sort out the details when the sun is up.” I wrap my hand around the side of her neck, watching her pupils dilate when my skin comes into contact with hers. “You okay?” There haven’t been any tears, and besides her trembling and tight grip on me when we were at her place, she’s been so cool about everything that has happened, and it’s kind of freaking me out.
“Yeah, I just hope it wasn’t those guys trying to pay me back for what happened and that it was just some kids being stupid… if that makes sense.”
“I get that.”
Her eyes search mine before she drops them away and lets out a breath. “I do feel bad that you keep being dragged into stuff.”
I can’t tell her I’m starting to think this is all my fault. Even with me telling myself I’d keep my distance, whatever it was that hit me like a boulder when I saw her at the bar before I knew who she was, set off a chain of events that likely derailed her life and mine.
“I’m just glad I was here during both situations.” And that’s the fucked-up truth, which means I need to figure out what the fuck I’m doing.
“Me too.” She glances over her shoulder at the door. “Should we get back over?”
“Yeah.” I drop my hand away and then lead her out of my room, through my house, and to the garage. I stop to grab half a sheet of plywood to cover the window, along with a few screws and my drill. When we get outside, the two officers who were in the patrol car are walking toward the house, with Lincoln carrying a bag as he comes up behind them.
“Did you find out anything?” I ask, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk. With Olivia so close, her warmth seeps into my side, and my fingers twitch with the urge to grasp her hand.
“Both men were released a few hours after they were taken to the station, and from what we were able to gather from the report, the two of them were headed back to Chicago, where they reside.”
“So it could have been them if they decided to hang around and not go home.”
“Could be. One of them is on probation. I sent a message to his parole officer to see if he checked in, but I likely won’t hear back from him until later today.” Officer Simpson looks at the house. “Do you need any help closing up the window tonight?”
“I’ve got it,” I assure him.
“All right, we’re going to fill out a report. Lincoln will bag up the brick as evidence just in case, and then we’ll get out of your hair.”
“Thanks for coming.” I shake both men’s hands. Then Lincoln follows Olivia and me inside. When we step into the living room, I stop Olivia while he continues down the hall. “When Lincoln is done, I’ll close the window, and then we’ll go over to my place and try to get some sleep.”
“I’m okay staying here.”
“If you stay here, you’re going to be up all night, jumping at every creak and noise,” I reply. Her nose scrunches, confirming what I already know. “I have a guest room you can sleep in.”
“Fine,” she agrees, even though it’s somewhat reluctant.
“All right.” Lincoln comes around the corner with the bag, holding the brick in a glove-covered hand. “Hopefully, the rest of the night will be quiet.” His attention focuses on Olivia as he pulls a card from his pocket and holds it out to her. “If you need anything, call me. That has my cell on it.”
“Thanks, Lincoln,” she whispers, taking the card that I want to snatch from her grasp and rip to shreds.
Who the fuck am I right now?
“See you around.” He sends her a smile, then glances at me. “Night.”
“Night,” Olivia replies softly, while I don’t bother responding. I do, however, glare at the back of his head as he disappears out the door.
“I can’t believe he’s still here,” Olivia says, turning back around to face me after flipping the lock into place.
“I’m guessing you two went to school together.” I head down the hall with her right behind me.
“Yeah, he took me to prom senior year.”
“Did you two date?” I set the piece of plywood off to the side as she laughs. “What’s funny?”
“You really seem to have forgotten that I was a huge nerd.” She passes me the trash can from under the desk when I start to pick up the larger pieces of glass from the windowsill.
“You weren’t a nerd.” She was cute—a little dorky, but always cute.
“I was, and he was a football player and had been dating one of the cheerleaders. They broke up right before prom. My mom and his were friends from church, and when his mom found out I didn’t have a date to prom, she made him take me.” She shrugs. “As you can imagine, it was super awkward, but we ended up having a good night and kind of became friends. Until we both moved away to go to college and lost contact.”
“And now, you’re both back,” I grumble, moving the plywood into place. The emotion of jealousy isn’t one I’m familiar with, and I have to say I don’t like it very much. “Can you toss me that?” I hold my hand for her to pass me the drill she’s picked up.
Lifting it, she grins while pressing the trigger, bringing it to life. “Can I?”
“Sure.” I reach into the pocket of my sweats for a screw, and her smile turns into a frown. “What?”
Her brows lift. “You’re not going to tell me that women aren’t allowed to use power tools when there is a man around?”
“Do you want to see my mother appear out of nowhere and kick my ass?” I hold the screw out to her, and her eyes drop to it.
“Are you sure you won’t self-combust if I do it?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” I listen to her laugh as she takes the screw and places it on the end of the bit.
When the screw is in place, her eyes meet mine, and since we’re standing so close, I can see the flecks of copper in her brown eyes and the way they seem to shift in color when her gaze roams my face, then lingers over my mouth.
“You seem okay,” she informs me with a wicked grin.
Yeah, I need to figure out what the fuck I’m doing because it’s really difficult to ignore the urge to lean in and brush my lips against hers.
“You’re a pro.” I clear my throat and drop my eyes from hers, handing her another screw.
Once the plywood is secure, we clean up the rest of the glass, then lock up Kourtney’s house and head over to my place. It’s almost four in the morning by the time I tuck her away in my guest room, but still, as exhausted as I am, I stay awake until the sun comes up.