Chapter 9 Bates
I’ve spent the last week traveling for away games while Serena has drowned herself in her work. I’ve reminded her countless times to eat and hydrate because she was neglecting herself.
Aside from her work, I’ve noticed a heaviness in her shoulders that has been lingering, a sadness that seems to tug her lips down every so often. I wish I could read her mind. These cameras only tell me so much.
The times I’ve seen her smile were only when she was cuddling Freddie or talking to me. But even our conversations didn’t light her eyes up like they usually do.
Did I do something wrong? Am I not doing enough?
Regardless, I’ll find a way to fix whatever’s wrong. Maybe she just misses me. But I know that’s not it—I can feel it in my gut. Which is why I’m walking into her house right now to do a few things I know she’ll love.
Serena’s a woman who owns her environment. Her job. Her home. Her dog. She works for herself and sets the rules. No one holds a mortgage over her head. And she chose a mini dachshund for a dog—small enough for her to lift and move at will.
She has complete control over every aspect of her life, except for when it comes to me. My obsession may be more intense, more all-consuming, but she’s drawn to me the same way I am to her.
If she needs to be picked up every now and then, that’s what I’m here for. Sooner or later, she’ll learn that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her and that the only thing I want is for her to be happy and feel loved.
Closing her front door behind me, I’m immediately greeted by an overjoyed Freddie. I push my mask up to the top of my head, revealing my face.
“Hey, little man.” I crouch down and scoop him into my arms, and he peppers my chin with kisses. “I missed you too.”
Thankfully, Serena left him at home today—something she’s been doing more and more since they brought on two new hires who have been occupying a lot of her attention.
But she assured me Bound-to-Be’s mascot will be back at his work desk—his dog bed—soon. In the meantime, I know that my presence is giving her peace of mind in keeping him home. Every chance I get, I run over here and spend time with him, and I check in on him sporadically through my cams.
We stroll to the back door, and I slip my mask off, tossing it onto the kitchen island. I pull open the sliding door, letting him go potty.
As he waddles out, my eyes wander the room. Where the dishes are usually perfectly tidy, clean, and in their homes, they’re strewn in the sink, waiting for a tired Serena to do them.
I’ll get them done today, baby.
Freddie paws at the door, signaling that he’s ready to come back inside, and I happily oblige, locking the door behind him after he waddles into the house.
“All right, you do the dishes. I’ll tackle laundry. Deal?” I ask him, and his tail wags back and forth vigorously.
His big brown eyes look up at me, so innocent and happy. I’ve never met a dog who was so happy to just be around their people. I don’t know if that’s a weenie dog thing or just a Freddie and Serena thing.
I spend the next two hours cleaning every inch of her house. Dishes. Laundry. Sweeping. Mopping. Vacuuming. I even cleaned out the bathrooms, showers, and toilets.
Feeling pretty damn proud of myself, I plop down in her bed, and Freddie races up his ramp and jumps into my lap, curling up and dozing off almost immediately, as if he were exhausted from cleaning, like I am. I suppose he did spend the entire time supervising, which can be hard work.
I made sure to keep an eye on my Serena work cams while cleaning. This is supposed to be a surprise, and I didn’t want her to stumble into the house while my mask was off.
Breathing in deeply, I close my eyes, letting her scent invade every inch of my lungs and body. I can practically imagine her next to me, how perfect her head would lay on my chest.
Images of her lying in bed through my cameras fill my mind. I’m lying in her spot, the exact place she sleeps every night. The same place she uses that vibrator from her nightstand while she moans and falls apart, whimpering with my cards beside her.
I haven’t told her I’ve seen those nights, those moments where she thought she was alone. But she’s smart. She knows about the cameras now, and I know she’s put two and two together. Now, I’m just wondering if she’s going to do it again, knowing that I’ll be watching.
Her laptop dings on her nightstand, pulling me from my thoughts. My eyes flutter open, locking on to her ceiling, and I slowly sit up.
I shouldn’t look. I definitely shouldn’t snoop. But … at this point, I’m already in her house, where she didn’t tell me I could go.
Truth be told, no matter how much I try to talk myself out of it, the second that sound filled the air, I knew I was going to look.
Grabbing it, I open the lid, and a login screen stares at me. I tap my thumb on the edge, next to the keyboard. What would Serena’s laptop password be?
I already know her alarm system code for both her home and work, thanks to a flipper device and capturing the info while she entered them into her systems. But those are strictly numerical while her laptop login could be endless.
I know her though. I’ve studied her for months. Watched, waited, learned.
Statistically, most people’s passwords are related to a pet, a spouse, a significant date, or a combination of the sorts.
Freddie is one of the most important aspects of her life. I type his name in, capitalizing the F. I try that with nothing else added, and it doesn’t work. I type his name again and this time add her birth date at the end.
Nope.
I try to add Freddie’s birthday next—having discovered it from her social media during one of my first deep dives.
Nope.
Working through a thousand variations, I try nearly every version before a warning pops up on the screen, notifying me that I now have three tries remaining. Shit.
A thought pops into my brain.
I wonder …
On occasion, Serena addresses Freddie as Frederick, typically when he’s being naughty. Although, in my opinion, I think that’s impossible because he’s the best boy.
Entering his full name, I add the last two digits of her birth year and hover my thumb over the Enter key. I still have two tries left, but I’m starting to wonder if this is the universe telling me to fuck off and mind my business.
But it should know better than that when it comes to my obsession with her.
Pressing Enter, I hold my breath. A second passes, and a spinning icon appears on-screen. The next second, the login screen fades, and her home screen appears.
“Holy shit,” I murmur. “I actually did it.”
As I take a breath, I recognize the adrenaline pumping through me. It wasn’t high risk, but I feel like I basically just cracked into a safe, one that’ll tell me even more about Serena than I already know.
Her laptop dings again, and this time, a text icon appears in the top-right corner. A message from Dad. I read it before I even mean to.
Dad: Yeah. Let me know what you want to do, and I’ll have it arranged. I got to go. I love you
My finger moves across the touchpad, clicking on the notification before I can second-guess it.
I scroll up to the top of the conversation, and my eyes devour it eagerly. I can’t even help myself. Any ounce of willpower has left the chat.
Dad: You’re still planning on attending the gala correct?
My heart rate picks up because I know exactly what he’s talking about. The upcoming charity gale. We usually have one or two a year.
I suck in a sharp breath. I’ll get to see her all dressed up again, and I’ll be forced to keep my compliments and hands to myself this time. It’s going to be pure fucking torture.
Serena: Of course. As long as you have a ticket for me lol
Dad: It’s yours. Do you want me to pick you up or do you want to meet me there?
Serena: I’m not sure yet. Can I let you know?
Dad: Yeah. Let me know what you want to do, and I’ll have it arranged. I got to go. I love you
Their conversation is short, but I can still feel the love between the two of them. But that was evident at practice when she dropped in. He’s a stern man whose voice seems to lack inflection, but it was a different case when it came to his little girl.
I’ve never heard him so … jolly. I, of all people, understand what it’s like to be in her presence, to feel the warmth that radiates off of her.
My restraint is even more lacking when I scroll up further in their texts, and my heart sinks when I come across a very vulnerable discussion about Serena’s mom. A few of the messages burn their way into my brain before I can convince myself to stop reading.
Her mom’s death anniversary is coming up, and it looks like she always gets together with her dad the day of to visit the cemetery.
Guilt burns in the back of my throat, and I quickly return her laptop screen to normal before stowing it back on her nightstand. I want to know all those things, but I want to hear them from her lips, especially when it comes to sensitive information.
I do my best to push the words I read from my mind as I stand to my feet and tidy her bed like it was before, but a weight continues to press down on my chest. I want to ask her about her mom, as well as the thousand new questions haunting my mind.
The doorbell rings, and I nearly jump out of my skin. I hastily check the camera on her security app, finding the delivery driver unloading grocery bags at her door. Perfect timing because I need to head out soon. But I can manage a few more minutes to get her groceries unloaded and put away.
Freddie and I head downstairs, and as soon as the driver pulls away, I slip my mask on, shut the cameras off, and carry everything inside.
It might be over doing it to wear my mask with the cameras off, but I’m not going to take the chance of something glitching and her finding out the truth sooner than I’m ready for.