Chapter 12
Yasmine
Sleep came easily enough after talking to Zeus, but it didn’t stay easy. Yasmine kept waking up. Every time she did, Hope was calmly sleeping beside her, which helped her fall back asleep. Even knowing, logically, that she should be safe tonight didn’t help as much as Hope’s quiet did.
Finally, her alarm went off, saving her from the back and forth… but well-rested, she was not.
“Not your fault, though,” she said, petting Hope as she sat up in bed and yawned. “You were a good girl. A great girl.”
Hope rolled over to show her belly, and Yasmine rewarded her with a good belly rub. It was so cute, she grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture of Hope on her back, legs akimbo, tongue hanging out of her mouth as she curved her body into a large C and stared up at the phone. Perfect.
Despite everything, Yasmine couldn’t help smiling.
“How could anyone stay sad with you around? And I’m going to make sure you’re around for a very long time,” she crooned. “Sarah’s not going to lose you. No, she’s not. No, she’s not. And I’m going to visit you as much as possible.”
And also offer to be a pet sitter anytime Sarah needed one.
“We have a call with your mommy this morning,” she told Hope. In fact, she needed to get up now and get ready so she could be presentable for it.
Taking Hope to the backyard so the dog could relieve herself, Yasmine’s gaze darted around the fenced-in area.
There was no reason to think the jerk from last night would be back, yet the feeling of not being safe was sticking with her.
She gave herself a little shake and opened the door to go back inside as Hope came trotting back, done with her business.
Quickly, Yasmine got dressed, hair brushed out, and face washed before deciding to give the police station a quick call while she was making breakfast to find out what had happened to the man.
After hearing who she was, she was told that Mr. Pete James had been released on his own recognizance, although he had been charged with disturbing the peace, and that she should be receiving a notice in the mail when it was time for his hearing.
That was it.
Because he hadn’t really ‘done’ anything.
Nothing but terrify her and make it impossible for her to sleep soundly. Nothing but make her jumpy and afraid in her own home. Nothing but make her wonder if, and when, he might come back… and do far worse than ‘nothing’.
She knew that was how it should be because sometimes the cops got the wrong person, but at the same time, it felt as if there should be something different for someone caught in the literal act.
It sucked that she had to wait to see if asshole Pete actually hurt her before she could do anything about him.
And yes, she acknowledged that she’d basically broken into Sarah’s house and sort of stolen her dog…
Argh.
None of this was easy.
Yasmine just didn’t want to be afraid that Pete James would return and hurt her. She only had Hope with her for this weekend if Sarah came home on Monday. What was she going to do after that?
Getting her own dog really was sounding better and better.
Her phone rang. Sarah with a video chat.
Pushing a smile onto her face, Yasmine answered.
“Good morning, Sarah. At least, I hope it’s a good morning.”
“So far, so good. I’m hurting, but I’m alive, so that’s good,” Sarah said cheerfully, with a little chuckle. “How are you two doing?”
“Good,” Yasmine said automatically, even if it wasn’t the real answer. “Hope’s been amazing. Want to say hello?”
“Yes, please!”
Yasmine crouched down next to Hope, who cocked her head. She was wagging her tail and had been from the moment she’d heard Sarah’s voice, but she didn’t seem to connect it to the small rectangle in Yasmine’s hand. It was more like she couldn’t figure out where Sarah’s voice was coming from.
“Oh, there’s my pretty girl,” Sarah crooned as soon as she saw Hope on the screen. “There’s my good, pretty girl.”
Hope’s tail wagged harder, but she kept looking everywhere but at the screen.
“She seems happy to hear you, but I’m not sure she can see you,” Yasmine said apologetically.
“That’s okay, I’m just happy to see her.” Sarah sounded a little breathless, maybe a little tearful. “Is she eating okay?”
“She is. Zeus and I are going to get her in for surgery next week. So, she’ll be recovering along with you. And both of us can help you out with anything she needs while both of you recover.”
“I still can’t believe you’re doing this.” Sarah definitely sounded teary now, and she sniffled. “I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“Well, as you said, she’s a very good girl. I can’t tell you how comforting she was to me last night.”
“Oh?”
Yasmine found herself telling Sarah about Pete James’ appearance at her door and how much Hope had helped her. She admitted that she was now thinking about getting a dog of her own. Sarah listened in silence, other than some gasps of shock and anger on Yasmine’s behalf.
“Well, I don’t know how good a guard dog Hope would actually be, but I’m glad she was there for you last night.” Sarah hesitated. “This might be weird, but if you don’t want to sleep at home, you can always go to my house. I have a guest bedroom you’re welcome to use this weekend… and beyond.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet, but I don’t know…”
“It would make me feel better to be able to do something for you after all you’re doing for Hope and me,” Sarah insisted.
“You can get the spare key from Zeus. Don’t feel like you have to if you don’t want to or if it’s not needed, but if you just need to get away and you’re worried about him coming back, my home is open to you. ”
Now, Yasmine was starting to feel a little sniffly.
“Thank you, I might take you up on that.” As much as she didn’t want to feel chased out of her home, never say never.
She’d rather go to Sarah’s than admit to any of her friends that she wasn’t brave enough to stay home.
Or put them in any danger. There was no one home at Sarah’s. And Zeus was right next door.
That it would make Sarah feel like she’d done something for Yasmine was part of it, too. Sarah shouldn’t feel indebted to her, but she clearly did. So, it was smart to leave the possibility open.
Just in case she decided she needed it.
“Just let me know. Or let Zeus know you need the key. You have his number, right? I’ll give him a heads-up that you might request it and to let you have it.”
“Thank you, Sarah, really,” Yasmine said with feeling.
Despite everything Claudia had said last night about the team not really trusting Zeus, Yasmine had to admit that the idea of him being right next door didn’t sound so bad.
Zeus
Even though he’d gotten a good morning text from Yas, with a picture of Hope attached, Zeus couldn’t help but feel antsy.
He’d tracked down Pete James’ priors, which hadn’t included much, probably because the guy was the son of a now-retired cop.
No charges had ever been filed, though there had been reports made about domestic disputes at his house.
Whether there wasn’t enough evidence, his dad had intervened, or the thin blue line was covering for one of their own, Zeus suspected the asshole’s wife had good reason to run and hide.
She’d done a good job of it, too, because he couldn’t find Stacy James anywhere.
Which was probably why her husband had resorted to beating on the door of a woman whose business card his wife had in her possession.
The fact that he’d been drunk probably hadn’t hurt, either.
Zeus had been completely unsurprised that Shitbag Pete had been released first thing this morning. He would be even less surprised if he found out that Dad had pulled some strings to make it so.
“You okay there, Poppy?”
Surprised, Zeus looked up to find that Claudia was standing in his doorway. She really had earned the call sign Scary. No one else had managed to sneak up on him like that. Maybe he was just distracted.
Or maybe it was just her.
“I’m fine,” he said, minimizing the search he’d done on Shitbag Pete, so it was no longer up on his screen. Not that she could see his screen from where she was standing, but if she came into his office and around to his side of the desk, she might be able to. “Do you need something?”
Giving him a long look, her dark brown eyes serious, she pursed her lips.
“Just wanted to see how you were doing.”
Small talk from Scary? To be frank, the only person he would have thought less likely to appear in his doorway for chitchat was Drew. Lincoln would say that she was making an effort. Zeus should probably make an effort back.
“I’m fine,” he repeated. “How are you?”
“Fine.”
They looked at each other for another long moment. Zeus was still getting the feeling like maybe she wanted something from him, but he couldn’t think of what. His head ran through possibilities, but it was a really short list.
“Do you need an assist with a body or something?”
Claudia blinked slowly. “A body?”
“Yeah, I thought maybe after yesterday you finally got sick enough of Ian to take him out.”
“And you think I’d come to you for assistance with body disposal?” One side of her mouth was quirking up in amusement.
“Well, he’s kind of a big guy. Tall. Heavy. It would be easier with two people.”
She leaned her shoulder against his doorframe, crossed her arms over her chest, and studied him. The seriousness had melted away from her expression, and she was now looking at him with open mirth.
“So, why wouldn’t I ask Sporty to help me? In this completely hypothetical scenario.”
Sporty being Drew, who could probably deadlift Ian with one hand on his own without breaking a sweat. Ian was about Zeus’ size, so while he could do it, it would be easier with a second person, maneuverability-wise.
“Sporty likes Ian. So does the rest of the team.”
“And you don’t?”
Zeus shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t really know him.”
“But you know me well enough to help me bury a body?”
“I know you better than him. And you’re on my team.” His lips twitched. “Mason says I need to do more team building.”
“Noted.” Claudia nodded somberly. “I’ll keep that in mind for the future. Have a good weekend.”
“You, too.” He was just as baffled by her exit as he had been by her entrance. It felt as if she’d been there for a reason, but he just wasn’t sure what the reason was. Of the entire team, she was the hardest to get a read on how she felt about him.
Staring at the open doorway, he wondered if he should be worried that he’d basically just signed up for body-burying duty with her. Because she had not denied having bodies to bury.
Nor had she denied having Ian’s.
He really hoped this didn’t come back to haunt him later.
A moment later, his phone buzzed, a welcome distraction. To his surprise, it was a text from Sarah.
Sarah
Hey, I talked to Yasmine this morning. She told me she had some trouble at home last night, and you knew about it. If she asks for the key to my house, please give it to her. I told her she’s welcome to stay at my place.
Zeus
Will do, thanks for letting me know.
Sarah
You’ll make sure she’s safe, right?
Zeus
Of course. You just worry about getting home to Hope. I’ve got it handled. Which he did. Along with his research into Pete James, he also had links for the security systems he was going to recommend to Yas.
Sarah
Thank you, Zeus.
Zeus
Anytime.
He had to admit, he didn’t hate the idea of Yas being right next door. Talking to her on the phone last night had been nice. Even if he had ended up staying up later than he’d meant to, it had been worth it.
Still, he didn’t like the idea that she felt so unsafe at home that she’d come stay at Sarah’s. It really was a catch twenty-two.
Shaking his head, Zeus straightened up in his chair and got back to work. He’d text Yas at lunchtime to get her email address so he could send over his recommendations for systems. In the meantime, he had shit to do.
Just in case Claudia came back this afternoon to take him up on body burying.