Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“Mindy, my name is Officer Shields. It’s okay to open the door. We saw the light turn off and know you’re in there. It’s important, honey.”
I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. The police are good people. They wouldn’t hurt me.
Coming out of my bedroom, I walk to the front door and slowly open it.
“Hey, kiddo. Can we come in?”
“No, I’m not allowed to let strangers in the house.” The officer glances at the other man. His face looks sad. Maybe he’s upset at being out so late. “I’m sorry. My parents aren’t home. I’m just waiting for them to come home.”
Officer Shields sighs and bends down to one knee. “Mindy. I have something to tell you about your mom and dad. I think it would be better if we sit and talk inside.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m not allowed. My parents should be home soon. You can wait outside.”
“Mindy. I’m sorry to tell you this, but there was a very bad accident.”
***
Voices pull me from my slumber. My mind is hazy, but I blink away the fogginess and sit up. I’m in the hospital. “Tate?” He’s standing at the entrance to the room, his arms crossed over his chest. His brows are strung tight as he speaks to an older man with a badge on his hip. At the sound of his name, he turns. “What’s happening?”
“I want answers,” Tate spits out to the detective, and the man exits the room. Tate walks over to me and rests his palms on the edge of my bed. He doesn’t try to hide the grim look on his face. “There was a live wire strung across your living room attached to a bomb that was set to detonate when it detected motion.”
“And I walked right into it.”
“How were you to know? The good thing is the bomb was faulty. When you made contact with the wire, it should’ve detonated instantly.”
“How did someone get into my apartment?” My voice is unsteady. “The cameras. Security system. Something had to catch who—”
“The entire system was reset. They went over the footage. It plays back footage of you walking into the apartment earlier that day.”
My lips part, and I grab my stomach as fear twists inside my belly. “What? How?”
“Someone was able to fuck with the system. The cops have no leads on who entered your apartment.”
“But—what about that detective? Do they have anything? What about the outside cameras? The street cameras—”
“He’s on it. The company I work for has pull in places no police department would be able to legally access.”
“Someone tried to kill me.” The words sound foreign coming out of my mouth.
“I don’t think it was meant for you.”
“What?”
“Someone who goes to these lengths to get your attention doesn’t want to hurt you. I don’t think that bomb was set for you.”
“Who was it—?”
“Me.” I draw in a sharp breath. “If this is the same guy, he’s watching you. This was a way to get me out of the picture.”
“Tate…” I reach for his hand, but he pulls away. My brows crease in confusion.
“I was distracted last night. If I’d been doing my job, that shit wouldn’t have happened.”
“Tate, I told you, it’s not your fault.”
“It is when I’m here to do a job. I fucked up. I can’t and won’t allow that to happen again.”
I try to sit up straighter and wince at the tightness in my shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His expression goes blank. “Whatever this is, it’s done.”
I shudder at his words. “Whatever this is,” I repeat, as if we’re nothing of substance. Nothing that deserves a title. Just nothing. “So, you’re… what? Quitting? Or just quitting me?”
Anger builds at his lack of emotion or reaction. “I’ll stay on until you’re safe and this is over. But I’m here to protect you—nothing more.”
My hands clench at my sides. My throat swells. I feel hurt. Angry. I want to yell at him for being such a coward. For denying what’s happening between us. I want to yell at myself for allowing him in and letting myself feel something. I breathe deep and nod, fighting back angry tears. “You’re right. We should’ve never crossed the line. It wasn’t worth it in the first place.” He opens his mouth, but I don’t want to hear anything he has to say. “Honestly, thanks for sparing me from the disaster we were headed toward. Unless you still need to babysit me, you can leave. I’ll call Fay to come get me.”
“You rang?” We both draw our attention to the door. Fay walks in, and I barely hold it together. “We have to stop meeting like this,” she says, slowing before she reaches my bed, no doubt feeling the tension in the room.
Tate’s phone rings, and he moves toward the door, heading into the hall. “Excuse me.”