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And I knew it was fear and dread that I felt. What was holding me back and making me skittish. Not fear for myself. But fear that I might just be hitting another dead end.
But I would never know unless I tried, so I lifted my hand and knocked on the door. It echoed through the silence of the night, and that disappointment hit me tenfold when there was no movement on the other side.
I knocked again, a little louder that time, then waited with my ear pressed to the door.
Nothing.
Discontent squeezed my spirit, and I bit down on my bottom lip, contemplating through the disorder, before I came to a quick decision. There wasn’t another one to make.
I dug into my pocket and pulled out the tool I’d brought, and I worked it into the lock, trying to keep as quiet as I could as I trudged right into the illegal.
I wondered how condemning it was that I’d watched a YouTube tutorial on picking locks right before I’d come here. I doubted I could even jimmy it, anyway, but my breath hitched when I felt the lock give.
Holy crap.
I did it.
Carefully, I turned the knob and stuck my head inside.
And that was one second before the alarm started going off.
FOURTEEN
EZRA
Was she fucking kidding me?
I eased up behind her where she stood at the apartment door looking guilty as all get out and every damned bit as gorgeous as she always did.
Completely clad in black like she thought she was some kind of jewel thief breaking into a Harry Winston. Hands fumbling as she tried to close the door like that was going to be enough to shut off the alarm that was thankfully not loud enough to wake every tenant in the place.
Savannah was too busy trying to shove the tool I’d just watched her jimmy the lock with into her pocket for her to notice when I eased up and rested one shoulder on the wall.
“Do you mind telling me what you’re doing, Little Trespasser?” I stuffed my hands into my pockets as I asked it considering I was off duty and wearing jeans.
Gasping, she whirled my direction, surprise so stark on her face that I had to hold back a chuckle from tumbling out. She pinned on the same fake smile she’d worn the first night I’d run into her, and she reached up and touched her chest right above the camera that hung there. “You scared the crap out of me.”
It seemed I was always doing that.
I arched a brow. “I scared you, huh?”
“Um, yes. I thought you were overbearing, but this whole stalking bit is a little much. Do you always go sneaking up on unsuspecting females at night?”
My brow arched farther, so high I was pretty sure it had to have disappeared into my hairline. “Only the ones trying to break into apartments.”
Her mouth dropped open like what I was implying was completely absurd, and she laughed a sound so counterfeit it cracked. “Who, me? Trying to break into this apartment? Pssh.”
She was a terrible actress, and she kept biting down on her bottom lip and glancing around like she was looking for an escape route. Nerves vibrated her to the bone, and I had the stupid impulse to wrap her in my arms and tell her whatever was going on would be just fine.
Beg her to tell me what the hell was going on in her life that had her sneaking around.
Promise we’d figure it out.
But the alarm system was still going off, and I grabbed my cell and made a call to the station, eye on Savannah the whole time, keeping her pinned with my stare.
Pam finally answered on the third ring. “Everything okay, boss?”
“Yeah, there was an alarm at Glenstone Ridge, apartment 17a. Call the alarm provider and let them know it’s clear.”
“Will do.”
“Thank you.” I ended the call, and I rested more of my weight on the wall as I looked at Savannah.
The alarm shut off a minute later, and I reached into the apartment, relocked the door, and pulled it shut. A sliver of guilt hit me that I was covering this woman’s tracks, but I tucked it down because my gut told me her actions weren’t malicious.
“So, if you weren’t trying to break into this apartment, then what were you doing?” I kept my voice mild.
“Oh, I was looking for an apartment that is supposed to be for rent, and I thought this was the one, and I think I accidentally got too close checking it out and set off the alarm.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmmhmm.” She hummed it like a solemn oath.
“And you’re looking for an apartment, at eleven at night?”
She lifted her chin. “That’s right.”
Then her eyes narrowed. “And how did you get here so fast?” Aqua raked over me, and her voice shifted into an accusation like I was the one who was in the wrong. “You’re not even in uniform.”
