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Reaching my front door, I fished my keys out of my purse and went to insert my key in the lock. It was only then I noticed it had been busted. My heart slammed in my chest. I pushed at the door without thinking, and it slowly swung open. I caught a glimpse of an unholy mess, and my pulse went crazy.
Backing away, I fumbled in my purse, pulled out my phone, and quickly called the police.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” a female voice answered.
I licked my lips, feeling my breathing speed up. “I just came home and … I think someone broke into my apartment. I don’t know if they’re still in there.”
Oh, shit, what if they hadn’t left yet? What if they were armed?
“Ma’am?” a voice said. “Ma’am?”
I snapped back to attention, realizing I hadn’t absorbed a single word she’d said. I rattled off my address. “Tell whoever you send that I’ll be in my neighbor’s apartment. 5D.”
After she assured me an officer would be with me shortly, I hung up and knocked on Ashley and Tucker’s door.
Ashley answered, a dishtowel slung over her shoulder. She grinned. “Well, hey Mrs. Davenport …” Her face fell. “What is it, Vienna?”
“Someone broke into my apartment.”
She grabbed my arm and drew me inside, closing her front door behind us. “Did you call the police?”
I nodded. “They’re sending someone.”
“Good.” She led me to her sofa. “Sit down here, honey. Tucker!” she shouted at the direction of the bedroom before sitting beside me. “Everything’s going to be fine,” she soothed, rubbing my arm.
Tucker came striding into the room, his hair wet. “What are you yelling for, woman?”
“Someone broke into Vienna’s apartment,” she replied.
“What? Have you called the police?”
“Yes, she has; someone’s on their way.” Ashley turned back to me. “Did you call Dane?”
I blinked. “No.”
“You need to, Vienna. Do it now,” she urged.
Still in a bit of a daze, I brought up his number and tapped “Call.”
He answered after only a few rings. “Yes?”
I swallowed around a dry throat. “Dane.” That was all that came out.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, a sharp edge to his voice.
“I think someone burgled my apartment.” It all felt a little surreal.
He cursed under his breath. “Do not go in there.” He ordered Sam to turn the car around.
“I’m okay, I’m with Ashley and Tucker.”
“Which apartment?”
“5D. It’s next to mine.”
“Stay with them, I’ll be right there.” He rang off.
I looked at Ashley. “He’s on his way. Did you hear any noises coming from my apartment today or last night?”
“I didn’t hear anything at all today,” she replied. “We were at my sister’s house last night. She threw a party and offered for us to use the spare bedroom. Tucker, stay with Vienna while I make us all a drink.”
The gentle giant sat at my side, asking me questions about my trip and the wedding—trying to keep me distracted, I knew. And I appreciated the effort, but it didn’t work well. It didn’t exactly slip a person’s mind that they’d had a break-in.
A break-in.
Yeah, this kind of shit happened to people every day. I was well-aware of that. But you never expected it to happen to you. Or at least I hadn’t.
My complex had decent security measures, but no building was truly impenetrable. Plus, people exiting the complex often held open the door for anyone waiting outside to enter, even if they weren’t positive said person was a resident.
Ashley set hot drinks on the coffee table. “I’m surprised you didn’t go home with your new husband.”
“I need to start packing my stuff. He wants me to move in this weekend.” I rubbed at my temple. “I’ll need to call our landlord. He’s on vacation right now in—” I cut off as the intercom buzzed.
“That’ll probably be Dane,” said Tucker, who then strode to the panel on the wall. “I doubt the police got here this fast.”
It turned out Tucker was right.
Soon enough, Dane was prowling into the apartment, looking as dark and dominant and dangerous as always. Crouching in front of me, he settled one hand on my thigh and curved the other around my nape. “You okay, baby girl?”
I nodded numbly.
“What happened?” he asked, massaging the back of my neck.
I took a shaky breath. “I went to unlock the door and realized the lock was busted. I pushed the door open, saw the mess inside, and backed away.”
A muscle in Dane’s cheek flexed. “Where the fuck are the police?”
“On their way,” I replied.
“Takeout food usually gets here quicker than the police do,” muttered Tucker. “I’d say the intruder’s long gone. These walls are thin, but we didn’t hear anyone moving around in there today. The burglary probably happened last night while we were at Ashley’s sister’s place.”
“You should talk to the neighbor on your other side,” Dane advised me.
“She’s a little old lady whose hearing went to shit years ago,” I informed him. “But we can still ask if she heard or saw anything.”
