Page 53 of Tank’s Weakness

“Did you call the cops?” he asks.

I nod.

“Good. We wait for them, and they will clear the house. Then we will file a report so it’s all on paper,” he tells me.

“You didn’t want to clear it yourself?” I ask.

“I could have, but if someone is in there, I don’t want you to have to marry me to protect me,” he jokes.

“What a hardship,” I tell him, swallowing hard.

Marrying him doesn’t sound so bad. It’s actually what I want.

A police officer pulls up minutes later. He takes my name and Tank’s before going inside. When he comes back out, he stops in front of us.

“I don’t see anything amiss, but I need you to go inside and tell me if anything is missing,” the officer tells me.

I reach out, grabbing Tank’s hand. “You’ll come inside with me?”

“Of course.” He pulls my hand up to kiss the back of it.

Then he takes the lead into the house. We go room by room, my eyes trailing everything. It has me doubting myself.

The mail is a mess on the counter. Did I do that? Or was someone rifling through it? My underwear drawer isn’t closed all the way, but there’s nothing missing, so did I push it all the way in this morning, or was I in such a daze from the way Tank woke me up that I didn’t double-check it?

My mind is in a tailspin as we walk through the house. Shampoo to the right instead of the left of the conditioner. Towel on the floor instead of hanging. All little things that are out of the norm for me, but not necessarily proof someone was inside my home. Who would want to break in here anyway?

We head back outside to talk to the officer.

“I don’t see anything out of place,” I admit.

“Are you sure you locked the deadbolt? Happens all the time. Your mind is so used to doing something, you think you did something you forgot,” he tells me.

“You’re probably right. I’m so sorry I wasted your time.” I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

“Not a problem. It’s what we are here for. I’ll notate the call should you find anything missing after I leave. Y’all have a good night.”

“Thank you.”

The cop heads to his car as Tank leads me back into the house.

“I don’t know why I freaked out so bad,” I groan.

“You are used to being in control. It was something out of the norm. Honestly, I would rather you call a million times and it be a false alarm than you not call and someone be in here.”

“You’re right. I swear I have a feeling someone was in here. Something feels off.”

He pulls me into his arms. “It’s okay. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I release all my tension as I sink into his hold. For once, I let him have control as I soak up the comfort.

We stand like that for several minutes before I pull away. “Do you have to get back to whatever you were doing?”

“We were closing up at the shop. Jagger might bitch about it later, but he picked up my slack.”

I laugh. “Jagger is going to hate me if I keep monopolizing your time. He’s your best friend, isn’t he?”

He looks horrified at my words.