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Chapter 9
How do you make your girlfriend scream during sex? Call and tell her about it. ~ Text from Suzie to Hailey
It has been a seriously long-ass day. Catching two adulterers in the act is more tiring than it sounds like. I don’t bother stopping by Pops’ bar tonight. Nope. I’m going straight home to a bottle of wine and a bubble bath.
I park my car in the carport and walk into the kitchen from the side entrance of the house. I don’t bother flipping on a light. I head straight to the refrigerator and a bottle of wine. Something crunches under my foot. What the hell? I’m not the cleanest person in the world. But – despite what Suzie the obsessive cleaner says – I’m not a slob either. I most definitely don’t leave trash on my floor.
I take a step backwards and switch on the light. “Fucking hell,” I mutter when I see the mess. It looks like someone opened every single cabinet in my kitchen, flung the contents on the floor, and then stomped all over the floor to make sure every single item was broken. Talk about having a hissy fit.
I call the police and go sit in my car. I must fall asleep because the next thing I know someone’s knocking on my window. I roll it down.
“You the owner?” the police officer asks and indicates my house.
“Yes.” Before he can ask me to explain what happened, I tell him, “I came home and found the place trashed. I’ve only been in the kitchen. When I saw the mess, I called it in and came out here.”
“Good job. Stay here.”
He walks to the group of officers standing in my driveway and starts barking orders at them. Seconds later, they’re moving. A few of the group go to the front door, while the rest go to the side door. I keep my eyes trained on my house, waiting for them to come out and tell me the place is clear. I screech and nearly jump out of my skin when someone knocks on my window again.
I place my hand on my chest to keep my heart from jumping out of my chest and swivel my head to see who knocked. Groan. Aiden, again. I can’t get rid of this guy. “What are you doing here?”
He smirks. “It’s nice to see you again, too.”
I raise my eyebrow. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Because it was a stupid question.” He gestures toward the house. “Your place was broken in to?”
“Yes, I’m aware. But why are you here?” I speak slowly to make sure he understands.
His cheeks darken. “Um. I asked the desk to notify me if anything involving you or your business came up.”
Now, I’m confused. “Why?”
“We still haven’t figured out who broke into your office,” he says as if his words explain everything.
Whatever. I’m too tired for this shit and my evening in a bath with a bottle of wine just got cancelled.
Aiden looks up and nods at the police officers streaming out of my place. “It’s clear. You want to go in and see if anything was taken?”
Stupid question. Yes, I simply can’t wait to go into my ransacked house and see if anything was stolen. I don’t speak my sarcastic response out loud, though. Aiden may be acting friendly, but he’s still a cop. I know better than to aggravate a cop. Wish he could say the same thing about me.
I simply open my car door. Aiden takes my elbow to usher me into the house. I shake him off. I don’t need assistance walking into my home.
I start in the kitchen. I wouldn’t be able to tell if anything is missing from here if my life depended on it. All my dishes are smashed to smithereens. I move on to the living room. The television is still in place, but my books and DVDs are scattered about the room. Every single one of my DVDs has been removed from its case. And I have a whole lot of DVDs since drama geek and movie aficionado are close cousins. But apparently, someone does not approve of my movie collection.
“I’m sorry, Hailey,” Aiden says from way too close to me. I shiver at his closeness and try to cover it up by crossing my arms over my stomach as if I’m cold.
“It’s fine,” I say as I take a step away. I’ve been meaning to go digital with my collection anyway. Doesn’t look like I have a choice now.
I look away from the mess and notice Aiden standing there holding his jacket out to me. “Here. You look cold.”
Damn. I’m not cold. In fact, my entire body heats up when the man is near. But I wouldn’t admit to my body’s response if you put a gun to my head. There’s no need to give him any ammunition. I take the jacket and place it over my shoulders. It smells like him, spicy with an undertone of woodsy. How does he smell like the great outdoors when we live in the city? I sniff again. I want to roll around in the scent. I look up and spot Aiden smirking at me. Busted.
I pretend not to notice his reaction and march toward the hallway and my bedroom. First, I check the hall powder room. Nothing destroyed here, although what you would destroy in a room with a toilet and sink is beyond me. I move on to my office, leaving my bedroom for last. I have a feeling whatever happened in my bedroom is going to freak me out.
I open the door to my office and nearly scream. Everything is destroyed. Completely and utterly destroyed. The drawers of my filing cabinet are open, and papers are strewn everywhere. My printer is smashed into a million pieces. The pieces of which are scattered on the floor. On the desk where my computer should be is a big fat nothing.
“My laptop is missing,” I tell Aiden.
