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Cooper looks up at me, and I can see a tightness in his eyes that wasn’t there before. I hate that this is causing him more stress after an already exhausting day.
“Let’s go take a look.” Cooper sets down the fingerprint brush and stands up.
We silently walk upstairs, and I lead him down the hallway to the master. I stand aside so he can get the full effect as he walks through the doorway.
Cooper quietly curses as he takes a look around. “Those were my sentiments exactly,” I say as I step into my bedroom behind him.
“Is anything broken?” he asks, walking a little further into the room.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
Cooper sighs, “I’m so sorry this happened, Quinn. I’m going to call in Todd and Derek to help me dust for prints, but if it’s anything like your studio, I doubt we get anything solid.” He runs his hand down my arm and then pulls out his phone, heading downstairs to call Todd and finish up dusting the studio.
I stand in the doorway of my room, trying to wrap my head around the war of emotions swirling inside me. The most prominent being unease. The sense of safety that surrounded me has been disrupted, and I’m furious by how easily they were able to breach my carefully constructed bubble.
Your home is supposed to be your sanctuary. The place where you can fully be yourself without judgment or ridicule. It’s supposed to be a place where love can be found and should be cherished, but this violation makes a mockery of that.
I hear Cooper coming back up the stairs, his presence instantly calming my frayed nerves. His hands land on my shoulders, and I lean back into him, drawing from his strength to fortify my own.
His arms surround me, seeming to understand I’m in desperate need of his support. I feel him brush his nose on the top of my head and kiss my hair. “Thank you for being here,” I say, trying to convey all of my gratitude for this amazing man.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Cooper presses another kiss to my head. “Todd and Derek will be here in a few minutes, and it shouldn’t take us too long to dust everything.” All I can do is nod my head to acknowledge him. This has turned into a surprisingly emotional evening.
Cooper releases me from his embrace and steps around me to start dusting all of the disturbed items. Soon after, I hear a knock on my door and walk downstairs to let in Todd and Derek.
“Thanks for coming, guys. I’m sorry you have to be here so late,” I say as I let them in and introduce myself to Derek.
“It’s nice to meet you, Quinn. I just wish it was under different circumstances,” Derek says as he shakes my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too, and I completely agree. I’ll show you upstairs. Cooper’s already started, so hopefully, you won’t have to be here too long.” I turn toward the stairs and lead them to my bedroom.
“Don’t worry about it, Quinn. I’m sorry this happened to you,” Todd says as he and Derek walk into the room. Cooper gives them an update, and they get started dusting everything.
I don’t want to watch them go through my things, so I go back downstairs to have a minute alone. I can’t get over that someone was in my house. Every time I think about it, a shiver runs through me.
I’m not sure what I’ll do when the guys leave. Imagining trying to sleep in my bedroom after knowing someone else was in there… I don’t think I can do it.
When Cooper and the guys are done, I’ll pack a bag and see if the hotel or bed and breakfast in town has any rooms because I do not want to sleep here tonight.
Thinking about someone in my house makes me wonder how they got inside in the first place. I already checked the lock on the front door, and the garage door was closed when I got home, but I guess there’s a possibility they could’ve gotten the code somehow.
That leaves the back door, which is one I don’t use very often. I haven’t had a chance to put any furniture in my backyard, so I don’t spend much time there.
As I step into the kitchen, I hear the guys coming down the stairs. They’re talking about something, but I can’t make out what they’re saying, so I continue to the back door and it is unlocked. I’m not sure if having the answer to my question helped or made me feel worse.
Cooper comes around the corner, his eyes searching for mine. When they land, it feels like all the air gets knocked out of my lungs. I watch him take inventory of my face, searching my features to make sure I’m still doing okay.
Seeming satisfied with what he finds, he says, “I think we’re done upstairs. I’m going to double-check I covered everything in the studio, but we should be done after that.”
“Okay, I was just checking the back door and I think that’s how they got into the house. I guess I left it unlocked at some point, but I’m not sure when. I don’t ever use this door.”
“I was wondering,” Cooper says, putting his arm around me to pull me into a hug. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” he whispers into my hair, comforting me. His affection in front of Todd and Derek surprises me a little, but I’m also happy about it at the same time.
“We’re going to head out. You good, Coop?” Todd asks from behind us.
Cooper turns with me still in his arms. “Yeah, I think we’re good.”
Todd smirks and nods his head. “I’ll write up the report tomorrow when I get to the station.”
