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He stared at her. It was true. He’d been mansplaining to her. She didn’t need him to tell her what was wrong with her place. She needed him to help her fix the problem, whether she admitted it or not.
“I’m sorry. That came out all wrong. You’re right. You know the dangers. We’ll get the security system up and running and then see what we can do to get the building owners to put some bars on the windows.” He’d go after them and force them to do it no matter what it took.
“So…since they could break in here again and might possibly hit your apartment, I think it’s best if you stay somewhere else for a few days.”
All the fire went out of her, and she slumped against the wall. “I have no clue where else I could stay other than a hotel, and I’d rather not spend that kind of money.”
She looked so sad. Her gray eyes were the color of clouds before a rainstorm. She had to be exhausted and feeling way out of her depth. And alone. She most likely had friends, but it’s not like she’d want to drag them into this mess.
“I’m sure you could stay with Lacy or even at Callahan Security. They have some bedrooms there.” That wasn’t what he wanted but at least then he knew she’d be safe. No, he wanted her to be with him. And that thought bothered the hell out of him.
“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want to ask for anything more than I have to from Lacy. I feel like I’m taking advantage of our friendship. It means too much to me to do that.”
So, no telling her that Logan just hired him to look after her then.
“I’m sure she wouldn’t see it—”
“I said no.” Remy straightened. “I’ll get an Airbnb here somewhere or stay at a hotel.”
Oh hell no!He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. It went against all his rules—every single one he lived by. No fraternizing with clients. Mixing business and pleasure was always a bad move. No overnight guests. He didn’t like women to get comfortable in his space. But this was different. Remy was in desperate need, and something about her tugged at him, made him want to protect her fiercely. He took a deep breath. “Why don’t you come stay with me? I don’t live too far from here, and I have a spare bedroom.”
She glanced at him, a surprised expression on her face. “I’m not sure…”
“I live in a high-rise with a doorman. It’s a safe building, and it’s close enough to walk to from here. It also has an en suite, so you’d have your own bathroom. It’s just for a few days until we can make your place more secure.” He braced himself to argue if she said no. Hell, he’d throw her over his shoulder and carry her there if he had to. This was a job now. Not just a favor for a friend.Sure, that was the reason. He didn’t look too closely at his justification. He knew it wouldn’t hold water.
She let out a long sigh but nodded. “Thanks. That would be good.”
Hallelujah. His gut unknotted slightly. He didn’t know why it mattered so much to him, but it did. He had to know she was safe. He wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t. “Let’s go get some food and then we can swing by your place and get your stuff.”
She nodded. “Let’s go. I’ll start on this tomorrow.”
They went back down the stairs and into the store. She locked the door and put the tapestry back in place.
“Where does that one lead? To a storeroom?”
“What?” Remy asked.
Hawk gestured to the other tapestry. “That door. Does it lead to the storeroom?”
“No. There is no door there. The tapestry is for show. A way to add symmetry and balance the space. You have to access the basement through the doors on the sidewalk. My grandfather didn’t use it. He always just put the book deliveries next to him and worked on them in the store. Anything else, he did up in his apartment.”
He frowned. That didn’t make sense. He’d noticed a small seam in the wall right there when he was picking up books from the floor around it. He walked over to the other tapestry and tried to move it.
She snorted. “What? You don’t believe me?”
“‘Trust but verify.’ My dad taught me that, and it’s come in handy more times than I can count.” He tugged at the tapestry again, but it still didn’t move. “This one doesn’t move?”
“Like I said, it’s just a tapestry. He anchored it.”
Her tone suggested she wasn’t pleased with his actions, but he just couldn’t help himself. He was positive he’d seen something earlier. He squatted down and studied the pole that the tapestry was attached to at the bottom. It was pulled tight so he couldn’t slide the tapestry in one direction or the other, but if he lifted the pole out of the holder…
There was aclunksound, and he had the pole out. Then he pushed the tapestry to one side.
“What are you doing?” Remy demanded. “Don’t damage it. I don’t want to lose it.”
“I won’t.” He peered down at the baseboard. There was a definite crack in two places about the width of a small door. The wall itself didn’t look like it had any seams, but with the busy wallpaper, it was hard to tell. He stood, still holding the tapestry to the side. What if he pushed the wall? He tried, but nothing happened. He moved his hands over the wall, pressing down in different places, but it wasn’t moving.
Remy stood behind him, arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping. “Are you satisfied now? I told you it’s just for show.”
