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I rush inside. “Where’s—”
Oh, thank God.
Anna’s sitting on the couch speaking with an officer when she sees me, and she jumps up and runs toward me, bursting into tears.
“Rhys!” Christ, her hands are shaking. “Somebody broke in!” As soon as the words leave her mouth, the condition of my apartment comes into view. My eyes take in the mess. The couch is askew, drawers open and dumped out, some laying upside down on the floor. Something is beeping, and I look around and realize the noise is coming from the kitchen fridge, the doors have been left open for God knows how long. I’m probably going to have to throw out all my food.
“Rhys, I’m so sorry! I had a job interview a couple hours ago and forgot to lock up. By the time I remembered, I didn’t want to be late to the interview, so I didn’t turn around. This is all my fault. I knew it was unlocked! I’m sorry! I figured it was safe for an hour, I had no idea this would happen. As soon as I got home, I saw the door was open and your stuff was everywhere.” She’s almost hysterical. “I didn’t know what to do, so I called the police.”
I run my hand over my head.Shit.
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but all your stuff, Rhys. I’m so sorry!”
“It’s fine.” I exhale. “It’s fine. I’m just glad you weren’t here when it happened.”
The place is ransacked, my world feels like it’s been flipped upside down. There’s a broken mirror on the floor. The TV is still on the wall, but it’s been smashed.Cool.
So much for having a relaxing evening.
Thankfully I had my laptop with me while traveling, but anything else of value here is long gone. The place is so trashed, I can’t even tell what’s missing yet. It’s not like I can walk through here and notice if anything is out of place, there’s debris all over the apartment. Stuffing my hands in my pocket, I slowly turn around in the space, unsure of where to begin the cleanup. It’s not the damages that bother me, but knowing somebody, a stranger, was in here trespassing, rooting around and smashing my things. Everything feels dirty. Home is supposed to feel like a sanctuary.
I immediately turn around and leave the apartment so I can check Freya’s doorknob. It’s still locked. I breathe a sigh of relief. Her place is safe. She’s always been safe for me. I have to notify her about what happened. I explain to the police I need to step away for a minute and head back down.
When I get back into the bar, she hands me a beer with a smile. I wish that’s how tonight could have gone. Happy, chatting with her, and enjoying a drink. Too bad since I really could use that beer right about now.
I grab the back of her neck and pull her ear close to my mouth so she can hear me over the band. “My apartment was broken into. Your door still seems locked, but the cops are upstairs taking statements and checking out the damage.”
She flinches and jumps away from me. “What?!” Her big beautiful green eyes are full of worry. I’m regretting telling her, I don’t want to make her fearful of where she lives.
I lean in again. “I know, I gotta go back up there, I’ll talk to you about it later. Just didn’t want you to think I was flaking on you.”
“Where’s Anna?”
“She’s upstairs talking with them.”
She nods against me. This time she holds the back of my neck. “You still have my key? After the cops leave, I want you to go over to my place. You can stay with me tonight. I’ll see if I can get someone to cover for me so I can dip out early.”
I drop a kiss on her cheek, appreciative of her concern and trying to take care of me. “It’ll be okay. Don’t worry, babe. It’s only stuff.”
I’m so fucking thankful neither Freya nor Anna were around when it happened. I don’t even want to consider about what might have happened if she had somehow walked out of her apartment and found somebody in the middle of a burglary at my place. The thought only adds more stress. Now I have to worry about both of them.
I’m barely keeping my head above water.
* * *
After a couple hours with the police and my insurance agent, consensus shows I’m fucked. Once the police got whatever they needed and had my statement, I started putting my place back together. I’m a frugal guy, so there wasn’t too much worth taking. A nice pair of shoes, a few smart home devices, my game console, a couple power tools, a blender, some hockey equipment—all things that can be replaced. The one thing that can’t be replaced is my mother’s wedding ring. I’m gutted. There aren’t many things I have of hers. At the time I was in college and didn’t have the money to store them. But her ring was important. It represented what she treasured most, her family. Dad left it to me, and I assumed it would become Anna’s eventually since I had no plans for it. The thought of someone else having it makes me sick to my stomach. It could be anywhere by now.
I found a photo of the ring on my mom’s finger, it wasn’t great quality, but it let the cops know what to look out for. It’s probably pawned by now. There’s a couple shops nearby I could check tomorrow. I don’t need anything else back. Fuck, I’d give everything I have left if it meant I could have her ring back.
“Where’s your vacuum?” Anna asks, trying to help me clean up.
“It was stolen.” I gesture to the hall.
“Who steals a fucking vacuum?”
Anna sits down on the floor and picks up the spilled garbage and putting it back in the trash.
