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“Jarico, I need you to come down to my building. Someone has hacked my surveillance system.” There’s a quick pause and then he nods. “See you soon.”
“Jarico will be here in fifteen minutes and he has free rein.”
“Of course,” the doorman says.
“Whose place was broken into? Was it Devin’s?” Could my bad luck have followed me?
“No, ma’am, it was Mrs. Betty’s.”
I gasp and run towards the elevators with Devin right behind me.
“She’s fine, she wasn’t home!” the doorman shouts as the elevator arrives.
I feel some relief when Devin pulls me close. “It’s okay.”
The elevator is moving at a snail’s pace and I angrily wonder if it’s always been so slow.
“How could someone get in here? This place is supposed to be safe.”
“I’ll figure it out, I can promise you that.” When the doors slide open, there are a few police officers standing there.
“We’re sorry, no one is allowed on this floor right now.”
Devin steps in front of me. “I live here and own the building.”
“Where is my grandma?” I ask, looking toward her door.
Devin lets go of my hand and I dart off before the cop can respond to my question. When I rush into her condo, I come to a halt when I see her serving everyone coffee and cookies. She’s got a full spread laid out and there are a few cops even picking up stuff off the ground and putting it back. My eyes widen in shock when I see one with a feather duster.
“Sugar, I’m okay.” She comes over to me and I wrap her in a hug. “I’m fine,” she keeps reassuring me as she rubs her hand up and down my back.
“What happened?”
“Someone broke in and turned the place over.” I look around the condo, but it doesn’t look as bad as my place did. Though she might have gotten them to clean a bunch of it up before I got here.
“Aren’t they supposed to take pictures and stuff? They can’t clean yet.”
“Sugar, they already did all that.” She kisses me on the cheek and I wonder how she’s so calm.
I sense Devin come up behind me and then see him give Grams a hug. “Are you okay, Betty?”
“I’m fine.” She waves a dismissive hand at him.
“I’ll get this all worked out.”
“I know you will.” She smiles and leans in close to him. “Did you do it?” Grams looks down at my hand and her face lights up like Christmas morning. “You did!”
She pulls me in for another hug and I shouldn’t be the least bit shocked she already knew about this. Devin is the kind of man that would have asked for her permission and I’m glad he did.
“I’ve already started planning.” She looks between the two of us and I laugh.
“Grams, I think we have more pressing issues at the moment.” Just then Moose comes bounding from Grams’s guest room and he almost knocks me over with cuddles. It’s clear he missed me, but as soon as he’s gotten his love, he goes straight to Devin.
“Why don’t you have a seat, sugar.” She tells Moose to sit, and I’m shocked when he does. A few days with Grams and he’s minding his manners.
I sit in the dining room chair and pet Moose as I listen to Devin talk to the cops. He quickly tells them about my place being broken into too and how they didn’t take anything. Which is exactly what happened here.
“Can you think of anyone who doesn’t like you? An ex-boyfriend?” I shake my head.
“Everyone loves her,” Devin says quickly, but the cop ignores him. Of course Devin thinks everyone loves me.
“No one comes to mind?”
“No,” I tell him. “I didn’t date before Devin and I work alone from home. My life is simple and a little bit boring.” I truly can’t think of anyone who would want to do me harm, but the cops ask a few more questions.
After they’re finished I start to help clean up because I need to keep busy.
“You can’t stay here,” I say to Grams, who told the cops she didn’t need a place to stay tonight. “You can come and stay with Devin and me.”
“I’ll be fine here,” she says, and I know that tone.
She’s not going to back down and I look to Devin for some kind of help here.
“I’m putting two extra guards on our floor and a couple in the lobby.”
“If you want to do that, it’s your building, Devin, but I think I’ll be fine.” Grams smiles softly like we’re both overreacting.
“I have someone on the way to change your locks.” I give Grams a hug, feeling better that Devin is all over it. It’s nice to have someone handle things in a situation like this.
“Go home and get some rest. You both look exhausted.”
I fight a yawn, but in the end it wins.
