AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whoa! Where are you going?” he asked.
“Stakeout,” Aaron said.
Shirley frowned. “Dani is being threatened by someone from her past. Aaron is going to stay with her at night until the mess is resolved.”
“Oh hell,” Sean said. “Does it have to do with the guy who tried to kill her?”
“Twin brother, out for revenge,” Aaron said. “Keep it in the family. He doesn’t know we’re on to him.”
“That sounds dangerous,” Sean said.
Aaron looked at his brother, then shook his head.
“What do you think I do all day? Hand out parking tickets?”
Sean flushed. “No, of course not, but I just—”
“I know,” Aaron said, and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Mom, do you know where we put the camping gear? I need my sleeping bag and an extra pillow.”
“I know. I’ll get it and the pillow off your bed,” Sean said, and left the room.
“He’s just worried about you,” Shirley said. “We all are every day when you pin that badge on your uniform and go out the door. And now Wiley’s going down thesame route. But I also know what a good cop you are, so give Dani my love, and if it gets bad down there, bring her home with you.”
“No, Mom. There will never be anything bad brought to our home again. We moved past that. I’ll take care of her down there, and it will be fine.”
Then he gave her a hug, carried his suitcase to the trunk of his car, and, when Sean came out with the sleeping gear, put it in the back seat.
“Take care of Mom,” Aaron said.
“I will,” Sean said. “Be careful.”
“I always am,” Aaron said, and then he was gone. As soon as he reached the blacktop, he called Dani.
She picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“It’s me. I’m on the way. Be there in about half an hour. Do you need anything? I can pick it up when I get into town.”
“No, I’m good,” she said.
“See you soon,” he said, and hung up.
A half hour later he was pulling up into Dani’s driveway. He opened the garage door with the remote and drove inside, got his things out of the car, and then hit the remote again. The garage door was going down as he went inside.
Dani was standing in the kitchen, her hands clutched against her stomach. Aaron could tell she was anxious.
“I hope that look of panic on your face has nothing to do with me sleeping under your roof,” he said.
Dani sighed. “No, of course not. I’ve wavered between being embarrassed I have allowed you to become involved in my mess, and so damn grateful you’re here.”
“No more of that,” Aaron said. “I offered. Is it okay to use the hall closet to hang up the clothes I brought?”
“Use the closet in the office. It has more space,” she said, and followed him down the hall, talking as they went. “I’ve made space for you on the bathroom counter as well and laid out extra towels.” Her hands were shaking. Her world was out of her control again, and she was so afraid of what could happen. “I put out some quilts for you to use for padding for your sleeping bag. They’re on the office floor. I used them when I slept in my closet.”
Aaron dropped his suitcase and sleeping bag on the office floor beside the quilts and then turned. Dani’s eyes were wide and shimmering with unshed tears.
He wanted to hold her. Instead, he held out his hands palms up.
