AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Moving quickly, I hugged the wall leaving the dining room and stepping into the kitchen, pointing my gun toward the far end where my office door was. The kitchen was empty. Thankfully the floor was tile and I was able to walk soundlessly on socked feet while the guys were mostly quiet on the other end. The only noise I heard was Greer cursing out traffic lights.
My office was in front of me, door open, room dark thanks to the blinds being drawn. It sat tucked in the back corner in a big room I had designed. I didn’t get that far though because the door off the kitchen which led to the patio was open, letting the crisp fall air in.
Instead of going to it to check the outside, I wanted to clear my house. My office was a mess when I got in there. Papers everywhere. Drawers open. The painting that covered my safe sat hinged away from the wall but the door to the safe itself remained secure.
I heard tires on pavement which had to be the police tearing into my driveway. “Cops,” I whispered.
“We’re fifteen out, ten if we can get out from behind this asshole in the Volvo,” JJ growled.
Carefully, since I didn’t know if anyone was still in here, I returned to the kitchen and stepped out the back door, not touching the handle, but using my foot to push it wider so I could slip past. I doubted whoever was in here left prints, but just in case, I didn’t want to disturb anything.
An officer rounded the back of my house, gun drawn. He was one of the men who was here last time. I let my gun fall on my finger so he could see I wasn’t aiming it at him. He nodded toward the house, instantly recognizing me. I jutted my chin. The officer moved almost as quietly as me.
Since I knew the outside was clear from where he walked, I tucked my gun in the back of my slacks, not wanting to get shot, and went to the front of the house where the other officer was rounding the garage. This one was familiar too.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his gun drawn as well.
“Yes. I didn’t find anyone, but my office has been torn apart. I’m also carrying.” I turned to let him see the gun behind me. “I’m fully licensed. I didn’t get a chance to check every room, but your partner’s inside.”
He nodded and went around back while I waited outside, not wanting to disturb their work. I also knew whoever was here was gone. The door they left out of had a habit of not closing all the way when it was windy. It would sound latched but with a slight push would open.
The only warning I had of Xaiden arriving was the sound of his Jag flying up the road. My brother had zero care for his own life right now. He took the corner into my driveway, the car hugging the curve like it was on a racetrack and not a residential road. He stopped in front of me, next to the patrol car, not bothering to shut his car off first.
“You okay?” he asked, looking me over as he walked toward me to make sure I was good.
I nodded. “The police are inside.”
I still had the phone to my ear, listening to them talk on the other end, JJ relaying what I said to Greer.
Xaiden let out a breath. He lived ten minutes west of me. I bet he would have been here sooner if he wouldn’t have had to stumble out of bed, throw on clothes—which were obviously on the floor given how wrinkled they were—grab his gun, and put on his shoes.
The officers came from the back of the house to the driveway. “The home’s clear,” one of them said while the other asked to be let into the garage, which Xaiden handled with his key.
“Can you tell us what happened?” the one who stood in front of me asked.
I talked to them while Xaiden stood beside me getting tenser and tenser with every word I spoke. He was seething by the time I was done. It was also when Greer and JJ arrived.
JJ was out of the SUV first, not giving a second thought to the officer I was talking to. Arms wrapped around me; JJ’s forehead dropped to mine. His voice trembled out a, “Fuck.”
Greer pulled me to him next.
“I’m okay,” I told him.
“There was someone inside, wasn’t there?”
“Yeah. They tore through my office.”
“Any idea what they were looking for?” the officer asked.
“No. I only have documents for my businesses in there.”
He glanced to JJ, and I knew, just fucking knew, the guilt JJ already had ratcheted higher. He thought it was his fault, except we didn’t know that. We didn’t know anything.
I ignored the officer for a moment and took JJ’s hand in mine, bringing his attention to me. “Hey, stop.”
“But…”
“No.” I wanted to say more but not while we had an audience.
