The protector in him wanted to pull her into a hug and hold her until her fears dissipated, but he refused to accidentally trigger bad memories for her.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” He ducked his head and peered into her eyes. “Anything.” Opening the front door, he stepped onto the porch and turned in time to watch the door close behind him.
He waited until he heard all three locks click into place, then scanned the yard and the neighboring houses.
Thirteen years of experience as a cop had the hairs on the back of his neck tingling. His hand hovered over his holster as he descended the steps. Removing the phone from his pocket with his other hand, he placed a call to his partner.
Brandon answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”
“Send extra patrols by Jennie Nielson’s tonight.”
“Hold on.” A moment later, Brandon returned. “Done. Why?”
David stood at the driver’s side of his vehicle, staring at Jennie’s house. Maybe paranoia had snuck in, but he refused to ignore his instincts. The one time he’d discounted the internal urges to stop working and go help Brenda, his fiancée had paid the price. “My gut.”
“Good enough for me.”
David released the breath he hadn’t known he’d held. “Thanks, man. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m guessing you haven’t checked your messages.”
“Nope. I haven’t had time.”
“Since our case is at a standstill until Megan does her mojo, the lieutenant told everyone to go to on-call and take the weekend off. Guess he has a heart, after all.”
David laughed. “Not hardly. The man doesn’t want us on overtime.”
Brandon snorted. “You’re probably right about that. Either way, I’m going to enjoy the extra sleep.”
“You and me both, buddy.” David tapped the hood of his car. “Go home.”
“Copy that.” The phone went dead.
Guess he didn’t have to tell his partner twice.
His gaze roamed the area. Lots of places to hide, but at least Jennie’s neighbor had dogs.
When the lights went out in her living room, he slipped into the sedan and started the engine. He laid his head back on the headrest and prayed that whatever truth Jennie continued to hide wouldn’t get her hurt or, worse yet, killed.
***
Jennie had flipped the deadbolts and turned out the lights. Resting her forehead against the cool wood of the door, she allowed tears to fall. How had her life taken another wrong turn?
God, haven’t I suffered enough?
But God wasn’t to blame. She’d caused her own misery.
She should’ve told David about Kenny, but what were the odds the man who’d almost taken her life was out of prison, much less could find her and torment her or Zoey. A child predator definitely didn’t describe Kenny. A control freak. A narcissist. A man who thought he owned women—Yes. But during the four years they’d lived together, he never touched Zoey other than to hug her. He’d only abused Jennie when she disobeyed him.
If it wasn’t Kenny, then who?
Bile rose in her throat at the thought of Zoey having a stalker. And what was she going to do about David? She’d vowed to never let another man into her life. But in the short time she’d known the handsome detective, the man had wormed his way into her thoughts.
He had her stomach tied in knots. His nearness made her nerves tingle. She’d wanted to throw herself into his arms tonight for comfort, but she’d made enough mistakes to last a lifetime. She had no business getting involved with another man.If she were smart, she’d stay far away from the entire species. At least when it came to relationships.
Since David came into her life, the old desire for companionship tugged at her. Her deceased husband might have been a drunk, but he’d loved her and never hurt her. He’d never talked to her like she was beneath him. Brad’s flaw—when he drank, he drank to excess. He was a danger and an embarrassment to himself and those around him. But he’d never been violent. She’d loved the man despite his faults.
After her husband died and she’d given birth to Zoey, single motherhood became overwhelming, and she’d lost her confidence and ability to cope with life. Brad’s friends Levi and Adam tried to help in their own way, but it had been his best friend Kenny who had convinced her to move in and look where that had gotten her. After multiple trips to the hospital, she’d finally ended up in the ICU, and him in jail.
