She chuckles. “I bet I know which part of our routine you like.”
My smile is slow. “It’s not just the sex. It’s all of it.”
Her smile softens. “Our lifeispretty great. I hope Zoe and Connor get that back.”
Chapter
Nineteen
CONNOR
Trick’s edgy, which I ignore. If he didn’t want to deal with this, he could’ve bowed out. Tonight, I would’ve preferred that.
When we get to the building, we scan the outside and note the entry points. We also note the security cameras in the lobby and on her floor.
“Light’s on,” Trick says.
“I see it,” I say curtly.
Trick’s gaze cuts to me. “I’ll get the camera footage and review it.”
“Get it, and send it to me. I wanna go through it myself.”
Trick nods, his expression grim now. It’s rare for us to have an issue. Usually, I cut him all the slack in the world, and he does the same for me.
I rap on the door, and Zoe pulls it open, looking a way I’ve rarely seen her look. She’s dressed in sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt. No makeup, red puffy eyes, hair at odd angles.
Good, I think. She isn’t dolled up to see Trick. On the other hand, she's upset, which makes me want to smash the face of the guy who made her this way.
“C,” she says with a gasp. “I didn’t know you were coming.” She pushes back some limp curls and wraps her arms around herself. “I’m a mess.”
“You’re fine.” We step inside the apartment, and I watch her twist her hands nervously. My hand reaches out to guide her. “Come and sit down. Lay it out for us. Start at the beginning.”
Trick walks around the room, his eyes scanning every inch.
She tells us how she found a handful of flowers and a note on the kitchen table when she came home late from the theatre one night. The handwriting on the note matched the handwriting on some increasingly inappropriate messages she’d gotten from a “secret admirer.” At first, he’d left them at the theatre, either with someone or in her dressing room.
Zoe’s already talked to the security company who monitors the cameras. They claim they’ve reviewed the security camera footage and saw nothing unusual.
“Initially, I thought he must have had a key. Maybe he used to work in the building or something? So I got permission and had the locks changed. Since then there haven’t been any notes or flowers left in the apartment, but I know he’s been here. And I still can’t shake the feeling someone’s following me.”
“That’s because someone’s following you,” I say.
“I know, right?” The words explode from her, like she’s been forced to suppress them and is finally getting the chance to turn them loose. “Tonight I was getting ready for bed, and I found a pair of my underwear hanging on the bathroom door hook. I didnothang them there. And, C, there was something on them.” Zoe shudders. “I threw them in the garbage and washed my hands. Now I’m washing and drying every piece of clothing I have here. But then what? I don’t know what to do. I called thebuilding super who says he’ll get the security footage himself, but I asked him to do that a week ago and so far he hasn’t. I’m afraid to go to sleep. What if this guy comes in while I’m here?” She shivers. “I’m really scared. I can stay with one of the other dancers, but most of them live in places with even less security. If he’s following me, he’ll find me there too. Although at least I wouldn’t be alone overnight.”
“You’re not staying with theater people. You’re coming back to Coynston with me. When you have to be in the city for work, you’ll stay in my apartment with a bodyguard. You can stop worrying, Zoe. He’s not going to touch you. The crue will find him, and we’ll deal with him.”
She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me. “Oh, my God, thank you, C. I know I probably shouldn’t ask for your help, but I really need it right now.”
I cup the back of her head and hug her to me. “You should’ve called me when you started getting the notes. Speaking of that, we should look at them. Go get them for me.”
She bites her lip, bringing my focus to those gorgeous full lips that I love to kiss.
“I only have the first couple,” she admits. “When they got creepy, I threw them away. I didn’t want to bring them home with me.”
“Okay, baby. Go get the ones you have.”
“Here, let me put on some coffee first. Wait, do you want coffee or a drink? I have Jack Daniels and Coke here. It’s the expensive Jack Daniels that you like.”
