I must admit, when his black SUV pulled up in the space next to my carport, I was unnerved. My subconscious is already making me cuckoo for cocoa puffs. “Let me get us some plates so we can eat,” I say. I need to make myself useful. If I keep busy I keep some of my sanity.
I turn around to reach into the cabinet next to the stove and grab the stack of paper plates and napkins in there. “Thanks for bringing food, I wasn’t sure what I was going to make for dinner,” I explain as I place the plates near the pizza. Holt is about as tall as his brother. His hair is not as dark as Sterling’s. They also have similar eyes, Holt’s don’t seem to be bipolar though. His seem to have settled on a light blue. He is as well muscled and defined as him though.Do these two spend all their free time in the gym?
Sterling is already at my side grabbing a plate and pulling out a few slices. I’m surprised when he hands the moundedplate of food to me. Holt kept it simple, bringing by cheese and pepperoni. I take the plate mutely, and wander into the living room with it. Figuring it will be more comfortable.
I hear them behind me filling plates and murmuring quietly. I take my spot on the end of the couch and curl my legs up underneath me. I take a bite of the pizza and sigh. I didn’t realize that I was this hungry. Looking at my watch I see that the sandwich I had with Piper was 6 plus hours ago.
“Holt and I are going to take a look around the property tonight. We need to make sure that it is secure,” Sterling explains. I bristle at this.
“Do you really think that is necessary? I highly doubt that this…individualis going to come out this way,” I remark. The words come tumbling out of my mouth and I instantly regret them. I’m not an idiot. If someone went through the trouble to tamper with the green monster, what would stop them from coming out to my home?
Holt says as much. “I think that it is likely that they will come out here, especially since this neighborhood is quiet. We need to see what we are dealing with,” he kindly states. I finish the first slice of pizza and start on the second.
“We have also decided that you can’t stay out here on your own, until we figure out what is going on, it is’t safe,” Sterling states before he takes a bite of his own slice. I’m in shock.
Who does he think he is?The look of shock on my face must be pretty comical because Holt starts to chuckle. “Wow dude, smooth,” he jokes and punches Sterling’s large shoulder. I clear my throat and take a deep breath.
“Where the hell would you like me to stay? It isn’t like I have multiple residences scattered around,” I spew out frustratedly. He is crazy. Where does he expect me to go?
“One of us will stay with you, we can take shifts. Besides, your truck isn’t fixed yet. I’m sure you may need a lift aroundtown,” Sterling tries to explain. He ignored my outburst. Making me feel a bit embarrassed. He still has a lot of nerve. What if I don’t want him here?Yeah right, Meg, tell yourself another story.
“I’m sure we will figure it out pretty quickly,” Holt tries to soothe me. He is pretty good at this, I guess he has to be. It is his job. Sterling stands up and goes back into the kitchen. He comes back with more pizza and the beer I left on the counter. He hands it to me. I gape up at him.
“Look, I appreciate this— but I feel like this shouldn’t be your concern. You hardly know me. I can’t afford 24/7 security,” I try to reason with him. Sterling shakes his head and sighs. He sits down next to me on the couch.
“This isn’t going to cost you money— just trust me…please,” he says. The please at the end is softer, and it surprises me. I’m sure he doesn’t use the word often. I am torn. I don’t want to be a charity case. I also don’t quite understand why he is doing this. I’m afraid to ask right now. I may bring it up later. I’m not sure why, but again, I do trust him. It is the weirdest thing. Something I can’t explain, and decide to ignore.
My mouth is dry, but I manage to nod my head. Holt claps his hands together. “Great, we will get started,” he exclaims. “After, I have more pizza,” he explains. I chuckle. He quirks his brow. “A growing boy has to eat.”
I laugh again. “I’m pretty sure you stopped growing 15 years ago,” I say trying to stop laughing. It feels good. This has been a weird 24 hours. Sterling looks at me— his eyes glinting in the lamplight. His angular, stubble covered jaw clenches for a second and then opens his mouth.
“It is dangerous for you to be out here alone, and I know we haven’t talked about it before now. Everything is happening so fast. Sometimes Holt and I can get ahead of ourselves,” heexplains. He is looking at me with such sincerity, I don’t know what to say.
I nod and clear my throat. Trying to buy time. Really, what am I going to do? He is right, anyone with a healthy addiction to all things True Crime knows that I am a sitting duck. I settle on gratitude. “Thank you for your help,” I concede.
“I guess I’m just not used to relying on other people, especially people I just met,” I admit again sharing a tiny piece of myself to this virtual stranger. I am suspicious. What is in it for him? I can’t believe that he would do this out of the kindness of his heart. My unspoken question lingers in the air. He doesn’t answer it.
“Eat,” he states simply. I look down at my plate and notice I still have a slice left. This conversation has really got my mind all over the place. Normally, I would be done and internally arguing with myself about going back for seconds. I roll my eyes. He can be such an ogre.
He is already halfway to the kitchen when he hears me mumble “bossy jerk”. He chuckles and doesn’t even respond. I hear him talking to Holt.
“Alright, did you bring your kit,” he asks.Kit? What kind of kit is he talking about?I unashamedly eavesdrop.
“Yeah, I have 2 in the SUV. They should have all the flashlights and security equipment we need,” he explains.
“Great, we will do a perimeter sweep tonight. Tomorrow, we can put the cameras up and connect them to our phones. It shouldn’t take too long to get it done. I’m thinking 4 exterior cameras will be enough,” Sterling explains. I get up from the couch and wander in to see him slipping his jacket on. He looks over at me.
“Give Holt and I 20 minutes. Lock the doors. I’m taking the key,” he directs intensely. They seem like a well-oiledmachine, moving in concert with each other. Obviously they have done this a time or two.
Before I can respond he is out the door and Holt is shutting it behind them. I’m stunned for a second before my legs propel me forward to turn the deadbolt. The backdoor is already locked, but I go and check it anyway.
Chapter 14
Sterling
As soon as we start walking away from the door I hear Holt chuckling.Asshole is going to give me hell.I brace myself for the onslaught.
“You have a problem,” he states and starts laughing again. I don’t want to respond, but we need to get this out of the way now. I won’t want to deal with it later. Sort of like ripping off a bandaid.
