“I don’t know what that bastard did to you,” I say quietly, “but I already hate him.”
“Maybe someday I’ll tell you,” she replies softly.
“Okay.” I look down as my phone rings. It’s Chains. “Excuse me, I have to get this.”
“Of course.”
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Between the low-resolution video and the stalker being mostly covered up, there’s no way to get enough of a picture to even run through facial recognition. I’ve got nothing.”
“What about the other thing I asked you to check?”
“Her mother? Clean so far. No boyfriends, no strange or new spending habits, no clandestine trips, nothing that stands out at all.”
“Okay.”
“Is Shannon with you? Everything okay?”
“Yup. Under control for now, but I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I. Let me know if anything pops up on your radar. And you need to up your nanny cam game to something with better resolution.”
“First thing tomorrow.”
I disconnect and tell Shannon about needing a better camera for the apartment. “I want one in the bedroom as well,” I tell her.
“We can go tomorrow?—”
“I’ll take care of it while you’re at work. I want you to take a taxi from here and text me as soon as you get there. Don’t leave the building at all. If possible, make sure you’re never by yourself. Then text me before you leave. You’ll walk home as usual but I’ll be watching you. Does your building have a back door?”
She nods. “Yes. There’s a small garden but you can get out through a gate in the fence.”
“Okay. I’ll scope it all out tomorrow.”
“You think I should go to work?” She looks miserable and conflicted.
“Yes. If this person is watching you, we don’t want to tip them off that we’re on to them. You need to try to be as normal as possible, but under no circumstances do you tell anyone about me or the nanny cam.” I pause. “Does anyone know about the nanny cam?”
She shakes her head. “I was kind of embarrassed and afraid I was losing it, so I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t even tell my mom until I called to ask if you were here on her behalf.”
“Good.”
We talk logistics until she starts to droop and I tell her to get some sleep. I give her the bed, despite her protests, and sit at the desk to get some work done. Around three o’clock, I settle into the chair by the window and try to get a little sleep.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.
I wake up when I hear the shower running and realize Shannon must be getting ready for work. The idea that she’s naked on the other side of the door to the bathroom makes parts of me wake up in a hurry, and I have to untuck my T-shirt from my jeans to cover my erection before she comes out. I’ll grab a quick cold shower before she has to leave and that will help, but I haven’t woken up with this bad of a case of morning wood in a long time.
Shannon is dressed when she comes out, though her hair is wet, her face devoid of makeup.
And she’s fucking stunning.
Jesus. How does a woman look so good without any enhancements? Maybe I’m biased because I’ve been dreaming about her for so many years, but now that she’s here, I’m not even a little bit disappointed. I still think she’s beautiful, and so far, I like her as a person too.
We aren’t romantically or sexually involved, she’s in the middle of a genuine crisis, and in the back of my mind I’m worried about my status with Director Dickhead, but being here with her feels oddly natural.
As if we’d done this before.
