Madden cleared his throat from the doorway. “Reid. Can I speak with you for a second in my office?”
Frowning, Reid stood. “Yeah. Sure. I’ll be right back, Eve.”
Watching them leave, she slumped against the chair and squeezed her eyes shut. Her brain sped along a jagged track of anxiety and fear until she thought she’d implode. She scrubbed her palms over her face. If she was going to survive the next however many hours of being with Reid, she needed to calm down. And with her nerves worn raw, the best way to calm down was to call Becca.
Besides, she needed to let her know she’d be even later coming in to work tonight.
“Hey, you on your way?” Becca asked when she answered the call on the first ring.
“Not exactly.” Eve replayed the entire scary ordeal for her friend as quickly as possible, her hands shaking as she recalled each detail.
“Are okay? Do you need me stay with you? Or why don’t you stay with me and Bobby until this guy is caught? There’s no reason for you to be alone.”
Eve cracked a small smile at the don’t-argue-with-me tone her friend always used on Suzy. With Eve’s parents traveling the country in their RV and no siblings, it’d be easy to feel lonely oras though she didn’t have family nearby for support. Living in Cloud Valley meant always having people around to look out for her. Something she’d never take for granted.
“I appreciate the offer,” she said. “But it’s not necessary. Reid will stay close until this is all over.”
“Oh, really?” Amusement practically oozed from Becca’s voice.
Eve rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that. I’m hiring someone from a security company to keep me safe. Period.”
“Sure, whatever you have to tell yourself.”
Frustration tightened her lips into a firm line. Fighting her growing feelings for Reid was hard enough without Becca adding gasoline to the fire. “All I’m telling myself now is to get my ass to work and help with the dinner shift. I don’t have the capacity to think beyond that right now. We’re still at Sunrise Security, but once we’re done, I’ll have Reid take me home so I can change, then I’ll be right in.”
“Absolutely not,” Becca said.
“Becca, I can’t put my life on hold. Tilly’s has to be ready for tomorrow. I have to work.”
“Honey, everything for tomorrow’s event is all set. There’s nothing more for any of us to do. I’ll call Bobby and have him come in to tend bar. My mom will watch Suzy. She missed her this morning, so she’ll love a little extra time with her only grandchild. You’ve been through hell today. Go home, spend some time with that sexy bodyguard of yours and we’ll reassess in the morning.”
A part of Eve wanted to protest, but Becca was right. She’d made sure the band was set and the inventory stocked weeks ago. Besides, she was exhausted. She’d had little sleep and a hectic day filled with enough drama to push a teenage girl over the edge. Becca wouldn’t say everything was handled if it wasn’t, and they both knew Bobby secretly loved playing bartender.
“Okay. I won’t come in tonight, but call if anything changes and you need me.”
“We’ll be fine. You take care of you.”
Disconnecting the call, Eve felt a little lighter. She wouldn’t have taken the night off if Becca hadn’t pushed, but she hadn’t realized how much she needed some downtime. At least one night to unwind and process her trauma.
Reid returned to the office, and an aura of heaviness clung to him. He scrubbed his hand over his jaw and darted his gaze around the room as if he didn’t want to look at her.
Her insides twisted like a pretzel. “Is everything all right? I know you mentioned you guys are really busy. Does Madden need you to do a different job?” The thought of him not being with her sent her into a panic, but she refused to show it.
He finally met her eyes, and the flash of anger and fear would have knocked her on her ass if she’d been standing. “Madden got a call from the sheriff regarding the woman who was killed. A witness came forward.”
The urgency in his voice set her on the edge of her seat. “And? Did they catch the killer?”
Reid shook his head. “No, but someone got a good look at the last person seen going into the women’s trailer last night. The man wore a dirty cowboy hat and jean jacket and had a big, bushy beard. He was there about forty minutes before you were attacked.”
Dark spots penetrated her vision, and the world tilted around her. The man who was after her wasn’t just some creep looking to scare her. He was a murderer.
Reid attached the sensor above the window in Eve’s living room. Installing security systems wasn’t difficult, but damn, was ittedious. People didn’t realize how many means of entry they really had until they were forced to protect them all.
Eve stood watching him. “And that little white thing will help keep me safe?”
He stepped off the ladder and wiped his hands on the thighs of his jeans. “This will alert you, and me while I’m monitoring the system, if anyone opens the window or smashes the glass. The notification will pop right up on the app on your phone. We want to make sure we have eyes on all ways in and out of your house.”
She nodded along with his words. “Makes sense. I never thought about getting a security system—never had a reason. But being proactive is calming my nerves. I like knowing I’m taking action and not just sitting around and waiting for something else to happen.”
