“I love you.”
We hung up, and I sent a message to the group chat.
Me: Can someone take the girls for a little bit?Got back to the apartment and the door is open.I think someone might have broken in.Don’t want them to know what happened.
Malena: I’ll be there in five.
Keely: So will I.
Linny: I’m stuck at home without a car, but you can drop them off any time!Hope you guys are okay.
Me: Thanks, guys.I’ll wait in my car outside the apartment.Promised the girls a trip to Betty’s.
Malena: I’ll take them.
Keely: I’ll stay with you.
Two minutes later, three cars screeched into the lot, coming to a stop right next to me.Malena, Keely, and Vance all jumped out.
Not wanting them to spook the girls, I turned around to look at them.“Malena is going to take you to Betty’s.I remembered I have to do some work.”
Since all they heard was greasy food, they didn’t protest.
As soon as I was out of my car and had closed the door, Malena was on me, enveloping me in a tight hug.“Thank God you’re okay.Have you called the police yet?”
I led her away from the window and the two curious sets of eyes that were grinning and waving at Malena.“I don’t want the kids to know what happened, so I haven’t called anyone yet.”
Vance reached me next, pulling me into his body.I breathed in his familiar scent, closing my arms around him.“What’s going on?”
“Someone broke into the apartment.”
Hands closed around my arm, pulling me out of his embrace and into Keely’s.“Holy moly, I knew this apartment was a bad idea.”
“I don’t need a lecture.”
She released me and waved to the girls.Malena climbed into the driver’s seat of my car, and Vance opened the back door to greet the girls, who were calling out to him.
“Are you coming to Betty’s with us?”Addy asked.
“I promise I’ll come next time.But today I have to do something with your mom.”
Malena turned the car on.“Who’s ready for cheese fries and nachos?”
Both girls chanted at the same time, “Me, me, me.”
I kissed them both, and then they were off, still blissfully unaware.
Vance was on the phone but hung up when we walked up to him.“The police are on their way.”
He put his arm around me, and together we waited in the parking lot.I refused to look up to where the apartment was.We didn’t have much.And none of it was valuable.Breaking in was pointless.
I should have never moved there.Living in Keely’s spare room would have at least been safe, if cramped.
When a police cruiser pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later, I sagged against Vance, his presence grounding me.And once they’d done a sweep of the apartment and declared it safe, he was right behind me when I walked inside.
My brain needed a moment to take in what had happened, because the destruction was so thorough.There wasn’t a single item that was still standing upright or on a shelf.Even all the plates had been pulled out of the cupboards and were now in pieces on the floor.
Vance took one look at the apartment and pulled me right back outside.“You’re not staying there.”
