Love

by Lacey Weatherford

  Please, let Cami be okay, I prayed silently. I could handle anything as long as she was all right.

  I eyed the area I could see before raising my weapon and moving into the room, quickly turning in every direction to check the large space for an intruder. An audible sigh of relief escaped me when I saw Cami and Oreo curled up together on the bed, fast asleep. Still, I made my way into the bathroom, checking it before lowering my weapon and relaxing.

  Everything was okay. She must’ve forgotten to shut the patio doors. But still, that didn’t make sense to me. It was July. Why would she have the doors open during the heat of the day? As if confirming my thoughts, I could hear the air-conditioning running constantly, trying to compensate for keeping the house cool. Cami often complained of being overheated and kept the house on the fairly cool side. Nothing else seemed to be wrong, though, and she and the dog were obviously all right.

  Carefully, I made my way back through the house and put my gun away. I kept another in my nightstand, so there was no need for this one in the house. After it was unloaded and stored, I went back inside, chiding myself for being so hyper-aware. Clearly the dog must’ve torn up the pillow after Cami fell asleep.

  Following my previous trail of progress, I went back and closed the doors and locked them, and then I busied myself picking up Cami’s music and organizing it by page numbers, before placing them in a nice stack in the center of the table. Tugging my phone out, I dialed the nearest Chinese restaurant and order some of our favorite dishes. I knew she’d feel bad that she didn’t make my dinner before I arrived home—she always tried to have something good waiting for me. It was my turn to take care of her for a change.

  Grabbing a broom and a dustpan, along with a trash bag, I began cleaning up the pillow mess. I allowed my thoughts to wander back over the warehouse fire we’d fought two days ago. The fire investigator had ruled the blaze as arson, started by Molotov cocktails thrown through several windows. Whoever started it made sure that particular building was ignited. Investigators were leaning toward it being a targeted crime. Any leads surrounding the owners of the warehouse were being pursued to see if any kind of connections could be made. We’d been advised to keep our eyes open for suspicious behavior and to notify the cops if we came across something. I felt that itch to be in the middle of everything going on with the police force right now as they tried to solve the case. I loved my job and the department, but I’d definitely left a piece of myself behind on the police force. I knew I’d made the right choice to switch jobs—there was no way I wanted Cami to live everyday in fear of what might happen to me.

  Lifting the damaged pillow, I examined the fabric, feeling my nerves skyrocket, again. This didn’t look chewed up. It looked sliced. And it was one of the pillows from my side of the bed. Getting a garbage bag, I carefully put it inside and made my way into the kitchen. Pausing to stare at the block of sharp cutting knives on the counter, I noticed they all seemed to be in the right place. Grabbing a plastic baggie, I slid my hand inside and carefully began removing each knife from its slot one at a time and examining it. I stopped with a small paring knife, immediately noticing a tiny clump of black strings clinging near the base, an exact match to the color of my pillowcase.

  My heart was pounding. Unless Cami was pissed at me and had gone a little crazy, someone had been in my house—our house—with her.

  Carefully, I slid the plastic off my hand and over the knife, placing it in the bag of pillow remnants. Hurrying to my car, I put the items in the trunk and removed my gun from the shelf, reinserting the clip once again. I placed it into the waistband at the back of my pants and pulled my shirt out to loosely cover it.

  “Hey, Dylan. I didn’t hear you come home.”

  I had to force myself not to jump a mile. She caught me completely off guard. Oreo ran up and wiggled, squirming at my feet. For only living here a couple of days, he certainly seemed attached.

  “Sorry I don’t have dinner ready. I over slept.”

  “Don’t apologize. You need your rest. Besides, I already ordered your favorite, Walnut Shrimp. It should be here soon. I hope that’s all right with you.”

  She smiled and placed a hand on her rounded belly. “It sounds great. I’m starving. What are you doing out here?” she asked, looking around the garage.

  Bending down to pet Oreo, who refused to be ignored any longer, I glanced at her with a smile. “Just putting some stuff in my trunk. I need to stop by the police station and drop some things off for Chief Robson. I have another surprise for you,” I added before she could question me about anything else.

  “Really? What’s that?”

  “Well, my parents invited us to stay at their house while they’re gone on their cruise. It’s time for the pest control service to come by again and spray for bugs, and I don’t want you exposed to the chemicals. I thought maybe we could take them up on their offer, and then you’d have some of the help there with you while I’m at work. You can take Oreo with you, too. What do you think?”

  “Dylan. You know I hate to make anyone wait on me. I’m capable of doing things myself. It just makes me feel awkward.”

  I needed to convince her. I had to get her out of our house until I knew it was safe for her to be alone here. “I know that, Goody, but come on. It’s a great chance for both of us to chill and rest for a few days. I really need to get the exterminator over here. Plus, I’ve been thinking about getting a better security system installed, just for extra safety. You don’t need to be around all the dust and whatnot while they install it. It’s perfect timing.”

  “We already have a security system,” she complained, giving me a confused stare. “Why do we need more?”

  “The one we have only secures the doors, not the windows, too. Plus, you always forget to arm it. I want to get one that can help you in an emergency, so you could talk to someone, like if the baby came early or something. A live person could coach you through things.”

  “Isn’t that what 911 is for? And what about you? It’s not like I live with a paramedic or anything. You’re completely capable of delivering a baby.” She arched an eyebrow and I knew she had me there.

  “Trust me, Cami. I just want to know you’re protected. Okay? It’ll help me rest easier.” At least that was the truth.

  She smiled as she approached and I straightened, grasping both her hands in mine so she wouldn’t put her arms around me and feel the weapon at my back. “Fine. I’ll do it for you; but if you ask me, I think all of this is overkill.”

  “Really? After what the two of us have been through together in the past, you feel I’m overreacting?”

  “Okay, okay. Point taken. But those people who tried to hurt us are either dead or have been sent to prison. I don’t want to live my life in constant fear, Dylan. It almost consumed me, before.”

  “Then that’s the perfect reason for you to let me do this, so you don’t have to live in fear and we can both have peace of mind.” I squeezed her hands and bent to kiss her lips. I loved that the spark between us never seemed to dim, but only grew greater with time. I loved her more with each and every breath I took, and I’d be damned before I’d let even the most minor threat against her go unattended.

  “I love you,” she whispered, her lips brushing against mine. “Thanks for always being so concerned about my wellbeing.”

  “Always. Now, why don’t you run and start packing us what we need to stay at my parents’ house and I’ll wait for the delivery guy while I load the dog food and the collapsible kennel. By the way, what happened to my pillow?”

  She gave me a perplexed look. “What do you mean?”

  “I found it shredded on the floor by the bedroom door.”

  “You did? That’s odd.”

  “I figured Oreo chewed it up after you fell asleep.”

  “Hmmm. That’s not possible. I put him in his kennel before I laid down so he wouldn’t have any accidents in the house. I assumed you had let him out when I found him on the bed with m
e.” That just further confirmed my suspicions.

  “You were both asleep together when I got home. His kennel door was wide open.”

  “Well, I’m sorry. I must not have closed it all the way. We’d been playing out in the backyard earlier, while I took a break. I brought him inside and closed all the doors and shut the doggy door because he kept trying to run out. Then I had to chase him around the house to get him in the kennel because he was so rambunctious. I don’t know how he got out because he whined for quite a while and I had to get up and shut the bedroom door so I could sleep.

  I had to work hard to suppress my rage from showing. “Don’t worry about it. We can easily replace the pillow. I’m just glad you got some rest.”

  “Me, too. It was nice. I’ll go get our stuff ready.”

  Bending down, I pet the small dog at my feet, watching until she was completely out of earshot. “Oreo, someone was in our house today. Don’t let anyone come in the house.”

  The puppy grew still and sat, staring at me with his wide eyes, as if he knew something bad had happened. The doorbell rang, breaking into my thoughts and I sighed heavily. “Come on, boy.” I headed for the front door, listening to the clipping sounds of the dog’s toenails hitting the tile floor as he walked, but I couldn’t stop the words that kept running through my mind on repeat.

  Someone had been in my house. Someone had been in my house with Cami. Someone had been in my house with Cami and had done malicious damage to my pillow. This was no accident. Someone was sending a message and I’d received it loud and clear.

  Chapter Five

  Cami-

  Looking over the top of my book, I stared at Dylan, watching him curiously as he gazed off at nothing. He’d been sitting this way in his parents’ library for almost thirty minutes now, his face grim, lips pursed, his jaw ticking as he clenched his teeth. Something was eating at him, badly, but he hadn’t breathed a word about it.

  I’d also noticed how overprotective he’d been lately. Whenever he was off work, I could hardly get him to leave my side, not that I was complaining. I loved having him with me, but something was definitely off. The only time he’d left me was to go talk to the police chief about some case they needed his input on, and to check the progress of the new security system that was being installed. Ever since he’d returned from our house, he seemed upset. I kept waiting for him to tell me what was going on, but he didn’t say a word, sitting silently in the chair across from me with Oreo curled up asleep at his feet.

  I couldn’t take it any longer and I lowered my book. “How’s Fort Knox coming along?”

  He jerked his head to look over at me. “What?” He looked completely confused.

  I laughed. “The new security system. That’s what I’ve decided to start calling our house now, Fort Knox.”

  Giving a half-hearted attempt at a smile, he relaxed a little. “They should be finished tomorrow.” I waited, but he didn’t offer anything more. Sighing, I put my book down and got up.

  His eyes never left me as I crossed to him, but he adjusted his position as I crawled onto him, straddling him. Stroking the sides of his face, I stared deeply into his eyes. “When are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”

  His hands slid around behind me, stroking my back soothingly. “What makes you think something is bothering me?” I could totally tell he was trying to evade the question.

  I traced my thumb over his lips and he kissed it gently. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you’ve been staring off into space for the last thirty minutes while clenching your jaw so hard that I was worried you might snap it.”

  “So you’ve been spying on me, have you?”

  “Yep. Just waiting for you to spill it, but it looks like you’re going to need a bit of coaxing.”

  “Coaxing. That sounds fun. What did you have in mind?”

  I smiled. “Not what you’re thinking of.”

  “Damn,” he muttered, his hands drifting lower to squeeze my bottom and pull me up snugger against him. “What I was thinking of would be so much fun.”

  “I’m sure it would, but you need to talk to me first. I’ve been worried about you.”

  Lifting his hand, he brushed some of my hair away from my face, pushing it back behind my shoulder. “I love your red hair,” he said. “It’s so beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful.” Drifting to my rounded belly, he brushed his palm over the side of it. “And I love seeing this. You’re going to be an amazing mother.”

  I shook my head. “I know what you’re trying to do. Now, quit trying to evade me.”

  “What? Can’t a guy take some time to admire his gorgeous wife?”

  “Of course, but not when he’s trying to get out of answering her questions.”

  He sighed heavily. “There’s nothing to tell, really. I’m just feeling a bit overprotective of you, lately.”

  “Why?” I asked, curious as to what brought it on.

  “The other day, when the dog got out of his pen and we didn’t know how, it made me wonder if maybe someone had been in the house and let him out. All of a sudden, I just felt kind of sick that you’re home alone and unprotected all the time. I guess it brought out some of those police officer tendencies in me, again. It made me feel like you were vulnerable and I needed to do more to ensure your safety.”

  “Oh, sweetheart. Why didn’t you just tell me that? I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out what’s wrong. I love you; and I think you do a great job protecting me. I don’t think there’s a woman out there who has a better husband than you. You’re always so thoughtful and considerate.”

  “You’re my life, Goody,” he replied, using his favorite nickname for me. I’d finally grown fond of hearing it and how it reminded me of our first days together. “You and this baby,” he continued. “I wanted you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I’d do anything to keep you happy and safe.”

  “I know that.” I stroked his face again. “Trust me, I know that. Just remember, you don’t need to hide things from me. I’m a big girl. You can tell me the truth.”

  Immediately, his eyes shuttered and he glanced away.

  “What is it, Dylan? Are you telling me everything?”

  Turning back to face me, his expression was grim. “The pillow wasn’t chewed up by the dog. It was shredded with a knife, a knife from our kitchen.”

  I could feel the color draining from my face as he spoke.

  “When I came home, the patio doors were open and your music was blown across the floor. The kennel was open and the dog was in bed with you. The pillow was laying shredded in the doorway to the bedroom.” He swallowed hard. “The police department confirmed that the fibers on the knife in the kitchen were the same from the pillow, but there were no prints on the knife except for yours, which would be on it since you put it away. So unless you taken up sleep walking and shredding pillows . . . .”

  “Someone was in the house with me,” I finished for him, my voice sounding weak and soft. He nodded confirming my conclusion.

  “I didn’t want to tell you. I know you haven’t felt the greatest with your pregnancy and I didn’t want to worry you with this. And I don’t want you to be afraid to be in our home; but it won’t be our home anymore if I can’t ensure that you’re safe in it.”

  “But who would do this? And why?”

  He shook his head. “I have no idea, but the police have been to the house to check things out. They didn’t turn anything up, though. They’re trying to help, but we don’t really have much else to go on as far as leads.”

  “Well, now I know why you’re turning the house into Fort Knox, at least. And thank you for telling me. It’ll help me to be more alert about things that might be going on.” I didn’t want him to see how nervous I was. I felt violated, almost like I’d lost something dear to me. My safe haven had suddenly become a cold, sinister environment.

  “If you’re uneasy about going back, I know my parents will let us stay here as long as we wan
t.”

  I laughed wryly. “We can’t live here forever. At some point we’ve got to go home.”

  “I know. I just want you to feel comfortable there.”

  “I will,” I replied, leaning in to kiss his lips. “I know I’m safe and protected with you.”

  ***

  “This security system is state-of-the-art, yet easy to run, Mr. And Mrs. Wilcock. Let me walk you through it real quick.”

  I couldn’t believe the system Dylan had purchased. When he said he intended for me to be safe, I hadn’t realized how literally he meant it. Every door and window in the house had not only been wired, but had laser motion sensors attached, providing double security. Even the slightest movement near them would set off the sensor. Thankfully, they’d all been installed high enough that the dog wouldn’t set them off. The system would also tell me whenever a door or window was opened, even the doggie door Dylan had installed for Oreo. I had to admit it, I was nervous about accidentally setting it off, myself.

  Thankfully, the system could be easily deactivated with a punch code to the keypad on the wall, if accidentally triggered. Otherwise, the alarm system signal went straight to a control center and an operator would immediately be in communication through the speaker set into the keypad.

  “It also has a smoke detector to warn of any possible fire emergencies.” The security installer, Tom, according to the name embroidered on his shirt, went on and I rolled my eyes. I hope I never burn dinner. That’s just what I’d need—for Dylan’s whole department to show up here. That would be humiliating. “Do you two have any other questions?”

  “I don’t think so,” I replied.

  “Well, then, let’s arm your system. You need to choose a pass code and then punch it into the keypad, hit enter, and lock. We recommend you change your pass code every three months. To do that, you just enter your current code and hit the ‘Set New’ button, then enter the new number and lock it, again. Someone from the security company will call you to verify that you’re the one who changed the code.” I was never going to remember all of this.