39. Wanted To Protect Her

39

WANTED TO PROTECT HER

O ver three weeks later, Regan and Zander pulled into her townhouse at the same time.

She went into the garage and he stayed in the driveway.

They’d made it through Christmas and the Fierce New Year's Eve party that he wanted to avoid, but neither of them had an excuse as to why they couldn’t go.

Sure, he had a ton of work on his plate and every time he turned around had another case landing in his lap. Many that he was talking to Regan about and getting her opinion too. He found that she had a different insight and could lead him to something a bit faster. Or at least open his eyes to something else.

Sometimes it didn’t pan out, but it did remind him that his first instinct wasn’t always right.

“Can you grab my mail?” she shouted to him when he got out of his SUV.

“Sure,” he said, walking down the driveway and getting it from the mailbox out front.

He turned and walked back, then grabbed his laptop out of his front seat and went in. He’d stay at her house all weekend like he’d been doing. Even if he got called out for work, sometimes she went with him to keep him company.

Funny how he always thought he’d be better off working solo and that was the last thing that happened with his father now.

Even having Regan with him on cases.

“I’m starving,” she said. “I’m going to change and then we can order dinner. I’m too lazy to even cook unless you want grilled cheese.”

“Grilled cheese sounds good and is faster than takeout,” he said. “I’ll make it. You go change.”

“Thanks,” she said, moving over to kiss him on the cheek. “What a great boyfriend you can be.”

“My life’s purpose,” he said.

She laughed and walked away while he moved to the kitchen and pulled out a pan, the bread, butter and some cheese. One of his specialties since he all but lived off of these for years if he didn’t want to get takeout.

By the time Regan came into the kitchen the sandwiches were getting flipped and he was taking a sip from the beer he opened.

“You look really good in the kitchen.”

“Ha ha,” he said. “At least you never yell at me to clean up better.”

“You’re not bad,” she said. “You always try and most times do well.”

He did try. It’s like he told his mother. He wasn’t that much of a slob. It had more to do with having no space.

Yet somehow in the past few weeks, his clothes managed to take up more of her closet than his own.

She never said a word. He realized how bad it was when he could do a full load of laundry here rather than going home and doing it in the basement of his apartment building.

“I set your mail on the counter,” he said.

She moved over after kissing him and started to go through it.

He turned his head and saw her frowning as she opened a letter.

When her face went white, he moved closer and took it out of her hand.

I know what you did, bitch. You’ll pay.

“I don’t know what this is about,” she said.

“Shit,” he said. He’d grabbed his gun holster off the chair he’d hung it on.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Out to look at the mailbox.”

“Why?” she asked. “It’s got a stamp on it. It’s not like it was hand delivered and you are going to find fingerprints.”

“Nope,” he said, “but whoever this is now knows where you live and I want it known someone else is here with a gun on.”

He moved out the front door, no jacket, his gun in the hostler on his shoulder. He made a production of moving around with it outside her house so if anyone was watching they’d know she was protected.

“Did you see anyone?” she asked when he returned. Their sandwiches were on the plates.

“No,” he said. “I don’t think we should stay here tonight. Or this weekend. Let’s pack a bag and go to my place.”

She took a deep breath. Then another. She was getting herself under control. “I don’t want to run because I got another letter.”

“Regan. They know where you live. It’s a threat. Your second one. It’s okay to be upset.”

“You’re not thinking it has to do with Sophia, are you?” she asked, frowning. “She left her job last week. She got another offer and moved to Charlotte closer to a cousin.”

He hadn’t known that. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It didn’t come up. I can still have sessions with her via video calls. That part of our agreement is over with now. It doesn’t concern her or you.”

“Has she said anything else?” he asked. “If someone was following her?”

He didn’t like this. He’d done a little bit more digging on his own but didn’t tell Regan. He didn’t want to worry her.

It looked to him that the head of security who dropped off the card had family ties back to a suspected Chinese drug lord. One that was currently being investigated by the DEA. Money could easily be laundered through the company. It was even possible that the owners had no clue.

Not his problem. He passed on what he had to someone he trusted on the force anonymously. In a mailed envelope, no trace coming from him.

He knew the detective who got it would look into it.

There was no way it could be traced back to him, let alone Regan.

Now he was starting to doubt that.

“She hasn’t said a word,” she said. “She was sad to leave but excited about the new job. She said her employers were upset to see her go but understood the opportunity. I’ve detected nothing that shows she’s concerned. If she’s not, then I shouldn’t be.”

“I don’t know what to think,” he said. “I need to go back to the timing of this.”

“I’m telling you, Zander. I don’t think it’s that. I just don’t know who it could be.”

“How many clients have you pissed off?”

“A few,” she said. “But most come back. It’s part of the process. Not everyone wants to be told they are wrong.”

“The first letter said you ruined everything. What did you ruin?”

“I don’t know,” she said, throwing her hands up. “But I’m not letting this get into my head either. It’s been months since the first letter.”

“And you thought it’d go away,” he said. “It’s not. Pack a bag.”

“No,” she said, crossing her arms. “Don’t tell me what to do. I told you I could handle myself. I even got a gun and learned to fire the damn thing. I can’t let this run me off. I can’t do my job if I run from these things. I can’t help my clients either if I’m almost fearful myself.”

He was grinding his teeth. She was being stubborn. He wanted to think he was more stubborn, but they’d get nowhere then if they continued to fight.

“I’m putting cameras outside your front door and back. I’ll have it monitored and on both of our phones. My father’s too.”

“Are you kidding me?” she said. “I’ll have no privacy.”

“Then just the two of us will have the app. What is the big deal? It’s not like I think you’ve got some other hot PI coming to visit you.”

She snorted. “You’re lucky you’re here right now.”

He was pushing it, he knew. “Remember how we talked about this before? I can be reasonable.”

“Doesn’t sound it to me,” she said.

“Just the two of us having it on our phones,” he repeated. “For your safety. Until we find out who this could be.”

“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re bargaining.”

“Deal or not?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know what to think.”

He went and got his laptop. “I’m going to check the cameras outside my office door and see if I can see who might have walked by.”

“What?” she asked. “You can see my clients?”

“Cool down,” he said. “Not unless they walk into my view. The most I can do is catch an article of clothing. But maybe we’ll notice something. The camera is angled inside my office toward the front door. It might catch people in the hallway, which means nothing. They could be going to any office and I’d have to zoom in.”

“That’s something at least. It’s not showing them going right into my office.”

“No. There is another office on our side they could be going to. I’d never put your business in jeopardy.” Even if he wanted to protect her.

He pulled up the camera recordings.

“Are you going to spend all weekend just looking at footage? If you think that is going to happen, you’re nuts. I’ve got things to do.”

She was right. It could take a long time to do it and he didn’t even know what he was looking for or what day.

But he also knew she was putting up a front right now to block her own fear. He learned enough about her that he’d give her this time to fight him knowing she’d come to her senses.

He wasn’t giving in though. He got his sandwich off the plate and sat on the couch and started to scroll through. She walked right past him with her sandwich and grabbed the remote to turn the TV on.

It went right to the news and the two of them didn’t talk for hours.

When ten rolled around, she didn’t say a word and just went upstairs to bed.He didn’t think she’d hold out this long before admitting she was scared.

He wasn’t getting anywhere and shut his laptop off and checked the house. She’d already locked the door, but he was doing one more sweep.

She didn’t say one word to him when he climbed into bed. Guess this was one of their first fights. Or true fights. At least before she would talk to him.

“Are you not talking to me now?”

“I talked to you,” she said. “I told you I wasn’t looking at footage all weekend. I had things to do. You didn’t reply and decided to bury your nose in the computer.”

She turned over and put her back to him.

He didn’t reply and realized she got the last word in again.