15. Mike

15

MIKE

I kept hold of Lila's hand as we watched Jude and another officer dust the door of her car for fingerprints. In the light of day, the scratches on the car seemed deeper—and angrier.

I wanted to believe this was the work of some bored and stupid kid looking to cause mayhem on a summer night, but the large and deliberate letters looked too full of hate to be random.

Aaron had said that he would work on her car when I arrived this morning. After I dropped Lila off at my father's office, I'd get this erased as soon as possible so she never had to look at it again.

Erasing it from her mind wouldn't be as easy.

"Why don't you finish getting ready for work?" I stepped in front of Lila, my attempt to shield her from what she'd seen, even though I knew it would be on her mind all day.

"You know I've already seen it. Trying to hide it now is pointless. How do you plan on driving me to work and hiding it?" She crossed her arms, cocking a brow at me.

I yanked her to me and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I bet I could distract you a little bit." I kissed her again, dragging her bottom lip between my teeth as I pulled away. "Go get ready." I swatted her hip. "I think Jude is almost done."

She shook her head, feathering her hand down my cheek as a tiny smile ghosted her mouth before she turned to Jude.

"Jude, thank you for being here so early."

The corner of his mouth curved up.

"Thanks aren't necessary, Lila. You're family and one of our own. I'm just sorry this happened."

She nodded and headed back inside, exhaustion in her every step as she trudged toward her door.

Fuck this guy for what he'd done to her, and if he was back to do it again, I'd break every single police protocol there was to keep him away from her for good.

Jude frowned as he studied the car. I tried to read him, but a frown was his baseline when he was on duty. The only time I'd ever really seen him smile was around his wife and son, but he had a big heart under all that surly demeanor.

He knew enough about why Lila had moved here to take this more seriously than the other cases of vandalism from last night, even though I hoped like hell we'd find out they were related.

I almost wished we'd find his prints, so we'd have just cause to get a warrant to check on exactly where Ted was and what he'd been up to since Lila left Philly.

As close as I was to Keith, he wouldn't let me abuse the system without a reason solid enough to look.

Unless I went around him, which I'd never been so tempted to do before now.

"Do the Francos have cameras?" Jude asked, looking back at the house.

"No," I said. "I'd suggested a doorbell camera, but they told me it was a waste of money."

"Of course they did," Jude said, shaking his head. "At least they lock their doors at night. Outdoor cameras are how we got those kids last night. If we could've made a match with video here, then we would have been able to know for sure."

I nodded, knowing and hating what he meant. If we found no prints on her car, we wouldn't know who did this, and Lila would go back to fearing the dark because this fucker might be lurking in it.

"The only one around here who has cameras is Mrs. Scarpullo, and that's because she wants to catch Mrs. Wagner's dog on her property. She has cameras all around that house now." I pointed down the street.

"Well, that's a different kind of headache," he said with a heavy sigh. "How's Lila holding up?"

"Shaken up and embarrassed," I said. "She's afraid that my father's going to fire her and not want her near me or my sister, and that we're all going to want her to leave town."

Jude nodded, a deeper frown pulling at his mouth.

"Claudia told me that the cops brushed it off when she tried to file a report back in Philly. Some don't take harassment seriously if there's nothing physical involved, but what they don't realize, or don't care about, is that if someone is that angry and obsessed?—"

"I know. It means physical violence could be the next step." I pinched the back of my neck, a mix of rage and fear rushing through me as I imagined Ted waiting somewhere in the shadows to hurt Lila then and possibly now.

"I'm ready," Lila said, coming back over to us. "Anything?"

"We saw some prints, but they could be yours or Mike's," Jude said. "Do you have a record of any of the times he tried to contact you? Notes, emails, voice messages? Even if this turns out not to be him, starting a file is a good idea. I hope we never need it, but it could be helpful, just in case."

"I downloaded all his voice messages and even his texts. I kept all his emails too, but I threw out his gifts, so I don't have anything tangible."

"Those are good," Jude said. "Put them on a flash drive and give them to me. Again, I'm not sure if we could use them if it ever came down to it, but they're good to have."

"That's what Mike said," Lila said, smiling up at me as she slid her palm against mine. We should have been high on each other this morning instead of full of dread that this asshole might be back trying to terrorize Lila all over again.

"Mike is a good cop. My best advice for now is don't panic yet. Stay vigilant. See if you can talk to Kathy and Terry about getting a doorbell camera."

"If Kathy and Terry let me stay here," Lila scoffed.

"Why wouldn't they?" I said, grabbing her arm. "Trust me, no one is going to mess with them or you in this house."

"No one messes with them, period," Jude said, flashing Lila an unusual grin and drawing a soft chuckle out of her.

"When Jude is done, I'd like to see if I could go in early," Lila whispered. "I need to talk to your father and see if I still have a job?—"

"Of course you do," I said, dipping my head to meet her gaze. "Stop that."

"Mike, as good of a man as your father is, I would understand him not wanting any potential trouble. I should have been honest from the?—"

"I already talked to him. I called him early this morning." I held up a hand when her jaw dropped. "I know I overstepped, but I was afraid you'd just go in and quit."

"W-what did you tell him?" she stammered, searching my gaze.

"I gave him a quick rundown about what happened with Ted in Philly and what happened to your car."

I slid my hand over the nape of her neck and squeezed.

"You still have a job, sweetheart. All he said was that he's sorry you felt that you had to keep this to yourself all this time, and no one is going to hurt you at work or anywhere else."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"People care about you here. I know this all really sucks—" I tipped my chin to where Jude was finishing up behind me "—but doesn't it feel good not to hide it anymore? To know that people are aware and watching out for you?"

Lila exhaled a long gust of air, pressing her fingers into her temple as she nodded.

"It does. Jake has been a great boss. I just hated the thought of him angry at me because I lied."

"You didn't lie. So, as far as your workday goes, nothing changes. I'll get your car fixed, pick you up later, and work on all the ways I can make you forget tonight." I brought her into my arms, letting my hands slide down her back. "If you're not too sore. Even if you are, I know a million ways to get you out of your head. How does that sound, Delilah?"

Her hazel eyes were glossy as they held mine, a quiet laugh escaping her.

"Sounds good, Mikey," she whispered, pecking my lips before dropping her head to my chest.

I'd become a cop in the first place to protect the ones I loved from danger. But I'd never felt more helpless and useless.

"I feel bad that you're wasting your morning off at Aaron's garage," Lila told me as I pulled her car in front of Russo's Contracting.

"I've spent a few days off there. It's not a big deal. I promise."

She nodded, darting her eyes from me to the front door.

"Once again, he knows, he's fine, and you have nothing to worry about." I cupped her cheek and brought her in for a kiss. It was soft at first until she grabbed the back of my head and slipped her tongue into my mouth.

Fuck, she tasted good.

She whimpered as the kiss caught fire with a new kind of passion. Our mouths crashed together as she held on to me, her nails digging into my back as if she were afraid I'd slip away or she'd have to let me go.

I wouldn't let that happen.

"Look at me, sweetheart," I panted as I forced my lips away from hers, scrambling to figure out a way to end this panic spiral she was falling into.

"It's going to be fine. Ask my father how no one gets away with anything for long in this town." I brushed her lips, then went back in for more, loving the novelty of kissing her whenever I wanted, instead of talking myself out of it.

She wasn't going anywhere now that I finally had her.

"I should give you my credit card."

I grabbed her hand as she dug into her purse.

"You can owe me. I know where you live." I brushed her lips again. "Have a good day at work, baby."

She nodded and climbed out of the car, giving me one last glance before disappearing inside my father's office.

I love you was on the tip of my tongue, but I was afraid of her panic, not mine, if I let it slip out.

I laughed to myself as I pulled in front of the garage. When something, or someone, finally seemed right, too soon didn't matter and too much became not enough.

"Hey, man," Aaron said as he examined Lila's car door.

"Shit," he muttered as he took in the damage. "She doesn't have much luck with cars, does she?"

"You could say that. A few kids were picked up for vandalizing last night. This was probably one of them."

He nodded as he leaned closer.

"These damn kids. We were never like this."

"We had my dad and your mom, plus Keith hanging around sometimes. Some kids aren't as scared straight as we were." I stuffed my hands into my pockets, my blood boiling each time I read that horrible word on Lila's car door.

"Still. I never understood things like this, even back then. Why is destroying someone's property for the hell of it fun?"

His nose turned up in disgust as he stepped closer.

"Are you sure a kid did this, Russo?" He peered up at me as he ran his finger over the scratches. "Most kids would be in a hurry or scratch in something quick and simple. Whoever did this took their time to carve out every letter."

"I know," I admitted. "We had the car dusted for prints, so we'll see."

"I can't see anyone wanting to do this to Lila. I've only met her a few times, but she's nice and still kind of new here. How much could she piss someone off working for your father all day and hanging out with you in her spare time?"

"I agree," was all I could say because I couldn't see it either, and I was ready to lose my mind trying to figure out how to stop it.

"Hey, Mike. Having car trouble?"

I stiffened at the sound of Amber's voice. I'd hoped to get Lila's car fixed without anyone but Aaron and his crew seeing it or knowing who it belonged to.

Amber was a friend, but I didn't want to explain to her or anyone else what could be going on or embarrass Lila any more than she already was, and the damage was too big to hide.

"Hey. No, not today. Lila's car was vandalized last night, so I brought it here to get fixed while she's at work. They keyed up her car and broke her window."

"Oh, that's too bad." Amber frowned. "I heard about a few kids causing trouble around your neighborhood."

Her dark brows pulled together as she glanced over at the car. I stepped in front of her as Aaron huddled with one of his workers by the scratches, hoping she didn't catch the slur he was trying to remove.

"Everything okay?" I asked her, stepping close enough to her to make her walk back to one of the chairs on the side.

"Just here for an oil change," she said as I followed her to the waiting chairs and took the one in front of her, shifting in the seat to block the view of Lila's car.

"It's nice of you to bring in Lila's car. You're a good neighbor," she quipped, leaning back with her arms crossed.

"Well, Lila's a lot more than my neighbor," I said as Amber's eyes grew wide.

"Really? You sure it's wise to dip your pen in the Russo's Contracting ink?" She snickered. "I'm surprised you're hooking up with someone who works for your father."

"It's not exactly like that."

"Well, it's not like she's your girlfriend. You never do those."

I bunched my shoulders, my gaze drifting to the sparks of light from the sander coasting over Lila's car door before turning back to Amber.

"Not usually, no."

"You're kidding me," she said, her eyes saucer wide. "Your father's office manager is your first girlfriend since… Wow, I can't even remember."

"Lila is special," I said, a smile I couldn't help drifting across my lips despite the ominous roll in my stomach. She was beautiful, special, and didn't deserve any of this.

"I had a feeling back at the festival there was something brewing between the two of you when you were her tour guide ."

She held up her fingers in air quotes.

"And then when I saw you that night holding hands, but you insisted that you were just friends. Even though I had a feeling you were full of shit, I believed you."

"Yeah, well, I knew I was full of shit at the time, too," I joked, expecting her to laugh, not search my gaze as if she thought I'd lost my mind.

"I'm just surprised," she finally said. "I can't even remember the last time you dated anyone more than a few nights, never mind took their car to get fixed." She glanced over to where Aaron was still working on Lila's door.

"She's…different. Beautiful, amazing. It all shocked me as much as anyone, even though I fought against it at first."

"Because she works for your father or because she's so much older than you?"

My head popped up as I squinted at Amber.

"She's not that much older than me. She's only thirty-two."

"I didn't think you were into cougars," she said, smirking as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"I'm into her ," I said with a defensive edge in my voice. "I would think you'd be happy for me."

"I am. I'm sorry, Mike," she breathed out, dragging her hand through her short hair. "I just found out my ex-husband and ex-coworker are getting married. I'm in a sour mood and in a love-sucks frame of mind."

She dropped her chin to her chest, her mouth pulling down as she stared at Aaron's concrete floor.

"I'm sorry," I said. "That does suck, Amber."

"Thanks," she said, not looking up. "But enough about my sad love life. Do you think Lila is the one ?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at me.

I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. I'd never believed in "the one." I'd also never believed in love at first sight or an immediate and all-consuming connection to someone I hardly knew, but after the past few months, I didn't know how else to explain it.

"Could be," I allowed.

"The hesitation and that dopey grin on your face don't seem like a could be ," she said, pointing a finger at me.

"It's a little more than could be. Or a lot more. All I know is that I'm fucking crazy about her."

I turned my head to Amber's glossy gaze.

"I know I've been a shitty friend. I'm sorry I've been all over the place this summer."

"You have been a little scattered." She smiled, but I spied the hurt in her eyes. "But I get it. Enjoy it."

I grabbed her hand. "I'm here for you. You know that."

"It's okay, Mike." She patted the top of my hand. "I understand, and I'm glad you're happy. Really, I am. Just a little shocked to see you commit to anyone."

A few months ago, that word would have made me break out in a cold sweat. But committing to Lila didn't spook me. I should have been unnerved how fine I was with it.

Other than her talking about bolting because she didn't want to bring us trouble.

"Excuse me," I told Amber when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

"Hey, Mike. It's Jude. We're trying to get the prints run quickly, but it may be a while. Keith is trying to contact the Albany Police Department to see if we can use their system."

Police in bigger cities had more funding and access to digital forensics and technology. If they helped us, it would cut the waiting time in half.

"Either way, it's going to take a bit, but we're working on expediting it."

"Thank you," I said, heading toward the hallway near Aaron's office for some privacy. "I get it."

Keith didn't contact Albany unless it was a larger crime scene. I gave thanks for being a cop with an extra connection to the chief, but Keith hated stalkers, especially when an ex-partner or spouse was responsible.

"It's hard when you need the answer for someone you care about. The kids that we picked up spray-painted slut on somebody's door last night too, and it was an older lady so it didn't seem like a deliberate target. This still could be part of that."

"I hope," I said, rubbing my temple. "I'd have an easier time pinning it on them if the marks weren't so deep."

"Me too. You also don't know. One of them could have been showing off by making a bigger mark. Until the prints come back, it's unfortunately conjecture at this point."

"Conjecture when it's someone you care about sucks." I let out a long breath and rubbed my eyes.

"Trust me, I know. But for right now, I would tell Lila what I told her this morning. This is most likely nothing, but it's good that we all know what happened to her before she came to town. She should still stay aware, but it sounds like she was anyway."

"She was," I said, letting my head fall back in angry frustration. Just when she'd started to have an easier time leaving her apartment, this had to set her back.

"Ask her to get me that flash drive as soon as she can so I can keep it here."

"Thank you, Jude," I said with a loud exhale. "I'll tell her."

"I also don't think it's a bad idea to see if the Francos would get a doorbell camera, at least on Lila's door. The hardware store installs them for a good price."

"And my father is their best customer. Maybe if he talks to them, they can do it for an even better cost—or one Kathy and Terry will consider. I'll see what I can do. And thank you again, Jude. I appreciate it."

"Of course. Stick by her for a little while, which I think you were going to do anyway."

"I was. Thanks again." I chuckled and ended the call. It would be tough to wait for the prints, but we could deal with this. I'd rebuild every piece of furniture Kathy and Terry had if they installed cameras.

"What was that all about?"

I jumped when I found Amber behind me, eyeing me as I stuffed my phone back into my pocket.

"Big case?"

"I had Jude check for prints on Lila's car this morning."

"Why would he dust for prints if it was just the kids acting up last night? Does she have anybody coming after her or something?"

I'd known Amber for most of my life, and while I'd told Lila it was good if people knew, she wouldn't want it broadcast, and neither did I.

My family knew, and Jude and Keith knew. Until things escalated, which I hoped to God they wouldn't, I'd keep it to only those who needed to know and be aware.

"It's standard," I lied. "Are you almost finished with school? This semester is it, right?"

"Almost," she said, leaning against the wall, thankfully accepting the change in subject. "If I can pass all my credits, I will finish by the January semester."

"That's great. We should all go and celebrate then."

"Oh, if you're not busy, sure," she said, a wry smile lifting her lips.

"I won't be busy. Graduating is a big deal."

"Amber," Sally, Aaron's floor manager, called from one of the bays. "You're all done."

"Time to study and then go to work. The fun life I lead," she joked and shifted to head over. "And listen, I'm sorry if I made you feel guilty. I'm in the throes of my own pity party and need to snap out of it. Especially when one of my oldest friends is in his first official relationship."

"I suppose I am," I said as a smile ripped across my mouth.

"And it doesn't scare you? How you've grown, Russo." She pressed a dramatic hand to her chest.

"Imagine that," I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "So, we're good?"

"Of course. Come by for a drink this week. We can catch up a little more," she said, squeezing my arm before heading to the main office.

Aaron still looked like he was in the thick of it when I dialed my father.

"Hey, did Jude find out anything?"

"Nope," I told my father. "The prints will take a while, but it could have been random."

"I spoke to Keith. He told me the station looked like a principal's office this morning. A fair-sized bunch of punks were on the prowl in your neighborhood last night."

"And it never relieved me before now." I coughed out a laugh. "Or almost. I'll be happier when we confirm one of those jackasses did this. How is she?"

"Quiet. Been engrossed in the books since she came in. I hate how she's been keeping this to herself all this time and never said a word," he whispered.

"I know. It took her a bit to tell me too."

"But she did. I'm glad she has you." I heard the smile in his voice. "And she really does, doesn't she?"

"Yes. She really does. I'll be over as soon as Aaron and the guys are done. Think you could give her a couple of hours off today?"

"Absolutely. And Mike, I'd never fire her over this or want her away from my family because of what some psycho is putting her through."

"I told her that this morning."

A long silence dangled between us, and I could picture the deep furrow in his brow as he rubbed his temple.

"But be careful. Both of you. She told me a little about what her ex did before she moved, and if this is him and he knows she's with someone else?—"

"I know, Dad. We'll be careful, but I won't give her up because of him or anyone else."

"I didn't say that. I said, cop or not, just watch yourself. I'm your father. Worrying about my kids is what I do."

"And you're awesome at it," I said, not wanting to get into it. I hoped being a cop would make it easier to protect Lila, but Dad was right. If Ted was still angry enough to come find her after all these months, I'd be a target too if he found out about us.

Or maybe he already had and that was why he'd called her a whore in the ugliest way possible. We had only truly been together for a day, but if Lila really was being watched, we'd looked together for a while—at least enough to make family and friends assume.

"Let me go check on Aaron. He said he'd probably be done at three."

"All right. You can surprise her with leaving early when you get here. See you later, Officer Russo."

My father always worried about me, and I was sure I'd taken some years off his life when I'd joined the police department.

But this wasn't only his usual overthinking. This threat was real, but no matter what her ex would try to throw at her this time, I wasn't going anywhere.

Because Lila was worth the risk.