Chapter 17

I checked the main door was still locked – it was –then I closed and locked the windows. To make me feel better I tried to roll down the metal shutters again, but they didn’t work: the mechanism had been broken. I kept hold of the knife and called Gunnar.

‘Bunny?’ He sounded exasperated. ‘What did I say about you having time off?’

‘Someone broke into my house while I was sleeping. They got the metal shutters up and they painted a threat on my walls.’

Gunnar let loose a barrage of swear words that had me raising my eyebrows; it was rare to hear him curse. ‘I’m on my way,’ he promised and hung up. While I waited for him to join me I took photographs, careful not to touch anything so we could preserve any evidence.

I was determined not to be a damsel in distress, even if my hands hadn’t quite stopped shaking. This was the worst possible violation. Someone had broken into my home while I was sleeping. Fluffy and I had been so bone tired we hadn’t heard a thing. What good was supernatural hearing if it didn’t work when I was out cold?

Gunnar arrived and brushed for prints but, predictably, we found nothing on any doorknobs or handles. The intruders had worn gloves. He confirmed that the metal shutter mechanism looked like it had been deliberately broken and took photographs of it. ‘I’ll call Ernie and see if I can get him over to change your locks and sort the shutters,’ he said.

I shivered. ‘You think someone has a key to my house?’

He shrugged. ‘It’s possible. This is borough housing and they might not have changed the locks after the last resident left.’ He watched the questions churn in my eyes. ‘Yes, that’s the first thing I’ll check when I get back. I’ll see if the previous resident still lives in town or if they’ve moved on.’

I bit my lip. ‘It could be Nora Sullivan,’ I ventured. ‘She hates the barrier and she could have teleported in. I told her that her only daughter was dead. She may have some misplaced anger focused on me.’

‘I’ll check her out,’ Gunnar promised. ‘Now put this behind you and enjoy your day off. I’ll contact the borough insurance and arrange a budget for some paint.’

‘Thanks.’ It would suck to see the reminder of how my inner peace had been violated while I waited for the borough grant, but I needed to look at it as an opportunity to paint my walls a new colour.

Gunnar left; sure enough, less than an hour later Ernie showed up. ‘Hey, Ernie,’ I greeted him with a smile.

‘Hey, little lady. Heard you had some trouble.’ He thrust a takeaway cup of chai latte at me. My favourite.

‘Thanks,’ I said, suddenly feeling teary at the small act of kindness. There was good in the world.

Ernie looked panicked. ‘If you cry, I’ll leave.’

That was enough to make me grin. ‘I’ll keep it locked down.’

‘Good,’ he said gruffly. ‘We can’t have a vampire crying about town. Mackenzie wouldn’t hear the end of it from Ahmaogak.’

‘We wouldn’t want that,’ I agreed.

Ernie was hard to age; I’d put him in his early sixties but he could have been a decade either side of that. He was chewing tobacco but he hacked and spat it out before he came inside.

He hummed and hawed as he examined the locks, then shook his head over the state of the mechanism for the shutters. ‘Some people got no respect,’ he muttered. ‘It ain’t right.’ He patted me on the shoulder. ‘We”ll get you fixed up, but you need to get yourself some wards. They’re pricey but they’re worth paying for.’ It had been on my to-do list for a while, but it looked like it was now rocketing up to the top.

A truck rumbled into sight: Connor. He parked up and hopped out carrying a bouquet of flowers. He frowned a little as he spotted Ernie tinkering with my locks. ‘Everything okay?’ he asked.

‘I had a little break in,’ I said as cheerfully as I could manage. ‘We’re all fine. They did some redecorating.’

His jaw clenched. ‘May I come in?’

‘Sure.’

He passed me the flowers but the gesture was abrupt rather than romantic. Then he pushed past me into the living room and stared at the words on the wall with his fists clenched. ‘I will find out who did this,’ he promised darkly.

I raised my chin. ‘I will find out who did this.’

Connor’s dark rage faded from his eyes to be replaced by amusement. ‘You probably will, at that. But can I get a witch here to get this place warded for you?’

‘I’d been planning to do the same thing,’ I admitted.

‘There’s a wait list. I’ll need to pull some strings to get you to the top of it.’

I bit my thumb. I did want the wards but not at the expense of someone else’s place in the queue. ‘No, I can’t do that.’

He sighed. ‘I’ll get a witch to do it on top of whoever else they planned to help today. No one will be bumped. Okay?’

I considered that as I looked at the red paint drying on my walls. ‘Okay,’ I agreed. Only an idiot would say no; I was lots of things but I tried hard not to embrace idiocy. ‘Thanks.’

Connor stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. The delicious zing shuddered through me. ‘I’m sorry someone came into your home.’

I leaned into his warmth and let his solid presence settle me. He got it, of course he did. ‘Thanks. I’ll be okay.’

He pulled back, studying me in that way that he had. A small smile teased the edge of his mouth. ‘Of course you will. Do you want to postpone our date?’

I pushed back from him and put my hands on my hips. ‘Absolutely not! I’m not missing that for anything. I’ve been looking forward to it.’

Connor’s voice lowered an octave. ‘Me too,’ he admitted huskily. He pulled me flush against his hard, muscular body; clearly he wasn’t done cuddling. I could get behind that plan – I would take all the hugs I could get.

‘That’s the doors all done,’ Ernie said as he strode in. ‘Oh sorry. Didn’t know y’all were… Well, now.’ His ruddy cheeks reddened and I could see him rethinking his earlier remark about Connor.

I flushed. ‘Thanks Ernie.’ I stepped back. ‘Can you sort the metal shutters for me?’

‘You bet. I’ll get on that now. Right now.’ He walked out quickly.

‘We embarrassed Ernie.’ I rubbed my forehead.

Connor looked amused. ‘Ernie’s been around a long time. He’ll get over it.’

‘Thanks for my flowers. I’ll put them in water. You’d better go. I need time to beautify myself for later.’

‘You’re beautiful the way you are.’

‘Smooth,’ I teased.

‘Maybe, but it’s completely true. You’re beautiful, Bunny Barrington, inside and out.’

That made me blush again. Plenty of people had complimented me on my looks, but this was the first time I could recall someone complimenting me on who I was. That felt far more real. Beauty was only skin deep but who I was … that was everything. And I’d been trying so hard to be a new Bunny, a better Bunny. I was on the road to self-improvement and it was rocky, but I was still moving forward and that was a win.

‘Thanks,’ I said again, but it came out as a whisper.

Connor’s eyes softened. He held me again, gently this time, and brushed his lips against my forehead before releasing me and walking away. ‘Until later,’ he called. He climbed into his truck and roared off, leaving me with Ernie, the flowers and a singing heart.