Without a doubt, I remembered triple locking the house before I left that morning, but now it was unlocked and open for anyone to enter. I called 9-1-1 on my phone and locked the doors in the car, parking out in front of the house. Fear raced through me. Someone might attack and abduct me if I showed up outside without a weapon: not that I would know how to use the damn thing anyway.
“9-1-1. What’s your emergency please?”
“Hello? Please come by my place. Someone broke into my house.” I enunciated my address to the police and the details of the surroundings of my house. They advised me to go to any nearby neighbor’s house and stay. Seeing Hunter’s lights on, I knew he and his son were inside. Shit. I had no clue what to do.
I sat there, lost in indecision until the sound of sirens filled the air around me. As the cop car pulled up, I got out and walked toward him. Hunter’s door opened, and he walked out in jeans and a t-shirt, his shoes off and his hair a mess.
Had I not been terrified of what I was going to find in my house, I would have stared him down with unabashed intent. He was beyond gorgeous. Vince jogged up beside him, reaching up and taking his hand. My heart melted. How cute were the two of them, living life together?
“Hey. What’s going on?” Concern crossed Hunter’s handsome face as he walked toward me. “You okay?”
“I don’t know.” I glanced over at the cop car. He’d pulled right up to the house, and two of them had their guns drawn and were going into the open front door. I jumped and yelped as Hunter squeezed my shoulder.
“Hey. It’s just me. I’m sorry.” He gave me a warm smile.
“You okay, lady?” Vince asked, reaching up and slipping his hand into mine. “You look upset.”
I smiled down at him. “I just got home from shopping all day. Well, working and shopping.” I glanced over to Hunter, not quite sure why I felt the need to tell him that I was working. I was such an idiot sometimes. “The house was open. Like the front door was wide open.” I let out a soft sigh. “I saw someone driving around the other day, and it seemed suspicious. I don’t know. I just called the cops.”
“Good. You should have.” Hunter released me as his eyes moved across my face. “Come on. Everything’s going to be okay. Come with me and Vincent and let the cops do their job.” He extended his hand toward me, and I took it without question.
“Come join our movie night!” Vince yelled with excitement. We were just making popcorn.
“No, buddy. She’s gotta lot going on. Let’s just help her through this, and if she wants to come over after the cops leave, she can.” He gave me an apologetic look, stealing my heart for the millionth time. I’d never been in his house, but I loved the idea of going over there now. I was freaked the fuck out.
“Are you the owner of the house?” A cop walked toward us.
I pulled my hands away from the guys and walked toward him. “Yes. I’m Kylie Tomms. This is my house.”
Hunter moved up beside me, standing close as if he were ready to protect me from any and everything. He had no idea how much it meant to me.
“Detective Jones. We found nothing lost, Ms. Tomms. Although one of your windows was smashed, we can’t find any trace of the object used. Still, we will investigate the evidence left behind.”
Although nothing was taken, I still felt unsafe going back in there.
“Thanks, Officer,” I replied as I watched the other officer head back toward the house. Hunter was still by my side, listening the entire time.
“Well, damn. First the hogs and now this.” He gave me an apologetic look. “Come over to my place for the night. I know we barely know each other, but we’ve been neighbors for six years. It’s the least I can do.”
“No. I’ll just go stay with my mom. I don’t want to be a burden, and honestly, I don’t feel safe staying here anymore.”
“You’re not a burden, and you need to stay here. That’s the best thing to do during this situation. That way if they come back, we’ll both be watching for them.” He looked concerned.
Come back? I swallowed hard.
“Hunter, is your gun shop open tomorrow? Can I come by?” I managed to work up the courage to speak to him, far surpassing my two-word record before that night. It was irrelevant at this point, my head still thinking about the threat to my life and property.
“Yeah, sure thing. I’ll be there all day,” he replied, looking at his son who was holding his hand tightly. He was watching the cops moving around my house, checking all the details they could use to trace the culprit who broke my window.
“Great. I’ll come and buy a gun. I always thought our neighborhood was safe. Maybe things have changed.”
I thought of the town we lived in. We knew almost everyone around, and I could not say anything bad about the people who lived in Mesquite. Perhaps outsiders had planned on robbing our houses and getting away without getting caught.
“You sure about going to your mom’s?” There was a neediness in his voice that surprised me. Maybe I was making it up. Did he want me to spend the night? Sure felt like it.
“Yeah. I need to see her. She’ll be pissed if I tell her about it tomorrow and she knows I didn’t come over there.” I offered him a kind smile. “Can you keep an eye on the place? Please?”
“Yeah, of course. Come by tomorrow and I’ll get you set up with a gun and teach you to use it.” He licked the side of his mouth and studied me. “And I’ll be right here next door all the time, anytime, if you need me.”