Intense

I fell asleep sitting in the nursery, terrified and worried, Mason sleeping soundly by my side.

8

Emory

I was up at the crack of fucking dawn and moving around Tara’s neighborhood silently.

Omar knew I was here, but I was still hoping I could catch him unaware. But as the hours slipped past, I didn’t find a single fucking peep. I didn’t know who Omar was working with, so I was keeping my eyes open. But as far as I could tell, the neighborhood was clear of any surveillance.

He’d probably pulled back as soon as I showed up. He knew me, or at least knew what I was capable of.

I couldn’t help but keep thinking about the day before, at the café. I couldn’t think of a single reason why Omar would be sitting out in the open more or less. Maybe I should have gone after him then and there, but there were too many people around, too many innocent bystanders.

He had to have been taunting me. I couldn’t think of any other reason why Omar would sit there where he was easily seen. He had more skill than that, more training; he knew exactly what he was doing. That bastard was just rubbing it in my fucking face.

Which really pissed me off. I reached back and felt the grip of my weapon, squeezing it reassuringly. I couldn’t fucking wait to put a bullet between his scumbag eyes, to take him out of this world forever before he hurt another person.

As I moved across the neighborhood, I watched Tara’s parents get into their car and pull out. I briefly wondered if she told them and then decided that she hadn’t. I was monitoring their incoming and outgoing calls, or at least I was watching who was calling and who they were calling, and I hadn’t seen anything strange at all. I wasn’t actually listening to what they were saying, because I wasn’t a total fucking creep, but I had to know if Omar tried to contact them.

So far, they were clean. No, Tara hadn’t told them. I checked my watch, and it was just about seven in the morning. As I walked up her driveway, I figured her parents had just left for church.

It took me a few seconds to pick their front door lock and slip inside. I shut the door softly behind me and glanced at the stairs leading up.

I could easily sneak up and give Tara a nice surprise. I was willing to bet she’d thank me for it.

Instead, I went into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast.

Not long later, Tara came downstairs just as I was just finishing up the bacon. She stopped, stared at me, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and then stared at me again.

“My, mother,” she said, “how big you’ve gotten.”

I grinned at her. “The better to make your body sweat, my dear.”

She shook her head and crossed her arms. “Why did you break into my house?”

“Cooking you breakfast.”

“That seems like something an insane person would do.”

“Probably,” I said, grinning. “But this is fucking delicious.”

She sighed and sat down at the table. “Coffee?”

“Sure.” I poured her a mug and put it in front of her. “Eggs, bacon, pancakes?”

She sighed, almost as if she were resigned to her fate. “All three, please.”

I made her up a plate and put it in front of her. “Enjoy.”

She took a bite of the eggs. “Seriously, why did you break into my house?”

“I haven’t seen anything from Omar, which worries me. I wasn’t leaving you alone in this house.”

“Mason will be up soon,” she said.

“Mason can’t protect you,” I pointed out.

“He’s stronger than he looks.”

“Of course he is. He’s my son after all. I bet that toddler could take most grown men in a fight, no problem.”

“Is that how you measure strength?”

“It’s the only strength I know, princess.” I made myself a plate and sat down across from her, digging in.

I could feel her watching me, and that was fine. This was a weird situation, and she needed to get used to the idea of me being around.

At least until Omar was caught. Past that, who knew what was going to happen.

“I didn’t tell them, you know,” she said.

“I know.”

“How?”

“You didn’t call the police.”

She paused. “You’re monitoring our calls or something?”

“I am, but that’s not how I know.”

She clenched her jaw. “You can’t spy on us.”

“I’m just checking to make sure Omar doesn’t contact you. I’m not listening.”

“Emory, this is so weird.”

I put my fork down and sipped my coffee. “I know that. I get it. But the threat is real.”