Still Jaded (Jaded 2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

My eyes never closed for the rest of the night. Around four in the morning, I got up. I intended to get a drink from the kitchen, but when I got there a movement made me freeze in the doorway. I saw a figure of someone in the window. The person jiggled the window back and forth. When a small alarm sounded in the air, they stopped. The high-pitched whistle also stopped. Then they looked up and I gasped.

It was Marcus Donadeli with his hair waving in the wind. His eyes were cold and his jaw was clenched tight. He stared back at me. Then I screamed. He vanished, as if into the thin air, but I kept screaming until Corrigan turned the lights on. When that switch happened, something flipped in me. I ran to the front door and threw it open. Then I ran around the patio. No one. I ran the other way and I still didn't see anyone.

"Sheldon?" Corrigan came up behind me. He laid a hand on my bare shoulder.

I flinched, but didn't push him away when he slid down to my hand. That's when he took something from me, and I looked at it, dazed.

Corrigan brandished a butcher knife in his hands. His eyes narrowed, and he frowned. "Who'd you think was out here?"

My eyes widened. I had no memory of grabbing the knife. I didn't… I hadn't even thought that I stepped foot in the kitchen.

Corrigan chuckled. "You mean business when you mean business."

I choked out, "I saw Marcus at the window." When I heard myself, I looked up, almost desperate. I knew I sounded insane, but I wasn't.

Corrigan didn't look away. He'd sobered as soon as I said Marcus' name. "I'm sure you think you did."

"Do you think I'm crazy?" My heart was beating so fast.

"Well…"

"Corrigan!" I punched him.

He laughed and caught my hand. "Do I think you're crazy? No. Do I think you saw Marcus Donadeli? No. I think you saw someone trying to get in, and your mind jumped to the last real threat we've had. You didn't see Marcus. He's dead."

"When you say it like that, I feel stupid."

"Don't feel stupid. It's normal. I probably would've seen Marcus too." Corrigan squeezed my shoulder as he went inside. "I'm going to call the cops."

"Press one of the buttons."

It wasn’t long before we learned the buttons worked. My entire front yard was covered with flashing squad lights. Police were canvassing the lawn, looking for any signs of an actual intruder. Officer Sheila stood on the patio with her notepad in hand. She swept her calm gaze over us. "Okay. What happened?"

Corrigan lifted a hand. "Exactly how I just told you. Sheldon thought she saw Marcus. We didn't find anything. I pressed a button."

She frowned. "About those buttons—who did your security?"

Corrigan and I looked at each other. He answered, "Some company."

Her eyes narrowed further and they skirted between the two of us. "There's no identifying information. I've never seen this handiwork."

"I don't remember who I called. I have a business card somewhere…" Corrigan stood up.

Officer Sheila waved him back down. "Sit. We're fine. They know what they're doing. From the looks of it, that security saved the intruder from getting in. They got past the gate, but the windows and doors stopped them. Good job, Sheldon. You finally got a security system that works, but there's no footage on the cameras. The tech guy said you never hit the record button."

Corrigan snorted.

Oh god. I wanted to plant my forehead into the wall.

She frowned again and then gestured around the house. "The panic buttons are smart. Don't accidentally hit them if you're having a party or something, although any social gatherings are not a good idea for you. Where's the other musketeer?"

I froze in place. Corrigan stiffened.

"Bryce? Where's he at? He's usually a lot more informative than you two." She looked between us.

Then Corrigan said curtly, "He's busy."

Her eyes narrowed again and she studied us for a minute. Some decision flashed over her face, and then she turned away. "Okay. Well, we got nothing on who shoved you, Sheldon. I'm sure whoever it was, is the same person who tried to get in tonight. I can't be sure, of course, but you know how it is."

"Is that it? Someone's trying to hurt Sheldon again and all you're going to say is that's 'how it is.'!" Corrigan shot to his feet.

She eyed him frostily. "Isn't that why you're here? What do you expect from us? The last time this happened, the three of you took matters into your own hands. Sheldon ended up in the hospital and then she took off for a month. Speaking of, where'd you go? You shouldn't leave in the middle of an investigation."

"Was I a suspect?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course not, but it's not smart. That person could've followed you."

"She went to a friend's place." Corrigan folded his arms over his chest.

"Uh huh. That's all I'm going to get, isn't it? You know, Corrigan, I'm not the enemy. I'm not the one trying to hurt her. I'm trying to protect her."

"You suck at your job."

"Corrigan." I laid a hand on his arm, but it was tense. Too tense. I sucked in my breath and my eyes snapped to his. That's when I saw his anger simmering underneath his surface. Most people saw the joking Corrigan or the womanizing Corrigan. This was the loyal Corrigan and he was pissed. I stood and regarded Officer Sheila. "People get to us no matter what we do. I've had parties in the past, but that's over. No more. I'm not going to be stupid. I might go to a party, but I won't have one here."

"Sheldon."

"I'm not going to stop living because someone's pissed at me. If I lived like that, I wouldn't go anywhere ever! Do you know how many people hate me?" Add an entire sorority house now…

She groaned. "You make me go crazy sometimes. This is why we can't help you. You won't let us. You won't listen to us. Do you want a police escort? We can offer that."

Corrigan shook his head. "No. I'll take her to school and back. I'll be with her except when she's in classes. And I can get one of the fraternity brothers to watch her at all times. The guys like Sheldon. They're worried about her too."

She eyed him. "And if one of those guys wants her dead? Or hurt?"

His eyes shot to hers and his anger shown there. He bit out, "They won't."—or they'd have him to deal with. The threat hung in the air, though no one commented on it.

Officer Sheila pursed her lips and sighed. "Fine. I'll have a car posted outside the house at night. You got her during the days."

She turned to leave, but I stopped her. "You said it was a female before. You said a female was stalking me. Did you change your mind?"

"Someone tried to break into your house tonight. That's not a female move, not typically. That's what a male would do. So all bets are off unless you have two people trying to get at you?" She paused and then asked, "What happened with Bryce? Would it have been him?"

"What?" I was taken aback but laughed. "No. It wasn't Bryce. He's…"

"He's busy. He's didn't go off the deep end." Corrigan touched my shoulder and drew me back to him. One of his arms curved around my waist, as if shielding me.

Officer Sheila's eyes flickered at the movement, but she didn't say anything. "Anything else happens, call me. Or you can hit one of the panic buttons, but half the force will be here. That was linked to our emergency crisis number. Sheldon…just be safe."

I nodded, relieved it was done when she left. The rest of the police left with her, and soon my lawn was dark. The flashing red, blue, and white lights had gone. It felt empty now.

Corrigan cursed and went to the liquor cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of brandy and poured a drink.