Maddie bolted from the room, and I didn’t know what to do first: call the police or rush after her to make sure she was all right.
Judging by the noise from the bathroom, she wasn’t all right—and police it was.
However, even before I dialed and spoke to a condescending dude on the phone, I knew it was useless. Unless he harmed her or she had hard evidence he’d been in her apartment, they wouldn’t do a thing.
Lucky for Maddie, I was back, and I was going to protect her no matter what.
Chapter Two
Dim
I was restless all night. We’d talked, and I’d just been glad to be around Maddie, but the fact it scared her was something she couldn’t hide.
It was in the way she kept glancing around, or the way her hand trembled no matter what. Breakfast was a rather quiet matter, and I could easily see why. “If you want me to walk you to work, I can,” I offered.
Maddie’s gaze lifted, and there was a hint of defiance in her eyes. “No, thank you. I’ll keep my phone close, and trust me, if the police won’t do anything unless he attacked me, I’d rather provoke him now.” She placed her hand on my arm. “Especially knowing you’re there to rush to my side whenever something happens.”
I didn’t like that answer, but understood why she said that. “Yes, call me whenever. Never walk where you’d be completely alone. Make sure you’re sticking around people. If something feels off, it most likely is.”
Dutifully, she nodded. “I have a dentist-appointment today, so I won’t be back until six. Will you be here, or rather exploring the city?”
I’d be here because I planned on exploring her apartment. I had a strong feeling the guy had been in her apartment before, but I’d not asked about cameras that could be hidden or anything else. She didn’t need to be scared until I’d found something, and that was my task for the day. “Just decompressing,” I replied, and she winked at me.
“Guess who got you an Xbox to make sure you can do that well enough?”
I swept her up in my arms, causing her to burst out laughing. “Damn, woman. You know how to make me happy.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek, too, loving the feel and wishing I could kiss her on the lips.
“I live to make you smile.” She winked, and I put her back onto her own two feet. “I’ll pick up some food on the way back. Any preference?”
I shrugged. “Anything without sand in it.”
Again, she laughed. “Should be easy enough.” Her expression softened. “Thank you. I needed those laughs. And now, I’m off, handsome. I’ll see you. And I’ll call you if anything comes up.”
I counted on it. Walking her to the door, there was a moment when I was sure she’d be okay with me kissing her. Hell, how had I been in love with her for so long, and it was now that I could hardly hold on to myself? Her eyes held mine for longer than was necessary, as if she was going to say something, but then her cheeks heated and instead, she turned away.
“Ciao, babe. And stay safe.”
She just nodded while I waited until she was out of sight due to walking down the stairs, then I closed the door again, looking around. The living room was wide and open, filled with little shelves here and there, and quite a lot of small decorations. Tasteful, but also perfect to hide things in or behind. I started in the corner that would give someone watching the best view of the couch and came away empty.
Perusing the rest of the shelves, I came up with the same result.
Next was the kitchen, a place I knew she frequented often because she loved to pour over business papers there, or orders, or other things.
In fact, for her the kitchen was one of the most important rooms ever, and yet, it would be a lot harder hiding a camera there.
This time I was successful, as much as I wished it wouldn’t be true. It was hidden between crooked standing cookbooks. Whoever had placed it there must’ve noticed that they were dust-covered because Maddie never cooked following a recipe.
I considered taking the camera down, but then decided against it to let the police see it. Next up was the bathroom, my heart sinking now. I didn’t even want to know what Maddie would say finding that out.
In the bathroom there was a camera, too, and while it didn’t catch the inside of the shower, I doubted it was any consolation. Instead, I took out my phone and called the police.
Again.
“Are you the same dude who called yesterday about the stalker?”
I was a little perplexed, but then confirmed that. “I did. But you wanted proof. There are cameras in her apartment. Bathroom and kitchen. I didn’t even check the bedroom yet. Is that enough evidence?”
The officer on the line snorted. “Yesterday you didn’t have any, and today you suddenly do? What a coincidence.”
I gaped at the phone, not sure I’d just heard that. “You cannot be serious.”
“Listen, sir, there is no need to get insulting. I can only tell you what it sounds like to me, and if it sounds like that to me, my colleagues definitely will not come out for any of that. If you really want to do something, come to the station and file a report.”
I gritted my teeth. “A report against unknown because there is a stalking case, and no one will bother to come here and even look at the cameras?”
The guy on the other end was quiet for a moment, then…
