“It’s King.” Brody’s deep voice reached them from across the room. “I need your help.”
Knowing the man was going to do whatever he wanted, regardless of what she said, Ro turned to her well-meaning friend. “I do trust him, Meg. I’d trust him with my life, if I thought it was needed. But this…” She shook her head. “The cops are going to laugh in my face when they take my statement. A break-in with nothing broken and the thief took nothing of any real monetary value.”
“Your mom’s earrings—”
“Might bring in a couple hundred bucks at a pawn shop. And that’sifthe guy’s lucky.”
Megan’s gaze was still filled with worry. “You said someone was watching you.”
“I said it felt like they were,” Ro corrected. “I never actually saw anyone.”
“Cops are on their way.”
Both women turned to see Brody marching back toward them. He didn’t stop until he was in front of her once again.
“Was that Detective Hansen?” Megan asked.
“Do you want to…look for my stuff while we wait?” she asked hesitantly, unsure of what one did in a situation like this.
“No.”
Okaaay…“Then what should we do?”
“Wearen’t doing anything. You’re going to sit your sexy ass down and walk me through your entire day. Start to fucking finish. And this time, I want you to tell me everything.”
Fear crept into her veins as the realization of what had most likely happened finally began to sink in. Because a guy like Brody…he didn’t go from zero to burn the freaking world down this fast unless…
Tabling the fact that he’d just said her ass was sexy, Ro walked over to her couch and sat down as ordered. Megan joined her on the cushion to her left while Brody chose to stand.
Over the next few minutes, she went through her day again. From the time she woke up to when she’d called Megan freaking out, she shared it all. Including the part about her panties.
When she was finished, Ro swallowed her rising fear enough to choke out a quiet, “You really think someone was here, don’t you?”
“I do.” There was no hesitation in Brody’s answer. Looking as serious as she’d ever seen him, he added a grim, “I also know how important it is to listen to your gut. You felt like you were being followed today, and then you come home to your back door being unlocked and stuff missing. Your initial response was to call for help.” His dark eyes slid to his sister’s and back. “That was smart, but you should have called the police first.”
She didn’t bother pointing out that she hadn’t called him at all. That was all Meg. And while she’d been ticked off when he’d first arrived and she’d realized her friend had gone and done the one thing Ro had specifically asked her not to…
I’m really glad he’s here.
Because the same, steadfast denial that had been so overwhelmingly strong a few short minutes earlier was gone. Replaced by a dark, foreboding cloud of acceptance she wished like hell would vanish, too.
“But why?” She searched Brody’s worried face for an answer she knew he didn’t possess. “They won’t get much, if anything from the stuff they took. I mean, I don’t have a lot, but you’d think a thief would take the T.V.s and computers and stuff like that.”
“Computers can be traced, and T.V.s are bulky as hell,” the man who’d know pointed out. “Especially if this was a solo job. But I don’t think this was about money.”
No, deep down, she didn’t think so, either. But if it wasn’t about money…
“You think someone purposely targeted me,” Ro surmised.
“I do.” He nodded. “I also think we need to get you to the hospital as soon as the cops leave.”
“Thehospital?” She looked at Megan who, from the expression on her face, shared her state of confusion. “I wasn’t hurt, Brody. I wasn’t even home when they were here.”
Whoever they were.
“That’s not why I want you to go.”
“Then why?” It was his sister who asked.