Disgruntled (13 page)

Brent had reached for his keys twice over the weekend for a
quick drive-by at Reva’s just to see what she was up to. He
stopped himself. Now that he’d been spotted, he needed to
wait and see how Monday went. Did she know he had been
there? Had the guy seen him well enough to tell her and
therefore report it? Every time a car’s engine rumbled past,
he stared out the window waiting for something to happen.
Nothing did.
By one a.m. Monday morning, he’d let himself fall asleep.
He was dead-tired and since nothing seemed out of the
norm, he had to go to work as usual. She had a standing
meeting on Monday mornings, so he didn’t expect it to be
uncomfortable the first hour or two. The rest would be the
determination. Before departing, he decided to go into the
garage and do a little target practice. After firing off a couple
of rounds, Brent packed it away and left for work.
Monday mornings
sucked. It was
always
dead quiet as
everyone waited for Reva to return from her meeting and
then vie for time to discuss their projects and issues with
her. He himself liked it, mainly because, since she was
unavailable, he often did whatever he chose.
Whatever he chose as in, let his curiosity wander. She had
been right about him snooping on her computer. He’d never
been one to back away from a challenge. Not to mention,
when someone asked if he could help with something, he
didn’t think it right to say no because she hadn’t given him
explicit
permission.
Yes,
she’d
made
it
clear
what
his
boundaries were, along with the boundaries for the other
staff. He didn’t see the point in restricting staff like him—
ones with a desire to learn as much as possible. Reva had
tried to rationalize it by saying her focus was on stability and
securing the company’s resources and data. Bullshit. She just
didn’t want anyone messing with her work. He had it all
figured out. She was a control freak with a capital C and F.
She liked that she had complete access and no one else did.
Typical woman—had to have her thumb firmly in place on
the entire thing. She always wanted to pull on the reins when
a man was in full gallop. Yes, it had never been about the
company. It was about her—and her ego.
He connected up to the new application server she had
assigned to one of the other admins, and delved into the
files. He had been curious about it from day one and, after
their meeting last week where he’d heard how great it was
going, he thought he’d take a look. See what he could
learn…

Todd caught himself staring at Reva’s roof again, only
twenty minutes after he’d walked to the fence and looked
over. He realized it was foolish but after the past few days,
he had to admit his senses were on overload. He glanced at
his watch. She must have stayed late again like she often did.
He had pulled a beer from the fridge, his first of the day, and
held the can loosely in his hand. When the light in her
kitchen flashed on, he experienced an unexpected sense of
relief. He lifted the can to his lips and started to turn. The
light from her window reflected off a shape in her yard—a
moving shape. A man. Husky, medium height. Definitely
male.
“What the fuck?” he muttered and slid open his back door.
He padded across the grass barefoot, unsure whether to yell
at the person or call the cops. He slipped his cell from his
pocket contemplating what to do next. No one stands in
someone’s backyard in the dark for a good reason. He
started to tap in the number on his cell right at the moment
that it chimed into action.
At the sound of the ring, the shape on the other side of the
fence jerked to attention, turned toward him and hesitated.
He feared the person intended to do something crazy. For a
moment, a chill went through him as the person reached
behind his back.
Shit.
The man is dangerous. Seriously
dangerous. Todd glanced at the phone display.
The sound of footsteps racing across her yard made him
look through the fence to see the person disappear around
the corner of the house.
He’s headed to the front door.
Todd
ended the incoming call and dialed the police number.
Ring after Ring. No answer.
“Shit!” He ran into the house, yanked his keys from the
counter, and ran to his car. He was in front of her door in
less than a minute. It was the longest minute he’d known
since he watched Annie walk out two years earlier. The
phone had gone to a call center dispatch while he drove and
he spoke to a voice on the other side that had him recite the
address, phone number, and reason for the call over and
over. He finally gave up and slammed the phone onto the
dashboard.
For good measure and to wake up the neighbors, he honked
several times before he retrieved the phone, stepped out and
raced toward Reva’s door. He had visually swept the street
and saw no one. The intruder had left, hidden—or worse—
was in the house.
He cursed himself for not getting one of his handguns from
the case. He had hardly used them lately so it didn’t register.
He only had them because Annie had been concerned for
their safety years ago. Since then he hadn’t had a reason to
arm up. Not until he walked up the drive and realized that it
was quite possible that this peeping tom had been the ex.
In that case, the danger was significant for Reva and most
likely anyone that walked in. For a second as he looked at
her quiet house and the surrounding street, he thought
maybe he’d imagined it. The very brief idea to walk away
rushed through him, but he realized it wasn’t possible to
ignore what he’d seen. He’d never forgive himself if he left it
alone. Left her alone. Like she’d been the entire time her ex
brutalized her.
No, he’d not stand idly by. He called Ben as he loped up the
stairs to her door and pounded on the frame.
“Reva, it’s me, Todd. Open up!” he shouted.
He turned from the door and scoured the neighborhood as
he waited. It was oddly quiet except for the sound of a
vehicle sputtering to life on the adjacent street. Two dogs
barked.
She opened the door partially and stared at him.
“Everything okay in there?”
“Of course, why?”
“I saw— Hey, can I come in or are you going to leave me
standing out here?”
She stepped back from the door and allowed him to pass.
He shut the door behind him and twisted the lock. Reva
stood with crossed arms and drummed the fingers of one
hand across her other elbow. “Explanation please?” she said.
“I’ve had a long day and was just headed to soak in the tub
when you tried to bash my door down. If I hadn’t left my
cell in the car, I would have dialed the police.”
“Never do that again. It’s not safe.”
“Call the police? Ha, they’re fairly inept at times but still all
we have.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Never leave your cell phone in
the car. Keep it on you. All the time.” She was in her
pajamas and damn if that didn’t get his motor running, even
with the current situation. He shook it off and strode to the
kitchen and dining area. He turned on the outside light and
scanned the yard, then jogged through to her other rooms
and checked each one. He’d never been in some of them
and it surprised him to see how she kept her house. Neat but
not.
The
entire
house
appeared
to
be
cleaned
and
then
intentionally readjusted to make it just a little—off. Quirky.
Still, no trespassers. No one in the yard. When he returned
to her living room, she raised a brow. “So, are you going to
tell me what the emergency is, or do I guess?”
“There was a man in your yard rooting around.”
Reva’s eyes widened. She stepped to the door and looked
out, searching for movement. “Really? I don’t see anyone.
How did you know?”
“I was watching out the window. I’d pulled a beer from the
fridge and stepped outside and your light came on…I saw
his shadow. My phone rang and he heard it and started
moving toward the side of the house. Stay here. I’m going to
check. Oh, and call the police.” He tossed her his cell phone.
It wasn’t the smartest idea to traipse around the house
looking for a peeping tom or burglar. In one respect, Todd
hoped it was the ex-boyfriend. He yearned for a chance to
see the guy and make him pay for the agony he’d put Reva
through. The man deserved to get a piece of his own
medicine. Although, if his college psychology course proved
correct, that’s likely where it all started. Most abusers had
suffered abuse and thus the cycle continued. He likely had
already been through it so many times, the guy thought
brutality was normal. How twisted was that? And sad, really.
As Todd realized the danger and the intruder had vanished,
he shook his head and returned to Reva. She’d locked the
door when he stepped outside and he had to knock again.
When she released the lock and opened the door, he didn’t
miss
the
bat
clutched
in
her
palm.
Nor
did
it
seem
appropriate to tease her this time. He understood.
Reva spouted off the address to a voice on the cell she had
cradled on her shoulder, she motioned him in and slammed
and locked the door after him. “I don’t know. I didn’t see
him,” she said to the voice, then sighed. “Here, let me hand
the phone to the man who saw him. He’s standing right
here.”
Some
words
were
uttered
on
the
other
side
of
the
conversation.
“No, he’s my
neighbor
,” she answered. Reva tossed the phone
at him and went to the kitchen. She tugged a glass from the
cabinet and filled it with tap water.
Todd gave the dispatcher the details. He hung up after a few
minutes and a patrol car arrived an hour later. Good thing
the trespasser was gone—he could have beaten her to death
or robbed her blind while they waited. By the time the
deputy
knocked
on
the
door,
Todd
had
reached
his
limitation on patience. He flung the door open and started
to growl, when the man spoke, “Sorry we’re late, there was a
head-on
collision
on
the
freeway.
Really
bad.
Three
teenagers in one car and a family with an infant in the other.
Lost one in each. I hate coming up on accidents like that.
Everyone’s out having a good time and it just all changes in
a flash. I had to work the scene until the emergency crew
arrived.”
Todd closed his mouth and blinked. The officer’s hands
shook as he pulled a pen from his pocket. Todd couldn’t
imagine what a day on the job for this man entailed but he
knew it required every bit of civility and respect he could
muster. “Thank you for helping us. Come in.”
They perched on the sofa opposite the deputy. As Todd
explained his observation, Reva fidgeted. He reached out to
cover her hands with his and squeezed. She stilled.
“And you’re her neighbor,” Officer Teckley stated.

“Yes,” Todd answered, “and friend.” He pulled Reva to his
side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“You’re dating.”
At the same time that Todd said yes, Reva vehemently
stated, “No.”
Teckley wrote something down, stuck his pen back in his
shirt and surveyed the yard, front and back before getting in
his car. He let them know he’d make a pass around the area
and a patrol car would be in the neighborhood through the
night.
Dating? He’d never really considered it, yet it didn’t make
him
completely
uncomfortable
to say
that. Still,
it was
awkward. Obviously, she hadn’t wanted it labeled that way.
“Why did you tell him we’re dating?”
He shuttered his eyes and looked at her. “Does it matter? It’s
better they think you have someone around all the time.
That you’re not alone. Or would you rather the whole world
think you live by yourself and don’t have a soul around to
deter an intruder?”
“Oh, well, if you put it that way…”
“Besides, we’ve had two or three dates at least.”
“Exactly when would that be?” she challenged.
“Well, you invited me to your family’s barbecue.”
“You and Eric. And that was just being friendly—not a date.
I barely knew you.”
“Yeah, but that didn’t keep you from having your eyes on
my butt most of the night, nor teasing with your family
about our fictitious relationship.”
Reva backed to the kitchen and planted herself on a stool by
the counter. She rolled her eyes.
“Really? I didn’t exactly force you to go and you started the
teasing, not me. As far as my eyes are concerned, you
weren’t exactly blind either and I spent a lot of the time
talking to everyone else.”
“Okay, then there was the monster truck rally. And the
baseball games.” He ticked through all the times they’d been
together, cursing the fact that his mind immediately jumped
to the hot-as-hell kisses and touching.
“I don’t think taking your kid to a monster truck show and
pigging
out
on
hot
dogs,
cotton
candy,
and
nachos
constitutes a date. The baseball games don’t count – there’s
a million people there. Nothing date-ish about that.”
She rolled her chair to the counter and effectively turned her
back. Todd ran his fingers through his hair and clasped them
behind his head. He moved toward the door, hesitated, then
pivoted and strode toward Reva. With one hand, he twirled
her chair to face him, then planted arms on the counter to
trap her in. When his face was only inches from hers, he
smiled.
“You can call it anything you want, honey. It doesn’t matter.
Tonight, though, I’m sleeping over.”
He watched her adam’s apple hiccup.
“No, you’re not. I’m not—” She concentrated on the hem
of her shorts.
“Right there.” He pointed to the sofa. “I know what I saw
and
even
if
there’s
nothing
here
with
us,
I’m
not
comfortable leaving right now. Someone was out there in
your yard. That doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course it bothers me but that’s not a license to—”
“Give me a break. I’m trying to help you Reva, not hurt you.
Isn’t it time you relaxed a little and let me try to do the right
thing?”
“So, now you’re a boy scout?” She meandered her eyes back
to his face.
Okay, that made him laugh. No, he wasn’t that great of a
guy, but he wasn’t the type she nearly married either. Surely
she could see that.
“I’m definitely not that.”
Maybe it was a good time to make her feel at ease and safe,
but somehow safe wasn’t all that appealing. In fact, safe
sounded downright boring at the moment. She sat there
braless
in some
soft tank top and shorts
with a robe
carelessly draped on her shoulders and expected him to be
a
boy scout
?
Not happening.
He seemed to understand her need
for taking things slow, but for Todd, even this was slower
than he’d endured before. His body was
definitely not
cooperating with the knight in shining armor routine—not
that he wanted that anyway.
Why else would he be watching her windows every night to
see when she got home? It wasn’t a brotherly thing, no sir.
He already had a sister and she was a pain in the ass. It
wasn’t the least bit attractive to get stuck with another. Not
to mention he had ventured beyond the friendly casual
emotion somewhere around the time she gave him that
hellaciously passionate kiss in front of her brothers. Nope,
that memory and the nipples practically beckoning him
under that top sent a whole different set of needs and
desires churning. Unless he was completely stupid, she had
the same urge.
He knotted his brow.
But
, and that was a big but, if he had to
take it even slower to figure out who was in her yard and
what they had planned, then he’d damn well do it. At least
for now. He’d sleep on the couch and swallow his overactive
desire
to
crawl
into
bed
with
her.
He’d
do
the
right
thing
…because that’s what he did. What he’d always done.