“No, I had the music on my phone playing. No one was in the bedroom when I got out of the bath. I saw the teddy bear and locked myself in the bathroom to call Theo, but whoever was here banged on the door a few times, slid the note underneath it and left.”
“Are there any cameras around the building?”
“Yeah, a few,” Theo says, taking my hand to stop me from picking a thread of my tank top. “I’ll call the building manager and get you the footage.”
Shawn rises to his feet when a soft knock reverberates through the condo. He leads the forensics team to the bedroom, explaining the situation briefly, while Theo’s on the phone with the building manager.
“Stop,” he says a moment later, pulling me to his side. “Stop thinking. You’ll give yourself a headache. I’m sure it was Dean, and as soon as Shawn confirms, I’ll take care of that nutcase. He’s not getting anywhere near you again.”
I press myself to his chest, trying to shush the storm in my head. “Hold me for a moment.”
He wraps me in his arms, one hand across my back, the other on the side of my face. My eyes flutter closed, and my heart swells and aches all at once.
“It’ll take about an hour to dust the room for prints,” Shawn says, and my eyes pop open.
I don’t move away from Theo. I couldn’t care less what Shawn thinks of me right now. Whether he considers me weak or needy, it doesn’t matter. Deep down, I want to believe Theo will understand when I tell him the truth about my past. I want to believe he won’t leave, but why wouldn’t he?
Everyone else did.
“Were detaining your teddy bear,” Shawn says. “He’s not a suspect. We just need to ask him some questions. He has the right to remain silent. Although, I don’t expect to get much out of him, even in the presence of a lawyer.”
My mouth curves into a smile when Theo’s chest bounces with soft laughter. “Lack of head might prove problematic, but I’ll call the lawyer just in case.”
Shawn chuckles, shaking his head, focusing back on his brother. “Don’t engage, alright? Leave this to me.”
“I will, for now, but I’m getting my hands on the fucker one way or another.”
TWENTY-SIX
Theo
THE HIGH-PITCHED BLARING of the smoke alarm jolts me out of sleep and out of bed within a nanosecond. I’m fully fucking alert when I burst through the bedroom door, stumbling out into the hallway, where I’m greeted by an equally dumbstruck and startled Ares. We exchange questioning looks before bolting to the kitchen, where black smoke hovers in the air, the smell sifting through my nose.
Thalia stands by the breakfast island, hands clasped over her ears. What resembles a lump of coal on a baking tray lays on the counter. I slide the terrace door open, letting warm morning air filter out the smoke and the godawful burnt smell.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Thalia clips, arms now folded over her chest.
“I’m sure you woke up the entire street. It’s seven in the morning. Why are you up?” I round the island. “And what was that, supposed to be?” I glare at the lump of coal.
“I was aiming for a strawberry shortcake,” she admits in a defeated tone. “I’m a great cook, but I can’t bake.”
“Whyare you baking instead of sleeping?”
She lets out an exasperated huff. “I couldn’t sleep, okay? I keep thinking about that note. I thought Shawn would have some news by now.”
To be honest, so did I. The building manager sent the CCTV footage to him before the forensics team left the condo yesterday. How long does it take to check an hour of footage? Shouldn’t it take likeonefucking hour?
“He’ll call as soon as he has anything to tell us. Don’t worry. I’m not leaving you here alone. I’ll work from home today.” I prod and poke the burnt disaster with a fork. “How long was this in the oven? Two days?”
“Forty minutes, but I think I set the temperature too high.”
“It’s honestly enough that you can cook. Forget the cake.” I grab her hand before she wanders away. “Morning,” I say, kissing her forehead. “I’d much rather have you for dessert anyway, little one.”
“Oh,” she mouths, her eyes growing heavy.
I place her hand on my groin and clasp her fingers around my hard cock. “This needs taking care of.”
Before she can say one word, I pick her up and don’t let go until we’re in the bathroom, under the stream of warm water in the shower.