Paddy wouldn’t tell me earlier why she’s so guarded, so I’ll figure it out myself.
I stand against the door frame as she enters her passcode. “You’re on the first floor, then? When your peeping tom is looking through your windows?”
She tosses her head my way. “Yeah.”
“Can I look around?”
She hesitates, her body tensing as she stares at me. “I don’t…” her voice trails off, then she sighs, and shakes her head.
“I don’t bite.” I raise my hands as a sign of peace.
“Fine. But only for a minute. Tomorrow is my only day off and I have a lot to do, so I need to get to sleep early.”
Holding the door open, she allows me to step in first. When Scotty said she lived across from the Public Garden, it surprised me. These brownstones are worth upwards of one and a half to two million. He said she even paid cash. I had him dig into her background as well, and discovered she comes from a split home with both blood and step-siblings, then joined the Army right after getting her medical degree. Everything else is a mystery that I’ll have to crack.
Haley wanders to her kitchen. She kicks off her shoes and tosses her jacket to the floor. “Want anything?” She opens her fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer.
“I’m good, lass.” My eye catches her breakfast area to the right with a large bay window overlooking the Public Garden. The entire front side of her house is open to the streets. This is not a safe fucking house at all. It would be too easy to breach this home. The thought of her being hurt puts me on edge. I don’t fucking like it. I’ll have to keep Scotty on her until I can get her security hashed out.
“Haley, your windows overlook the streets.”
“Yup. I like to watch people when I’m off.” She’s standing beside me now, holding out her beer bottle as an offering. I grab it, take a swig, then hand it back. She continues. “So many people walk their dogs throughout the day. I love seeing all the wagging tails and kids. I really lucked out with this unit.”
“That’s one way to look at it. Any enemies or threats come your way?”
“I save lives. Who would dislike me?”
“A family member of someone who didn’t survive. Or a work rival. How many times has your mystery man shown up?”
“Three times in as many weeks. He was here two nights ago. Scared the shit out of me. Came downstairs from my shower naked, so he saw everything.”
I clench my jaw, my brows furrowing. Whoever this fucker is, I’ll not make his death an easy one. “Maybe you should get blinds.”
“Or maybe,” she pauses, sipping her beer. She gives me a dirty look as she snarls. “Men shouldn’t be such perverts.”
“Ah.” Nodding, I take the beer bottle from her and press it to my lips. The liquid goes down smoothly. “Guess Paddy was right then. About you batting for the other team.”
A closed fist hits me hard in the chest. I’m caught off guard, so I stumble back. I snort as she shoves me hard again.
“A woman can be straight and hate the idiocy that is the male species.”
I smirk, eyes twinkling with amusement. Confirming she is straight gives me hope that eventually, she will soften towards me. To be frank, I enjoy her spunk. “Easy, love. I was just tryin’ to get a rise out of ya.”
She hides a grin as her cheeks turn red. “So I’m your love now, huh?”
“Well, you don’t like lass.”
Haley glares at me, snatching the bottle back. She finishes it quickly, stumbling towards the kitchen. Scotty mentioned that she practically drank the entire bottle of wine herself on her date, and then ordered liquor.
My gaze stays on her as she opens the freezer. Her golden-brown hair falls in front of her face, leaning on the kitchen counter as she pours a good bit of vodka into a ceramic mug.
I follow, looking around the kitchen for weak entry points. “Do you always drink this much?”
Her eyes slowly rise and land on me. “Only when the demons catch up to me,” she mutters.
“The war?” Stepping closer, I wrap my hand over hers and gently coax the mug from her hands. The urge to make sure she doesn’t drink too much pushes me to dump the liquid down the drain.
Her mouth opens slightly as if she wants to protest. Haley’s lips are so plump, I’d kiss her if she wasn’t so fucking hostile. She’ll probably punch me in the dick.