Tear Down These Walls (52 page)

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Teagan declares. “We
are back together and happy.”

“That’s good,” Isaac says, holding up his beer. “To your happiness.”

Smiling, Teagan states, “Thank you.”

“Okay,” Victoria sighs. “I am completely pruned and tired.”

“Me, too,” Emily agrees, looking down at her fingers.

“Why don’t we call it a night?” Teagan suggests. “I should see how Kellen
is doing with Kya.”

Victoria nudges her head. “Go check on them. We will see ourselves out.”

“You sure?” Teagan asks.

“Positive,” Victoria presses. “Go on.”

“Thanks.” Teagan gets out and wraps a towel around herself. Drying off
her hands, Teagan grabs Kellen’s cell phone for him. She makes her way into the
house and up the stairs. She hears Kya whimpering. Teagan heads straight to her
room. Cracking the door a little bit, Teagan pokes her head in. Kellen is
holding Kya on his lap. He looks up at her.  “Everything okay?” Teagan
asks.

Kellen shakes his head. “Nightmare,” he whispers. “She gets scared very
easily.”

“That’s understandable,” Teagan murmurs. “I will let you be.” She backs
out and closes the door. Padding her way into his bedroom, Teagan shuts the
door to get changed.  Once she has her pajamas on, she heads back
downstairs. Everyone is gone. Teagan goes out to the back yard and sees that
they put the cover back on the whirlpool. She turns the lights off and locks
all the doors. Not knowing what the code is to the house, she leaves that for
Kellen. Yawning loudly, Teagan heads upstairs to the bedroom.

               
As soon as she crawls into bed, she relaxes. She didn’t realize how long the
day had been. Teagan closes her eyes and instantly drifts off to sleep. Some
time later, she feels arms wrap around her, and she is pulled against Kellen.
He kisses her neck lightly.

“Mmmmm,” Teagan hums. “That feels great.”

His hand drifts around to her stomach, and Kellen pulls her tight against
him. “I can make other things feel just as great.”

“Your daughter is two rooms away,” Teagan murmurs, turning around.

Kellen brushes his nose against hers. “She is out like a light.”

“Still,” Teagan breathes out. Kellen kisses her softly. When he pulls
away, Teagan says, “She could walk in on us.”

“My daughter is going to be a permanent fixture in this household,”
Kellen replies.  “When am I going to be able to have my way with your
body?”

She thinks about it for a second. “Good point.”

“I thought so,” Kellen whispers, reaching his hand into her pants.

Teagan awakes the next morning to, “Dah-dah!” Her eyes fly open because
she and Kellen fell asleep with no clothes on. She quickly pulls the blanket
over her.

Kellen turns over and stammers, “Hi, Kya.”

Kya walks over to the bed and starts to climb up. “Dah-dah wake up.”

“Whoa baby girl,” Kellen exclaims. “Remember when daddy is in the
bathroom, you need to leave him alone for a few minutes.”

“Yeah,” Kya giggles, staring at him with one leg on the bed.

“Daddy needs a minute to himself. I will be right out. Okay?”

With a quizzical look, Kya says, “Dah-dah potty?”

“Yes,” Kellen retorts. “Close daddy’s door, and we will be out in a
minute.”

“I will make French toast,” Teagan states, blushing a nice shade of red.

“Okay!” Kya yells. She gets back on the floor and runs out the room.

When the door slams behind her, both Kellen and Teagan let out a breath
and then simultaneously burst out laughing. Teagan laughs until tears spill
over. “Oh my god!”

“We should get dressed,” Kellen gasps. “And be mindful of putting clothes
back on before falling asleep.”

“No shit,” Teagan exhales. “We better hurry. She is going to come back in
here.”  With a dash, they get dressed. Teagan opens the door, and Kya is
sitting there. “Hey, Honey.’’

“Eggan French toast!” 

“That’s what I said,” Teagan responds. “You want to help?”

With a very excited expression, Kya exclaims, “YEAH!”

“Come on then,” Teagan laughs, grabbing her hand.

“I wish you had stayed last night,” Kellen sighs over the phone.

Teagan throws her books in her backpack. “We were together all weekend.”

“I know, but I missed you,” Kellen replies.

“I missed you, too,” Teagan assures him. She grabs her keys and heads to
the door.  Setting the alarm quickly, Teagan leaves, locking the door
behind her. She runs down her steps. “I am running behind as it is.”

“Your class doesn’t start for an hour,” Kellen points out.

Grinning, Teagan says, “Yeah, but there is a caramel latte calling my
name from the coffee shop.”

Kellen chuckles. “Well…if it’s calling your name.”

She shivers as she crosses the parking lot. The bitter air gets colder
with each passing day. When Teagan gets outside to her car, she notices it
looks lower than when she got out of it last time. She stops and stares down.
“What the hell!?”

“What?”

“My tire is flat again.” Teagan looks to the side. “Both tires are flat.”

“Seriously?”

Walking around to the other side of the car, Teagan’s jaw drops. “All my
tires are flat! How the hell does that happen!?” Looking closer at the door, Teagan
gasps, “Holy shit!”

“What?” Kellen asks, sounding worried.

“Someone keyed my car with the word bitch!” Teagan yells. “My tires
aren’t flat; they were slashed!”

“Go back into your apartment!” Kellen snaps. “I am on my way over.”

Stammering, Teagan says, “What about Kya?”

“I’m on my way to work,” Kellen replies. “She is with my sister.”

“Okay, hurry up,” Teagan exhales. “I will wait outside. It’s daylight. I
also have pepper spray and a Taser.”

“I will be there in ten minutes,” Kellen says sternly. “I will call the
detective handling the apartment break-in case.”

“Please hurry,” Teagan whispers, feeling more and more scared.

“I am on my way, Baby,” Kellen says reassuringly. “But I need to hang up
to call the detective. Get your Taser gun out or the pepper spray.”

Teagan starts scrambling in her bag and pulls out the pepper spray.
“Okay, got it.”

“All right, I will be there in ten minutes.”

“Hurry…” Teagan whimpers.

“I am, see you soon.”

“Bye,” Teagan exhales in a cloud of white. She leans back against her
car, pulls her coat closer around her body, and watches her surroundings. A guy
in a hooded sweatshirt turns the corner and starts walking down the sidewalk
towards her. She grips her pepper spray tightly. The guy watches her intently
as he approaches. She backs up and faces him.  As he comes up on her, he
nods and smiles. Teagan lets out a heavy breath.

“Hey,” the guy says.

“Hey,” Teagan replies. The guy smiles again and keeps on walking. Teagan
shakes her head and runs her fingers through her hair. She’s practically
shaking. “I am stronger than this,” she finally states to herself. Teagan
shakes her arms and tries to loosen up from the tension.

A few minutes later, Kellen pulls up in his truck. He jumps out and runs
to Teagan.  She throws herself in his arms. He is warm from being in the
truck, and her skin covers in goose bumps at the feeling of him near her.
“Hey,” he murmurs, pulling her close. “I have you. Don’t worry.”

“Who…? I don’t understand this,” Teagan sniffles, as she pulls away.

“The detective is on his way over,” Kellen declares. “Let me look.” He
walks over to the side of the car. Bending over he looks at the tire. “Yeah,
there are definitely slash marks from a knife.” Next he looks at the door. “I
bet this is from the same knife.”

“I don’t get who would do this!” Teagan exclaims. 
         

Standing up, Kellen sighs, “I have my suspicions on who broke into your
apartment.  The detective wants to talk to us about that.”

“Okay,” Teagan exhales. Kellen steps up and pulls her back into his arms.
She lays her head on his chest. “This sucks. I can’t afford to fix this crap.”

“I will take care of it,” Kellen whispers. “Don’t worry.”

Vigorously, Teagan shakes her head. “No, I will not be like Celine. I
love you for you.  I am not using you for your money. Save it for Kya.”

“That’s why I don’t mind helping,” Kellen says. “You aren’t after me for
my money.”

“No, Kellen,” Teagan reiterates. “I will pay for it.”

He gives her a look. “How?”

After a few seconds, Teagan replies, “Magic?” Kellen laughs loudly. “I
will put it on my credit card.”

“Don’t be silly,” Kellen groans. “Why pay interest when I have the money
to cover the damage?”

“I don’t want your money,” Teagan whines. “Please, I don’t want to get
into the habit.  That isn’t right.”

“Teagan, I have to pay out to Celine every month and hate it. Let me
spend my money on something that’s important.”

She looks up at him. “Spend it on Kya.”

“I think she is spoiled enough,” Kellen chuckles. “Anymore and she will
turn into a monster.”

“I don’t think she is capable of that,” Teagan states humorously.

Raising his eyebrows, Kellen says, “Take her through a toy store once.
You will change your opinion on that.” Teagan giggles. “Just let me take care
of you.”

“I will pay you back,” Teagan sighs.

“You can always work it off. That offer still stands,” Kellen retorts
with a smile. “You can keep me company in my office,” he winks at her
suggestively.

“I will actually work,” Teagan declares. “No monkey business.”

Kellen snaps his fingers. “I was hoping you could work it out in other
ways.”

“Keep dreaming,” Teagan snorts.

“Oh I will!” Kellen exclaims. Teagan bursts out laughing and shakes her
head  “I will get your car in the shop today and get it fixed. You can
drop me off at work and use my truck. All right?”

With a heavy exhale, Teagan extends her fingers and counts off her list
as she says, “I have school, then work, and study group tonight. You have
class.”

“I also have company vehicles,” Kellen laughs. “Just use the truck until
your car is fixed.”

“Are you sure?”

He smiles kindly. “Of course.”

“Thank you,” Teagan whispers, pulling him down for a kiss. When Teagan
pulls away, she whispers, “You are a great distraction.”

“I say we go upstairs and continue distracting each other,” Kellen
exhales, pulling her hips against his.

She giggles, “Stop it. The detective will be here in a little while.”

“I will talk to him,” Kellen states. “Just tell him what you know, and
then try to get to class on time.”

“I thought I was taking you to work,” Teagan replies.

Shrugging, Kellen says, “I will call someone from the office. I am the
boss and all.  They have to do what I say.”

“Are you guarding anyone this week?” Teagan asks, shivering.

“Yeah, Thursday and Friday,” Kellen answers as he rubs his hands up and
down her arms to warm her up. “Kya is going to have to stay at my sister’s. I
will be gone over night.”

“If your sister will watch her while I’m at school on Friday, I can watch
her Thursday and then pick her back up after school.”

Kellen’s smile broadens. “I appreciate it, but you don’t have to.”

“Wouldn’t she rather be at home?” Teagan asks.

“Yes, but my sister can watch her. She takes her to the studio with her.
She lets her paint on canvases.”

“Now, that’s a painting I want to hang in my apartment,” Teagan giggles.

Kellen laughs lightly and brushes his nose against hers. “And I love you
for that.”

“Also, my car is less likely to get damaged at your house,” Teagan sighs.

Pulling away, Kellen looks at her through narrowed eyes. “Did you
actually think I was going to let you stay here now?”

“Let me?” Teagan scoffs.

“Teagan, I’m sorry, but when it comes to your safety, I am going to be
pretty damn particular,” Kellen states. “You may find it overbearing, but it’s
the way I am. I want you safe.  Normally, I wouldn’t be this way, but
someone has it out for you, and I don’t know how far they are going to take
it.”

She puts her hands on his chest. “Kellen, I have an alarm, four Tasers,
and two cans of pepper spray. No one will mess with me.”

“Please,” Kellen says sternly. “Just come and stay with me. At least
until we figure this out.”

“Kya is going to get the wrong impression,” Teagan whispers.

“No she won’t,” Kellen snaps. “Teagan, please, don’t fight me on this. I
want you safe.  I want you somewhere where I know nothing bad will happen
to you.”

Teagan sighs as she turns on her heels. “Okay, I will go pack a bag now.”

“I will wait for the detective,” Kellen states. “Did you see anything or
anyone when you came out here or anytime today?”

“No, I never looked out my window. I would have told you if I had.”

“I just need to make sure,” Kellen replies. “Go pack. I will wait here.”

Teagan nods and turns to her apartment building. When she gets inside her
apartment, the warmth washes over her, and she sighs, “All right, what do I all
need?”

Going into her bedroom, she takes out her luggage from under the bed. It
doesn’t take her long to pack clothes and  toiletries. By the time she is
finished, Teagan has filled two bags. She leaves the apartment after setting
the alarm.

She finds Kellen outside, talking to a man in a white button-down shirt
and black pants.  Teagan carries the bags over and huffs as she sets them
down. Kellen turns to her and laughs. “Did you pack enough?”

“Yes,” Teagan giggles. “I’m a girl. I need a lot of stuff on a daily
basis.”

“Obviously,” Kellen snorts. “Anyway, Teagan, this is Detective Adams.”

Detective Adams extends his hand. “It’s nice to meet you Miss Murphy.”

“Who do you think could have done this, Detective?” She shivers and pulls
her jacket closer to her again.

“We were just talking about the suspect list,” Detective Adams says,
flipping his notepad closed. “Everyone has an alibi for when your apartment got
broken into.”

“Who’s everyone?” Teagan asks.

“Harry, Jarrod and Franco,” Kellen replies.

Teagan steps back. “You think it was one of them?”

“That was my suspicion,” Kellen says.

“We checked. They all had alibis for the day that your apartment got
broken into,” Detective Adams interjects. “There were no prints in your
apartment. We suspect they wore gloves.”

Teagan runs her fingers through her hair, unable to hide her frustration.
“So, we have no clue who did this?”               

Tilting his head, Detective Adams says, “Well, we are going to look into
everyone again. I was talking to Mr. Grayson here. He told me that you don’t
have anyone else in your life that would want to do this?”

“No!” Teagan exclaims  “It’s not like I make enemies all the time! I
don’t owe anyone money  I don’t do drugs. The worst things my friends do
are get drunk and act stupid.  I have never committed a crime. I have no
idea why someone would be out for me.”

Detective Adams looks at his pad of paper. “You had no other altercations
with anyone lately.”

“No, except for his crazy wife,” Teagan snorts.

Both Kellen and Detective Adams raise their eyebrows, and Detective Adams
replies, “Your wife?”

“We’re separated,” Kellen explains  “We have been for two years. She
walked into my house uninvited the other morning. There was a heated
conversation, but honestly, Celine isn’t smart enough to do this.”

With a frown, Detective Adams flips open his notepad again and starts to
jot down notes. “Her name is Celine Grayson?”

“Yes,” Kellen says. “She lives at 694 Glacial Drive. It’s the Davidson
Apartment Complex.”

“Whoa,” Teagan exhales. “No wonder she needs all that money.”

Whispering back, Kellen softly says, “She has very expensive taste.”

Teagan steps closer to him and says, “One room there makes my apartment
look like a closest.”

“I know,” Kellen snorts under his breath in a short, white puff. “She
won’t be living there much longer; I can guarantee that.”

“I am going to look around and takes pictures of the car,” Detective
Adams declares.

Kellen nods and turns to Teagan. “Let’s put your bags in the truck. You
need to get to class.”

“Okay,” Teagan replies, picking up a suitcase.

They carry the bags to the truck and put them in back. Kellen starts
laughing. “You really are moving in.”

“I need everything in those bags,” Teagan retorts with humor.

He smiles down at her. “I will make room in the closet.”

“You already have a lot of stuff in there,” Teagan teases. “It’s an
awfully big wardrobe for a guy.”

“I will take down all the fighting gear,” Kellen says. “That will open up
room for you.  Of course, I may have to empty half of my clothes, too. You
did bring two suitcases.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Teagan draws out sarcastically.

He leans over and kisses her gently on the lips. “Get going. I don’t want
you missing class.”

“I know,” Teagan says. “I should be back to your place around 9:30.”

Taking his keys out of his pocket, Kellen holds up a gold key. “This is
the key to the house. Consider it yours. I have another one at work. I want you
to take me seriously on this…” He pauses and locks his eyes on Teagan. “You are
allowed to come and go whenever you want. It’s your home now, too.”

“Kellen,” Teagan softly whispers.

“No, I am serious,” Kellen reiterates. “It is as much your home as mine
and Kya’s.”

“Honey,” Teagan laughs nervously. “That is my home, my apartment.”

Kellen puts the keys in her hand and says, “Then our house is a home away
from home. I want you comfortable with being there.” He looks down at her hand
and chuckles.

“What?”

He laughs some more and then sighs, “I have to give you the code to the
security system.”

“Oh, well, if it’s a problem then don’t,” Teagan stammers.