Unraveled (Love in Salem, book 2) (19 page)

“How is she?” 

“Exhausted.  Scared.  Will you get her nightgown out of the top dresser drawer?”  He gestured over to the far corner of the room.

Abby walked across the room and opened the drawer.  Pulling out a simple cotton gown, she turned and brought it to the bed.  Assisting Aidan, they managed to pull the gown over her body without waking her up.  Once she was tucked soundly in bed, they left the room and pulled the door closed.

Bill and Carla were walking up to the door with two bags and a cat carrier in hand.  Abby opened the door and allowed them to pass.

“Anything else need brought in?”  Aidan inquired.

Bill nodded.  “There are two boxes in the back.  One has the cat food and bowls, the other is the litter and the litter box.”

Aidan headed out to retrieve the boxes.

Carla turned to Abby.  “Where is she?”

“Asleep.  We had just put her to bed when you arrived.”

“Any idea who would have done this?”  Bill growled the question.

“No.”  Both women answered at once.

Abby thought for a moment.  “It could be someone who is upset about a case you lost, or maybe someone wanting retribution for a case you won.”

Bill sighed.  “Too many suspects and no real motive.  I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking.”

“Maybe Atayla could provide some insight?”  Carla offered.

“She doesn’t know.”

All heads turned in the direction of Aidan’s voice.  He placed the boxes on the floor and shut the door.  Opening the first box, he removed the litter box and placed it in the small hallway leading to the garage. 

As he came back for the litter Bill asked, “Do you know who did this?”

Aidan appeared to think for a minute before responding.  “Maybe.  I don’t know.  My ex-girlfriend was here last week and made a scene.  On our way here I saw her sitting in her car a couple blocks away from your office.”  He shrugged.  “It could just be a coincidence.”

He walked back to the litter box and filled it before turning it on.  Next he grabbed up the cat carrier and took it to the litter box.  Jake zoomed out as soon as Aidan opened the door and took off towards the bedroom.  Deciding that he would rather have Jake hide in the bedroom than bounce around the house looking for a hiding spot, he strode through the kitchen and down the hall to crack open the door.

Bill waited for Aidan to return before asking, “What exactly happened?”

“Atayla and I were having…a misunderstanding.  She showed up here to talk to me and found Brittney here.  Unfortunately she was also waiting for me, only she was naked and in my bedroom.”  He visibly cringed.  “When I got home, the two of them had already had words.  Brittney thought for some reason I would pick her over Atayla, so she was quite insulted when I told her to get dressed and leave.”

“Did she do it?”  Abby was angry, her expression promised retribution.

“Yes.  She didn’t really give me any trouble over it, but I think she was embarrassed about the whole situation and wanted to leave.”

“Hmm.”  Bill considered it for a minute.  “Vandalizing
Tay’s car seems a little dramatic for bruised pride.”

Aidan readily agreed.  “Like I said, it could just be coincidence.”

“Still…”  Bill was hesitant to dismiss her as a suspect.  “It’s best that she has someone looking after her for a little while.”

“I agree.  She may not like it, but she is going to stay here with me until this blows over.  Hopefully it’s just kids’ posturing and not an attack specifically against her.”

“I’ll have security cameras installed to cover the back lot.  I should have done it before now, but I’ve always walked Tay out to her car after work.  I didn’t tonight because she insisted on finishing up the file she was working on, and since it’s my biggest case I didn’t object.”  Bill had a hard time swallowing his guilt.

Carla rubbed a comforting hand down his back.   “It’s not your fault, Billy.  It could just as easily have happened before you left.  There was no way you could stop it, and Tay wasn’t hurt –”

“But she could have been!” 

Aidan rubbed a tired hand down his face.  “We can’t worry about the ‘what if’s’ after the fact.  Bill, Carla is right.  It’s not your fault and nothing you could have done would have stopped it.  Security cameras are a good idea, though.  At least we would know who the vandal was.  I’m going to talk to your friend about a security system for Atayla’s car.  If she had been alarmed it wouldn’t have been as bad as it was.”

“I’ll give you his cell number.  He can probably get you a good deal on one and install it after he finishes the repairs.”

“Atayla won’t like that.”  Abby interjected.  “She needs to be a part of this decision or you will be up shit creek, if you know what I mean.”

Aidan smiled.  “I already talked to her about it while they were loading the car to be towed to Mallory’s shop.  She is scared enough that she didn’t even offer to argue about it.”

“What about a rental?  Will her insurance pay for one?”

“Yes.  They will be dropping one off here in the morning and will pick it up from Mallory’s shop after the repairs are completed.”

“Nathan won’t take long.  He’s been a good friend since we were kids.  He’ll be fast and efficient.  It will take longer to get all the parts delivered than it will be for him to get the job done.  It will be best to call him right away for the security system in case it takes a few days to get one.”

Aidan nodded his agreement.  “I’ll call him first thing in the morning.”

After that they all said their goodbyes.  It was still pretty early for bed, but after the emotional upheaval and spike of adrenaline when Atayla called him from the office, he was beginning to crash hard. 

First he needed a shower though.  It has been a long day, and he hoped the water would soothe the ache in his muscles.  He had been ridged and tense with worry all evening.  Now that he was home, and Atayla safe with him he was finally able to relax.

He turned on the shower and set the water temperature before stripping off his clothes.  Tossing them aside, he stepped into the shower and stood under the spray with his eyes closed.  The water rained down, beating against his body, calming his mind.

Aidan felt her presence the moment she stepped into the bathroom.  Something about her always drew his attention in a way no other had.  It was like they were in tune with each other, soul mates perhaps.  Whatever one would call it, he didn’t have to see or hear her to know she was present in the same room with him.

Atayla stepped into the shower and wrapped her body around Aidan’s, just holding him tight.  She was so thankful he came to her rescue today.  Until a few years ago, only Abby had ever cared enough about her to go such lengths.  It was quite an eye opener, really, and she had a revelation of sorts.

Suddenly all those decisions she was fretting over seemed impossibly easy to make.  That little twinge of disappointment she felt when that pregnancy test showed a negative now made sense.  Everything she wanted out of life was apparent with a clarity that was undeniable.

She definitely needed to tell him all these things, the shower however, no matter how interesting it may become, was no place for such conversations.  Grabbing the soap, she milked it into a lather with her hands and began to wash his back.  His muscles relaxed under her ministrations, and he shuddered away the last of his stiffness.

“I take it they all left?”

Aidan turned his head and raised his bows in question.

A little embarrassed, Atayla ducked her head and focused on washing his back.

“I woke up and heard you all talking.  Cowardly, I know, but hiding in the bedroom sounded better than being swarmed by the Calvary.”

His lips twitched.  “They love you and wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I know, but when you’ve never had anyone be concerned about you before it tends to get a little overwhelming when you do.”  She whispered.

“Atayla.”  His voice was tormented.  Turning, he enfolded her in his embrace and pulled her flush against his body, holding her tight.  Her stomach growled and broke the moment causing Aidan to chuckle.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.  I stopped and bought a bagel at the bakery on the way to the office, and that was the only thing I took the time to eat today.”

Aidan growled.  “I wish you would take better care –” He stopped and sighed at her warning scowl.  “Come on.  Let's finish getting cleaned up, and I’ll whip up something to eat.”

Atayla kissed his chest and hugged him.  “Good, we can talk while we eat.”

“Talk?  About anything in particular?”

“Us.”

Chapter Eighteen

Journey trudged up the steps to her apartment after a very long night.  All she wanted to do was take a shower and wash off the ten pounds of grease that was coating her hair and skin. 

Thinking of the disgusting truck driver made her shudder in revulsion.  Another reason she wanted to shower was to wash away the creepy crawly feeling just under her skin that his grubby paws had elicited when he groped her.

The sounds of Hayden crying reached out through the paper thin walls and the rotting door.  She looked towards Cassie’s apartment with concern.  She may not think much of Cassie as a person or a mother, but she had grown to love that little boy.  She knew Paxton, Hayden’s dad, was preparing to sue for custody.  She hoped he won too, as Hayden would be much better off in a loving home with safety and security.

His lawyer, Bill Bradshaw, was a top notch attorney.  He had asked Journey to stand as a character witness for Paxton, against Cassie.  At first, she had refused.  With living right next door to Cassie, she didn’t want the trouble she undoubtedly knew would arise.  Cassie was quite childish and would make it her personal mission to harass anyone who would dare make a move against her.

Journey unlocked her door and snorted.  Cassie was the reason she lost her job at the Casino.  She couldn’t be bothered to pick up her son at a decent time, causing Journey to be repeatedly late to work.  The last time she was late, the boss told her to go home and not come back.

The next day she called Bradshaw and agreed to testify.  It wasn’t like she could afford this run down nasty slum pretending to be an apartment building now that she was working for tips at the local mom and pop diner and the truck stop.

Throwing her purse on the counter, she turned toward the incessant beeping of her answering machine.  She pressed play and listened as creditors reminded her that she was late paying her bills, again, and urged her to call them back.  Not happening this week that was for sure.  She needed all the money she had to pay rent so she could be assured that she had a roof over her head for the next month.

Journey stripped off her clothes as she headed towards the shower.  First things first, she really needed to feel clean again.  Half an hour and all the hot water later, Journey dried off and donned her favorite cotton t-shirt and shorts.  She frowned at how loose they were now.  She hated that she had lost so much weight, but it was either pay her bills or eat.

She was allowed a free meal per shift at Della’s Diner and had recently begun indulging in that luxury.  Since it was the only time she actually got to eat now days, she found herself offering to work more and more shifts.

Not that the pay was worth it, she made much more at the truck stop.  There though, she had to put up with unsavory men who thought it their god given right to rub their hands all over her.  She knew it wouldn’t be so awful if she could work the first trick, but being the low waitress on the totem pole, she was stuck on thirds.

Journey shook her head.  It was no wonder she was sleep deprived.  Her thoughts ran amuck causing chaos and turmoil and she was helpless to stop it.  Pulling back the covers, she crawled into bed and sighed heavily.  She would love nothing more than to sleep for ten hours straight.  And she would as long the roaches and mice didn’t start scurrying around making all those irritating scratching noises.

Of course, if Hayden didn’t stop crying soon she wouldn’t sleep even if all critters that shared her apartment stayed as quiet as the grave.  A frown formed between her eyes.  Maybe there was something very wrong with Hayden.  He had never cried this much or for this long before.

Groaning at the thought of getting out of bed, she kicked the covers aside and walked the ten steps that took her to get to Cassie’s door.  She knocked.  Hayden’s cries escalated from unhappy to alarm.  Journey knocked louder and called out, “Cassie?  Is everything alright?”

When still there was no answer, Journey raced back to her own apartment and grabbed her keys off the counter.  She sprinted back to Cassie’s door and the persistent cries from a scared little boy.  Fear shot through her the thought of him being hurt.

“Shh, Hayden.  It’s Journey.  Everything will be okay, you can stop crying now.”