Page 59 of The Rookie's Second Chance

Shit. The situation was spiraling faster than I could handle. I felt responsibility like a noose tightening around my neck. I had to get to Mandy and make sure she was safe. The rest of the messages from Lexi and Mandy were a blur, her fear and my concern merging into a symphony of panic.

Then Luke's voice, steady and calm, cut through the chaos. "I've got Lexi, Jake. We're heading back to the safe house. She's safe, man. But get your ass back and check on Mandy, will you?"

His message was a life raft in the storm. Lexi was safe, but Mandy... I had to get back. My mind was racing, trying to piece together this mess. Jude, the stalker, or some other son of a bitch could be at my doorstep, and I wasn't there.

The cruiser ate up the miles back to town, the engine's growl a match for the storm brewing inside me. The night was pressing in, a suffocating blanket of darkness that seemed to echo my dread.

I pulled up to my place, scanning the dark, quiet street. No signs of life, no lurking shadows. I stepped out of the cruiser, my hand instinctively resting on my holster.

"Mandy!" I called out as I approached, my voice low but urgent. "You there?"

The door swung open, and she was there, her face pale in the porch light. "Jake! I'm okay. I didn't know what to do. I heard someone out back."

I rushed past her, checking the perimeter, but there was nothing—no signs of forced entry, no footprints, just the stillness of an empty backyard.

"Fuck, Mandy. You sure you heard something?" My voice was harsh, the adrenaline and fear sharpening my words.

"Yes, I swear. It was like someone was right outside the window," she insisted, wrapping her arms around herself.

I glanced back at the house, the silence mocking me. "Stay inside, lock the doors. I'm gonna check the rest of the place."

Room by room, I cleared the house, but it was empty. No intruder, no sign anyone had been there. It was like chasing ghosts, and my frustration was boiling over.

"Nothing. There's no one here," I reported, holstering my gun as I walked back into the living room where Mandy was waiting.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and scared. "So, what now?"

"Now," I said, the words gritty with determination, "we wait for daylight, then we go after this bastard. He's made this personal, and I'm going to make sure he regrets it."

I watched Mandy try to steady her trembling hands, her attempt at bravery about as solid as smoke.

Shit.

"You good?" I asked, knowing full well she wasn't.

She gave me a nod, but her eyes were telling a different story. "I was so scared, Jake. I just... I don't know what I'd do if—"

I cut her off with a firm hug, the kind you give someone when words just won't cut it. She melted into it, her body still shaking. "You're safe now. That's all that matters."

She pulled away slightly, enough to look up at me. "Did you really not find anything?"

"Nothing," I confirmed, racking my brain for any missed details. "Did you catch any sounds that stood out? Anything at all that might give us a lead?"

She shook her head, her brow furrowed in frustration. "It was just... noises. Like someone was right outside. But no voices, no nothing."

I sighed, running a hand down my face. "Alright. You should try and get some rest. You'll feel better."

Her eyes darted away from mine and then back. "I don't think I can sleep. Not after all that. Not alone..."

The unspoken request hung in the air between us, and I didn't hesitate. "I'll stick around. I can sit in your room and keep watch if it makes you feel safe."

The relief in her smile hit me harder than I expected. "Thanks, Jake. I'd like that."

So I followed her to her room, a simple space that she’d managed to transform from a plain guest room into her own personal haven in just the short time she’d been staying with me. She’d been working from this room as a mobile office so she could be there for Lexi when this all blew over. She crawled under the covers while I found a chair in the corner, my body angled so I could see both her and the door.

The room was quiet. I watched Mandy's eyes flutter closed, her breathing eventually evening out as sleep took her.

My own thoughts were a whirlwind. Everyone was safe—for now. Luke had Lexi, Mandy was here, and Kayla... well, I was going to have to apologize for the way I acted. She didn’t do anything wrong.

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