Page 47 of Secret Shifters Next Door

I nodded. “Sure.”

Steff came over to watch, and Blayne hit the play button. The video was in high definition and very clear, unlike a lot of security footage I’d seen on the news. The rear camera showed a shadowy figure hunched over and walking toward the back door through the shrubs behind our house. The sight of him filled me with dread. I looked down at my lap, afraid to even glance at the video.

After a few seconds, I settled myself and looked back at the footage. I could see the man trying to pull me through the door. I called himthe manin my head, but I knew exactly who it was. It was Luis. Of course it was Luis. There was no other threat to me but him. The entire struggle only lasted fifteen or twenty seconds, which didn’t seem right. It felt like we’d foughtand struggled for minutes. How could that only have been a few seconds? Another camera outside caught sight of him sprinting away from the house. He ran down the street and jumped into a black car before speeding away.

I pointed at the car. “That’s a Lexus. It’s literally the only car Luis will drive. He refuses to buy anything else. He likes them black with dark tint. It has to be him.”

Steff pulled out his cell and dialed. Before I knew what was happening, he was barking orders to someone, telling them the description of the car. Before I could ask any questions, the doorbell rang. Blayne got up and opened it, letting in a crew of carpenters. They were carrying a sheet of replacement glass with large suction cup holders. It had to be seven o’clock at night. How had they managed to get these guys here so fast? Again, I wondered what kind of strings Tate and his friends were able to pull to get things like this done so quickly.

Once again, my house was a hive of activity. The girls would be home in a couple of hours, and I had no idea how I would explain all this to them. It couldn’t be helped, though. Instead of worrying, I watched the men at work. Steff helped the crew replace the glass. Blayne printed out pictures of the car and made some more phone calls. For about the millionth time in the last hour, I was grateful Tate had insisted on putting in the security system. Otherwise, I’d have been taken. I also chastised myself for not setting the back door alarm. Things might have gone better if I had.

Tension suddenly surged through me, and I knew without a doubt that Tate was here. He burst through the door and ran straight toward me. When he reached me, he crouched in front of me and ran his hands over my body, searching for injuries. His frenetic energy seemed to fill the room. Everyone went quiet and turned to watch him, as though they were afraid of offending him by moving while he checked me over.

“Are you all right? Is the baby okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “I’m good,we’regood. I was pretty shaken up, but the guys took care of me.”

Tate glanced at Blayne, an unspoken question on his face. The long-time friends seemed to be able to read each other’s minds.

Blayne nodded. “Looks like it was the Luis guy.”

“Motherfucker,” Tate hissed, a look of such profound rage on his face. He looked ready to kill. “That’s it. I’m moving in until this shit with Ortiz is settled.”

I looked at him blankly, thinking I’d misheard him. “What? You’re moving in?”

Tate raised an eyebrow. “I won’t be able to sleep at night, knowing what this asshole is up to. As long as this piece of shit slime ball is out there threatening you and the girls, I’m sticking close. I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. I’ll sleep on the couch if you want me to, but I’m pretty sure the girls have figured out something’s going on between us.”

“Tate, it’s fast. I don’t?—”

He held up a hand. “I’ll keep the boundaries, if it makes you feel better. Just know that I’m not leaving you all alone.”

Multiple arguments spiraled through my mind, but the memory of that arm wrapping around my throat silenced them all. I had no rebuttal that wasn’t pathetic or pointless, but that didn’t mean I had to like Tate forcing his will on me.

“You can be one pushy bastard, you know that?” I said.

He merely shrugged. “I don’t mind being pushy if it means you are all safe.”

The butterflies that filled my stomach in response to his words were hard to ignore. The fact that he cared so much for us so soon was surprising. We’d really only known each other for a couple of months, and already he was ready to go to war for me and my girls. It was nice to know someone had their backs.Also, why would I deny my girls the protection Tate was offering freely?

“Okay, fine. You can stay.” It was a moot point at that moment. Tate had already made up his mind, no matter what I said.

NINETEEN

TATE

Once Harley was calmed down, Steff and I helped the construction crew finish up with the door. Their boss had been a client a few years back. Miles had tracked down his runaway daughter in some weird religious cult, and I’d extracted her and safely returned her to her home. He owed us one. We wouldn’t have gotten the door fixed that fast if not for that. Even with that advantage, Jordyn and Mariah still got home before we finished.

Their friends had dropped them off in the driveway just as the crew was loading up their van. The girls gawked at the van, which was understandable. It was nine o’clock at night, and there was a construction crew at their house. They’d have been crazy not to think something was amiss. I cursed under my breath as they walked up the path to the porch.

Mariah walked in and saw Harley on the couch. “Mom? What the hell?”

“Hey, language,” Harley said.

Jordyn shook her head. “No, Mom, this is definitely a what-the-hell moment.”

Harley sighed and patted the sofa, indicating the girls should sit down. They did, but not before glancing at me for some sort of hint. All I did was nod toward their mom.

“Someone tried to break into the house and broke the glass in the back door. The alarm went off like it was supposed to, and scared them off. Tate and his friends showed up, then they called some people to fix the door.” Harley was calm as she recounted the events of the night.

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