Page 75 of Mine to Keep

Matt shrugged. “Could also be nonbinary.”

JJ nodded. “Oh, this is getting more complex by the minute.”

He wasn’t kidding. I really hoped whoever Lenny Harlston was, they’d show up at Greg’s and we’d get the answers we needed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Matt

All this was beyond strange.Also, it had been a pretty quiet twenty-four hours. Maybe they were backing off? Then I remembered what Nick had said about how this Lenny person was away. I secretly hoped Lenny would show up at Greg’s and this could finally be put to bed.

“I have searched everywhere, scoured the Internet, the darkest corners of the web, and there is no Lenard, Lenny, Len Harlston that this fits. There are four within a fifty-mile radius, but three are in their eighties or nineties, and one is sadly only five…That poor child, growing up with the name Lenny.” Noel was shaking his head as he came into the living room to tell us the news.

“Maybe they changed their name?” Mason suggested. “Because someone goes by a name doesn’t mean it’s their legal one. Maybe here, in town, he has a different one but to Greg, he’s always known him as Lenny.”

It was the only thing that made any sense. “Plus, do we know Lenny is a man?”

“We don’t.” JJ plopped down next to Mason. Shep was currently with Greg. It was Sunday afternoon; Angel had been relieved by Shep at around eight this morning, and Gabe was heading to Greg’s shortly.

Nick’s phone vibrated in his pocket—and it seemed Noel’s did at the same time. Nick took his out and woke it up.

“It’s an alert.” He jumped up and rushed to the tech room, where all of us followed.

“An alert to what?” I asked.

“Your apartment.” He was typing on one keyboard while Noel was on another.

“My Ring didn’t go off.”

“It’s from inside. By the fire escape. There.” Nick pointed to one of the monitors, and sure enough, there was someone dressed in all black pushing up my window.

“Oh, my God.” I covered my mouth.

“How could that be Lenny?” JJ voiced what I was thinking.

“Lenny said he’d be home tonight and that he’d go to Greg’s Monday morning. He could be home by now.” Nick glared at the screen. “Maybe we’ll get lucky, and they’ll take off their mask.”

“Should we call the police?” All heads turned toward me. “Or maybe not.”

I watched in horror while the invader walked around my apartment. They wore gloves, but they were touching everything. They were lifting my pillows up to their face—I was guessing to try and smell through the mask. They went into the bathroom, but there weren’t cameras in there, so I didn’t know what they were doing.

When they opened my drawers and started rubbing their masked face on my boxers, I had to look away.

“Matt, why don’t you and I go make some coffee?” JJ wrapped his arm across my shoulders.

“Uh…”

“Go.” Nick kissed my cheek. “We’re going to track them here and then see if we can follow them back to their ride, and however far the street cameras take us.”

“Okay.”

“Noel, call Shep and let him know what’s going on.”

“On it.”

“I’m still going down to relieve Shep.” Gabe was watching the monitors too.

“We may end up not needing Greg if I can follow them. But if not, I’ll be there by the time the sun is up. I want to talk to Lenny myself.”

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