Page 40 of In The Dark
“It’s not so much a grand gesture as curiosity. She just told me her ex-boyfriend showed up to her school. He also drove past her house last night. I’m going back over to her place to installa camera on the exterior of the house and maybe one in her bedroom so I can keep an eye on her.”
“Right. Totally normal behavior for a woman you just met.” Leo blinks. “Wait. What do you mean by back over to her place? Hunter fucking Wilder. Have you been to her house before?”
“Maybe,” I say innocently, and Leo groans. “What? You gave me her address! I simply drove by, accidentally picked the lock and…” I trail off with a grin. “Stumbled inside. I have no clue how it happened.”
“Absolute maniac,” he mumbles. “So, what? You’re literally going to watch her sleep? And not tell her you’re doing it?”
“In my defense, it’s to keep her safe.”
“Oh, this will be fun. Keep her safe from who? The monster who lives under her bed.”
“The ex. Anyone else who might want to harm her.” I stir my spoon around the cereal and shrug. “She seemed creeped out by him, and when I stopped by their place the first time, they didn’t have any security systems in their house. They didn’t even have the deadbolt in place. And don’t get me started about the lack of weapons to defend themselves.”
“Shit. Do we think this guy is bad news like you’re used to handling? Is he a rapist? An abuser? Have you looked him up?”
“Not yet, but I’m going to. If there’s even ablipon his record, I’m buying Max a knife she can sleep with to protect herself. Fuck. I might buy one for her anyway.”
“Okay, well, it’s hard to call you a creep when you’re being all noble and shit, but don’t watch her sleep. That crosses a line.”
“No promises.” I finish off my breakfast and stand, dropping the empty bowl in the sink. I move to the coffee maker and hit brew, waiting for the pot to fill up. “But I’ll do my best to behave.”
“When she gets mad at you, I want you to tell her I had no part in this,” he says.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll make sure your good name stays clean.”
I give him a salute and turn for my bedroom to get changed, knowing I’m going to be taking my coffee to go. There’s a long day ahead of me, and all I can think about is doing everything I can to protect Max from the shitty people who might want to hurt her.
Max’s fridgeis still empty, but there’s a loaf of bread on the counter. Her laundry hamper is still full, and I wish I had more time to hang around and help her with some of her chores, but I’m already running behind.
Picking the right cameras were a longer process than I thought it would be. I added upgraded features and premium services. I paid more for the app so I can watch both camera feeds on two separate devices at the same time. I went all the fucking way in, and I stare at her bookshelf, wondering what book I’m going to sacrifice so I can hide the camera out of sight.
One at the top catches my eye, and I pull it off the shelf. It looks used, like it’s seen better days, and I promise myself I’ll buy her a new one if this ends up being a favorite.
I make a hole in the spine of the book and attach the camera between the pages, careful when I set it back in place. I pull up the app connected to the livestream and wave my hand in front of the camera, glad when the mirror image shows on my phone.
I turn the book slightly to the left to give the camera a better angle of the whole room, and I grin. Iwillbe able to watch her sleep, and Leo is going to be so fucking mad at me. The camera is tiny, unnoticeable when I take a few steps back and look at the shelf up and down, and there’s no way Max is going to realize it’s there.
Satisfied with the placement of the first camera, I head outside, surveying the house for where I’m going to put the second. I do a full lap, laughing when I get to the backyard and see the umbrella I fixed standing upright.
“You’re welcome, angel,” I say, making my way back to the front.
The porch has less places to hide something, and I settle on attaching the camera to the back of a sconce attached to the brick. It’s not as discreet as I would’ve liked, but beggars can’t be choosers. Not when this is her safety we’re talking about. Something is better than nothing, and I curse when I burn myself on the warm glass.
“Mother fucker,” I mumble, blowing on the tips of my fingers.
I hop off the chair I’m standing on and put it back in place, not wanting my presence to be noticed. I check the feed on this camera and give myself a pat on the back, happy when everything seems to be in place.
Our FaceTime call wasn’t the first time Max mentioned her ex. She told me he cheated on her when we ran into each other at the party on Tuesday, and now my guard is up. I don’t know who the fuck this Brian guy is, but I do know I’m going to keep my eye out for anything suspicious. The second I see anyone lingering around, doing things they shouldn’t be doing, I’m going to take care of them.
If I was a nice guy, I would let Max know I installed the cameras. I’d make sure she knew she was being watched, but I’m going to keep this secret to myself. The less people who know, the less have to be involved if and when I need to take matters into my own hands. I’m careful to not leave a paper trail in my other job, and I’m going to treat this the same way.
One wrong move from this ex-boyfriend of hers, and I’ll end him with a quick snap of his neck.
I haven’t used that move in a while. I bet it could be fun.
I blow another kiss to the camera even though Max can’t see it and make sure I pack away all my tools.
“Until we meet again, angel,” I say, making sure the camera app is hidden in a folder on my phone labeled as TAX STUFF. Technically, the purchasesarea write-off, so I’m not totally lying. “But I’ll see you well before you see me.”
