Page 5 of My Bodyguard Neighbor
"No."He looked up from the letter, his gaze moving past her into the apartment as if checking for other threats."Did you hear anything?Footsteps, the elevator, a door closing?"
"Nothing.That's what's so creepy about it."Holly took a sip of her coffee.It was good.Black, no sugar.Just how she liked it."I checked the hallway immediately, but it was like they just vanished."
Jonah went back to the letter, and she saw his expression shift.
"What?"she asked.
"This took time."He held up the paper."Someone cut these letters out, arranged them, glued them down.There are easier ways to send a note.”
“Maybe they didn’t have my email or phone number.”
“Your apartment is less commonly known, I’d imagine.”
“I tried to keep it that way.”
“Are you going to tell your father about this?”he asked.
“Why?What’s he going to do, aside from freak out.”
“He may be able to tell you what cases he’s been working on.”
She was mid sip when his words registered.“Cases?”
"Judge Benedict Reese has been in the news plenty of times.And Reese isn't the most common last name."
It was a reasonable explanation, but his tone set off alarm bells."Most people don't immediately connect me to him.I've worked pretty hard to keep my distance from his world."
"Maybe you haven't worked hard enough."
The words hung in the air between them, loaded with implications Holly didn't like.She took a step back, suddenly very aware that she was alone with a man she knew nothing about.
"I should probably call the police," she said, more to gauge his reaction than because she actually intended to.
“You should definitely report this. Get it on record.”
Well that was a relief.
"Give them a call.”
“I think I’d rather go down to the police station. I think getting out of the apartment and out in the fresh air will do me a world of good.”
He shrugged.“Sure.Grab your purse and I’ll walk you to your car, just to be safe."
Holly wanted to argue that she could take care of herself, but the idea of being in the parking garage alone wasn’t too appealing.
"Thanks," she said, gathering up her things.
When they got to the garage however, her Honda Civic sat in its usual spot, but something was wrong.It took her a moment to process what she was seeing.
Every single tire had been slashed.
"Holy shit."Holly gasped.The sight of her car—her reliable, practical little car that had never hurt anyone—sitting there violated and destroyed really pissed her off.
Jonah was beside her in an instant, his hand on her lower back as he scanned the parking garage like he expected whoever had done this to still be lurking in the shadows.
"Don't touch anything," he said, his voice sharp with authority."We need to call the police now."
"I can't afford this."Holly's voice broke.She'd been saving for months to build up an emergency fund, but car repairs weren't in the budget."Insurance will probably cover it, but my rates are going to skyrocket."
