Page 96 of Roots of the Wicked

His hands reached for the sky, one holding a dark camera or recording device.

I maintained a steady aim at the man, as I reached blindly onto my coffee table for the remote to turn on my lights.

The man was clearly scared shitless, but he held a big high powered camera in one of his shaking hands.

“Drop the camera asshole!” I yelled once the lights were on. The sound of the camera hitting the floor pleased me as the trembling asshole stood near my door, appearing ready to piss himself. He was young, at least early twenties, slender with a buzzed low haircut.

“Who the fuck are you? How did you get into my apartment? Who hired you to spy on me?”

“I’m sorry. I needed the money.” His muffled voice sounded as he was still facing the door.

“Turn your ass around and tell me who hired you!” I shouted, my anger taking over. “Are you the asshole who has been spying on me all this time?”

I hadn’t realized I was inching closer to the man, until I was about four feet away. My closer positioning frightened him as I noticed his body, visibly shaking. He couldn’t have been behind something as sophisticated as the drone spying. He was more than likely a pawn, a disposable entity as the mastermind maintained his cover.

“Unless you have a superpower that will allow you to eat nineteen hollow point slugs, you better start talking. And please know, I’m crazy enough to empty this clip into your ass, stand over your bleeding body, reload, and empty another clip into you.”

He raised his hands higher in response to my threatening words. “I was hired over the phone. They sent me a key card to this building in the mail, along with a key to the door, and two different six-digit pins to get on to this floor. I never met them. They wired me five-thousand to break in and promised to wire the rest, when I got any information on you.”

Six residents lived on this floor, which would mean, that someone wanting to break in, would have six chances of getting someone’s pin, and could easily steal a key and key card, or get one copied. This was classic proof, that no place was truly secure.

“So let me get this shit straight. You broke into my house. Hung out. Watched and recorded me having sex, and tried to sneak out when you thought I was sleep? How long have you been in my apartment?”

“I-I-I came in right after you guys left. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.”

“Of course you meant harm, you asshole. Did you not just here me list out all of the crimes you’ve committed? I should pull this fucking trigger.”

“Ma’am. I’m so, so sorry.”

He tried to wave me off, shaking his head as tears started to spill when my hand tightened around the pistol grip.

“It’s too late to be sorry. You weren’t sorry when you attacked me. If I killed you right now, I won’t spend a day in jail.”

I took a few steps back and picked up my cell phone.

“Yes. I would like to report a break in. I’m holding the intruder at gun point. If he tries anything, I’m shooting to kill, so send someone quick.”

The dispatcher talked on the other end of the line. I placed the phone on speaker and continued my conversation with the dispatcher while I texted Chase.

“Intruder in my house. Have him at gun point. Come back quick. Cops on way. 911 online w/me.”

Chase text back immediately.

“On the way. Ian will be there in a few minutes. Shoot intruder if you have too.”

Ian was Chase’s extra driver. Had Chase been leaving the man to watch me this entire time? Why else would he be two minutes away?

Ian arrived along with the two officers. I buzzed them all up on the same elevator trip. My want-to-be criminal intruder had become a sniffling mess of tears as snot bubbles blew from his red nose.

I had slung every question I could think of at the man before the cops arrived, discovering that there must have been some truth to his story. He didn’t know shit. As scared as he was, I was sure he had revealed to me all that he knew.

Chase came in just as the cops were questioning me. Ian stood at my window like my secret guardian. After Ian and the officers left with the crying intruder, I threw myself into Chase’s arms.

He kept checking me over and suggesting I see a doctor just because I had a small scrape on my arm. “Come home with me Jax. I’m afraid for you staying here tonight. At least stay with me until you get your locks and security information updated.”

I nodded before glancing up at Chase. “I took that asshole’s Camera.” I marched over to my couch, reached underneath it, and dragged out the intruder’s camera. “He admitted to planting some listening devices too, I took those as well, to see if I can track them back to a location. I threatened to kill his ass, if he told the cops I took his equipment. The asshole recorded us. He was in here while we were…” I couldn’t finish. The impact of the situation had finally taken its toll on me as my tears started to spill.

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