Page 68 of Let Me Be the One

Hearing the slight waver in her voice, I walk over to her and pull her to me, rubbing her back as I hold her in my arms. Not just because it’s clear she needs the comfort, but because I’m trying to comfort myself with the fact that Lainey is standing here with me. Safe. If I’d gone home with Bec last night instead of Lainey—if I hadn’t caught Lainey last night before she’d gotten into the cab—would the robbers have been deterred by her being home? Or would they have broken in anyway? And what would have happened if she’d been here when they walked in? My blood turns cold just thinking about it.

“It’s okay,” she says, her words muffled against my shirt. “I back up all my work.”

I’m not sure if she’s trying to convince me or herself. When she pulls away, I reluctantly let her go. She looks over the mess before looking back at me. “You probably need to go, and I should get this sorted out.”

I look around at the mess before looking at Lainey, pale and shaken in front of me.

“I have nowhere to be. I’m at your disposal. Where’s your dustpan and brush? I’ll start cleaning up.”

She visibly swallows. “You don’t have to do that.”

Maybe she’s wondering what this means after our night together, and maybe I should wonder, too, but I promised her we’d still be friends.

“Friends don’t walk out on each other when one of them has just been robbed,” I say.

She gives me a weak smile. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I can call Cass if you want to go.”

“Lainey, it’s fine. Just point me in the direction of your cleaning stuff.”

“Broom’s next to the fridge. I suppose I should call Wally’s Windows and ask for a new window. That’ll cost me an arm and a leg on a Sunday.”

“Yeah, well, you need a window,” I tell her, grabbing the broom.

“I guess you were right about my alarm system being useless.”

I’d completely forgotten about the shitty piece of equipment I’d installed for her weeks ago.

“You told me I should get a better one, and I intended to. I just kept putting it off for money reasons. Which is stupid. I should have just ordered one anyway.” She’s rambling as we start cleaning. I let her go on, listening until she says, “I guess I deserve this for being so gullible, huh?”

I stop sweeping and look at her. “You don’t get to blame yourself for this. It’s not your fault some arseholes broke in here.”

She shakes her head. “If I’d had a better system...”

“There’s no guarantee this wouldn’t have happened. You said there’s been a string of robberies in the area.”

“Yes, and you said it could have been the security company selling these systems.”

I remember this about a fraction of a second before she says it, and we both look at each other. “I’m going to look into it.”

I knew the company was dodgy. If I find out they’re responsible for this...

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

That look on her face and the genuine worry moves me more than it should. The feeling is also mutual. I don’t want her to get hurt. She should be worrying about herself, not me.

“I can take care of myself, Lainey,” I assure her.

“How will you... how can you find out?”

“I’ll figure something out.” I know some people from my time as a bodyguard, including a couple of private eyes. They might be able to steer me in the right direction.

“Then I should focus on tracking down a better alarm system.”

“I know a company through someone I used to work with. The systems they sell are expensive but effective. I should be able to get you a discount.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

Actually, I do. For my own sake as much as hers. It’s unlikely anyone is going to come back here tonight, but I’m not real keen on her staying here without some kind of protection. She has no dog, no housemate. It’s just her.

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