Page 26 of Broken Daddy

I’m practically holding my breath as I greet the doorman, who’s been told to expect me.

Gen is waiting inside the foyer. She looks different than I’ve ever seen her, and it sends a spike of worry and protectiveness through me. Arms crossed, her cream blouse is wrinkled, the collar buttoned high.

“Hey.”

The greeting comes out gruff. I can’t stop looking around, taking in my surroundings, searching.

As if the guy is going to pop out and wave a sign, saying he’s the one who did this.

Gen steps toward me and her arms drop. She reaches out, then hesitates, crossing them again. I can sense she wants to be comforted and surprisingly, I want to comfort her, too. So I step into her space and crowd her toward a pillar so she isn’t so exposed. She breathes a sigh of relief.

“Hi. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called—”

Brow creased with worry, she second-guesses her decision. I shake my head, hands on her upper arms.

“No, you definitelyshouldhave called. I’d be upset if you didn’t. Did you let Russ know?”

Gen blinks, her frown disappearing for a second.

“Oh, no, I…I think I’m just used to not wanting to bother him.”

She winces apologetically, and I can’t help lifting a brow at the implication she’s perfectly fine botheringme.

But again, I meant what I said. She absolutely should have called.

“Listen, even if it’s not that serious, I’d rather check it out.”

I gesture for Gen to lead the way. We end up in a bay of elevators, then head up to the fourth floor. The doors open and Gen takes a deep breath.

Instinctively, I reach out and take her hand.

She turns her hand in mine, our fingers lacing together.

Seeming bolstered now, Gen leads me down the hallway. It’s a beautiful dark wood. This building is oldbut well-kept. The carpenter in me can’t help admiring the character. We stop in front of door 4C, but I could’ve found it all on my own, because Gen’s temporary tenant wasn’t kidding.

There’s a shoe-sized hole in the door. The wood around it is splintered.

Not hard to do, since the door isn’t as high-quality as the rest of the building, but still. Gen’s arms are crossed again and she’s gnawing on her bottom lip.

Unconsciously, I reach out and thumb it from her teeth. She stares up at me in surprise and trying not to flush in embarrassment, I turn my attention to the door.

“This is…dangerous, Gen.”

The serious note in my voice has her focusing on the task at hand. I point out the lock on the door, where someone has obviously tried to get in. The wood around it is chipped and scratched, part of the metal pried up. Just centimeters, but it’s enough.

And then there’s the permanent marker. Someone has written BITCH in heavy, thick, erratic lettering near the knob.

“You told building security?”

“Yeah. Yes. They said they can’t do much, they can look at the cameras, but—” She swallows hard. “They’re going to let me know in a few days, once everything has been reviewed.”

“Okay. When did this happen?”

“My tenant said she heard scratching sounds a little after midnight but didn’t check. She was too scared. And then this morning, when she went to leave for work…”

“How long ago?”

Gen shrugs. “Maybe an hour?”

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