Page 37 of Shattered

Aurora pulled her phone from her back pocket, and called the complex’s landlord/maintenance man, only to get his voicemail. The idiot was unavailable because he was on vacation, and there was no one on-call in case of an emergency.Nice of him to leave a flyer announcing his trip and not leaving someone else to do his job.Just another reason she hated living in this run-down complex. Least he could have done was leave her a number to a repair shop. She hit the end button and contemplated who to call next.

She didn’t really know anyone overly well except for Keeley, who’d most likely give her a name of a plumber she couldn’t afford. Or Dryer… Mackenzie worked construction. He’d at least know how to turn the knob thingy off to stop the flow of water She’d figure out what to do from there. Aurora flicked through her contacts until she found his name and hit send.

After three rings, Aurora started to get nervous. “Come on, Mac. Answer the damn phone.”

“Yeah,” Mackenzie finally answered, breathing harshly as if he’d just run a long distance. Aurora shivered. Images of a naked Mackenzie fucking her from behind filled her mind. What the hell was going on with her?

“Aurora, you there?” The snap of his voice brought her out of her dirty thoughts.

“Ahh, yeah. Sorry.” She cleared her throat and got down to the reason for calling him. “I need help, Mac.” She really hated how whiney and pitiful she sounded.

“What’s wrong, are you okay?” The low growl in his voice made her insides flutter with anticipation.

“I’m fine. I came home to find my sink is leaking, well, gushing water, and my landlord isn’t available, and the stupid knob is stuck,” she cried. “I have about an inch or three of water on the floor, and... I just need some help.” She watched as more water flowed from the broken line, adding to what was on the floor to begin with.

“I’m on my way,” he said. His tone was calm, reassuring even, and she knew this mess in her apartment would be righted by him.

“Thank you,” she whispered in relief.

Aurora put the phone on the countertop and made her way toward the bathroom to gather every towel she had in the house. She didn’t have a lot of them, but what she had, had to be better than nothing.

She threw the towels on the floor, and they soaked up the liquid, becoming drenched in seconds. Aurora picked them up and squeezed the extra liquid into the large bucket she’d also found in the bathroom. Aurora was on her knees repeating the process over and over again when Mackenzie pounded on her door and called her name.

“It’s open!” she yelled, while she continued to soak up the water. She was making very little headway. As quickly as she got the water up, twice the amount seemed to take its place.

Mackenzie gave her a quick look on her hands and knees before he moved into the kitchen “After we get this fixed and cleaned up, we’ll discuss you leaving your front door unlocked, got it?”

She couldn’t see his face since he was bent down, and the top part of his big body was squeezed into the small cabinet under her sink. Probably was frowning at her like always. She glared at his back and stuck her tongue out at him. Yes, it was childish, but damn, if it didn’t make her feel better.

“Water is off now.” He stood then, towering over her.

“Thank you, and thank you for coming so quickly.”

He surveyed the old, dingy apartment, and she was sure those beautiful blue eyes of his didn’t miss the worn couch, or the beat-up coffee table or even the temperamental television that worked on occasion.

“That’s pointless,” he finally said, gesturing to the towel she was squeezing over the half-filled bucket.

“It’s all I’ve got.” She fought back a yawn as the adrenaline seeped from her. If she didn’t get to bed soon, she’d never make it through her shift.

“I got a shop vac in the truck. Let me go get it. It’ll make quick work of this mess.”

Aurora dumped the heavy towel into the sink and sighed. She needed to get the water cleaned up, find a plumber she couldn’t afford, and check in on Mr. William’s downstairs to make sure she hadn’t caused any damage. “Thank you again, Mac. If you’ll leave it, I’ll make sure to bring it back tonight when I drop off Abby.”

Mackenzie snorted; his features twisted in a dark rage, and his eyes became icy-blue. “You’re unbelievable.”

Aurora took a step back, pressing her hand to her chest. “Me? I’m unbelievable.” He had nerve. He was the one giving mixed signals. Not her. “What the hell did I do now?”

“Nothing,” he growled before stomping off, she assumed to get the shop vac.

Less than five minutes later, he was back with a large, beat-up red and black thing on wheels.

“I can do it, Mac,” she said, no longer bothering to hide how tired she was.

“Would it kill you, to take the help I’m willing to give?” he asked before he set the cumbersome piece of equipment down and plugged it in.

“Can we not do this right now?” Angry tears built behind her eyes, and a flush of heat from embarrassment seared her cheeks. “I’ve had a long night, Abby’s getting off the bus”—She leaned over to glance at the clock on the stove— “In five hours. I’ve got to get this cleaned up, and then I’ve got to get a guy I can’t even afford out here, to fix whatever the hell is wrong with the sink. I also have to check with Mr. Williams to see if he has damage in his apartment.”

“That’s what insurance is for,” he stated.

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