Page 15 of Max

She nodded. “I’m not going to let fear rule me.”

Beautiful and brave. He opened the door, revealing the God-awful mess inside.

The living room was covered in papers, and while they’d righted the furniture, several pieces were destroyed, like the dining chairs. They’d been busted into pieces and thrown throughout the room. Food had been taken out of the fridge in the kitchen and poured out, as well as all the food in the pantry. Cans had been opened and dumped onto the floor and the furniture. It was a mess.

Shay sighed and walked into the room, dropping her purse. “This is awful.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Max shut and locked the door.

“Don’t call me ma’am. I think you’re referring to my granny.”

Max laughed. “Sorry. My mama taught me good manners.”

Her tone softened. “You lost your mother a few years ago, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Cancer.”

“I remember. Desi told me. I’m so sorry, Max.”

He brushed it off and changed the subject. He didn’t want to talk about his mother and open up all that pain again.

“Are any of these papers important?” He gestured to the papers strewn everywhere.

“Yes. I don’t keep anything that’s not necessary.”

“Okay, I’ll start by gathering them all up and you can go through them later.”

“You’re going to help me clean?”

“Sure, darlin’. I have to stay here too, and I don’t want to sleep in a mess any more than you do.”

“You don’t have to. It’s not your job.”

“My job is to make you feel safe, and you’re not going to do that until this place is cleaned up. So, yes, it’s my job because I’m making it part of your security package.”

She laughed and went to a small closet off the kitchen, pulling out a broom, mop, and bucket. “Then let’s get this place put back together. And thank you, Max, for everything, not just this.”

“You’re very welcome.”

They both started to work. It was going to be a long night.

3:00 a.m.

That was what his watch said when they both finally stopped cleaning. The entire apartment had been cleaned. Shayna had even insisted on shampooing the carpets. Max understood her need to scrub the feeling of violation out of the place. Hell, he was surprised she’d even come back. He knew some clients who refused to go back into a home once it had been broken into, unable to stand the feeling of fear the memories brought back.

But Shayna Moore was a surprise. It was like she took one look at the space and decided to say, “Fuck you, this is my place and I’m not letting you win,” to her stalker. Brave. There was that word again.

She wasn’t at all what he expected.

“God, I’m starved.” Shayna collapsed on the couch, letting her head rest against the cushions. “And tired.”

“I’m not sure if there’s anywhere open this time of night.”

“There is if you know people.” Her eyes twinkled.

“And I’m guessing you know people?”

“I do, and I already called and placed an order. It should be here soon. Enough food for all three of us.”

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