Page 3 of Let it Burn
I grit my teeth. My fists clench. I want to storm out there, track that bastard down myself, and make him pay. But right now, Lena is the priority.
I drag in a slow breath, trying to rein in the wild, protective surge coursing through me. “Lena,” I say, my voice dropping even lower, rougher, “wehaveto find him. He could hurt someone else. Or come back. But you’re not alone in this. I’ll stay with you. We’ll figure it out together. You’re safe with me.”
For a second, I think she’s going to argue again. Her mouth opens, her lips tremble. But then something in her eyes changes. The flicker of raw fear settles into a kind of quiet determination.
“Okay,” she whispers, her voice fragile but steady.
I nod, jaw tight, pulling my phone from my pocket and dialing. My voice drops as I give the dispatcher the details, my hand resting lightly on her shoulder, grounding her, anchoring us both.
When I end the call, I glance at her. “They have a car nearby, so they’ll be here in a few minutes. Can I make you something? Tea, coffee, water?”
She hesitates, then nods. “Water would be good.”
I move into her small kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it from the tap. My hands feel too big, too rough againsther delicate mugs and mismatched dishes. She stands up and follows me. I don’t comment on it, knowing how much dislikes attention, but I am relieved she’s vertical. I hand her the glass, brushing her fingers as I pass it over. She flinches a little at the contact, but I see her swallow, steadying herself. She sits down at her small wooden kitchen table, sipping her water.
The knock on the door is soft but firm. I answer, stepping into the hallway to greet the cop—Jake. He’s a guy I know from the station. He’s solid and trustworthy, exactly the right type of person for Lena to talk to right now.
“Zeke,” he says with a nod, his eyes flicking to Lena. “She okay?”
“She’s holding up,” I reply quietly, glancing back at her. “She’ll give you the details, and I’ll fill in what I can.”
Jake sits across from her. I stand close, my hands loose at my sides, holding back every instinct in me to hold her close to me. But I don’t.
Not yet.
“Mind telling me what happened?” Jake asks.
Lena takes a moment giving him a nod.
“I heard it. The glass. I—I was in bed, and I heard the window break in the living room.”
My whole body locks up, fists clenching at my sides. I glance toward the window and the glass on the ground, fury simmering under my skin. That bastard. Crawling through the glass like a snake, creeping through her apartment, into her room.
“You okay, bro?” Jake asks me, noticing my reaction.
“The door was open when I came in, so I assumed that’s where he entered from.” I try to sound neutral, as though the thought of his crawling through the window doesn’t seem so much worse, so deliberate.
Jake follows my gaze, his brow furrowing. He moves to the window, crouching to examine the shards scattered across the floor, his pen tapping against his notepad. “Nah, fifth floor… glass broken. Looks like he came in through here. He might’ve left the door open so he could make a quick exit.” He turns back to us, his jaw tightening. “I’ll have patrols check the fire stairs. He must’ve come up that way, climbed through. We’ll scout the area, make sure no one else gets close. Now, I know this can be difficult to answer, but do you have any idea who it might be? An ex-boyfriend, husband…?
“No, I just moved here and I don’t know anyone.”
Jake nods. “Okay, ma’am. Nothing left for me to do here. But don’t worry, this is small town; something should come up soon.”
Lena’s breath hitches, her voice cracking. “He was just… there. I didn’t even have time to react. He was in my room before I knew it.”
I step in, my hand settling on her shoulder, slow and steady. My palm curves against the fragile slope of her neck, my thumb brushing the soft skin just below her jawline.
She stiffens under the touch, but then, I feel her weight shift—just a fraction, but it’s enough. She leans into me, her trembling slowing.
Jake straightens, his voice calm but firm. “I’ll make sure we get a team to check the stairs, lock everything down. And we’ll post a patrol car outside overnight.”
I nod, my voice low and rough. “Good. He’s not getting near her again.”
Lena glances up at me, her eyes wide, her lips parting like she wants to speak but can’t quite find the words.
I lean in, “You did good, Lena.”
“I’ll let you know if we have any leads, bro.” We shake hands and I see him out.
