Page 42 of Amore
I brushed a piece of her brown hair off of her forehead. “Yeah, Franks, I know.”
She placed her head on my shoulder. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to feel safe again.”
“For what it’s worth, everything I installed did its job.”
“Except he still got in.”
“Because of a window, which we couldn’t do anything about.” People shouldn’t have to arm their houses or cars to prevent them from being broken into or stolen, but the world we lived in was a scary one, and why I tried daily to make it better.
“What can we do?” She looked up at me again.
I thought for a moment, remembering how she said she was looking for a new place to live. “I think it’s best if you find a safer place to live. A gated community or a building with security.”
A gated community wasn’t 100% safe. If a criminal wanted to get into the community, there was always a way. Plus, I knew some law enforcement officers had codes for the gated communities in case of emergencies, which was easy for someone to find out. However, it was better than living in a place without a gate and guard.
“I was looking for a new house in a gated community, but what about when I’m filming? I’m going to think someone always wants to attack me.”
I smiled a small smile. “You think that now, but I promise it will get better.”
“How?”
“There are tons of ways you can feel safer that have nothing to do with home security.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“Take self-defense classes, buy a handgun and learn to use it, carry pepper spray, hire a bodyguard.”
“A bodyguard?”
I nodded.
“How can I trust anyone but you when the person who installed my alarm broke in and tried to rape me?”
Even though I had been present when she had given her statement to the officer, it still made my chest ache to hear she had almost been raped.
She went on. “He was hired to keep me protected in a way, so how can I know for sure?”
“I know of some reputable security firms, including the one I work for at Sensation.”
“So, can I hire you? My friend Summer’s bodyguard is a cop, and you’re the only one I’ll ever trust.”
I paused, wondering how I could manage it, but cops in LA always seemed to have special details while remaining LAPD. “Yeah, I think I can be your security detail once I clear it with my captain.”
She sat up and turned to face me. “But I want you to come to Canada with me. I’ll pay for a hotel room and all that.”
I snorted. “I’m not sleeping in a separate hotel room, Franks.”
She swallowed. “What about Candace?”
I sighed, my lips forming a thin line. “Well, she and I won’t be partners anymore, so I just need to rip the Band-Aid off.”
“I’m sorry.” She looked down at her lap.
“Hey”—I cupped her cheek and had her look at me again—“don’t be sorry. Eventually, I would have grown some balls and broken up with her, even if you and I hadn’t reconnected.”
“Okay.” She smiled a small smile.
I wanted to kiss her badly, and it made my heart ache because I couldn’t. Even though I was going to break up with Candace, I wasn’t a cheater. I had to call things off with her before anything physical happened with Frankie.
