I let my head drop back against the edge of the bath. Mmm. After everything that had happened since Ella had spotted that man through her window, getting some time to myself seemed like a luxury.
The hot bath water felt as though it was poaching me slowly—not that I minded. I felt my eyes begin to drift shut, and wondered if I might be able to fall asleep right then and there. But before I could, my phone began to buzz on top of the toilet, and my eyes flew open.
I had been jumpier than usual—the long hours combined with the strangeness of what was going on with Jazz and Ella had me on edge, and it took me a second to get my breathing in check as I reached for my cell. I checked the name on the screen. Lucy was calling. I flicked open the phone, and held it to my ear.
“Hello?” I murmured, trying to keep my voice low so as not to blow this air of relaxation I’d worked so hard to earn.
“Hey, Moan.” Lucy sounded…well, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but she didn’t sound like her. I sat up straight in the bath, the water shifting loudly around me.
“What’s up?” I demanded, and she took a deep breath. She sounded shaken, even though she’d only spoken a couple of words to me. I’d kept her updated with everything that was going on, and she’d been so good at keeping me calm and under control in the face of all that ridiculousness. But now, she needed my help. I could feel it.
“Last night,” she began, letting the words hang between us for a moment before she carried on. “I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard a noise.”
“Yeah?” I prompted her.
“And…and I got out of bed to see what it was,” she continued. “And there was someone at my window.”
A cold flush ran up and down my scalp. Jesus Christ.
“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady and not give away how freaked out I was at this revelation.
“I mean…I saw someone, he was climbing back down the pipe that’s outside my bedroom window when I got there,” she explained. “And I thought I was going crazy, but when I went outside the next morning, I found footprints leading up to where I’d seen him.”
“Fuck me, Luce,” I muttered. Had I had something to do with this? Had they figured out her connection to me, and were now trying to freak her out to get me off the scent? I felt like a character in some overwrought crime drama, and it was a lot less fun than it had seemed when I had watched them with my mom over dinner.
“You want me to come stay with you?” I asked. “I can get out of babysitting—”
“No, no, you need that job,” she dismissed me in a second, as ever, putting herself last. “I’ll be fine, I just wondered if you knew anything about it.”
“I don’t know anything,” I replied with a sigh. “And you know that I’m not just going to let this slide, right? I can’t. Come on, Luce, if I called you up with the same thing…”
“I know, I know,” she dismissed me. “But I’m not asking for help.”
“Then why did you call?” I pointed out, and she went quiet for a second.
“Okay, maybe I need a little bit of help,” she admitted. “It just really freaked me out and I don’t know what to do…”
“Let me call Jazz,” I told her firmly. “I know it seems scary now, but I promise we’ll get something sorted. Anything, until you feel safe, right?”
“Right,” she replied, and I could hear the relief in her voice. “Thanks, Moan.”
“Anytime,” I replied, and pulled myself out of my bath. For some reason, the thought of talking to Jazz naked felt a little bit inappropriate—even though he would never have a clue, it felt as though I’d be pushing my luck a little. Hearing his voice when I was like this…it felt like the start of some cheesy porno. I wrapped a towel around myself and pressed myself up against one of the heaters, trying to warm myself up, and dialed Jazz’s number.
“Hey,” he answered a few seconds later. I could hear the sound of cartoons in the background, and the clatter of pots and pans not far from the phone. He must have been cooking her dinner, taking advantage of one of the few evenings they actually got to spend together. I hated to break it up, but I wasn’t going to put my best friend in danger for the sake of being polite.
“Hey Jazz, sorry to disturb you guys, but something’s happened,” I began, and felt a sudden lump in my throat—before, it felt at least like we’d been in control of what was going on. But now…I wasn’t so sure. I mean, this was the first time that someone outside of our little group had been involved. Lucy hadn’t done anything to deserve this, hadn’t gone chasing after this guy—but here she was, caught up in the middle of this anyway. I swallowed heavily and continued.
“My friend Lucy, she said that there was a guy looking in her window last night,” I explained. “She thought she was just being paranoid, but then she went outside and there were footprints.”
“Is she okay?” he asked, moving away from the sound of the cartoons.
“She is for now, but I want to help her and I guess since you’re in the business of looking after people, you’d have a better idea than I do.”
“Did she say footprints?” Jazz asked after a pause. “Did she get a picture of them?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll ask her to get a shot,” I promised him. “Do you think you can do something to help her?”
“I’ll send over one of my guys to sleep on her floor.”
I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. That didn’t even sound close to something she would agree to. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? It just seems…I don’t know. Invasive for her.”
“Well, I don’t really have anything else I can offer right now,” Jazz shot back, and I could hear that he was on the defensive. “Could you call her and ask if that’s okay?”
“Will do.”
Before I knew it, I was back on the phone with Lucy—and she had some strong opinions about whether or not there was going to be a strange man sleeping over in her apartment.
“Mona, there is no way in hell—”
“Hey, Lucy, I’ve met most of them, and they seem like nice enough guys,” I protested. “I know it sounds crazy, but you should at least think about it.”
“I’m not replacing one guy invading my space with another!” she exclaimed. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but…no. That’s just not going to work for me.”
“Then what?” I demanded, tucking my legs up underneath me and wondering how my relaxing night in turned into this. “Because we can’t have you staying there after what happened!”
Lucy fell silent for a second, and I could tell she was thinking over her options. She knew I was right. She wasn’t safe there, and there was no way any of us would let her stay by herself.
“I was going to get a hotel anyway,” she replied slowly. “I’ll just do that instead. Then your guy can come stay here and I won’t have to bother with him.”
“Come stay with me!” I suggested at once. “You don’t need to be spending money on a hotel if—”
“Mona,” she cut across me, in a tone of voice that I recognized as one that meant she was not up for being fucked with. “You know as well as I do that this could have something to do with you. Putting the two of us together could be what this guy wants.”
I paused and closed my eyes. She was right.
“I know,” I sighed. “But you’ll keep in touch, won’t you?”
“I’m getting a hotel room, not a house in the suburbs,” she replied teasingly, and I finally cracked a smile.
“I know, I know,” I blustered. “Just don’t go forgetting about your old friend Mona, right?”
“I’ll try my best,” she promised. “So, what’s the name of this guy you’re going to set me up with?”