Leo
I'm lying next to Elena in her bed. The storm is raging outside, thunder crashing in the distance. The trees are bending so hard it looks like they might break. It’s not helping my train of thought to have such darkness descending outside.
I take in my surroundings. Her bedroom is decorated to the nines. She’s got great taste, another thing to love about her. Her soft covers smell like flowers or something. Everything about her smells good. Her hair is always so full, and her perfume just entrances me. She’s sleeping soundly, but I can’t get my mind off of this case. I just keep running the logistics in my brain, trying to find a way to keep Elena safe. What am I missing that means this stalker is still out there on the loose? I have to catch him. Looking at Elena, and how beautiful and perfect she is, I realize that I just have to put this guy away forever so that we can move on with our lives. There hasn’t been a day that I’ve been with her that I haven’t been on edge about needing to settle this case. There's no way I can sleep with all this on my mind. I will figure something out.
I decide to step into her bathroom so that I don't wake her when I call Bobbi. There are little bottles and decorations and shit that I think is so cute of Elena to have. She's got a couple bras and panties hanging around too, which I can't help but notice. I love getting to know everything about her life. This is so new to me because I’ve never cared about what a woman’s bathroom looks like. I must be whipped.
I call Bobbi and keep my head in the game.
"Hey, so what'd you find?"
"Nothing, man. The prints we got don't match anyone in the system so far. Also, we can't seem to find Darius; it's like he dropped off the face of the planet."
"Fuck, Bobbi. This isn’t good."
"I know, I know. But we've got a lot of manpower on this thing, and we’re pouring all of our resources into it like you asked. And we're gonna get ‘em, okay? It’s just a matter of time now."
"Yeah, right. If you say so." As if she can give me any guarantees.
"I did go ahead and interview Barry, even though he's not a prime suspect. I thought it would be wise to do it without you there."
"You have no idea how good of a call that was."
"He’s an asshole for sure, but he seems harmless enough. I know you two don't like each other, but he's not our guy I don't think. Don't worry, before you say it, I took his prints and his alibi just in case."
"Alright, that's good. But, Bobbi, come on, you gotta round up Darius. And think outside the box. I swear if this gets worse I’m gonna come down hard on everybody. If she gets hurt, Bobbi, I’ll just lose my mind.
"Okay, okay. I know. Talk soon."
I hang up and just as I do there’s a sound that I never want hear . . . Elena is screaming. Fuck! What now? Did something happen just as I was making a phone call?
I run into her room and see her in bed still asleep, sweat covering her body, and she's having a nightmare. I don't know what I can do to help. If only I could enter her dreams, I would and I'd make sure she only ever dreamed of me. I don’t want my woman suffering like this. She must be so upset about this whole thing. My reaction is total fucking caveman brain. Protect woman. Crush bad guy that hurts woman. But I want to soothe Elena, so I gently wake her so as not to startle her more.
"It's okay. It's okay, Elena. Wake up.” I shake her gently, wanting to pull her back to reality with me. “It's just a dream." I hold her limp body in my arms. She's terrified.
"Oh, Leo! You have no idea how bad it was. He was killing me, Leo. He was killing me!"
"Shhh, it's okay. I'm never gonna let that happen."
"No, Leo! He's gonna win. I can feel it. I might die over this thing, and then I'll never see you again. It’ll all be over for me,” she wails frantically.
"Listen, baby, I’m with you all the time. I have this situation covered. My guys are all over it. It's what I do. He's never gonna touch you, okay? I'll always be there. You gotta believe me. You’re not alone."
I try to reassure her, but she just sobs into my shoulder. I let her weep. She needs to get it out. But slowly, I talk her down and she begins to soothe. I want to make the world right for her again. I want to put the power back in her hands. My woman should never be worried like this when I'm around.
"Elena, I promise you, I will put this thing to bed, soon. He will be locked away forever, and you will never have another nightmare again. Stay with me. It's okay. Just stay here in this moment with me."
She looks longingly into my eyes, and I can't help but kiss her. I kiss her passionately, wanting her to know that things will always get better. And, most of all, that I will always keep my promises to her. I am utterly devoted to this woman and because of that, this guy will suffer for what he's done. Of that I am sure.