She answered the door. “Hey.” Her tense expression gave way to a slow smile. Not the greeting he’d been expecting considering how she’d sounded on the phone. Then she pointed at his feet. “You forgot to put shoes on.”

He glanced down before answering her. “So I did. Is that a problem?”

She shook her head and stepped back so he could enter. “No, I think it’s very sweet that you were in that big of a rush to get over here.”

“You sounded worried.” And he was grateful that she’d called him. That he was who she’d chosen to reach out to when she needed to feel safe. Sure, he was a cop, she didn’t know that many people in town, and he lived next door, but he was still glad he was the one she’d turned to.

“I am a little worried.” She sighed as she closed the door. “Actually, I’m not freaking out as much as I was before. I don’t think I’m in danger, but I’m really ticked off. I just want Thomas to sign the stupid papers and disappear from my life.”

“What exactly happened at the spa?” She smelled great and looked…glowy. Must have been the spa treatments.

“When I got out to my car, he’d written on the dirt on the rear window. It said, ‘Have fun?’ like he knew I’d been in there.”

“Did you take a picture to document it?”

She frowned. “No, I didn’t even think about that. I just drove straight home. The rain washed it off.”

He studied her. “You said you don’t think you’re in danger, but how can you be sure? He’s obviously trying to rattle you. And if he doesn’t get what he wants soon, which I assume is for you to retract the divorce, he could escalate.” Alex hoped that was all Thomas wanted and not something more sinister.

She wrapped her arms around her torso and took a long moment before answering, her eyes losing some of their sparkle. “His temper can be scary.”

Alex took a breath, wishing he didn’t have to ask her the hard questions, but he needed to know what they were dealing with. “Did he ever hit you while you were married?”

“No.” She bit at the inside of her cheek. “But he put holes in walls. Threw a few things. Raised his voice a lot.” She shrugged. “I think he’s capable of it.”

He reached for his cell phone, then realized he’d left it on the night stand. He started to move toward the phone in the kitchen. “I’m calling the station.”

She put her hand on his arm, stopping him. “Please don’t. If the police get involved—I mean, I know you’re a cop, but the more complicated this gets… I just don’t want to give him any more reason to keep sitting on those unsigned papers.”

“You need an RO.”

“A what? Oh, restraining order?”

“Yes.”

“He hasn’t really done anything, though.”

Alex gave her a stern look. “And it needs to stay that way.”

“I’ll think about it. It’s not like I could get one today anyway.”

“You might. I could try to move things along. Plus, you’re a friend of Delaney’s, and the Ellinghams can make things happen.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to ask her husband for a favor like that. Not yet. Not unless I really need it.”

He could have argued that point, but he also understood. He wasn’t someone who liked to be indebted to anyone either. “Okay, but you do need some kind of protection until we know for sure what’s going on.”

“What kind of protection?”

He put his hands in his pockets, the tile floor of her kitchen cool under his bare feet. “Me.”

Her brows lifted slightly, as did the corners of her mouth. “My own personal police force, huh?”

He nodded. “Something like that.”

“Okay, I’m game. What’s the plan?”

He took a breath. “First, I’m going back to my place. If Thomas is watching you, I want it to look like I was here and left. I’ll return to my house, gather a few things, then cross over from my backyard into yours. You can let me in through the slider.”

Her eyes narrowed. “There’s no gate in the fence between your yard and mine. And that fence is at least six feet tall. You plan on getting a ladder out?”

“Something like that.” Actually, he planned on jumping it. “Just be ready to let me in.”

“Got it. Then what?”

“Then we wait until dark, see if anything else happens. I hope not, but it would be nice if this came to a head sooner rather than later. If it doesn’t, I’m going to do some more investigating, see if I can figure out where he’s watching from, that sort of thing.” He also needed to check in with Birdie and Jenna again.

She bit at her cheek again. Like she was still worried.

“Hey, nothing’s going to happen to you. I’m not going to leave you alone until this is sorted out. When I’m not here, I’ll have another deputy on watch outside. But mostly, it’ll be me. Right here with you.”

She nodded, then lifted her head to look at him. “You’re going to stay here all night?”

He tipped his head toward the couch. “That’s why I’m coming back with a few things. I plan on staying in the house. On that couch. So long as that’s cool with you.”

She stared at the couch and let out a breath as her shoulders relaxed. She’d been more worried than she’d wanted to let on, that was obvious. “Yeah, that’s totally cool with me.”