I growl as frustration builds. I want to climb through the window and pull her out of that room. Then beat the living shit out of that guy who has the nerve to look at what belongs to me.

A text from the babysitter pops up on my phone and I see they’re coloring the posters now. I told Emily it wasn’t a problem to get the boys, and it wasn’t. Because I’d already gotten a sitter for them. I planned since yesterday to watch her and make sure her first day went well. I kept telling myself it was to make sure she was safe. But the longer I stayed the harder it was for me to justify it as anything other than selfishness.

When the sitter sent me pictures earlier I just saved them and resent them to Emily like I was the one home with them. I was thinking the little lie would be worth it if it gave me peace of mind. Now I’m just mad as hell and I’m ready to rip this building down brick by brick.

I send a quick text to the sitter saying I’ll be a little late, and she gives me the thumbs up. After that I text my buddy Michael, but he immediately calls me. My phone is on silent, but I duck down anyway and whisper into it.

“You should be able to hear everything through the earpiece,” he says, and I roll my eyes.

“I know,” I whisper darkly, angry at him and at the situation. “That’s the problem. I can hear every fucking thing they’re saying. And I want to go in there and rip this asshole’s throat out.”

I called in a favor with him last night, thinking it would be just one way for me to know my bride was all right and I could handle her having a new job. I didn’t ask questions, but he left an earpiece for me in my truck this morning and told me I’d have audio and visual on her throughout the day.

“Dylan, calm down,” he says, and I hear him shuffle around. “Look, Jeanette doesn’t know I’m doing this for you. If she did she’d probably string me up by my balls. She loves Emily.”

“Goddamn, so do I.” I feel myself get loud and I take a breath. “The only reason I asked you is because you’re the best in the business on surveillance.” I peek back up into the window and see my Emily being handed a stack of paperwork. “I just needed to keep eyes on her. And I don’t like what I see.”

“I don’t blame you, man. I’ve always got eyes on my woman.”

I sigh again and rub my eyes. I’m not going to make it through the day. Watching her in the basement about drove me nuts. She’s got bad allergies and being around all that dust was killing her. But she didn’t give up. I was simultaneously proud and enraged at the work she was doing.

We don’t need the money. I’ve made enough so she doesn’t have to worry, and she can buy anything she wants. I’ve worked hard for a long time so that my family can sleep at night without a thought of doing without. I know she didn’t get this job so that we could pay the bills, so I’m trying to understand her need to be fulfilled. I just ache in my chest that I can’t do that for her.

“Listen, I warned you. You just need to check the app I put on your phone a couple times a day and let it go. You can’t watch her twenty-four/seven. Believe me, I’ve done the leg work on it. You’ll drive yourself insane.”

“Too late,” I say, looking back into the window. “I don’t like the app. I wasn’t close enough.”

“Dylan, where are you exactly?” Michael says, and I hear the threat in his voice.

“Just, you know, outside the window.”

“Oh god, you’re going to get the both of us in trouble,” he says, and then I hear his name being called.

“Saint? Are you hiding in the closet?”

“Fuck,” he whispers. “I had nothing to do with this. Get your ass out of there, Dylan,” he says, right before he hangs up on me.

I stuff my phone in my pocket and peek back into the window one more time. “Shit,” I mutter, seeing the room empty, and walk around the side of the building. When I look through another window there’s an older lady standing there with Emily.

I watch right before the older lady turns around and looks directly where I’m standing. I’m scared she might have seen me, and I can’t have Emily finding me lurking outside the window.

“Shit,” I say again, cursing the whole damn day.

Just then I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Thinking it’s the sitter I reach down and check it, only to see it’s Emily. My heartbeat picks up as I open the text, but it’s just happy faces and her saying she’ll be home earlier than she thought.

“Triple shit.” I say and haul ass to my truck. I’ve got to get back home before she does and get the sitter out of there.

I run as fast as I can to my truck and jump in it. I throw it in drive and hit the gas as I barrel down the road to our house. It’s not even a five-minute drive from our place to the library, so I’ve got to be quick.

When I get home, I jump out and grab some cash out of my wallet. I run inside and stuff it in the babysitter’s hand as I practically shove her out the door.

“Is everything okay?” she asks, and I just wave at her to leave.

“It’s fine. Thanks again. I’ll call if I need you tomorrow,” I say, urging her to get in her car and go.

“All right. Well, tell Miss Emily I said hey.”

Jesus, could she move any slower.

“Yeah, yeah, fine, bye,” I say, slamming the door and going back to the boys.

I glance out the window and make sure her car is gone before I start to calm down a little. The boys look at me like I’m crazy, but they’re not going to say a word. And just to make sure, I hand both of them a Popsicle.

I thank god above that the sitter got dinner started, and I’m draining the noodles just as Emily walks through the front door.

“Hey, Button, how was your day?” I ask, turning to smile at her.

She looks me up and down and then cocks her head to the side. “Why are you all sweaty? And why is there mud on your jeans?”