“What’s wrong? What happened, Dani?”His fun and flirty tone is gone as worry sweeps into his voice.
I sniff, finding myself fighting back tears once again. “Someone broke into my apartment.”
“Are you okay?”
I nod before remembering he can’t see me. “Yes, I didn’t go inside. I came straight down to the lobby. The police are on their way.”
There’s a shuffling on the other side of the line followed by the sound of a door closing.“That’s good,mi reina.I’m on my way now.”
“Thank you, Andrés. I’m going to call Maya now.”
“Okay. I’ll be there as quickly as I can. I love you.”
Luckily, he doesn’t wait for a response before hanging up because I’m not sure how to respond to that. I care about him—a lot—but do I love him?
I just don’t know.
Shaking my head, I dial Maya next and give her a rundown of the situation. I try to tell her she doesn’t need to leave work—that Andrés is on his way over—but she’s having none of it. She tells me she’ll be there soon, but I know it’ll take her longer since she’s coming from work.
With those two calls made, I consider calling Victor and Jason, but decide against it. Let them enjoy a night together.
I lift my legs into the chair, resting my chin on my knees as I stare out the window.
Who is doing this to me and why?
It doesn’t make sense that anyone would stalk me. Unless Officer Prick—I mean Officer Stone—was right, and it’s a camming fan.
Obviously, I’ve heard horror stories of things like this happening to other camgirls and camboys, but I never thought it would happen to me.
“Miss Williams?”
I blink up at the familiar voice, finding Officer Ellsworth standing there. “Officer Ellsworth.”
“I’m sorry that we’re meeting like this again,” she says softly. “The detectives working on your case are on their way over, but the chief thought you might feel more comfortable with me since I was the responding officer the night your car was vandalized.”
I smile at the kindness the chief of police is showing me. He could’ve petitioned to have me thrown out of the building. Instead, he’s bent over backward trying to make sure I feel safe.
“That was nice of him, and I’ll admit he’s right.”
“Did you enter your apartment?” She nods when I shake my head. “Good. Did you touch anything? The doorknob or the door itself?”
I shake my head again. “No. My hand froze about halfway there, and as soon as I realized what was going on, I bolted.”
She makes a quick note on her little pad as she nods. “What made you realize something might be wrong?”
“The door wasn’t closed. I locked it when I left, so I know it was shut.”
She hums. “It’s good you noticed. Based on the information provided by the building security, we don’t think the perp is still in the building. But they could’ve been lying in wait for you, so I’m glad you didn’t enter the apartment. No one will be going inside until the detectives arrive. They don’t want anyone to mess up the scene, but they should be here in about ten minutes. We’re getting everyone ready to head upstairs as soon as theyarrive. No matter what your apartment looks like, you won’t be able to stay there tonight as it’s an active crime scene. Do you have someone you can stay with?”
“She can stay with me,” Andrés says as he joins us, and I throw myself into his arms. He catches me easily, hugging me close. “Fuck, I was so worried about you,mi reina.”
Officer Ellsworth clears her throat. “We need you to hang around for a while. I know it’s not ideal, but the detectives will want to take a look around the apartment before speaking to you. You’ll need to make a note of anything that’s been stolen or vandalized for the police report, but you’ll be able to wait until tomorrow for that if you want. Will you be okay waiting here?”
“I will now that Andrés is here, and my friend Maya is on her way, too.”
She gives me another small smile, her gaze lifting toward the door. “Good. The detectives are here. I’m going to let them know exactly what’s going on before we check out your apartment. We’ll be down to speak with you as soon as possible.”
Then she’s gone, and Andrés sits down, pulling me into his lap. “I want to know how someone broke into your apartment when Hollyvale Manor is supposed to be impenetrable.”
