Someone Like Her(12)

 What the hell was he supposed to do with her and a cat? But to hear her laugh was music to his ears. She’d been so sad since he’d arrived that it was killing him. He wanted to see the sparkle return to her eyes, see her happy again.

 “The best thing you can do is get your cat and come back to Pensacola with me until they find this bastard.”

 “No, I can’t. I have final exams that I can’t miss.”

 It was worth a try. “Which way to your apartment?” As he followed her directions, he formed a plan in his mind. He also made a mental list of the places he could apply for a job when Kincaid fired him.

 When they entered the complex, Jake made a slow lap around the building, but he didn’t see anyone lurking about or sitting in a car watching her apartment.

 “Mouse probably thinks I’ve abandoned him,” she said when Jake parked in her space.

 “Wait until I come around to your side before you get out.” Not taking any chances, he slipped his gun out of the ankle holster. The complex seemed deserted, most of the residents—students—now in their classes, where Maria should have been safely sitting.

 “How are you going to get in?” he asked.

 “What do you mean?”

 “Weren’t your keys in your purse?”

 She grinned and pulled them out of her pocket. “I never keep them in my purse. If it ever got snatched, at least I could get home in my car.”

 “Smart girl.”

 The grin faded. “Sometimes.”

 He felt like an ass for reminding her of how stupid she’d been. Had she really been all that foolish, though? She’d gone to the man’s house in broad daylight, but who would have expected such an outcome? If nothing else, she was smart enough not to repeat her mistakes.

 At the door to her apartment, Jake grabbed her arm and pushed himself in front of her. “Are you sure you closed it tight and locked it when you left?”

 She tried to peek around his arm. “Positive, why?”

 “It’s not closed all the way, and there are scratches on the lock. Pick marks to be exact.” Behind him, she grasped his waist, releasing a shuddering breath.

 “Mouse,” she whispered.

 The word confused him for a second, but then he remembered the cat. Jake considered telling her to wait there, but then she’d be out of his sight when he searched her rooms. “Stay right behind me. In fact, put your hand on my belt so I know you’re there. Don’t talk, don’t do anything but what I tell you.”

 When he felt her fingers grasp his belt, he pushed the door open and lifted his gun, resting the grip on the heel of his left palm. He stepped into the devastation of Maria’s living room.

 “Oh, God,” she gasped.

 He had shit for brains, should’ve predicted this, should’ve installed her someplace safe and come to her apartment alone. “Don’t let go,” he reminded her and walked into the kitchen. With his side pressed up against the wall and her behind him, he reached over and turned the knob of a door, pulling it open. A pantry, seemingly the only untouched space in her apartment. Strewn all over the kitchen were knives, forks, spoons, and dishes, many broken. This guy had been beyond pissed. Thank God Maria hadn’t been home when Fortunada came calling.

 “We have to find Mouse,” she said, her voice trembling.

 If the asshole had found her cat, Jake didn’t want Maria to see the result. But he wasn’t willing to leave her behind. He grunted and set off down the hallway. Her bedroom door was ajar and the destruction there was the worst. Her bed had been sliced open, her dresser drawers upended, clothing ripped to shreds. She made a low keening sound, one that Jake feared he would hear in his nightmares. At least there was no mutilated cat.

 “Mouse, here kitty, kitty. Come to mommy,” she softly sang.

 So fast that Jake almost shot it before he registered what was coming at them, a gray-and-white ball of fur flew out of the closet and straight at Maria. The drawn out meooows and maaahhhs were accompanied by hisses that Jake took to be a scolding from cat to woman. He didn’t really blame the cat. The poor creature must have been scared out of at least three lives when the Devil decided to pay a call. Maria let go of Jake’s belt to wrap her arms around her cat.

 “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. I should’ve come back and got you.”

 Did he really just hear her say that? He turned to tell her what he thought about her returning alone, knowing Fortunada had her address. Her face was buried in the cat’s neck and the damn thing rested its paw on Maria’s cheek, his green feline eyes locked lovingly on her as he chatted away. The reprimand died on Jake’s lips.