“Fuck off,” I grunt, shrugging off his hand.
He laughs, loudly. “It’s a good thing you are retiring. Keep this kind of shit up, and you wouldn’t have a fucking career left. Come on, old man. Let’s finish our beer, and then you can call India and tell her what happened.”
I’M RELAXING IN MY BATH, sipping on my wine, Adam Levine telling me “It Was Always You.” Well, not me specifically, but a girl can dream, right?
Then, my phone starts going crazy. When I say crazy, I mean, a quick succession of texts come through, and my phone starts ringing at the same time.
I reach a hand out of the tub, quickly drying it on the towel hanging on the rail by my head, and grab my phone off the floor.
I don’t recognize the number, but it’s a local area code, so I connect the call. “Hello?”
“Am I speaking with Dr. Harris?”
“You are. Who is this?”
“My name is Sally, and I’m an operator at Safer Security, your alarm provider. I’m calling to let you know that the alarm at your office has gone off. I’ve temporarily disabled it from my end, and the police have been notified and are on their way to check it out.”
“You’re kidding?” I sit up, the water sloshing all around me. “Was the office broken into?”
“I don’t know the situation yet. But if you want to wait, I can call you back once the police have notified us.”
“No.” I stand up, stepping out of the bath. “You say the police are going now. I’ll head there myself. Thank you for calling me.”
“All part of the service, Dr. Harris. Please call me once the police have assessed the situation. I can have the alarm enabled at my end, and I would advise setting a new code.”
“I will. Thanks.” I hang up and grab a towel from the railing, wrapping it around myself.
I don’t believe this.
I glance down at my phone, seeing the texts are from Leandro. Four of them.
Trying to call you, but for some reason, it’s not connecting.
Ring me when you get this text.
P.S. I love you.
A lot. XX
That puts a temporary smile on my face, and then I remember that my office might have been broken into.
I’ll text him back once I know what’s going on at my office.
I quickly dress in jeans and a T-shirt, leaving my hair tied up, and I jog down the stairs.
I’ve just reached the bottom step when Kit and Jett come in through the front door, pizza boxes in hand.
“Hey, Mum. What’s up?” Jett asks at my expression.
“I just got a call from the alarm company. My office alarm has been going off. I’m heading there now.”
“You’re kidding,” Jett says.
“Wish I was.” I sigh.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Kit asks.
“No, it’s fine. The police will be there.”
“The police?” Kit frowns.
“It’s the alarm company’s standard policy when the alarm goes off. You stay here with Jett.”
“Well, take Jonah with you, just to be safe.”
“No. I’d rather Jonah stay here and watch over Jett.”
“I’m fine,” Jett says.
“I’ll watch over Jett.” Kit gives me a pointed look. “You take Jonah.”
“Okay,” I concede, not having the energy to argue with Kit. I slip my feet into my ballet flats, pull on my coat, and put my phone in the pocket. “I’ll see you both soon. Save me some pizza.”
I let myself out into the cool night air and walk toward Jonah’s car. He gets out at my approach.
“There’s a problem at my office, the alarm is going off, so I need to head there now. Kit is staying here with Jett.”
“Okay. I’ll drive you.”
On the drive to my office, I ponder calling Leandro, but I decide to wait until I know what’s going on at my office.
I see the police car outside my building. Jonah parks up behind it. I get out, and Jonah follows me. I approach the female police officer who is standing by the car.
“I’m Dr. Harris. This is my office building,” I tell her. “Safer Security called me about the alarm going off.”
“I’m afraid your office has been broken into, Dr. Harris.”
“Why would anyone break into my office? It’s not like I have valuables. Only my iMac. Oh, shit! Has my iMac been stolen? It has all my patient details on there.”
“I didn’t see a computer when I was in your office, Dr. Harris. I’m afraid the place has been left in a bit of a mess. We’ve got someone coming now to fingerprint. But you can go in and look, see what’s missing, so long as you don’t touch anything.”