My Everything - Seth & Amber (21 page)

“I think he stole my grandmother’s earrings
and necklace,” she said quietly to Seth as she held up her empty
jewelry box.

Officer Williams, who must have been just
outside the door, stepped into the room. “Can you describe the
missing jewelry?”

“The earrings were two carat diamond studs
and the necklace had a chain just like this,” she showed him her
bracelet, “with a two carat diamond pendant on it.”

After sifting through the contents of her
dresser, she noticed that a few of her panties were missing as
well. She only noticed it because they were the couture underwear
she had bought in Paris. She didn’t think it was significant but
figured she better say something.

“There are several pairs of my underwear
missing as well,” she said feeling ridiculous saying it out
loud.

Officer Williams cleared his throat. “Can you
describe the...uh...missing underwear?”

Although Amber certainly wasn't enjoying the
situation in any way, shape, or form – she had to admit that it was
slightly
amusing to see the tiniest of cracks form in
Williams' granite-like demeanor. And all over the topic of
underpants.

“One is white satin with a pink bow, one pair
is red silk, and two are black lace.” Damn! Why couldn’t the
pervert have taken the underwear that didn't cost her $500?

A creepy feeling came over her knowing that
some stranger had something of hers that was so intimate. Of
course, it bothered her that he had taken the earrings and
necklace, but she had never worn them. They weren’t her style. They
didn’t
feel
personal, not like her bracelet. She wrapped her
fingers around it feeling a little better knowing it was safe and
on her wrist.

She stood torn between wanting to clean up
and wanting to get out of there.

“We need to ask you some questions.” Officer
Williams’ statement made Amber’s heart sink.

The last thing she wanted to do was answer
the same questions over and over again. Still, she nodded
resignedly. Better to just get it over with. She remembered Seth
telling her that the damage was the worst in the front room and
bedroom, so she suggested, “Why don’t we go into the kitchen for
that?”

Seth let her pass in front of him and as she
walked, she felt his hand rest on the small of her back. Just that
small contact made her feel less overwhelmed. Having him by her
side made her feel like she could face almost anything.

As they sat around her kitchen table, which
thankfully was still in one piece, Officer Williams took out his
notebook. He flipped it open and began asking her variations of the
same questions that he had asked after Bella had been broken into,
and again when her car had been vandalized.

She answered all the questions the same way
she had the two previous times, except one. The critical one.

“No, I don’t think that this is a coincidence
anymore. This is obviously personal.”

“And you said you’re not dating anyone
currently.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Even casually?” Officer Williams raised his
eyebrow.

Amber knew what he was implying, but casual
sex wasn’t really Amber’s cup of tea.

“I went out with someone a few weeks ago. We
went to dinner once. I met him there and left alone. It was nothing
serious.”

“How did you meet him?”

“I was set up by Wendy – you know, Pam
Lawson's sister? She had taken a karate lesson from him and thought
he was a nice guy, and that we would hit it off,” Amber
explained.

“Has he contacted you since the night you
went to dinner?”

“Yes, he’s called a few times. And he's
texted.”

“Did he ask you out again?”

“Yes, but I told him I wasn’t interested.
Look, I really don’t think he has anything to do with this. He’s a
really nice guy.”

Officer Williams did not look impressed by
her character evaluation. “What’s his name? I think it’s time I
have a talk with him.”

“Brad Porter, but honestly I think it would
be a waste of time. He really does not seem like the type to do
this. Besides, I know for a fact he’s not the man who broke into my
car. I’ve never seen that man before.”

Officer Williams closed his notebook. “That’s
all for now. I’ll let you know if we have any more questions.” He
rose from the table. “Do you have anyone you can stay with until we
catch this guy?”

“No, I’ll be fi-”

“Yes. She does.” Seth’s deep voice startled
Amber and she jumped. He had been so quiet during this whole thing
she wasn’t expecting him to say anything.

Officer Williams looked back and forth
between Seth and Amber, probably trying to figure out why she
almost jumped out of her skin when he had spoken.

“I thought you said you weren’t dating
anyone,” he said as his eyes suspiciously narrowed at her.

“I’m not. I mean...we’re not dating.” Amber
motioned her hand between herself and Seth.

Officer Williams took a step closer to Seth.
“I remember you when you were growing up. You got in a lot of
trouble back then.”

“Yes, sir, I did,” Seth stated plainly,
offering no excuses or explanations. He stared at the older cop
with respect, but his gaze also made it clear that he was not in
the slightest bit intimidated. She wasn’t sure how he managed to do
that, but he did.

Officer Williams backed down, as Amber
suspected most people did when faced with that look from Seth. The
older cop's face softened, if only slightly. “I expect you've grown
up quite a bit since then,” he conceded.

“Yes, sir,” Seth said evenly.

Williams nodded. “Well, we'll be going, then.
You have my card, right?” he asked Amber, who nodded.

“Call right away if you remember anything, or
if you discover anything else is missing,” Williams instructed
Amber before turning to leave.

Amber was surprised to see that Williams
actually patted Seth gruffly on the shoulder as he passed through
the doorway on his way out of the kitchen. Amber shook her head in
amazement. What was this effect that Seth Sloan had on people?

--- ~ ---

Seth knew that some people in this town would
not be able to let go of his past. He was actually surprised it had
taken Williams this long to bring it up. He didn't blame the man.
Hell, if he were in charge of Amber's safety in any official
capacity, he'd probably be uneasy about leaving her in the care of
a former miscreant, as well.

Seth followed Williams to the door so that he
could lock it and secure the deadbolt after the cops had left. When
he returned to the kitchen, he saw Amber sitting with her elbows on
the table and her head dropped in her hands.

“Amber.”

She looked up him and he noticed her skin
looked pale.

“Do you need help packing a bag?” he
asked.

“What? No.” Her brows furrowed as she shook
her head as if trying to clear it. “I mean...I’m not leaving, so I
don’t need to pack a bag.”

“Fine,” he answered.

Her eyes widened in surprise, “Wow, I
would've thought you'd have had more to say about that.”

Seth just stood there silently, so Amber
stood and walked past him. “Well, thanks for everything. I really
appreciate it. I’ll call if I need-”

Seth knew Amber wasn’t going to like this.
“I’m not leaving.”

Her head jerked up. “What?”

“You're not staying here by yourself.”

“Look, I’ll be fine. I can take care-”

“Amber,” Seth interrupted. “Either you come
to my place or I’m staying here. You will not be alone until we
catch this guy.”

Amber looked around her tossed front room and
he could see that she was resigning herself to the inevitable -
realizing that it was somewhat difficult to argue from any kind of
position of authority when you stood, surrounded on all sides by
your violently trashed belongings. She took a deep breath and
sighed, “If I go, I have to bring my sewing machine to finish the
bridesmaids dresses.”

A sense of relief washed over him. “Where is
it? I’ll put it in your car while you pack.”

She walked into the laundry room that was off
the kitchen and Seth saw that Amber had made quite a workstation
for herself back here. There were two sewing mannequins, a state of
the art sewing machine on what looked like a custom table, as well
as a ton of different fabrics and drawings. It was amazing.

“Is this where you design?”

A small smile tugged on her lips. “I design
everywhere - in the grocery store, at the DMV, in the doctor’s
office. Everything inspires me. This is where I work on the designs
I feel are good enough to produce.”

“I like it,” he said and he really did. The
space felt like…Amber.

“Thanks,” pride filled Amber’s voice as she
looked around the room.

“Do you need the table and the mannequins
too?”

“Yeah, I guess I do. The table folds and I
just need one of the forms. Both should fit in my backseat.” She
headed out but not before touching Seth’s arm and saying, “Thank
you, Seth. For everything. I’m so glad you’re home.”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Her
touch on his arm had immediately shot a jolt of arousal through
him. His body did not seem to understand what his mind knew, which
was that her touch was innocent. He tried to shake off his lust and
get his mind focused on the task at hand.

As he packed up her sewing machine, his mind
went to work trying to piece together any clues it may have missed.
He needed to figure out who was harassing Amber. Even though
Officer Williams was now looking at that guy Amber had gone out
with once as a person of interest, Seth didn’t think he had
anything to do with it. Which wasn't to say that Seth didn't hate
the guy for the simple crime of going out with Amber – that was a
given. But Seth knew in his gut that Brad Porter wasn’t the person
behind all of this.

Seth had a feeling that this was the work of
the man that vandalized Amber’s car, and that he was the same man
that had also broken into Bella and assaulted Amber. It was all
there, in the rage he exhibited as he crushed her car windows. This
was highly personal. Which made it all the more strange that Amber
had never laid eyes on the man. Who was he? What was Seth
missing?

The man
had
to know Amber...but Amber
didn’t know him. So, was he a stalker? Was he obsessed with Amber?
Was that why her panties had been stolen?

Seth may not have had all the answers to his
questions, but he did know two things for sure. He wasn’t going to
let anything happen to Amber, and he would find the person doing
this and stop him. That was indisputable.

Seth felt the corners of his mouth twitch
as paid the delivery boy at his front door. The poor kid had almost
tripped over himself when he had seen Amber walk by to go into the
kitchen. Seth didn’t blame the guy. Amber had that effect on
people.

Seth shut the door and brought the pizza box
to the table. Amber’s stomach growled.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“I
love
pizza. Almost as much as
brownies.” She opened the lid and grabbed a piece.

Seth smiled. He was not only glad to see her
eating, he was also glad that she wasn’t one of those women who
felt self-conscious eating in front of people. He had spent time
with several women like that and it had always frustrated him.

Plus, the sight of Amber stuffing her face
was in such opposition to the air of elegance and grace that she
effortlessly exuded that, well - it was just damn cute.

Seth went to grab a beer out of the fridge.
“Do you want a beer?”

“No.” She shook her head explaining, “After
the hangover I had last week from my wine, I think I’m good. But
I’d love water.”

Seth grabbed a couple bottles of water and
sat down at the table. He picked up a slice of pepperoni pizza and,
as they sat eating in companionable silence, he realized how
strange it was that she was here, in his apartment, and they were
eating pizza.

After a couple of slices, Amber looked around
and asked, “Are all of your things still in boxes somewhere in the
back, or have they not arrived yet?”

“I don’t have a lot of stuff. This is
it.”

“Oh. Okay.” Amber nodded as she took a drink
of water.

Seth looked around his apartment and saw that
it was pretty bare. He had gotten a lamp to put beside the couch
and a small black coffee table to hold the remote. Besides those
things, he had the couch (which had come with the apartment), his
flat screen television, and the kitchen table at which they
currently sat. Other than that, the place was empty.

The main reason he had rented this place was
because it was a secure building and you had to be buzzed in to
enter. He had a lot of family in town and they loved to pop by.
Seth liked the buffer that the extra step provided. It seemed to
make him less accessible.

And, he had chosen this specific unit because
the far wall was floor to ceiling glass that overlooked the river.
Watching the river at sunset had quickly become one of his favorite
things to do.

He had moved around so much in the military
that he had always kept only the essentials. It made relocating
less of a chore. So, because of that, he didn’t have furniture, or
much in the way of small personal items either.

“I like to keep things simple,” he
explained.

“Obviously.” Amber smiled as she pulled out
another slice.

Her phone rang and she pulled it out of her
purse.

“Hey, Katie,” she said as she answered the
call. She paused. “I’m okay...No, you don’t need to do that. I’m
staying at Seth’s.”

Seth could hear Katie’s scream through the
phone from across the table. Amber smiled and her eyes danced with
amusement at her friend’s reaction to her new living situation.

“How did that happen?” Amber said. Seth
assumed she was repeating Katie’s question for his benefit. “Well,
Seth said that it was either I stay with him or he was staying with
me. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see where the mysterious
Seth Sloan lived.”