Statistic (10 page)

I lay on the deck of the boat soaking in the rays of the hot summer sun. It feels good on my soft skin. I can feel my body heating, slowly tanning as Jackson lays next to me doing the same. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he was sleeping. His throat clears and I open my eyes and turn my head to find him staring at me. His chocolate brown eyes shimmering in the bright sun.

“I think I am going to jump in and cool off. Wanna join me?” he asks and I eagerly agree. My body is dying to cool down even if it is in the salt water of the Atlantic. I can’t say I have ever been a fan of the ocean. I prefer pools, but beggars can’t be choosers right?

I stand up and stretch my legs out. My arms fly over my head and I let out a yawn. I thought I had slept enough last night, but I guess it really is never enough. I love sleep. His arms wrap around my middle from behind and I feel my body slowly lifted into the air. I gasp and try to hit him but there is no use. From the position he is holding me in, I will never make contact.

“JACKSON PUT ME DOWN!” I yell, and he laughs.

“Ladies first!” he says as he tosses me over the side of the anchored boat. I laugh as I fly through the air, and then under the ice cold water. It is cold. Really freaking cold! I come to the surface gasping for air.

“Cold huh?” he says as I watch him jump into the water. Splashing me with more of the ice cold water of the Atlantic. Damn it! I could totally kill him right now.

When he comes up for air, his shaggy brown hair is dripping wet, and he looks even hotter than he did before he jumped in the water to cool off. It really should be illegal to look
that
good. I swear this man will be the death of me and I have known him for a whole two damn days.

“You’re not mad at me, are you A?” he asks with a charming smile. I can’t be mad at him. Well, let me re-phrase that. I can’t
stay
mad at him when he is looking at me like that. The hair. His eyes so bright and full of something I haven’t seen in far too long. Is it lust? Maybe the small spark of love starting? Yearning? Passion? Something I can’t quite put my finger on yet… but I will figure it out.

“Oh Jackson, I could never stay mad at you. Not in a million years.” I say with deep sarcasm. He laughs at me and splashes me.

“How about now?” I splash him back as I laugh hysterically. I am gasping to catch my breathe while we splash back and forth like little kids. As the water finally begins to settle between us, we are breathing heavy and just staring at each other. I am waiting for him to make the first move, but I swim closer to give him the opportunity. Maybe this is my way of making the first move today?

His arms wrap around my waist, and pull me closer. My wet body slides against his in the sprawling ocean. And in this moment I feel like we are the only two people in the entire world. Our eyes lock again and he goes in for the kiss.

His lips are salty from the water, and it doesn’t even faze me. In fact the only thing I can think about is how absolutely delicious the salt water is on him when I normally hate the flavor. My hands let go of his arms and snake through his hair. The wet silky locks twist through my fingers and he lets out a moan into my mouth.

I wrap my legs around his body trying to stay afloat as we make out in the middle of the deep ocean. Far from land or the viewing eyes of any strangers. As I lock my legs around his ass, I can feel the hardness of his dick pressing against my barely covered pussy. The simple movement of fabric could have us fucking in a matter of seconds. My mind focuses on that thought. I can’t push it from my mind as I slowly grind against him. His moans become deeper as we do nothing but kiss and feel our bodies naturally moving together.

Our hot and heavy make out session is interrupted when my cell phone starts ringing loudly from the deck of the boat. The first missed call I ignore. But when the caller continues to ring repeatedly I know something is wrong. My first thought flies to Liam and I can’t get to the boat fast enough to find out exactly what is going on and make sure my boy is alright.

I grab the towel I was sunning myself on and dry off before grabbing my phone and seeing all the missed calls. The only problem is they aren’t from Colin like I expected them to be. They are from my landlord. Shit!

Did I pay my rent? Did I miss something I was supposed to take care of? Fuck!

I quickly dial his phone number and wait for an answer. Two rings and Paul my landlord answers with a worried tone.

“Aurora, are you alright?” he asks frantically into the line.

“Yeah, everything is okay. Why? What’s up Paul?” I am beyond confused.

“Aurora, we are at the apartment here. It looks like someone broke in. I got a call from the alarm company when you didn’t answer the phone for them. The police are here as well. We were worried you may have been home when the intruder came in because your car is in the parking lot.”

My apartment? Intruder? Police? What the fuck?!

“What? No, I am out. I am actually on a boat. But I can be back within a half hour or so.” Just as I speak the words Jackson joins me on the deck of the boat mouthing the words
is everything okay
at me.

No, everything is not okay at all. I shake my head no and he waits for my phone call to end. A few minutes later I end the call with Paul telling him I will be there as soon as I’m able so I can talk with the police and see what exactly is missing since this clearly is a robbery of some type. Although, I really don’t have much anyone would actually want to steal.

“Someone broke into my house. My landlord was worried because my car is in my parking spot and I was nowhere to be found.” I realize how bad it looks and what spawned the frantic phone calls. I am grateful for Jackson making these surprise plans with me. Because what would have happened if I was actually home when this person broke into my house? Would they have hurt me? Would they have broken in when I was there?

Oh my God. What if I was home with Liam when it happened? Would they have hurt me in front of my son? My mind flies a mile a minute as Jackson brings the engines to life, and pulls the anchor up.

I sit in silence, partially in shock the entire ride back to shore. Running a million different scenarios through my overactive imagination. I wonder if I should move now. How I would afford to find a new place to live. If anyone else in the community has been burglarized recently. Was I the target? Was it a random act? Did someone see me leave earlier in the day and decide I would be the perfect target?

Shit!

I hate thinking about all this shit!

Jackson leaves me be. He can tell I am far too worked up to hold any kind of conversation. But the overprotective alpha male in him is starting to bubble to the surface. I can see the rage in his face. His protectiveness starting to show.

As the boat pulls into the slip, he finally speaks. But instead of asking me what happened, or what is going on. He asks how I am doing, how I am feeling. His concern focused squarely on me.

“Aurora, are you alright?” his arms wrap around my body and pull me close, placing a kiss on my forehead. I just nod in reply to him. I can’t even think or speak the words right now. My voice is completely lost. The victim once again.

No matter how hard I try and break the cycle, I always find myself back in this position. I am sick of being the victim of men and their shitty choices. And now that this situation is even further out of my control, it enrages me. I am pissed that someone would fucking target me with this bullshit just as I am finally getting my shit together and getting stronger.

“I just don’t get it.” I say quietly as we walk up the dock. “Why me?” a tear slips from my eye and Jackson grabs my hand.

“A, there are just bad people in the world. It isn’t about them targeting you. They saw an opportunity and they took it. This isn’t personal, Aurora. Don’t take it that way.” his words encouraged me somewhat, but I have a hard time not taking it personally. I take damn near everything personally. Whether it is or not.

Jackson’s car comes to a stop and I jump out running toward all the police cars and my apartment. The front door is broken off of the hinges like someone kicked the door in. The big foot print on the front door confirms my initial thoughts.

“Miss, you can’t go in there! It is a crime scene.” A young, baby faced police officer stops me before I can step over the threshold into my apartment. The sanctuary I have been comfortable enough to finally call home. Never realizing my security could be stripped in an instant. This instant.

“Officer James, it’s alright. She is the tenant who lives here.” Paul comes out of the doorway towards me. He gives me a big, protective hug and asks if I am alright. My body is physically shaking and I am worried about everything I am going to see once I walk through the door into the place I have been calling home.

“Sorry about that Miss…” the officer says.

“Miss Alexander. Aurora Alexander.” I answer him, and Paul escorts me through the mess of a doorway.

“Don’t worry about the door. I already have a friend over at the hardware store picking up the supplies to fix it.” Paul adds in, trying to reassure me the damage will be fixed soon. But I am still unsure if I will feel safe enough in this apartment. I want to run back to the home I once shared with Colin, but I already know that is not, and never will be, an option for me again.

The kitchen is trashed. The vase of flowers from Wesley completely shattered all over the tiled stone flooring. Shards are scattered all over the black tile in every which way. The flowers are completely trashed, ripped apart as if someone deliberately targeted them. But nothing else in the kitchen is touched. Just the small romantic gesture.

I walk like a zombie up the stairs to the bedrooms. Liam’s room is still closed, untouched as it was when I left this morning. I send another silent thank you up to the big guy in the sky, thanking him that Liam wasn’t home for this. He wouldn’t see the damage that has been done or lose his own sense of security in our new home. I have no choice but to stay in this house and pray no one comes back to finish whatever job they started. I couldn't shake Liam’s already upside down world.

The door to my bedroom is open, and when I peer inside, I can see my drawers tossed haphazardly around the room. Clothes are everywhere, but nothing appears to be missing. What could they have been looking for?

My heart hammers against my chest as my body breaks into a cold sweat. The weather outside may be steamy, but this isn’t anything more than my own terrified reaction. I’ve been targeted and I am unsure of why. Why me? What have I ever done to anyone?

“Are you okay?” Jackson’s voice distracts me from the mess. I turn to find him standing in the doorway, carefully and quietly watching me like he doesn’t want to disturb me.

“I’m fine. I just don’t get it.” I look around and run my fingers through my hair and wonder why someone would do this. I am sure it is a question that I am going to ask myself repeatedly for a really long time. I have never been a victim like this before. Yeah, I’ve been hurt by other people, but not in this manner. This… it is all just something else. Something that I will never understand.

“Want some help?” he nods to the mess in the room. I don’t want to even be here anymore.

“Not right now. I think I just want to get out of here for the night once the front door is fixed and the glass is all cleaned up. I don’t really feel safe being here alone.” I admit. I don’t want Jackson to see me as weak, but I also don’t know what else to say right now. Honesty is always best and I feel like I could tell him anything.

“Let’s get the kitchen cleaned up and you can come back to my house for the night. I have a guest room you can use.” Jackson offers. “Pack up a little bag and we will worry about getting the rest of this all cleaned up tomorrow. Okay?”

I really should call Callie and stay with her, but I just nod and go along with Jackson’s plan. I let him take charge because I think that is what I really need at this moment. I can’t make any decisions or even think straight.

I grab some clothes and my bag of toiletries and toss them in my beach bag and head downstairs to the kitchen. The young looking police officer and Paul are standing there, both staring at me when I enter the room.

“Miss Alexander? There is one more thing we need to show you before we can head out.” the officer says. He holds up a note in a plastic bag. “This was left on the counter, we took it for evidence.” He hands the bag over, and I just eye the words. The handwriting isn’t familiar. And I wonder why someone would feel the need to scare me like this?

You are mine.

Stop acting like a whore.

A chill runs through my body again. My stomach rolls and I feel the need to vomit.

Mine? A whore? Who the fuck would even think this? The idea that this was nothing more than a random break in disappears.

“Do you have an ex-boyfriend or lover who would leave something like that Miss Alexander?” My mind is a complete blank.

“No, I don’t. I literally just started dating again for the first time since I was divorced over a year ago.” my words come out much quieter than I intended.